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GUEST OPINION
BY PAULINA STAAB
EXECUTIVE AND YOUTH EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR PEND OREILLE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
I am angry. I am frustrated. And quite frankly, I am tired.
Once again, our Playhouse property has been broken into.
The vandalism and break-ins have been an ongoing problem for about two years, but this past year has been especially difficult. We have had two breakins in just the last month and a half.
This is about more than damage to a building. On our property, we have found drug paraphernalia, Narcan, personal belongings, and stolen property. There was also a makeshift encampment behind our property near the railroad. That situation was addressed with help from Kelly Driver, and we are grateful. But the broader problems around our property have continued to be an ongoing battle.
Each time there is another incident, we are left to clean up, figure out what was damaged or taken, file reports, worry about what happens next, and find the money to make our property safer.
We have tried to be vigilant. We have taken steps to increase security. We have asked questions. We have looked for solutions.
But at what point does the responsibility stop falling entirely on a small nonprofit organization?
The Pend Oreille Playhouse isn’t just a building. We regularly welcome children, teenagers, families, volunteers, and community members through our doors. Parents trust us with their kids, and we take that responsibility incredibly seriously.
So where is the guidance for organizations like ours?
Schools have safety protocols, security procedures, resources, and systems designed to protect the children and families they serve. We understand that a community theatre is not a school, but the children who walk through our doors deserve to feel safe here, too. Our volunteers deserve to feel safe. Our patrons deserve to feel safe.
And we’re trying. We recently received a quote of approximately $18,000 just to fence the backside of our property.
Eighteen thousand dollars. For a nonprofit community theatre. Here is another part of this that I don’t think people always see: we are volunteers.
We have full-time jobs. We have children, spouses, homes, and families that deserve our time, too.
Every time something like this happens, volunteers have to stop what they’re doing and deal with it. We clean up. We make phone calls. We file reports. We assess damage. We research security measures. We try to figure out how we’re going to pay for them.
That is time taken away from serving our community. And, just as importantly, it is time taken away from our own families.
And yes, we know there are grants. Grants are wonderful. They can be transformational for small nonprofit organizations like ours. But having to use grants to repair damage and beef up security because our property continues to be targeted isn’t fair.
We should be spending those hours writing grants that make this organization better: grants for stronger programming, building improvements, more opportunities for children, accessible theatre, and ways to reach and serve more people in our community.
Instead, we’re being forced to consider spending those precious volunteer hours writing grants for fencing, security, repairs, cameras, locks, and damage prevention.
Every grant application takes time. Research takes time. Gathering documents and quotes takes time. Writing applications takes time. And we only have so many volunteer hours to give.
When we have to spend those hours applying for money to protect ourselves from someone else’s actions, those hours are taken away from the things we care about and the things our community needs.
That’s what is so frustrating. We don’t want to spend our energy figuring out how to build a fortress around a community theatre. We want to spend it building a better community theatre.
Every dollar we have to spend repairing damage, replacing stolen property, installing cameras, adding locks, putting up fencing, or cleaning up after someone else’s actions is a dollar that cannot go toward programming, productions, scholarships, building improvements, or opportunities for the kids and families we serve.
And every hour we spend dealing with another break-in is an hour we aren’t spending doing what we volunteered to do in the first place: serving our community.
We should not have to simply accept repeated break-ins as the cost of serving our community.
We need accountability. We need meaningful conversations about what resources are available to nonprofit organizations dealing with repeated safety and security issues. And we need our community leaders to understand that this isn’t just about a shed. It’s about the safety and future of a community
SEE PLAYHOUSE, 5A organization that serves families and children.
We want our voices heard. We want to know what can be done and what resources and guidance are available. Most importantly, we want to work toward a solution that protects the people and organizations trying to make our community a better place.
We love this Playhouse. We believe deeply in what happens inside these walls. We will continue showing up, rebuilding, and doing everything we can to protect it.
Enough is enough.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PLAYHOUSE AND ITS PROGRAMS, EMAIL AT [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.PENDOREILLEPLAYERS.COM.
