As we look back on 2014, several issues stand out. It has been a tumultuous year in many respects, and it can be easy to be caught up in the negative. Subjects ranging from the Ebola crisis and ISIS to war and civil unrest dominated the headlines for much of the year. Look a bit deeper, however, and one will find a year filled with stories of human bravery, kindness, and selflessness. Those are the stories that show our society at its best. Those are the stories that deserve our attention.

Clay County’s Veterans Service Office Volunteer Base:

The Clay County’s Veterans Service Office Volunteer Base is the first volunteer program to function within a Veterans Service Office. Although many said it couldn’t be done, Tom Figliuzzi believed in the possibilities and implemented the program in 2009. Five years later, the program has not only survived, it has thrived. The Clay County office is staff by veterans every afternoon, which allows the Figliuzzi and co-worker Jennifer Williams the freedom to focus the entirety of their efforts of service, not administrative tasks. “Our volunteers have their own unique set of talents that they are more than happy to have tapped into and used,” Figliuzzi said.

Volunteers contribute to the office for a variety of reasons. Some are family of deceased veterans who volunteer out of a sense of respect and admiration. “I recognize the importance of what our office does to support veterans and I’m honored to play a part giving back to them for the commitment and sacrifices they have made to protect our freedoms,” says Kari Tester, a volunteer since 2009. Others volunteer to repay the gifts they feel they have been given. “Initially I started volunteering at the Clay County Veterans Service Office because they had helped me out,” explained Jerry Walker, a volunteer since 2010. “Volunteering helping other sisters and brothers that are veterans makes my heart sing.” Charles Leitheiser, a volunteer since 2011, echoed Walker’s statements. “If you take something from the community there should be a way of returning those efforts,” he said. “That is why I volunteer.”

FM Challengers Baseball League:

Thanks to the work of the FM Challengers baseball league, children with special needs are given the same opportunity as anyone else when it comes to kicking up dirt and swinging for the fences. Karen Swanson and Kendra Routh started the league in 2007. Initially, 42 kids participated during the first season; that number has now grown to over 100. The league allows the appropriate accommodations necessary to allow any child between the ages of 5-18 to participate. The league initially played on the soccer fields at MSUM. For the past three years, however, they have been playing on a specially designed field aptly named Miracle Field. The field is similar to a regular baseball diamond in many ways. The primary difference is the playing surface, which is a rubber turf surface that is friendly to wheelchairs, braces, walkers, etc.

There is an inherent sense of joy that accompanies each Challenger game. Maybe it because the competition factor has been largely eliminated from play, or maybe it is simply the fact that Challenge kids are doing something many thought impossible. Regardless of the origin, the joy these children feel is infectious. “They really love to be part of team and cheer for each other,” Swanson said. “We have a lot of differing abilities out on the field and they all play together and it really is a beautiful thing.”

Farm Rescue:

Like all of us, farmers are not immune to tragedy. The very nature of farming yields a certain degree of insecurity. No other profession is as vulnerable to conditions completely out of their control. Add to that the real-life struggles that come from simply being human and even the most dedicated and steadfast farmer needs help. Fortunately, that is where Farm Rescue comes in. Farm Rescue is a non-profit organization that plants, harvests, and hays crops free of charge for farmers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and eastern Montana who have suffered a major illness, injury, or natural disaster. North Dakota native Bill Gross, a full-time pilot for UPS Airlines, started the program in 2005.

The heart and soul of the Farm Rescue program lies within the volunteers. It is the selfless contributions of other farmers that make the program possible. When one of their own is in need, the farmers come. “The bonds that the volunteers establish with the farmers they help are amazing,” Abbas said. “They meet as strangers, but after a few days, they have built a friendship that last years.” The attitude these farmers have in regards to helping their own is similar to the military motto of “No man left behind.” It is the hope of Farm Rescue that no farmer will ever be left behind again.

reGROUP: Peer Advocates for Addiction Recovery:

Lost and Found Ministry is a program of Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead. Although the program has been a fixture in the recovery community for over twenty-five years, it wants to do more. An empty space adjacent to the organization’s current location and a vision for an enhanced recovery model was the motivation behind Lost and Found’s new program called reGROUP. Funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health – Alcohol, Drugs, and Abuse Division, reGROUP is a program that utilizes peer advocates to assist others with not only recovery, but with long-term recovery. “It is the wounded healer approach of peers helping peers,” explained Rev. John Roberts, who presides over the Recovery Church in Fargo.

One of the goals of the program is to continue to increase awareness and improve the public’s perceptions about those who struggle with addiction. “The perception is still that of the guy under the bridge,” Roberts said. “We want to present a new face to the public that shows recovery works; that there is life outside addiction.” Because of public perception, a deep sense of shame often accompanies an addict into recovery. Eliminating that shame is another important goal of reGROUP. “We want to remove the stigma of alcohol addiction by coming out of the shadows,” Peterson explained. “When we hide in the shadows we allow others to define us.”

The BLOCH:

Two men from Switzerland discovered a way to connect the world through art. Their BLOCH project is connecting cultures in a way that hasn’t been seen before. The project involves a large tree trunk that centers on an old Carnival custom from the Swiss Appenzell region. Every other year, the last fir tree of the winter is decorated and pulled by twenty men from the village of Urnäsch to neighboring Herisau and back. At the end of the trip, the trunk (known as the “Bloch”) is auctioned off to the highest bidder, who historically puts it to good use as furniture or shingles. In 2011, however, the Swiss artistic duo Com&Com (Marcus Gossolt and Johannes M. Hedinger) purchased the tree to be used as the centerpiece of their global art vision.

The BLOCH will travel the world, visiting each continent before returning to Urnäsch. During each stop, community members will add representations of their individual cultures, turning the BLOCH into a traveling art exhibit. The seventeen-foot long Spruce tree arrived in Moorhead in June, where it was initially worked on at Moorhead’s In the Chips. Until its arrival in the Red River Valley, the BLOCH had not been carved into. “We consider it a real honor to be the first and only (carvers) in North America to work on it,” said Larry Longtine, a long-time member of the Red River Valley Woodcarvers.

North Dakota artists also added poetry, metalwork, and Native American art to the BLOCH – including birch bark storytelling scrolls and pictographs. It was a wide and varied representation of area culture. “We wanted to show the depth of culture and richness of heritage that is still part of our everyday life,” said Troyd Geist, folklorist with the North Dakota Council on the Arts.

The Extra Family Welcomed New Members:

2014 also brought two additions to the Extra Family. In February, Mike McFeeley began writing a weekly column; and in December, Randy Nelson joined our staff.

Mike McFeely:

Many people likely know Mike from his afternoon radio show on KFGO, “The Mike McFeely Show.” Others may recognize his words from his days as a sports reporter/columnist for the Fargo Forum, a job he held for over twenty years. “I am extremely excited and thankful to be writing for the FM Extra,” he said. “My goal for writing for the Extra is no different than writing on my blog (on KFGO). I want to inform, entertain, make people laugh, make them mad, make them think, push their buttons.”

Randy Nelson:

Randy Nelson, extension educator for the University of Minnesota Extension, joined the Extra staff to share his horticulture expertise with the Greater Red River Valley. It is Nelson’s hope that readers will contact him with horticulture questions, comments, and/or suggestions. He plans to write on topics that focus on trees, shrubs, turf grass, and houseplants. When speaking to Randy, it is very apparent that horticulture is more than just a job. His passion for the subject runs deep and his knowledge will be an asset to the Red River Valley.

2014 will be remembered for many reasons. Instead of focusing on the tragedies or challenges that faced our society, we challenge each one of you to focus on the good that is all around us. Each of us has been blessed in our own special way. As you look back on the year that was, find the gratitude rather than the heartbreak; focus on the triumphs instead of the setbacks. Learn from the past and look forward to a new year where anything can happen.

Happy New Year from all of us at The Extra!