Connecting the Community One Craft at a Time

It’s no easy effort to better the community we live in, much less taking on that effort alone. That is exactly what Becky Hild of Medora, North Dakota, did. Three years, ago Becky started a craft group after realizing there was a longing for connection and activity among Medora residents during the town’s off-season. She had no idea at the time how great of an impact this craft night would leave on the community.

She formed the craft group out of what felt like a necessity. Medora is a small tourist town in western North Dakota with a population of 134. In the summer, hundreds of thousands of people from around the country flock to Medora to experience the wild west, see the Badlands, and attend the legendary Medora Musical. But in the winter months, most of Medora’s establishments close leaving little for the town’s permanent residents to do.

Becky found that some community members were struggling with depression during the off-season and took it into her own hands to give these women something to look forward to. Becky has been a crafter her entire life and had accumulated a collection of crafting supplies over the years. She began inviting the local women over for a monthly craft group, an opportunity for socialization in Medora’s lonely months complete with a soup dinner at every craft night.

“This has been a lifeline for a couple of these ladies and, to be honest, myself,” Becky said. “When you live in a community like Medora, where the primary focus is on serving the needs of people outside the community, it’s hard to find things to help community members survive in the town where everything shuts down for the winter months.”

Becky provides these craft nights at no cost to the attendees. Some of the projects Becky has led include knitting scarves, crocheting, floral arrangements, paper crafts, Christmas tree decorations, card making, and jewelry design.

These craft nights have turned into a much-needed social outlet for the women of Medora. Just having something to look forward to each month has been tremendously impactful.

For Becky, it’s important to continue to provide these craft nights at no cost, but as more women want to join the more expensive it becomes to provide craft supplies for everyone. Becky wanted to make sure this resource remained available to women in Medora, so she submitted a wish to the Choice Bank Wishing Well.

One day when Becky was going through the drive-up at our Belfield location, Senior Client Services Specialist Kristi Tessier surprised Becky with her granted wish: an exploding gift box full of $1,200 worth of craft store gift cards, crafting supplies, and soup mixes.

“I was so excited,” Becky said. “I went to all the ladies I could find when I got back to Medora with that box. They were just as excited as I was. It means that we can continue this. This is going to be so much fun to continue and have the funds to try something new. It’s going to be really beneficial to the group.”

Now Becky can not only continue her craft nights, but now has the resources to include more women in her craft nights. Becky’s dream for the future of this craft group is to see it grow to include a larger audience, creating the opportunity for connection and entertainment year-round for the residents of Medora.

The Choice Bank Wishing Well is accepting wishes! Ready to cast yours? Visit choicewishingwell.com and let us know who you would like to help out in your community.