From her small-town Nebraska roots to working in Washington D.C. on a government relations grassroots team, Ivy Prater believes the skills and determination learned while growing up in Elgin have helped her navigate a path to Washington D.C. to become part National Rural Electric Cooperation Association.
The NRECA is a national service organization that represents America’s electric cooperatives. The company by which Ivy is employed represents 900 consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives, public power districts, and public utility districts in the United States. She explained, “We are in 48 states, including Nebraska. We cover 56 percent of the landmass in the country. We have 400 million consumer members. We are currently addressing some prominent issues: Broadband, affordable and reliable electricity, taxes, and COVID relief. I work as part of a grass roots technology team. For example, With the number of non-payments skyrocketing due to COVID, I recently created a website addressing COVID relief, where people could just press a button and a letter asking Congress to take action would be sent on their behalf. We have so many consumers and so many voices; we want them to tell their story. It is our main goal to advocate on behalf of cooperatives in rural America.”
She explained her early introduction to Washington D.C. and advocacy as such, “ You could say my interest was “sparked” in the National Rural Electric Program many years ago when I was selected to attend the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. I was one out of 1,500 students to be given the opportunity to tour D.C. It was my first trip, and it was my first experience in D.C. It was on that trip I learned you can do anything you put your mind to. A few years later, while in college, I interned for the NRECA. Today, the standing joke is I am their success story, beginning with a tour, to an internship, to landing a job with the company.”
However, Ivy believes without the lessons of hard work, adaptability, and willingness to learn taught while growing up in Elgin, she would not be where she is today. In her words, “Growing up in a small, tight-knit community, I learned the power of adaptability. I especially gained the skill of adaptability while attending a small school where I was able to participate in almost all extra-curricular activities. This taught me how to manage my time and adapt to a variety of different situations. This is not something you get from a large school or community. For example, I vividly remember having a full day of classes, then going to basketball, then off to speech practice. This made for some long exhausting days, but it taught me to work hard and adapt to different situations.”
She continued, “The willingness to learn was instilled by my family and friends around me. Whether it was teaching me another Nebraska fun fact, to answering my many questions about life, I discovered it is never too late to learn something new. I realized when starting my job, there was a great deal I didn’t know. I used the skill I gained, to not be afraid to ask questions and approach every opportunity as a learning opportunity.”
Speaking of learning experiences, Ivy admits adjusting from the small-town life of Elgin to the fast paced life of D.C. took some time. She explained, “I am not going to lie; at first, it was difficult and felt like a whole new world. However, after taking it one day at a time, I was able to find small victories and pockets of home. I discovered it is a small world after all, and people who live in D.C. come from all over. I was happily surprised to discover people from Nebraska and other parts of the Midwest. During my first week moving to the city, I was wearing my UNK t-shirt, walking to the grocery store when a man approached me and said his dad went to UNK. This first encounter made me feel a sense of home and belonging while being 1,300 miles away. Also, while attending church, I discovered an individual who grew up in Creighton, Nebraska.” Chuckling, she recalled, “I remember telling people about my class size of 12 students and having someone ask me, “Can you function out here okay?” Initially, I was taken back that someone would say such a thing to me, but it was that moment a fire was lit. I was determined to show everyone my strong work ethic. Although I may not be from an urban area, I am proud of where I come from and was set to prove that hard work can get you anywhere.”
She concluded, “My small-town Nebraska work ethic and bubbly personality are alive as ever. Although living in a big city, you must be careful and alert because it is not as safe as a small community; in the right situations, I let my personality show. The expression “kill them with kindness” is true, and I love getting to express that with the new people I meet.”
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With a fair amount of snowfall covering our area this past weekend, also came the realization that Christmas will be here before we know it. In fact, Christmas is now just two short months away. Although Halloween and Thanksgiving have yet to be celebrated, many store shelves have begun displaying their Christmas décor and gift items. Locally, the Shop the North Pole Vendor Fair has been scheduled, giving community members a chance to get a jump on finding the perfect gift for that someone special right here in town. I recently spoke with event organizer Kim Young to find out more about the upcoming annual event.
The Shop the North Pole Vendor Fair will take place on Nov. 4 at the Elgin K.C. Hall from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is the third year the event has been held. The idea was developed by locals Kim Young and Kathy Dinslage.
Kim said, “For many years area vendors would set up shop during the annual “Kids Shopping Day,” but the Kids Shopping Day has gotten so big we decided to separate the events. We can now include more vendors to bring to town the best shopping experience for all our family and friends. Kathy and I agreed that 100 percent of the profits, less advertising costs, would help local families in need during the holiday season. Last year’s profits were given to Dean’s Market to then be dispersed to in-need area families.”
This year’s event will include vendors from Plainview, Spalding, as well as several vendors from right here in town. Pampered Chef, Arborview Farms, Tastefully Simple, Redding Saddlery and Tack, Usborne Books and More, and Color Street Nails are just a few popular names and products that will be on-site at the event. Kim believes there will be about fifteen total vendors on location for the evening’s festivities. Young said, “The event will always be evolving. Last year our goal was to create a Ladies Night Out experience. We had an open bar, so ladies could have a little fun while shopping for some great gifts with their girlfriends. Unfortunately, this year, due to COVID, we have eliminated the open bar to avoid people gathering. Instead, they can come shop and go. Being an indoor event, we also recommend that shoppers wear masks. It is our hope that next year we can again focus on creating more of a Ladies’ Night experience. We have discussed incorporating an ugly sweater contest and possibly incorporating a theme.” This year the hall will be decorated for Christmas, and it is their hope that many will take advantage of the opportunity to shop the North Pole right here in Elgin
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A benefit to support Eric Heithoff and his family will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Elgin from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Eric, a husband and father, as well as the music teacher at Elgin High, was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia and is currently undergoing treatment in Omaha.
The benefit will include a pulled pork sandwich meal. There will also be a silent auction.
All proceeds will be donated to the family to help with medical bills and expenses.
Anyone wishing to contribute an auction item or anyone unable to attend, but would like to contribute can contact Marissa Lemke at (402) 260-0001.
Eric is the son of Terry and Rhonda Heithoff and grandson of Darlene and the late Louie Heithoff of Elgin.
Medical condition update
Eric gave friends a medical update Monday on his Facebook page:
“Things are going about as well as can be expected. The docs had told me that its usually the week after chemo that a lot of the effects take their toll, and they’re right. I can definitely tell a difference in my endurance level this week compared to last week.”
He then described his symptoms and the process that put him in the hospital and, hopefully, can help someone in the future.
“This last summer, the main symptom that I had was fatigue. I was always tired. We were busy helping Brian with his 4H projects and doing the normal summer stuff, so I didn’t think anything of it. Another thing that I had no clue was a symptom (but do now), is I was having problems with my gums. They were almost constantly sore, even with brushing and mouthwashing multiple times a day. Some days were worse than others, but the general gum soreness didn’t go away. I just thought I wasn’t brushing and flossing well enough.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back though, was when my lips went pale for a week after a bout with what we think was a stomach bug. We noticed it the night of my cousin’s graduation party. That is what ultimately led me to go see a doctor and get some blood tests done.
“The blood tests showed what is called pancytopenia. Essentially, my red cells, white cells, and platelets were at half of normal levels. Your average male is going to have a hemoglobin level between 14 and 17. Mine were at 8. Normal platelets are usually in the 125,000 range, mine 60,000. And the kicker was the white cell count. Normal is above 4, mine was at 3.2. This, along with a high uric acid count in my blood started ringing alarm bells. We were hoping that it was just something viral and would work itself out. I tested positive for Epstein-Barr, which causes mono, and can also cause pancytopenia.
But, the doctors wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy based on the high uric acid and a couple other factors. In a bone marrow biopsy, they look for multiple things, but the main determination for cancer is in what’s called the blast count. Basically, your stem cells in the marrow can become any of the needed blood cells, but before they do they change into blasts- and that’s where things can get wonky. A normal person will have up to 2 percent of the cells in the marrow as blasts, and that can be extended up to 5% and still be considered ok. My first bone marrow biopsy came back at 8% blasts, which gave us a temporary diagnosis of MDS, or what used to be called pre-leukemia. That biopsy did not cover all the bases though, and it was recommended to do a second.
The second biopsy showed a much clearer picture, and a blast percentage of 25 percent. Anything over 20% is leukemia. The good news, is, it doesn’t matter if your blast percentage is 25% or 80%, its all treated the same. I also have a genetic mutation of the FLT-3 gene. But, good news there, they have a medication for that called Rydapt that I’m currently taking. My official diagnosis is Acute Myloid Leukemia or AML.”
He went on to said another bone morrow biopsy will be done today (Wednesday) to see how the chemo did.
“Thank you everyone for your love, prayers, help, and support. People have been coming out of the woodwork, and it makes it easier being down here in Omaha knowing that everything is going well back home.”
