Peers To Honor Kellogg Senior
Iva Rivers wants no parades, no pictures in the newspapers, no fancy plaques.
“That’s not my bag,” she says, trying hard to act the grump. It’s not a natural state for her. At 78, she has plenty of bounce in her walk and warmth in her smile - and she puts both to good use.
That is why Kellogg will honor Iva in its Mayfest parade on Saturday. She’s Shoshone County’s outstanding senior.
“We want people to know seniors are doing something,” says Kaye Wilson, who spearheaded Aging and Adult Services’ search for North Idaho’s outstanding seniors this year.
“The elderly are a lost generation that people ignore - and shouldn’t. They have so much experience and knowledge that could be used.”
No one had to tell Iva she was useful. She’d worked in nursing homes for 12 years as a certified nurse’s aide before retiring in 1981. The next year, her husband died.
“Being alone wasn’t something I was used to,” she says. “I was bored.”
She signed on with Pinehurst’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program to stay sane as much as to help out.
“I’ve got to be doing something or I’ll go crazy,” she says.
Whatever homebound seniors needed, Iva did. She cleaned their floors, shopped for their food, helped them bathe. Some people just needed company. Others needed rides to the doctor or to visit a friend. Most were older than Iva, but some were younger.
At first, the work filled Iva’s days, then it filled her heart. People needed her. Her clients programmed their telephone emergency buttons to dial Iva’s number. They gave her their house keys. Her “family” swelled in size and Iva was content.
She even began storing donations of walkers and other equipment so she could pass them on to people who need them. Last week, a woman entering a nursing home gave Iva her three-wheeled bike. Iva knew just who needed it.
“The work’s good for me,” she says, leaving no room for debate. “It keeps my mind occupied thinking of them and not me. And besides, someday I may need the help, too.”
Who will buy?
After nine years, the Farmer’s Market finally has taken root in Kootenai County. People can’t wait for it to open; businesses want it near them.
So this year, the market will open in two places.
This Saturday, people selling fresh flowers and produce, homemade salsa, warm scones, jams, plant starts and bulbs and great handmade clothes will gather at 8 a.m. at the shady corner of Prairie Avenue and U.S. Highway 95.
There’ll be espresso for sleepy shoppers and fresh German sausages for the lunch crowd.
The market will fold up at 1 p.m.
Starting June 5, the market will open in downtown Coeur d’Alene Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m.
There’s no better shopping, especially when the summer sun is out.
Food for thought
Just when gardens start to sprout, food bank shelves go bare. Donations pour in during the holidays and last for months, which is good, because donations drop drastically after the holidays.
Last year, mail carriers decided to pick up the spring slack. They collected 19,000 pounds of food in Kootenai County. So they’re going to do it again this year.
Your part is easy. Put non-perishable food in a plastic bag and hang it from your mailbox on Saturday. Your mail carrier will do what he or she does best - deliver it.
In touch
I envy the high school graduates who have kept in touch with their classes for decades, go to all the reunions and know what direction their classmates’ lives have gone. I often wonder about my 1,100 classmates …
How close is your graduating class and how do you keep in touch? Drop a line to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; fax to 765-7149; or call 765-7128.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo