Volunteers dish up food for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the John Day Elks Lodge on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2022. From left are Cody Wilson, Cala Fuller, Leslie Traylor and Adele Wilson.

One of the characteristics that distinguishes Grant County is a rugged self-reliance. People who grow up in an isolated frontier area like ours learn early on to do things for themselves — oftentimes that’s the only way things ever get done. 

That sort of self-reliance is an admirable quality. But it can also make people vulnerable, especially when they get older, by making them reluctant to ask for help when they need it. 

That’s where events like the Carrie Young Memorial Dinner and Auction come in. This uniquely Grant County event honors the memory of Carrie Young, who died in a car crash at the age of 32. After her untimely passing, her family discovered that she had been quietly buying Christmas presents for residents at the nursing home where she worked, and they set out to carry on that kind and generous tradition.

Now in its 30th year, the event has grown into a cherished Grant County institution. According to organizer Lucie Immoos, Young’s sister, last year’s dinner raised nearly $50,000 — enough money to provide Christmas presents to every nursing home resident in the county and supply basic necessities like groceries and heating oil to more than 200 vulnerable seniors living independently.

As Immoos points out, many of these folks earned their living working in the woods or on a ranch — jobs that often don’t come with a pension or help build Social Security benefits. Many of these people are poor but proud — too proud to ask for help. So if you know a senior who could use a helping hand, give Immoos a call at 541-620-2098. She’ll add them to her list.

This week’s edition of the Blue Mountain Eagle will have a story on the 30th annual Carrie Young Memorial, as it’s known for short, as well as stories on suicide prevention, a sidewalk construction project in John Day, the Long Creek basketball team and the latest installment of Grant County Neighbors.

In case you missed it, last week’s paper included an in-depth report on the impact of Measure 114 as well as stories on the Elks Club’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner, efforts to hold onto a $2 million state pool grant and Painted Sky’s impending move to a new location.

As always, I want to take this opportunity to thank our subscribers for their support. We can’t do this work without you!