She works for the future at Children’s Village
As development director for Children’s Village, Tinka Schaffer is challenged with raising money to fund the Coeur d’Alene center, which is home to children who are “abused, neglected, homeless or in severe family crisis.” Her labor of love is particularly important, as the Village operates with little government funding, making grants, special projects and donations critical to the daily operation.
This time of the year, Schaffer is busy with the Annual Charity Auction and Dinner, scheduled for April 14 (visit the Web site, www.thechildrensvillage.org or call 667-1189 for more information). Complimenting the auction is a raffle for a restored wooden Century Custom Thunderbolt speedboat, donated by John and Wanda Condon of North Idaho Maritime.
Born in 1943 in Bend, Ore., Schaffer lived for a time in Walla Walla and moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1958 when her father accepted a job for Burl Hagadone. She graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School, attended North Idaho College, and then earned a degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Gonzaga University and a master’s degree in social work from Eastern Washington University.
Married to Vern Schaffer, she has “two wonderful children and the greatest grandchildren.” In addition to three siblings in the Northwest, her extended family includes an exchange student from Palau who lived with the Schaffers during his college years, and a foster daughter who lives in town.
What is your job title? “The title is Development Director for Children’s Village Foundation and that means fund-raising, grant writing, program and facility development. I do not do direct care anymore. We have some wonderful directors that do that difficult task.”
How long have you been doing this? “This position since 1999, with prior work for Children’s Village working with the youth and staff.”
How did you choose this line of work? “I have always cared about working with youth and in 1991, the founder asked me to consider working at Children’s Village as they were growing. I had been working in my own business and had returned to school to get a degree in social work. The timing was good, and the work is rewarding. Over the years a foundation was formed, and I began work in that capacity in order to sustain the future of the facility.”
Are you paid: (a) well; (b) more than you are worth; (c) slave wages, (d) could be better? The reward is not about the money, but the positive changes for the youth here. No one in the nonprofit sector makes much in this region. Our founders and board are very special people that give so much … they are an inspiration.”
What is the best thing about your job? “The children! They teach us so much and it is very rewarding to see them grow in a safe, loving environment. The staff is dedicated, and I also love meeting so many caring supporters over the years. This is an amazing community, and we could not do this work without them.”
What is the worst thing about your job? “Hearing about the negative past experiences that many of our children have been exposed to. It is very difficult to understand why a few members of our society are able to create such tragedy. Many of our parents are good folks trying their best during a crisis. A big factor, substance abuse, will leave a legacy of damage if we aren’t able to collectively find solutions.”
Do you plan on doing this job (a) until retirement; (b) until something better along? “I don’t visualize total retirement in my future, so I will stay involved in some capacity.”
Do you have any on-the-job funny stories? “I do have lots of funny stories, but the ones involving the children I best not tell. I can tell one on myself. Over the years we have tried many things to help raise funds for the care of the children. One year we participated in a Chili Cook-off … I volunteered to make the chili and were told we could not begin any part of the project until 8 a.m. the day of the event. I followed the rules even though I questioned the success of the final product. Needless to say the beans were hard as a rock come lunchtime. The others all knew they could cook the beans ahead of time. No one wanted to buy any of our chili and only donated money out of pity! To date everyone teases me about my special chili. The children are safe because I do not cook at the Village. We have a food manager that does a great job. She has never even asked for my recipe!”
Any bad experiences (please elaborate)? “Yes, there are many I would like to forget. The staff team and I have had to tell over 10 children that their parents were deceased. It is always very hard to try to help a child understand loss of a loved one when the cause is disease. But the majority of these youngsters lost their parents due to homicide and/or homicide/suicide. This has a profound lifelong change on the lives of the entire family.”
If there was a movie made about you and your job, what actor should play you and why? “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to make a movie about me … now a movie about Children’s Village would be another matter. In that case I would want Anna Pearce (Patty Duke) to do the movie. She loves children, and she is such a fabulous actress she would be able to tell the story with the focus on what a precious gift each child is to our society. I have been a fan of hers for years, and she is a very special person.”