Above and beyond
Thumbs up to those involved in the rescue of a 23-year-old Jeffersonville woman who was trapped inside her vehicle Nov. 22 after it left the road and went into a pond in the 8700 block of North State Road 11 north of Seymour. The list includes Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, who grabbed a hammer, went into the water and broke out the window of the woman’s car to drag her to safety, along with retired Seymour firefighter Troy Nichalson, who saw the incident and called 911. Others involved in rescuing the woman included Seymour Police Department Officer Gilbert Carpenter and Sgt. Ryan Huddleston. A job well done and one that goes beyond the call of duty.
Fun-raising
Thumbs up to Seymour High School students who spent a year raising funds for Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. Those efforts culminated in the annual Riley Dance Marathon on Saturday night in Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium. The students’ fundraising total was $21,669.38, surpassing their goal of $15,000. It was the second-highest total in the six years of the event, which has come a long way since the $4,209.84 raised in the inaugural year, 2014.
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Grateful gatherings
Thumbs up to those who offered free Thanksgiving meals this week. That included Medora Christian Church for hosting its annual community Thanksgiving dinner Sunday, Medora Community Schools’ Reach for a Star after-school program for conducting the Gratitude Gathering on Monday night, Community Church of Brownstown for serving a free meal Wednesday and The Alley for having its free meal Thursday at First Baptist Church in Seymour.
A miracle
Thumbs up to everyone involved in the 12th annual Sertoma Benefit Concert on Wednesday night at Pewter Hall in Brownstown, including organizer Adam Nicholson, the volunteers, the bands and those who purchased tickets and participated in the raffle. Since 2008, the fundraiser has brought in $52,000 to support Sertoma Christmas Miracle, which provides gifts to children in need on Christmas Eve.
Moving on
Thumbs up to the Brownstown Central Middle School Brave Botics Team 98098C of Cody Burnside, Dustin Brewer and Alli Dillard. As part of an alliance with Team 11914S from Fairland, the team took first place in the VEX IQ Tournament teamwork challenge competition Nov. 16 at Immanuel Lutheran School in Seymour. The victory earned both teams a spot in the Indiana VEX Robotics State Championship on March 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. A similar thumbs up goes to members of Team 520E from Immanuel, Brody Keith and Dane Gillaspy, who in partnership with Team 12109B from Petersburg Elementary School won the 45-team elementary division.