Couple dedicated to strengthening the community hopes to inspire others.
Charlie Nipp leans in, quickly scrolling through the photos he had taken a week earlier. Finally, he finds the one he was searching for. He hands over his cell phone, showing me a photo of a small boy, sitting cross-legged with his head of dark hair bent over an open book.
Charlie’s face radiates excitement, not because he personally knows the child but because the boy was reading along with enthusiasm.
That boy was one of more than 300 children who came to the Coeur d’Alene Public Library to listen to Charlie’s wife Susan read the newest book in her popular children’s series, Mudgy and Millie. That child was engaged.
Charlie enjoyed watching the children light up as Susan read about Mudgy the moose and Millie the mouse, beloved characters whom many recognize from sculptures around town. Through their adventures in Coeur d’Alene, the duo inspires children to learn about community through the game of hide and seek. The new book takes the pair to Australia in a hot air balloon.
When children are engaged they learn, Susan points out. Their world expands, they gain knowledge and they become empowered. It’s that universal process that serves as the spark that ignited the Nipps’ decades-long passion and commitment to making a lasting difference in their community.
“We have always sensed or understood the need for community,” Charlie says, as Susan nods. “There are various types of community: neighborhoods, schools, churches, clubs, etc. But regardless of the type, if it can be improved on, then everyone enjoys the value and support of those communities.”
Charlie grew up in Coeur d’Alene and Susan in Spokane. Their paths first crossed as students at Whitworth College and again as high school teachers in Maryville, Wash.; she taught English and he accounting and economics. They later married and moved to Oregon where they started their family.
They missed the Inland Northwest and their family and friends. After 10 years away, they returned to Coeur d’Alene and firmly planted roots. Susan got involved in Coeur d’Alene teaching early childhood music. As a teacher, she knew the significance of working with children. Although she is best known today as a nationally recognized author, her creative contributions began when she was a young mother and she co-developed the Wee Sing book series, CD’s, tapes and videos. The musical contributions have been recognized around the world. It would not be until the last decade that she would be inspired to create the Mudgy and Millie series.
While Susan focused on inspiring children, Charlie dove into business. The co-owner of Parkwood Business Properties, a real estate development company in Coeur d’Alene, Charlie has been involved in a number of local, state and regional civic organizations. He dedicates time to serving on boards of local businesses and community foundations. Charlie hopes to inspire others to become leaders through civic engagement.
Though their contributions are extensive, the Nipps are modest. They’d much rather talk about what people can do for the community over what they have done.
If the Nipps had a motto, it almost certainly would be: Lead by example.
When the Nipps returned to Coeur d’Alene in 1979, they quickly recognized a town struggling to maintain its identity.
A once small community known for its mining, timber and agriculture, suddenly began losing the very resources the town had come to lean on. Unemployment began affecting families. Businesses were hurting.
“There are various types of community: neighborhoods, schools, churches, clubs, etc. But regardless of the type, if it can be improved on, then everyone enjoys the value and support of those communities.”
Charlie said it would take another 15 to 20 years before Coeur d’Alene would find its way again. “It is a much different community today than it was then,” he says.
Today, Sherman Avenue is thriving and the community continues to grow.
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But it took work to get here. Leaders in the community formed organizations to address the prevailing issues such as Jobs Plus, the Coeur d’Alene Urban Renewal Agency and the Kootenai Health Foundation, to name just a few. Charlie was one of many who jumped on board (quite literally, as he held numerous president and board positions) and helped lead these organizations with his business expertise and vision of what Coeur d’Alene could look like.
The Nipps feel that if these organizations, groups and people involved with community development continue to promote innovation, and the leaders make an effort to mentor the younger generations, then Coeur d’Alene will continue to not only see growth but maintain that positive community spirit many other cities lack.
While there are benefits to growth the city has been experiencing, there are also pains. Change is sometimes difficult but the Nipps are excited about the opportunities it brings. New people moving here bring fresh ideas and their own experiences that they can share with the community, Susan notes. The innovation and changes are leading the city in a new direction and to her and Charlie, it’s refreshing.
“I’m optimistic!” Charlie says.
By Theresa Whitlock-Wild
Photography By Joel Riner
As Featured In: 2019 Winter/Spring CDA Edition