Wow! What a Giving Hearts Day run leading into February 8th for the West River Health Services Foundation. Entering its sixth consecutive Giving Hearts Campaign, the WRHS Foundation stayed with its tried and true formula of going where the people are. They planned “Giving Hearts Basketball Nights” in WRHS satellite clinic communities Scranton and New England, plus a “Kennedy’s Fresh Produce Truckload Giving Hearts Sale” in Hettinger. Although there was no concrete campaign rolled out this go-round (like in years past with “Physician Recruitment Endowment or TOP DOCS” and “Healthcare Heroes Endowment” or “HEROES”), local people and friends across the USA still gave all they could for our top-quality rural healthcare, “close to home.”
The WRHS Foundation ended up raising $328,975 from 647 gifts leading into Giving Hearts Day this year! Wow! Except for last year’s unbelievable $697,827 raised (which included the Roger Follmer estate gift of $475,000) – so without the Follmer gift last year, approximately $222,827 was raised; and the previous four years before that, the WRHS Foundation raised from $147,440 in 20119 to $220,670 in 2021 – making this year’s $328,975 raised one of the greatest yet! Overall on the day, Giving Hearts Day raised over $29 million for nearly 600 nonprofits!
The “Giving Hearts Night with the Nighthawks & Eagles” boys’ basketball event held on January 26th in Scranton was decorated to the hilt with red hearts and included a standing-room-only capacity crowd! People who hadn’t been to games for years – suddenly showed up and were ready to support the local ballplayers and healthcare system. Fans were gifted over $9,000 at the door – as their admission and popcorn were provided by longtime sponsors Dakota Western Bank and Next Door Pizza. As usual, the players and coaches were outfitted in stylish red and white warmups, designed and printed by Graphic Attic, and provided by Slope Electric Cooperative, Scranton Equity, Kim Erickson Farmers Union Insurance Agency, and West Plains Inc. The H-S elementary boys hustled at halftime of the “C” and “JV” games with their red and white colored balls! A “Comfy Couch Live Auction” brought in another $1,200 from avid bidders wanting to sit at half court while enjoying tons of delivered concessions. Of course, at halftime of the Varsity game, the current and former all-stars shot “free throws for pledges.” This event always is a fun one and this year was no exception – as the first shooter out of the blocks, South Heart Eagles senior leader Owen Stuber made all of his attempts and brought the house down! Maddox Pierce, Bill Butterfield, Dustin Honeyman, and Brandon Pierce also gave it a go and helped the WRHS Foundation raise even more money for improvements to the healthcare system. Overall, the men hit 26 of 40 free throws. Hettinger’s 1983 State “B” Hoops Champions pledged over $2,000 themselves! More pledges were still coming in at press time.
The next “Giving Hearts Night” was held in New England (for the first time ever) on February 1st with the hometown Tigers playing the visiting Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks in girls’ basketball. Once again the admission was free, this time via Fitterer Oil, Edward H. Schwartz Construction, and Helena Agri-Enterprises. The popcorn was covered by Centennial and New England Insurance Agencies. The gym was decorated with signs and hearts everywhere, plus red and white shirts for all the players and coaches were provided via McKenzie Mercantile, Bravera Bank, Feel Good Coffee Company, Country Style Salon, CHS Southwest Grain, Golden West Bar, Dakota West Credit Union, Wolf’s Body & Glass, New England Drug and Graphic Attic. This event included our first-ever elementary game between opposing towns (usually it’s just the hometown team that creates two local teams) at halftime of the “JV” game. The young girls gave all they had for their parents and grandparents! Between games, once again, there was active bidding for the “Comfy Couch” (raising nearly a grand), and at halftime of the Varsity game; five current and former female all-stars showed us how to make free throws! High Schoolers Laela Jensen and Sophie Olsonawski teamed up for 6 of 10, Jodi Jung sunk 5 of 10 and Jessie Binstock scored 10 of 10 (taking home the silo wood burner as a prize for making them all!). Then on the Jumbotron (HUGE TV) in the Concessions area at the New England School, former Nighthawk sharpshooter Bailee Pierce sizzled the nets via video at the famous Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas. She, like Jessie, also scored 10 of 10! Wow! The ladies together hit 31 of 40! Overall, it was a terrific night for a first-ever in New England, with nearly $9,000 gifted at the door and numerous pledges for free throws still to come in.
On February 7th, the day before Giving Hearts Day, Kennedy’s Fresh Foods on North Main Street in Hettinger, brought in a special Truckload of Fresh Produce for our hungry area communities. It only set you back $20 to fill your brown bag to the top (and spill over) with all the fresh fruits and vegetables you possibly could! Then Kennedy’s agreed to “pay forward” $5 for every bag sold! 160 bags were sold on the day – thinking $800. But no, longtime loyal partner Kennedys gave the WRHS Foundation $1,500!!! They know how important this local healthcare is for everyone. In addition, the WRHS Foundation set up a table at the checkout from 3 - 7 pm (guess we should have been there at 10am – maybe next year!) and received another 48 gifts totaling $1,350! So on the day, Kennedy’s Fresh Foods helped our WRHS Foundation raise a total of $2,850! Thank you, Kyle and Mike. We sincerely appreciate you.
In fact, the WRHS Foundation has so many people to thank – Scranton and New England Schools, and Kennedy’s for hosting our events; South Heart and Hettinger-Scranton Schools, their coaches, players, and staffs for working with us and providing the entertainment for our fans; the sponsors who made this all possible; the coaches and players of the area elementary; the concession folk; the janitors; the free-throw shooters; the comfy couch bidders; the WRHS New England Clinic and Scranton Dakota Western Bank ladies; the fans/givers; and anyone else who played a part – WE ARE GRATEFUL.
Onward to creating some amazing improvements to our already top-quality rural healthcare system. Thank you. Ted Uecker, FDO