CDA PRESS: Settys = Service
Photo Credit Elli Goldman Hilbert
The Settys are long-time Kroc Volunteers and Kroc Church Members dedicated to serving their community!
We are proud of their community service! We are happy to share their article from the Coeur d'Alene Press highlighting their accomplishments.
Article Written by Elli Goldman Hilbert from the Coeur d'Alene Press
Meet Kent and Rio Setty. The Coeur d’Alene residents have served tirelessly these past four years as co-chairs for the annual Taste of Coeur d’Alene event. The Taste of Coeur d'Alene will again be part of Art on the Green, July 30-Aug. 1.
Active members of the Panhandle Kiwanis since 1998, the Settys devote countless hours of volunteer work to the community.
Arriving in Coeur d’Alene 27 years ago, the Settys were looking for a place to retire. “I went, 'Good grief, this place feels like home,'” Rio recalled. “And we hadn’t even seen the lake!” Kent retired after about three decades as a police officer in Los Angeles, while Rio worked for the Pentagon and then spent 17 years in the California public school system.
Besides all of the work done with the Kiwanis, Rio serves weekly as a volunteer for Kootenai Health. And until a recent leave due to health issues, Kent volunteered regularly at The Kroc Center as well. To say the couple loves their community would be an understatement.
After having to cancel last year’s Taste of Coeur d'Alene due to COVID-19, the Settys are thrilled to see the 33rd annual event come to fruition again. Held at City Park in downtown Cd'A, Taste of Coeur d’Alene is the Kiwanis’ largest fundraiser of the year. The outdoor festival includes over 60 artisan booths, 20 food vendors, live music all three days, a beer garden and a children’s area.
Everyone working the event is a volunteer and all proceeds go right back to our local area.
“We use that money to support youth in the community,” Kent said. “We do annual scholarships at Coeur d’Alene High School and support the Key Club.”
The Kiwanis provide community support in countless forms, but Kent is especially passionate about the Key Club. The “Kiwanis Educated Youth” club at Coeur d’Alene High School is about 70 members strong, promoting volunteerism and service leadership training. Key Club is the oldest and largest student-led service program across the nation. Two college-bound seniors are awarded a $1,500 scholarship each year and the Kiwanis fund construction and restoration of local parks like Bluegrass at 6071 N. Courcelles Way. Bringing recognition to outstanding students and teachers is a big deal for the Kiwanis, as is supporting local food banks and other nonprofit community efforts. All work done by the Kiwanis is fueled by a dynamic base of volunteer members. But Taste of Coeur d’Alene is their biggest project of all.
“We’ve had as many as 90 craft vendors,” Rio said. “They don’t care for the word 'crafters'; they prefer the word 'artist.' And they are artists.”
Drawing artisans from across the Inland Northwest, and as far away as Minnesota and Florida, many return year after year. Entries are juried and carefully curated. New applicants submit samples of their work and photos of themselves creating it. All products are strictly handmade. Offerings available at Taste of Coeur d’Alene run the gamut from jewelry and pottery to hats and lotions. Up-cycled items and home furnishings are also featured.
“We’ve got an amazing lady that makes the most beautiful wooden flags,” Rio said. “And then we have edible arts - dressings and sauces, mustards, spices and rubs.”
Taste of Coeur d’Alene doesn’t disappoint hungry attendees. Included in the array will be Bison Burgers, Middle Eastern food, elephant ears and Squatch Dogs, from a small, local eatery.
Applications for food and craft vendors are still being accepted.
Info: panhandlekiwanis.org
Email: [email protected]