On Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the Avera Gregory Hospital Monte Carlo Casino Night, Lynn Klein, a fixture at Gregory Hospital for over four decades, was celebrated by her work family and the hospital administration, receiving the esteemed Gregory Avera Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes her unwavering dedication and service that has inspired countless colleagues throughout her career. Ultimately serving as the Manager of Environmental Services, this department is often called the backbone of a safe and clean hospital, and Lynn’s dedication ensured the facility maintained the highest standards. Her colleagues describe her as a passionate, tireless leader whose service has left an indelible mark on the hospital's culture.

Giving Strength During Breast Cancer Awareness Gregory community members showed their heart and generosity once again this October, proving that compassion runs deep in our community. At the most recent Gregory Community Blood Drive, 33 units of blood were collected from 28 generous donors – enough to help up to 99 patients in local hospitals. One first-time donor also joined the LifeServe community, reminding us that every new donor brings hope for patients and families facing critical medical challenges.

Building a Culture of Respect and Responsibility with PBIS I am excited to share an important new initiative taking root this school year across the Gregory School District—one designed to strengthen not only learning, but also the culture and character of our entire school community. This year, we are embarking on the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a proactive framework that focuses on teaching, modeling, and celebrating positive behaviors for all students and staff.

The American Heart Association says hunting safety should include awareness of warning signs of heart attack and stroke, importance of learning Hands-Only CPR and how to take action The thrill of the Pheasant Opener in South Dakota can bring a smile to any hunter’s face. But the exertion of trudging through fields carrying hunting equipment could bring on a heart attack or stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

October is a month that welcomes the spooky and the scary. Many people watch their favorite horror films and use decorations that transform their homes, workplaces, and yard into something that might provoke even a small fear response from others. If we dig a little deeper at fear, we can go beyond the physical things that cause a fear response (spiders, heights, darkness), and find relational fears. As humans, we are relational beings, we are made for connection. So, it makes sense that some of our greatest fears would relate to the absence of connection with others; fear of losing someone we love, fear of being misunderstood/ judged, fear of being alone.

The Gorilla football team traveled to Kimball Friday night, October 10, 2025, to face a very tough WiLdKat team. Landon Keiser got the scoring started only 15 seconds into the game with an 81-yard kickoff return.