LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER
Caldwell, Idaho
Edition Thirty-One
JUNE 2017
Mission43 Hub in Western Treasure Valley
First Responders Honored
Summer Fun Has Begun in Caldwell!
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photo by Mindy Scott
Turning Tragedy into Opportunity Mrs. Colleen Trefz is one of Caldwell’s finest citizens. Her heart is full of kindness, compassion, and honesty. This year marks a very sacred anniversary in her life. Twenty years ago, there was a shooting at her son’s junior high school in Moses Lake, Washington that took the life of one teacher and two students. This horrific incident left the town in a state of shock and panic. After this tragedy she was compelled to return to school with the students. She made herself available to provide emotional support in the form of hugs. She found herself returning day after day. The community joined in with empathy and sent many treats to the school. Colleen noticed that chocolate would always go the fastest and she began baking and bringing brownies every Friday for the staff as an additional means of comfort. These two very simple acts of kindness where the very beginning of a new chapter in her life. Next, she began to notice how community members were hesitant around young people after the shooting. A friend of hers had gone to a seminar on Character Quality training and shared the information with Colleen. Mrs. Trefz took this new found knowledge and ran with it. She had an idea on how to bridge the gap between the age groups and overcome fear. Creativity and Imagination is always at work in Colleen’s mind. She uses it to make things better in all areas of life. Her resourcefulness led her to take students with her around the
hearts, trust worthy character, and our brave compassion to live with honor and dignity. With that, we change the atmosphere where ever we are!” Bravery is in Colleen’s blood. She has an outstanding sense of consideration for her family and community. At the end of that tragic year Colleen was nominated Volunteer of the Year which led to the suggestion of becoming a school employee. That idea hadn’t yet crossed her mind as she was focused on bringing compassion to the individuals involved. Being in the spot light has never been Colleens’ motivation. She operates at a level of passion that is out of this world. She sees a common need in all people— the need to be loved, accepted, and told who they are. Colleens’ love for others naturally draws people to her. Through her forte, of speaking truth to ones character, she stretches and
CALDWELL PERSPECTIVE–ABOUT US A few changes are taking place at The Caldwell Perspective. We wanted to keep you informed. I’d like to present to you the people behind the scenes; our current team. Each one of us plays a vital part in creating and sustaining our local paper. We bring our pieces of the puzzle together each month with the goal of a lively newspaper with current community events, news and highlights of life in Caldwell for your personal enjoyment. Without further ado... Here is our team! Meet Chantele Hensel! Chantele is the Owner, Publisher, and Head of Advertising. Chantele is a graduate of Vallivue High School. She began her newspaper career in 2002 while living in Burns, Oregon. She has 4 children Zach Sams, Garrett Sams, Paige Hensel and Audie Hensel. After being a stay at home mom and seeing her youngest off to Kindergarten she became restless. Her service heart began searching for a way to reconnect with the world around her. It was on a date night with her husband, Michael Hensel, at the
C of I, Jewett Auditorium listening to Roger Brooks (an urban development specialist) talk about the wonderful things going on in Caldwell and its direction, ie: Indian Creek Plaza. Sitting in the auditorium she flashed back on her memories growing up. Her parents would tell her and her friends, “You kids take your horses out to the desert or fishing poles to the river, but stay out of downtown Caldwell that’s asking for trouble.” It was that evening she was given a new perspective of Caldwell and the very next day, she began putting plans together for the much-loved Caldwell Perspective Newspaper that launched in December 2014. Chantele deals with all things, graphic design, page layout, and advertising. She keeps on track with what needs to get done. She can also be seen, quite often, at ribbon cutting events for new businesses! If you are in need of advertising your business, sending a Happy Birthday ad to one you love, or placing help wanted ads, she is your gal.
Chicken Anyone? Swift & Co. Page 18 by Mindy Scott, Editor
Mrs. Colleen Trefz
community, learn social interaction skills such as how to introduce themselves by shaking hands with people, and asked permission to hang up Character Quality signs. Each month they would return and put up a new virtue from the list of fifty-two. Later on, a community member would share the impact it has on themselves and their families as it was a wonderful conversational piece. These Character Qualities inspired the community to play a conscious role in their own lives leading to maturity and making better choices. Colleen states, “There is never a stage in life where character is not relevant! Being a person of integrity empowers our relationships. Every mighty and valuable story of bravery and perseverance and triumph was fueled with character. Likewise, every vile, horrific, unspeakable act of violence was fueled with a lack of character. This world needs our kind
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builds up everyone she is around. Her job history is diverse from working for school districts as a Volunteer, Lunch Lady, Community Resource Director and Motivational Speaker. She has traveled across America and also to Canada on speaking engagements large and small spreading hope through these virtues she uses in her own life. Her potential to make our community an even greater place to live is limitless. The way in which she finds value in all people is marvelous. Whether mediating disagreements between students at the high school or sharing words of hope to large crowds—she counts it ALL joy. She has tapped into the power of words and chooses to use them to bring forth life. She seeks to understand individuals right where they are at and holds people accountable to their words and actions while simultaneously calling them to a high place of existence. To know Colleen is to know that love, character and opportunity coexist. Currently Mrs. Trefz is a one-of-akind substitute teacher in the Caldwell Public Schools. She is pouring out love, mercy, grace, and acceptance into our next generation. She does this in fun and creative ways. Often times it is challenging but the result of making a positive impact in a persons life is priceless. The future is bright for Colleen. Her best days are ahead of her. She continues to have a positive impact on our youth and those she chooses to invest in. Thank you, Colleen, for being who you are and we look forward to what you will create next! by Mindy Scott, Editor
L to R: Mindy Scott, Chantele Hensel, Ninnel Kelly and Gena Gurney
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