Sheriff Wheeler walked into the Custer County Communications Center midweek of the 2016 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The day had been a remarkably quiet day to this point and he not so innocently remarked upon the fact, dropped this card, 7 of hearts side up on my desk and sat down. Anyone who dispatches or is a first responder, knows that it is BAD luck to walk into a dispatch office and say the word QUIET. Within minutes the 911 lines were lit up and we had 2 motorcycle accidents with injuries. Once we got everything back to “normal”, I read the back of the card. “Today-YOU made a difference, by making a simple moment ……. Significant.” I sat back in my chair and thought about that for quite awhile before I logged in to see what journey this card had taken to get to me….turns out it started with me! You just never know when you are going to make a difference in someone’s life! Receiving this card was an instant wake up call to always be mindful of my words and actions! Thanks Sheriff! And so begins card #33687’s journey.

I’m given the honor every day to see kids in the school system. I observe and seek out those children that appear to be having a tough day, no matter the situation. I try my best to share time, no matter if it is just a minute or so, to encourage and motivate those children to have the best day possible.

I am beginning my 2nd year as an Administrator at MSMS. Very thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of something special here at MSMS. By working as a TEAM, our staff has created many opportunities to help or students develop a passion to want to come to school. We have been very blessed to have a positive working environment to where everyone does not take for granted any opportunities to make a difference each day.

Robin is a 2nd grade teacher in my district, and she is the epitome of the words “teacher leader”. She had been working hard on aligning her curriculum to her standards, while also transforming her classroom into a self-paced, personalized learning environment. She saw a desperate need for the entire grade level to go through some training and refocusing of priorities when it comes to teaching the standards. She took it upon herself to get the training need brought to the attention of the administration, and then offered examples and resources to all members of the grade level to show them how to align curriculum to standards and assessments. She also agreed to do further trainings with the other teachers to ensure they become comfortable with the new alignment process. ALL 2nd grade students will benefit from Robin’s initiative!

Penny has proven to be invaluable in her position as a 2nd grade teacher. Our school was presented with a new initiative this school year. Many teachers were reluctant to give it a try. Penny took on the initiative and completed the first three units. She unselfishly shared all of her work with the other teachers. As we know, teaching is often a “thankless” job. I am presenting this card to Penny to THANK her for her work ethic and willingness to be a team player. Penny, I wish we all had your deep rooted desire to do our best!

My principal gave me the 7 of hearts card on the first day of school. He said he appreciated all that I had done over the summer to help the first day be a success. Often times the work done behind the scenes goes unnoticed, and it was really nice that he took the time to notice my efforts.

My sister recently had surgery and is confined to a wheelchair for a period of time. Grabbing some groceries while pushing a wheelchair is not an easy task. After buying a load of school supplies for her students, my sister tells me that she needs a new mini refrigerator to hold all of the extra breakfast and lunch food items. I left her up front, loaded the refrigerator and made my way back to the front of the store the whole time wondering how I was going to make it to the truck with EVERYTHING. God tends to put people where we need them. Mrs. Betty Sue and her precious husband pushed our cart to the truck, helped me unload everything and even put up our cart! People like them show that there are still amazing and Godly people in the world. We appreciated their kindness more than we can express!