Wishing Well Roundup

Benedictine Living Community LaMoure

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in someone’s life. Last Christmas, the residents of the Benedictine Living Community in LaMoure, ND, went without any holiday decorations. Many of the facility’s decorations had been improperly stored and needed to be thrown away. The senior living community’s new housing manager wanted to make a new start with the residents and sent us a wish for new decorations. The Wishing Well happily obliged and gave the facility funds to purchase new decorations. We hope through this we can help lift the spirits and improve the quality of life of the Benedictine Living Community’s residents.

Learn ‘n Move Child Care

Learn ‘n Move is a local non-profit childcare in Fargo, ND, with a mission to serve children of all abilities and backgrounds to learn, move, grow, and play.

“The kiddos we serve include children in foster care, children that are developmentally delayed, and children who are at a developmentally appropriate stage,” Briana Miller, Director of Learn ‘n Move Childcare, said. “The children we serve have varying abilities to emotionally regulate. As early childhood professionals, we understand how important emotional regulation and coping skills are to the young children we serve.”

Currently, their classrooms do not have any calm-down tools for the children, so the Wishing Well stepped in to provide the supplies to create a space where children can learn to identify their emotions and identify tools to self-regulate!

“Mental health is such an important aspect for early childhood, our goal is to help our kiddos develop emotional regulation tools prior to entering kindergarten,” Briana said.

A Chance for New Memories

Four young siblings, who have faced numerous challenges including displacement and the loss of their primary caretaker, their grandmother, were given a special opportunity by the Wishing Well. After the unexpected death of their grandmother, two of the siblings’ aunts stepped up to take care for the kids, however, they’d be separated as each aunt took two of the children.

“These kiddos are very dear to my heart and it saddens me to see them juggled around and not living a ‘normal’ life,” Choice Home Loans employee Tosha Steinwand said of her cousins. “I’m very grateful for their aunts, but I am also saddened to see them separated. I’d like to give them time together”

The Wishing Well provided the resources for Tosha to give her cousins a memorable experience in Medora, which included an overnight stay, swimming, miniature golf, and attending a musical, allowing the siblings precious time together to enjoy activities they love and create new memories!

Dickey County 4-H

In many communities, a concession stand is more than just a place to get a snack under the stadium lights, but is also a fundraising opportunity for student groups. The Dickey County 4-H program in Ellendale, North Dakota, has a small stand at the Dickey County Fairgrounds they use for fundraising.

The proceeds from the concession sales are used to pay back food costs with the remainder going to the 4-H program. However, with rising food costs, that margin is getting smaller and smaller.

“Often people purchasing from the stand during the fair are not aware this is a 4-H concession stand,” Danielle Dinger, community wellness and 4-H youth development agent, said.

They have created painted signs to stand out to patrons among the surrounding for-profit vendors and are looking for other ways to attract customers. So the Wishing Well gave the 4-H group funds to purchase signage and flags to grab the interest of hungry buyers!

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.