Group Foster Home Needs Money Most

About half of Bonner County’s 29 licensed foster care homes are limited to kinship placement - they’re homes where foster parents take care of relatives.

So it’s fortunate that Kinderhaven is here to help abused and neglected North Idaho kids. It’s a group foster home that provides children with the same loving, nurturing environment as a private home.

Since it opened in January 1996, Kinderhaven has seen more than 400 children pass through its doors. It is the only home of its kind in the region, serving the three northern counties in Idaho.

“Kinderhaven is really serving a need,” says Heike Lake, of Lutheran Social Services. She points out that because Kinderhaven is open 24 hours a day, it is able to place children any time of day or night.

Marsha Ogilvie, Kinderhaven’s president, has been involved with the organization since before it opened. She’s seen the home double in size along with the demand for its services.

“We started out renting the home and had six beds,” Ogilvie said. “We sheltered kids ages birth to 12 years. Last year, we bought the home that we had rented and opened up another side of the home for teenage girls. There are now six beds on each side.”

The 5,100-square-foot home employs a counselor to assist in the treatment of the abused and neglected children. The staff prepares the meals, and drives the children to and from school and doctor appointments.

Kinderhaven receives $4,000 per month from the state, a fraction of its operating expenses. Payroll alone is $10,000 per month. Groceries, utilities and insurance are just a few of the other monthly expenses.

Although the home typically receives donations of toys and clothing, it really needs financial donations.

Jeff Rokstad, owner of Rokstad Ford in Sandpoint, has provided support to Kinderhaven since moving to the area two years ago. He encourages his employees to do the same.

“We really believe in helping the community and they (Kinderhaven) are in great need of financial assistance,” Rokstad said. “It is very touching to hear some of the stories of the kids there.”

Rokstad Ford recently played host to Kinderhaven’s first Christmas Tree Auction the Saturday after Thanksgiving. More than $5,000 was raised, and Kinderhaven plans to make the fund-raiser an annual event.

Sandpoint Ranch Tree Farm donated the trees; Healthcare Resource Group donated the tree stands; and several local restaurants donated food for the event. The Syringa Valley Chorus performed at the auction.

Ogilvie believes one reason the community values Kinderhaven is because it enables children who have been removed from their homes to stay close to their families, friends and schools. In some instances, siblings who have been removed from their home are permitted to stay together at Kinderhaven. This is something that might not be possible if not for Kinderhaven.

Ogilvie gets emotional when she speaks of the children who have been helped by Kinderhaven’s services. One teenage girl told Ogilvie that Kinderhaven saved her life. Results like that make it all worthwhile.

“It is a very holy moment being in the presence of a child who has been abused and neglected,” Ogilvie said.

Last year during the holidays, a group from a local church showed up at Kinderhaven singing Christmas carols. Church members brought gifts for all the children. Ogilvie was overwhelmed.

One of the men with the group told Ogilvie that his child had been sheltered at Kinderhaven and it had made a tremendous difference in their family.

She’ll not forget what the man told her: “I want to give a little back.”