Meet Kip Sharbono, a Coeur d’Alene local who was excited to return to Coeur d’Alene and give back to the city that helped raise him. He is the center director at the Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center and has a heart and vision for impacting the community for the greatest good.

Generation: I believe birthdate-wise I would be categorized as a millennial, but find myself to be a blend of a variety of generations. I’m still a classic paper-and-pen type of guy as I find I retain information in a much better manner when I handwrite notes. It’s amazing being able to work among a span of generations as each has something unique to teach me and I am learning on a daily basis.

Career and community involvement: I was an all-Idaho kind of guy for education as I went where the most scholarships were. I played soccer and attended North Idaho College, completed undergrad at the University of Idaho and then completed a master’s at Boise State. I earned a M.S. of Kinesiology from Boise State, but after a stint leading exercise therapy in a local physical therapy clinic, I was hired on as a youth development coordinator when the Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center opened as I had worked and assisted in directing local summer camps during breaks from school. I have been at the Kroc Center for 12 years and had the honor of being selected as the center director, a role I have had for two years. My time at the Kroc Center has shown me exactly the educational path I would take if I could go back in time as I loved learning and education, but had no clear path coming out of college. The Salvation Army took a chance on me and has allowed me to unlock passions and a skillset that I didn’t know was so prominent under the service. I have been able to join the Coeur d’Alene noon Rotary and am learning and serving alongside the most service-minded individuals and groups in our community.

Parental status: My wife Erica and I are the proud parents of Beckham Tate, 5, and Finn Olivia, 3, so our house and lives are a continual combination of Legos, "Star Wars" and "Frozen." We wouldn’t have it any other way!

1. When and why did you pursue a role in leadership at the Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene?

I was hired at the Kroc Center as a youth development coordinator and was able to collaborate with an amazing team to build and launch summer camps, day camps, school outreach and center-wide activities and engagement for youth. In my time, I have been able to have the opportunity to advance into management and now in director level leadership. Leadership is something that has always felt like a calling as I’ve always sought to find the potential in everyone and look forward to the opportunity to both learn from and develop those I have the opportunity to lead. At my time at the Kroc I have continually pursued unique leadership opportunities, but mainly from the outlook of being able to unlock the potential of those around as many of the team I work with are far better leaders than I am and I am blessed for the time, patience and grace provided from each.

2. What are a few things you love most about this position, and overall having a Kroc Center in our community?

The opportunity at the Kroc Center to explore my passions and have leadership that supports and allows you to learn from failure has been integral in feeling there is still so much to learn and so many ways to grow in my current position. I love that the Kroc has worked hard to dispel the myth of "the gym" as the center is first and foremost a community center and that holds us accountable to getting outside our four walls and placing others' needs before ours. The Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center has been the leading Kroc Center in the nation since it opened in 2009 and the sheer talent and passion of the team that has been built and serves our community on a daily basis continues to inspire me both personally and professionally. All other Kroc Centers are in large metropolitan areas and Coeur d’Alene is the one Kroc Center that doesn’t fit the mold, but the center that was slated to have 2,500 members in the first year and only welcome people through its doors quickly surpassed 20,000 members and has become a pillar of the community because it filled a void and met a need that had existed for years. We have taken that approach to outreach and programming as well as we have been most successful when we look to be a connector or fill a void, rather than duplicate efforts. We have been blessed to be a leader in our community in many ways, but we have been even more blessed to collaborate with agencies that are already leaders and doing amazing work.

3. What big plans, campaigns or other news are coming up for the Kroc?

The COVID-19 pandemic hit us hard financially as we tried to absorb a 40% reduction in membership, which resulted in a necessary reduction in staff and a long road to rebuilding. These hits impacted the culture of being a safe place to belong and grow that we seek to live out and embody daily as the friendly faces of staff and members that we have served and served alongside for years quickly changed and we had to pivot to a space that felt uncomfortable. We have leveraged this difficult year to better position ourselves coming out of COVID and to assess what role we need to play in the community. We are currently hosting a membership drive for the month of May with registration fees waived, and we are gearing up for summer camps, which are nearing capacity due to the excitement and need for the youth of our community to connect relationally after a year of isolation. We understand that there will continue to be a hesitancy for our community to come back through the doors, but we are preparing for when they do. The Kroc Center has added a recovery center over COVID with three sonic platforms and four hydromassage beds as well as creating a new youth/teen space and increasing member benefits for families. Our theater and community rooms are currently being updated with a new theater fly system, new stage lighting and a new AV system throughout the center. Our community is excited to get back to the things they know and love. We can’t wait to re-engage with School District 271 and many of our other valuable community partners.

4. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

For someone in a leadership role, I tend to be more of an introvert. My role in leadership allows me to look at long-term vision for our center and community and both learn from and interact with the amazing people of the community, but I look forward to time spent with my family. I joke with Erica that it’s OK I don’t have many friends because I married her and we had kids so they are kind of expected to spend time with me. Also, I hate all white condiments and shave my legs…..yes, all white condiments and what started out as a cycling-triathlon centric routine has now just become a normal way of life for me and an ongoing and enjoyable common point of joking at the Kroc Center. That, and the fact I look like Kevin Bacon.

5. What is a personal philosophy or mantra you live by, and how do you apply that to your daily life?

My life can be boiled down to three things: Faith, family and follow-through. My faith in Jesus guides me daily; my family supports and ensures I have balance; and I expect, and you can expect from me, that I will always do what is asked or what I said I would do. I connect with the Harry S. Truman quote, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit,” as leadership needs to be about elevating others before yourself. I look to apply this in how we lead at the Kroc Center as well as how we develop the staff we lead because the power of a group coming together to solve a large problem is far greater than one going at it alone. It’s an outlook that I would love to see our local church community as a body of Christ take to heart as the passion in each local church, if combined and leveraged to truly impact our community, would be unstoppable. The final reminder that is continually in my brain is that no deathbed last confessions ever entail wishing you had worked more, so create a work-life balance that allows you to be all there when you are with your family.