Many Positive Stories In Area During 2021

After my first full year covering the Wolf Point area, I wish to commend the area residents who strive to make this community a great place to live.

In no particular order, here is a list of 10 stories that I covered that made me grateful for the people’s contributions. They are making Wolf Point proud.

1. New playground equipment.

The Wolf Point Lions Club made a goal of purchasing needed new playground equipment for Borge Park. Club officials said estimated total amount needed was about $60,000 when they started the project. In December, thanks to donations from throughout the community, the Lions Club presented Wolf Point Mayor Chris Dschaak with a check. There is now $71,000 in the fund.

2. Family Event for NEMHS.

One of the fundraising events by the NEMHS Charitable Foundation took on a different format in 2021. Instead of a more formal banquet, a “Par Tee on the Green” was held at the Wolf Point Airport Golf Club. The event featured lawn games for all ages as well as grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and steaks. “We made it a kids’ event because we’re raising money for kids’ medical equipment this year,” explained Beth Pickthorn, executive director of the NEMHS Charitable Foundation. The atmosphere was very positive as families took in all of the fun pro-

vided at the golf course. The event attracted 50 adults and 35-40 children.

3. Special Thanksgiving.

It was a time to remember a departed loved one while also lifting the spirits of others in the community. On Thanksgiving, the William Turcotte Thanksgiving Dinner was held at the Beauchamp Building in Wolf Point. William died suddenly on Nov. 20, 2020, at the age of 20. “He always wanted to do something for Thanksgiving like a meal,” father Buck Turcotte said. In William’s memory, full Thanksgiving meals were handed out with the turkey and all the fixings served in styrofoam containers to be taken home because of COVID concerns.

4. Firefighters. In a terrible year of drought, area volunteer firefighters continued to serve through countless hours. As well as fighting large local fires including those in Poplar and Wolf Creek, some of Wolf Point’s firemen also assisted the statewide effort at the Cow Creek fire south of Miles City and the Pine Grove fire near Zortman. We are certainly in debt for the service of these volunteers every year, but we were even more so in 2021.

5. Baseball improvements.

Thanks to a strong community effort, improvements keep being made at the American Legion baseball field. On July 27, workers included school district employees, Jory Erickson, custodial staff from the school, school superintendent Loverty Erickson and Jeromy Azure with girls’ basketball players took part in an improvement effort. Baseball board president Jaronn Boysun was very pleased with all the work that was accomplished including painting the backstops, painting the dugouts, weed-eating and mowing.

6. Working for a better future.

The determination that Roosevelt County resident Tristan Miller has to decrease substance abuse in the area is admirable. Miller explains that when a classmate and pow-wow friend died at the age of 30 in October of this year, she became determined to live a sober life. She notes that he was the fourth of her Poplar classmates that died from cirrhosis. “I understand now there’s a focus on meth and fentanyl. Fentanyl is going to come in with an iron fist and take some of our lives away,” Miller said. “But alcohol is number one. I don’t want to bury any of my friends anymore. I don’t want to be there when their mothers cry. It’s devastating and heart-breaking. We need help.”

7. Power Rangers. The organization, which started late in 2020, was very busy during 2021. The Power Rangers’ involvement included improving the looks of the underpass and providing turkeys to residents for Thanksgiving.

8. Great students. Through the series of articles that profile high school seniors, it’s impressive how active they are and how much they care for their school and community. Whether they are standing out in music, speech and drama, art or sports, this students are impressive.

9. Fighting against cancer.

Tough Enough to Wear Pink during the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede raised $3,790 for the NEMHS mammography department. Funds raised included $1,600 from the golf tournament, $490 from cash donations during TETWP night, $700 from the Lucky Cowboy program and $1,000 from Blue Rock Beverages’ Mike’s Pink Hard Lemonade. The community coming together for such as positive effort is heart lifting.

10. Women spreading love.

The Patience and Peace Circle of First Lutheran Church work through Lutheran World Relief to send baby care kits and school kits to children around the world. the group puts together about 50 of the school kits together each year. Included in the backpacks are notebooks, crayons, a ruler, pencil sharpener, pair of blunt scissors, five pencils, five pens and an eraser. The baby care kits feature cotton T-shirts, gowns/sleepers, two receiving blankets, four cloth diapers, a jacket, a pair of socks, a hand towel and bars of soap. It’s a great program and Wolf Point should be proud of the work that these women put in to help so many children.