Going to college as a nontraditional student is hard enough. 

Add a job and raising a family as a single parent to the balancing act and, for some, earning a degree or certificate becomes nearly impossible. 

But at North Idaho College, these students have a resource to support them. 

The Center for New Directions at NIC helps single parents, displaced homemakers and career pioneers in North Idaho to chart a new path in life. 

“We walk alongside them,” said Louisa Rogers, who runs the Center for New Directions. “It can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re a single parent.” 

The CND provides personalized support so participants can be successful in school. Most students enroll in a certificate program or a two-year program to earn an associate’s degree, after which they might go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree. 

Whatever path they choose, they gain skills to enter the workforce and earn a living wage. 

Participants gain more than increased earning potential. They also grow in confidence and self-esteem, which affects their families. 

“When children live in a home where their parents have a belief in themselves, it’s going to impact the child’s life in a positive way,” Rogers said. 

Rogers described single moms in Kootenai County who struggle to get by but don’t want to rely on government assistance. Applying for benefits can be a humiliating process, she said, and the benefits typically aren’t enough for a family to thrive. 

The support offered by the Center for New Directions helps these women to become self-sufficient. 

“The women I work with don’t want to be on welfare,” Rogers said. “As they progress in their education and enter the workforce, they become taxpaying members of our community. Investing in single mothers is an investment worth making.” 

The Center for New Directions has been incredibly successful, Rogers said, but it couldn’t succeed without help from the community. 

“One of the biggest supporters is the Christmas for All program,” she said. “When I know a person and a barrier arises in their life, I have a resource at my fingertips that can help them overcome that barrier.” 

Press Christmas for All awardees have received meaningful support with expenses like car repairs and new tires — obstacles that could easily stop a single mom or career pioneer from continuing their studies. 

Rogers compared the people who are helped by Christmas for All to tightrope walkers, fighting to stay upright when one little thing might knock them over. 

“Our job is to help them keep from falling off or to help them get back on that tightrope,” she said. 

Through donations from the community, Christmas for All does just that, giving hardworking Kootenai County residents the boost they need to keep going. 

“The women I work with are on a journey to self-sufficiency,” she said. “They’re working so hard to become stable and provide for themselves and their children. Having the ability to help them along the way with new tires, or a laptop so they can do their homework while the kids are in bed, or eyeglasses so they’re able to read their textbooks — these things make a true difference.” 

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This story is part of a series highlighting Kootenai County’s unsung heroes, Press Christmas for All’s referring partners.  

They walk alongside clients in need and refer them to Charity Reimagined for specific assistance from Christmas for All, the Coeur d’Alene Press holiday charity campaign that, through our readers’ generosity, helps recipients throughout the year. It is an honor to work with these outstanding men, women and organizations.