Over four years ago, after being approached by the USD 432 School Board, the Victoria Alumni Association began raising funds for the much-needed Victoria Junior/Senior High School Gymnasium Floor Replacement Project. It is the original floor that the first basketball game was played on it in January of 1950.

Last December, I had a vision at a basketball game that if we would put on a large-scale German Meal Fundraiser, we could help raise funds more quickly and the replacement project could get underway sooner.

Following your kids and grandkids through their sporting activities, you create close bonds with their fellow athletes’ parents and grandparents. You become “One Big Family,” so to speak. When I brought this idea up to them, they were all on board because we all realize how badly in need of repair the floor is, and we would all like to see our kids/grandkids have the opportunity to play on the new court.

First a VISION – then ACTION!!! Just by word of mouth and School Way, we planned an organizational meeting at my house on Wednesday, February 20. What an outstanding response of interested parents and grandparents! I had already checked possible dates, so by the end of the meeting the German Meal Fundraiser for the VHS Gym Floor Replacement was in MOTION.

By Friday, February 22, at a 3:05 assembly at the High School, we handed every Jr./Sr. High student an envelope with five advance meal tickets to sell. Students who sold at least 10 tickets by Friday, March 8, were included in a drawing for cash prizes of $100, $75, $50, and $25. For each additional 10 tickets they sold, their names would be entered in the drawing again.

RELATED: Victoria community raises $35,000 toward new gym floor

The students only had two weeks to sell their tickets, because we had such a short amount of time to order supplies and make dumplings in the Grade School kitchen during Spring Break. We also asked parents and community members if they would make and donate desserts. Not knowing if we would have enough desserts, we also made mini kuchen that we could use if needed. However, with our pastor Fr. John’s encouraging words at weekend Masses, it got our community in the “Giving Spirit” and we were able to sell the mini kuchen, which added to our bottom line. An anonymous donor paid for all the groceries and supplies which also helped our cause.

Ethel Younger graciously donated her labor to make 125 pounds of homemade noodles (even though she had back surgery during that span of time), and Warren Wittman (Warren’s Meat Market) made our German Brats at an exceptional price. If you happened to join us for the German Meal Fundraiser, you will agree, both the noodles and brats were delicious!

Besides all the cash donors and raffle prize donors, I want to send out a huge “Thank You” to Shannon and Mark Karst for accepting my invitation to serve on the Committee as one of the leaders and to Melissa Schmidt who headed all financial aspects of our fundraiser. Also to my daughter, Natasha Hammerschmidt, and my sister, Rose Ann Dreiling, thank you for doing so many things behind the scenes and participating in every aspect of the fundraiser when you got off work. Rose Ann had a prior commitment before we set our date, or she would have been in the kitchen the whole weekend also. (Don’t worry Sis, if we ever do another big fundraiser, we’ll make sure you’re free before we set the date!) Two other “Grandma’s” that I want to thank are, Kathy Kuhn and Mary Brungardt. They were at every cooking/baking workday we had. We didn’t even have to ask, they just told us they would be there or just showed up when they knew we were working. Connie Windholz, thank you for all the hours you put into the project for us also.

In addition, I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes during both meals. There were so many people that stepped up to the plate and helped out for this fundraiser. The men outside grilling and cooking dumplings, cooks in the kitchen, meal servers, runners, dishwashers, ticket takers, raffle table workers, dessert table attendants, people who cleaned the tables, and last but not least all of the students who gave up their time to set up, tear down, and do whatever was asked of them throughout the weekend. But for me to mention every single person by name, would be impossible and I would fear I may miss someone. Know that you all hold a special place in my heart for coming out and helping us make this such a successful fundraiser.

By the next school board meeting, April 8, we should find out what the current bids are for completing the gym floor replacement. To date our net profit from the Fundraiser is $35,698.58; however a portion of that has been ear-tagged by the donor for new balls and equipment to be used on the new floor. So with the collected amount from the Alumni Association of $26,000, we should have almost $57,000 to put towards the project. We are so close to making the new gym floor a reality!

Last but not least, the Committee members would like to thank their husbands and families for being so understanding during this entire fundraising project.

I have received so many compliments on how smoothly and well organized it was. That is all because we had such great help in every aspect from students, coaches, school staff, parents, grandparents, community members, and faithful alumni!

Thank you again,

Brenda Dreiling

A.P. Kalem said, “War is never a lasting solution for any problem.” However, is that statement completely true? War, through the ages, has brought great advances and solutions in medicine.

Perhaps the first innovation in medicine that evolved during warring times came with drilling holes through the boney skulls of warriors whose heads were smashed in by clubs. Once a hole was made, one could insert a finger and pull out the caved-in skull bone with the added benefit of providing an escape hole for bleeding, releasing pressure off the brain. There are museums that have 7,000-year-old skulls with healed over burr holes, and this treatment called trephination, is still done today.

During the 1700 and 1800s, the world-wide imperialism of the British came from their conquering navy. This was partially because the Brits knew lime and lemon juice with vitamin C prevented scurvy which is a life-threatening progressive condition of profound weakness, gum disease, skin ulcers and bleeding. Opposing navies riddled with scurvy had no chance against the Brits.

During the Crimean War of the 1850s, Florence Nightingale and her team of newly trained nurses showed how nursing made a difference. They cleaned up injured soldiers, provided a warm dry bed, gave healing nutrition and, in general, cared for the soldier, which remarkably reduced the death rate by two-thirds. Nursing grew from that beginning.

The Civil War brought the advancement of anesthesia with easily used ether and the education of myriads of surgeons who spread their surgical skills throughout the country after the war. Also, the Civil War generated the development of the ambulance wagon, an effective method of transferring the injured from the battlefield to a place for treatment and comfort. For example, in the battle of Antietam, every wounded-living Union soldier was off the battlefield by the end of the day.

During the Boer War and World War I, X-Ray machines became available at portable hospitals, facilitating the repair of boney injuries. The field of orthopedics evolved as surgeons had growing trauma experience along with the aid of anesthesia and antisepsis. Also, blood transfusions and intravenous fluids came to be used during WWI and brought into reality how very sick people no longer had to die from dehydration.

Civil War General William T. Sherman said, “War is cruelty . . . and at best barbarism. Its glory is all moonshine . . . war is hell.” That said, in response to the terrible injuries and illnesses of war, we have learned and improved medicine in ways to relieve suffering and enhance healing during times of both war and peace.

For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow The Prairie Doc® on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming live most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.