MUCH OBLIGED

This happened on Friday, April 11, in the morning. The snowiest day of the year. I had to call 911 for my husband. The reason for my writing this is to say a big thank you for the ambulance crew and two snowplows and crew that helped out. These fine people were our angels. I didn't get their names so this is our way to say Thank you for being there in our time of need.

They went way beyond their duties. God Bless them. All went well for us. My husband is fine.

Gene and Rita Hornby

Rural Brainerd

Frozen Fore

The volunteer committee of the Gull Lake Frozen Fore would like to thank all who were a part of the 3rd Annual Gull Lake Frozen Fore on March 1 and 2.

Thank you to the nine participating golf hole locations: Bar Harbor, Confidence Learning Center (Hole-in-the-Day Bay), Cragun's, Ernie's on Gull, Grand View Lodge, Kelly's, Matty's, Quarterdeck Resort and Zorbaz on Gull.

Thank you to the following businesses who donated prizes: Applebee's, Arby's, Bada Bing, Bar Harbor, BL Broadcasting, Bonanza Steak House, Bremer Bank, Brother's Motor Sports, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, C&L Distributing, Caribbean Beach Tanning Salon, Chase on the Lake, Commander Bar, Country Inn & Suites, Culver's, Domino's Pizza, Ernie's on Gull, Famous Dave's, Gander Mountain, Giovanni's Pizza, Grand View Lodge, Grizzly's Grill & Saloon, Holiday Inn Express, Home Depot, Kelly's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kurilla Real Estate, Lakes Printing, Matty's, McDonalds, Nisswa Holiday Station Store, Nisswa Marine, Pestello's, Poncho & Lefty's, Pizza Hut, Red Roof Inn, Rockwoods Grill, Ski Gull, Super America, Super One Foods, The Bernick Companies, The Lodge, Timberjack Smokehouse, Triangle Oil, US Foods, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo Bank, Wendy's and Zorbaz on Gull.

Thank you to the following businesses who participated in the second annual Frozen Fore Food Fest, on Sunday, March 2: Buffalo Wild Wings, Cub Foods, Ernie's on Gull, Fryin' Lions, Kelly's, Matty's, Maucieri's, TJ's Log Cabin, The Old Waterfall/Lakeland Catering, US Foods and Zorbaz on Gull.

Congratulations to the following businesses who received the People's Choice: Appetizer-Kelly's; Soup-TJ's Log Cabin; Entree/Sandwich-Maucieri's, Dessert-Kelly's.

We'd also like to thank the following businesses for their contributions: Cash Wise Liquors of Baxter, Chase on the Lake, Diageo, Home Depot, General Rental of Monticello, Reichert Bus, Wild Bird Store, and WSA Hillcross. Thank you to the countless individuals who helped make the event a great success including our bus hosts and the Gull Lake Drifters.

Thank you to the over 350 individuals who participated to raise over $12,000 for three local charities: Confidence Learning Center, Ski Gull and The Blue Line Club.

Thank you!

Melissa Grover, Confidence Learning Center

Kari Dayton, Ski Gull

Jim Flesch, The Blue Line Club

Children's Art Fair

Everyone would like to say thank you to all who helped make the 2008 Children's Art Fair a huge success.

Co-sponsors for the event were Community Education and The Brainerd Dispatch. Contributors were Midwest Bank, Bang Printing, Brainerd Public Library, The Paul Bunyan Nature Learning Center, the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center, senior wood carvers and Youth and Paws.

Thanks to Oliver the clown for his once a year appearance and his helper, Vance; Vicki Kruse and Annette Weber for face painting. Brianna Kruse thank you for saving us again this year with the cotton candy. Thanks to all the grade school teachers who saved art all year and put up the displays. They were great.

Thanks to the Brainerd High School custodians - you are so great to us. We couldn't do this event without you. All the Encore and Brainerd Art Club members and friends who came in and worked the fair, thank you. Thanks to Jody Converse and her grandchildren for the ninth or tenth year of helping.

Sandy Walker

Chairperson

Garden Expo

I would like to thank all the people that attended this year's Garden Expo on Saturday, April 5, and thank all the CWC Master Gardeners that helped with such a wonderful event. I would also like to thank the ISD 181 Community Education Office for their assistance with the registration process.

I would also like to thank the following people from Forestview Middle School: Clyde Bellefuille for his assistance with setting up the room, Chris Kelly for her assistance with the equipment, Kara Brick and her art students for such wonderful art displays and Betty Harrison and her sixth grade students for their assistance with door signage. To all of you - thank you for making this year's garden expo a great success!

Jackie Froemming

Master Gardener Program -

CWC Coordinator

Polar Plunge

This year's third annual Polar Bear Plunge was a very successful event. There were approximately 250 plungers who braved the cold waters of Pelican Lake and raised over $62,000 for the athletes of Special Olympics Minnesota.

The main reason was due to the hard work and dedication of our plungers, sponsors, volunteers and area businesses. The volunteers showed that there are still people with generous hearts who are willing to do things for others without anything in return. The plungers showed that warm hearts do overcome cold water and the local sponsors showed that there is community pride and commitment: Baxter Lions Club, Big Kahuna Hot Tubs, BL Broadcasting, Brainerd Community Ed TV, Brainerd Dispatch, Brainerd Fire Department, Brainerd Floral, Brainerd Lakes Sewer Service, Breezy Point Resort, Cash Wise, City of Baxter, City of Breezy Point, Crow Wing Dive-Rescue, Dairy Queen, Echo Publishing and Printing, Emily-Outing Lions, Grand Casino Mille Lacs, KLKS Radio, Lakeland Public Television, Lakes Area Law Enforcement, Lakes Area Law Enforcement Academy, Lakes Area Lodge No. 11, FOP, Lakewood Bank, Minuteman Press, MN Army National Guard 1/194th Cavalry, MN Troopers Association, North Ambulance, Northern Lights Casino, Northland Press, Northwest Pizza/Boardwalk Bread and Bagel, Pequot Lakes Fire Department, Pillager Community Ed, plungers, plunge spectators, plunge sponsors, plunge volunteers, Prairie Bay, Rep. John Ward, Sen. Paul Koering, Special Olympics MN athlete Bergen Hanson, Special Olympics MN athlete Dave Lane, Special Olympics MN athlete David Leek, Special Olympics MN athlete Gerry Barthel, Target Corporation, Turner Towing, Tyrone Blue-DJ, Von Hansen's Meats.

To everyone involved, a sincere Thank you.

Inv. Andrew J. Rooney

Baxter Police Dept.

Area 5 LETR Coordinator

Jana Rooney

Special Olympics MN

Area 5 Administrative Coordinator

Riverside School

The staff and students of Riverside Elementary would like to thank the wonderful community volunteers who took the time to come in to read to us during "We Love to Read Week." We love to read and we love you.

Riverside Elementary

Snow help

We want to thank the good Samaritan that stopped on Saturday and made a track for us to get our car out to the street.

He really is Minnesota nice.

Loris Drennen

Brainerd

Fitness Challenge

Thank you to the Mills BodyWorks for sponsoring the successful 4th Annual 2008 YMCA BodyWorks Fitness Challenge.

The challenge successfully motivated 160 participants to drink more water, eat fruits and vegetables, refrain from junk food and workout most days of the week incorporating both strength and cardio. Participants earned points by tracking their workouts and eating habits on a personal training log and recorded them weekly on charts at the YMCA. Many participants noted a weight loss of 5-10 pounds during the challenge. Participants also logged many miles cycling, running, walking and swimming while they challenged themselves to train for an event. Every participant earned a BodyWorks challenge T-shirt as well as a chance at weekly prize drawings and a chance at the grand prize of a complete car detail package donated by the Mills BodyWorks.

Thank you to Mills Motors, Mar-Jons, Salon Noveau and Big Stone Therapies for prize donations.

Natalie Saatoff

Resource & Marketing Director

Brainerd Family YMCA

Park help

I want to thank Rep. John Ward for his fast response to my concerns and help in directing me in the steps I need to take to help make my dream of a universal accessible park for our community.

Second, I want to thank the Baxter and Brainerd Parks Department and especially Dennis Coryell of Baxter for deciding to put a handicap accessible swing at a few of our park locations. This will be greatly appreciated and used by my son Kayden and children with special needs in our area. So many of our kids have grown out of the baby swings but can't control a normal swing on their own.

This is a start in a great direction in helping my dream of a universal park and inclusion in our area. I cant wait to see more.

Thank you again

Marta McClanahan

Volunteers help

Getting over 73,000 property tax statements ready to mail is a major task for the employees of the Crow Wing County Treasurer's Office. There has always been the option of paying an outside firm to do this. I have chosen to save the taxpayers money by using county employees and local volunteers.

All of us owe a big thank you to the volunteers that worked through the RSVP volunteer program, the persons from the Mission Possible group and the Ossipee Community Church in Mission Township. Working together to get the job done, having fun and saving taxpayer dollars is the Crow Wing County way.

Laureen Borden

Crow Wing County Treasurer

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society would like to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who helped to make Crow Wing County Daffodil Days a success.

Thanks to the help of volunteers and local businesses we were able to raise over $16,000 to support cancer research, education, services and advocacy.

I would personally like to thank Pat Swarthout and his Professional Sales and Marketing Class at Central Lakes College as well as Pam Cripps (Crosslake), Lydia Mason, (Crosby), Barb Mann (Pine River), Glenda Schmidt (Pequot Lakes), Kathi Sharpe (Crow Wing County Courthouse) and Pat Erickson (Nor-Son) for their sales efforts.

Appreciation to Carol and Ray Gatzow, Glen and Dorothy Daleiden from the Mission Possibles, Marlene Goble, Pat Erickson's team from Nor-Son, Scott and Joanna Buresh for delivering the daffodils.

Special thanks to Ross and his staff at Esser's Warehouse Liquors-Baxter for storing the flowers and to Kathryn Bergman's Floral Design Class at Central Lakes College for arranging and delivering the Gifts of Hope Bouquets.

This event would not have been possible without the hard work of our volunteers and the support of the community.

Sue Tiegs

Community Relations

American Cancer Society

Lakes Area Food Shelf

The Lakes Area Food Shelf Board of Directors wishes to thank all who gave so generously to the March food drive. We are very grateful for everyone's help - this year's drive totaled $37,494 - which means food costs and operating expenses are met for four months.

We are especially thankful for the newspaper and radio advertising that was donated to help spread the word about the food drive for the lakes area. Information regarding the hours of operation can be located on our Web site: www.lakesarea.org.

Lakes Area Food Shelf Board of Directors

Wild and Free

The Wild and Free Board of Directors thanks Josh Goolsbee at Lonesome Pine Restaurant (on Bay Lake) and staff for providing a fantastic dinner in honor of the Wild and Free Wildlife volunteers who have donated their time this past year. Thank you also to Ron Bialke of Cash Wise Liquor at East Mall in Brainerd for providing the wine. The generosity of these individuals help make it possible for us to continue our efforts to rehab and save our wildlife.

Wild and Free