Bonners Ferry, ID

By: R.J. Cohn
Editor - Rural Northwest.com

If the ghost of Edwin Bonner could hover above the little city named after him for a fortnight, the sight of it emerging from the shadows of its logging past as a work in progress would give the good ghost a mighty startle.

Boasting an Italian bistro, a dynamic art gallery, chic clothing and gift boutiques flourishing on a Main Street that only a few years ago crackled with vacant storefronts, it’s hardly your father’s timber town anymore. For complete article click here

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry will begin its summer schedule on Monday, May 19th. The Center will be open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-6:00pm. A wide range of services and classes are available at the Center, located at 6791 Main Street, next door to Far North Outfitters. Several non-credit courses are scheduled for the summer, including basic computer skills and several special interest classes. Contact the Center at 208.267.3878 for more information. Adult Basic Education classes and GED testing will continue throughout the summer. For a schedule of classes and test dates, call or visit the Center.

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry is pleased to offer a wide range of non-credit classes for spring and summer 2008.

Workforce Training and Community Education Classes

A Drive Through 1.5 Billion Years of Time
Saturday, 8:00am-5:00pm 1 session - $35
May 17 Instructor: Roderick Barcklay
This day trip adventure begins with a two-hour classroom orientation. Car pool with classmates approximately 50 miles round-trip to Kootenai Falls, Montana.
Note: Class will meet at the Bonners Ferry Visitor Center.

Introduction to Fly Fishing
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00pm 6 sessions - $39
Beginning May 7, ending June 11 Instructor: Adam Kusler
Walk away from this class and head to the river with the basic skills and knowledge you’ll need to catch a fish on the fly.

Learn to Locker Hook
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00pm 2 sessions - $29
Beginning July 30, ending August 6 Instructor: Terrie Kralik
This portable handwork project is fun and easy. Fee includes a kit with tools and project supplies.

Conquer ComputerPhobia
Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00pm 1 session - $35
May 21 OR August 13 Instructor: Steve Fendos
If you are confused and anxious about operating a computer, this class is for you!

Make a Safari Fabric Box
Thursday, 10:00am-2:00pm 1 session - $25
July 31 Instructor: Terrie Kralik
This is an easy project for all skill levels. Class is based on instructor’s book, 90-minute Fabric Fun.

Surf the Internet with Explorer 7.0
Tuesdays, 6:00-9:00pm 2 sessions - $49
Beginning June 3, ending June 10 Instructor: Steve Fendos
Discover the advantage of using the internet with this informative look at the World Wide Web.

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry is located at 6791 Main Street, next door to Far North Outfitters. For more information call 208.267.3878 or visit www.nic.edu.

The Idaho Horizons project, will hold a one day trainings for Horizons communities on 11th called “Leading Community Conversations”.

The training is planned for Mar.11th in Plummer. Attendees will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wellness Center. Communities attending the Plummer event will include Bonners Ferry, Silver Valley, Coeur d’Alene Reservation, St. Maries, Up River (Fernwood, Santa, and Emida), Bovill, Troy, Elk River, and Kendrick and Juliaetta.
The Idaho Horizons training “Leading Community Conversations” is the next in a series of community trainings through the Northwest Area Foundation-funded partnership with University of Idaho Extension.

This training will be led by David Beurle of Innovative Leadership Australia. David led communities through their community visioning sessions in the fall of 2007, and as promised by Horizons will return to motivate, engage and strengthen community during this training. Topics that will be addressed include: reconnecting your community by building enthusiasm, how to engage people in community-wide dialog, how to talk about rough subjects, how to deal with challenging personalities, and incorporating small town dynamics to build a”true community”.

The training is free and open to all members of Horizons communities, as well as other interested rural Idaho residents. Lunch will be provided to those attending the Grangeville and Plummer events.
More information about the Horizons program is available at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/training_regional.htm
Those planning to attend are asked to contact Meri Joswiak, Horizons program assistant, by email at merijoz@uidaho.edu or by telephone at (208) 885-8949.
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Spotlight on Families

Spotlight on Families will be an ongoing blog that features programs/events in Boundary County. If you have information you would like to see on Spotlight on Families please email Erika Thiel at ethiel@uidaho.edu

~Community Coalition For Families meets the 1st Thursday of each month (except August) at the Chic n’ Chop Restaurant. Community Coalition For Familes promotes a cooperative climate for volunteer groups and professional agencies to worth together and advocate for the betterment of residents of all ages and all cultures of Boundary County.

~ i2i presentation for youth and adults on physical and psychological effects of substance abuse May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Bonners Ferry High School. Each family in attendance will be given a tool kit. Information: Laura Anderson (208) 267-3149.

~Health Fair This annual event will be held on Saturday, May 17th at the Boundary Community Hospital - lower level. For more information please contact Tina Wilson at 267-3141 ext 324 or email at tinaw@bcchmail.org

~ Summer and Fall Classes set at Bonners Ferry NIC Six non-credit courses - from learning fly fishing to conquering computer phobia - are being offered at North Idaho College’s Bonners Ferry Center starting in May. Students can also register for 17 fall credit classes at the Center. The fall semester begins Aug. 24. Courses range from Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Principles of Economics and Introduction to Psychology. All classes are taught at the Center, located at 6791 Main St. (next door to Far North Outfitters). For more information call 267-3878, or visit www.workforcetraining.nic.edu for a full list of both summer and fall courses.

~ Individual Education Program Workshop Attention parents and guardians of children with special needs: An Individual Education Program Workshop will be held Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellspring Community Center, next to Far North Outfitters in Bonners Ferry. Child care will be available .
Bring your child’s IEP and/or 504 Plan:
* Talk with other parents.
* Learn to write an effective goal.
* Learn what “progress” is and how often it should be reported.
* Learn how to request accommodations.
* Learn what a Functional Behavioral Assessment is and when you might ask for one to be done.
* Learn about Behavior Plans and how your child can get one if he/she needs one.
* Learn how to use the Idaho Special Educational Manual (Bring your copy, if you have one).
Presenters: Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) and Co-Ad, Inc.
Hosted by: Bonners Ferry Parent Support Group(Parents of Children & Adults with Special Needs)
Child Care available during workshop RSVP REQUESTED. To RSVP or additional information please call 267-7686

You are Invited!!!

Community Appreciation Celebration
Saturday February 16, 2008
10 am to 2 pm
Bonners Ferry Visitors Center

Join us for a community celebration to say thank you!

Sponsored by the Horizons Projects
For more information contact Shelly at 267-5932

Community Potluck Celebration
December 10, 2007
Trinity Lutheran Church—Bonners Ferry
6:00 pm

Now is the time: Celebrate, get energized, inspired and encourages about our community’s future. Get involved you are our community’s most valuable resource.

Join us for a potluck and celebration as the action teams unveil their work plans. Be a part of the future as the Horizons Project moves toward action.

A partnership with Boundary Community Hospital, Northwest Area Foundation, the Montana Office of Rural Health and the Rural Health Resource Center of Duluth, Minnesota. A Community Council was formed by Boundary Community Hospital, which has met twice already. Through the Culture of Wellness, a community wide survey was sent out, to identify health care concerns and needs. The Community Council brings together a diverse group of citizens not seen in most other organizations.

The formation of a youth advisory committee for the Horizons project is underway at the BFHS. The youth advisory committee is our team’s first successful collaboration –bringing together our youth, school administrators, and faculty in a new community vision-focused partnership.

This committee will:
 Help identify youth needs and concerns
 Increase youth participation in the planning and activities of all Horizons Action Teams
 Coordinate youth volunteers for more effective community service

The Volunteer Appreciation Day has been rescheduled for February 16, 2008 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Visitors Center.

Horizons Project Riding a Wave of Momentum

By: R.J. Cohn
Editor

A large-scale project launched nearly a year ago aimed at turning Boundary County into a thriving rural community fostering new economic opportunities is suddenly gaining momentum.

Still in its infancy, the Horizons Project has mushroomed into a community-driven undertaking determined to reduce the grip of poverty in Idaho’s northernmost county by building on existing economic strengths while collaborating with local organizations towards creating a more sustainable future……

For more about this article go to click on Rural Northwest on our blogroll

Bonners Ferry is a relaxed, alive, and inviting rural community that values its youth. We promote open communication to keep our community connected. We value our citizens and strive to preserve our quality of life. We prize education and recreational opportunities.

As a unique destination for visitors, we promote exploration of our natural landscape. We achieve a balanced growth that builds on our strengths and the sustainability of our existing natural resources. We nurture innovative ideas and environmentally friendly small businesses that will shape our future for generations to come.