POST FALLS — Why live in a good community when you can make it a great one? 

Or, even better, why not strive to make it the best?

That's the goal of the River City Leadership Academy, which celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2024 on Tuesday during the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce's Connect4Lunch at the Prairie Falls Golf Club.

"As Post Falls continues to grow, it will require dedicated people to maintain its charm," said Jenny Buatte, River City Leadership Academy's 2024 class president. "How can we all contribute to preserving the wonderful community? That's precisely what RCLA is all about."

Founded in 2009, RCLA is an annual program that provides opportunities for individuals to gain leadership skills while creating effective changes in the future of the community.

Buatte ran an independent Mary Kay business and spent 15 years as an elementary school teacher while raising two children. Last year, she made the leap to full-time marketing. She is now a marketer and business development manager for Servpro of Coeur d'Alene.

"Today is not just about my personal journey, or RCLA Class of 2024 — the best class ever — it's about each of you and the roles you play in our community," she said to the luncheon attendees. "It's about challenging yourself to become an even greater asset to Post Falls."

From August to June, RCLA members spend 80 hours discovering Post Falls and Kootenai County through the "Explore Your Community" part of the program. They learn about current issues, hot topics and opportunities that affect the community, from the general public to the business leaders. Topics range from culture, history, economic development and tourism to area nonprofits, health care, education and technology.

They also undergo 16 hours of customized classroom training to learn the principles and qualities of genuine leadership; clarify performance expectations; build team pride and purpose; and develop team agility.

It is similar to the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber's Coeur d'Alene Leadership program, which also provides access and exposure to various issues and industries to nurture and foster the next generation of leaders.

In the 15 years since its inception, nearly 300 people have gone through the RCLA.

"You could live here your whole life, and some of the people who have lived here their whole life walk away from the program going, 'Wow, I didn't know that about our community,'" said Katie Huff, a 2021 RCLA graduate and 2024 planning committee chair. "For me, it gave me a confidence that I can go to any event like this and I have something in common immediately with half of the room because there have been so many."

She said the program encourages those who go through it to pay forward what they have learned and the inspiration they have been given.

"When I left it, I was then inspired to ask the chamber, 'What else is available?'" Huff said. "That's when I became an ambassador for the Post Falls Chamber."

As well as fostering leadership skills, the program also annually gives back to local causes and nonprofits. Members of the Class of 2024 helped a family of nine they learned about through their work with Newby-ginnings of North Idaho, which provides support and resources for veterans and active military families.

"They rallied together and came up with $1,400 in gifts and tangible goods," Huff said during a presentation, adding that even more was raised for gift cards and money for utility bills.

"This $5,000 made a huge impact on this family in a time of need," Huff said.

    River City Leadership Academy 2024 Class President Jenny Buatte gives a graduation speech Tuesday during a celebration at the Prairie Falls Golf Club.
  

    Brad Johnson of the Post Falls Police Department visits with colleagues Tuesday before the festivities begin at the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce's Connect4Lunch and River City Leadership Academy graduation celebration. About 300 people have gone through the program since its inception.