Dear GreatLIFE Member, Team Member & Support Team,
First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas season! It is Thanksgiving Day and I am thinking about all the things I am grateful for even though it has been such a challenging year for all. Having an “attitude of gratitude” and focusing on all the good things in your life is so important in having a healthy life. Thankfully, all our children and grandchildren live here in Sioux Falls which is one of the best blessings a family can have. We live in a community that sincerely cares about its citizens and especially those in need. One program that has been especially busy providing support and resources is the 211 Helpline Center. They provide individual counseling and crisis assistance. If you need help or just someone to talk with, please call their 211 number. What I have found is focusing on the good things in my life, writing them down and reviewing them frequently helps me stay positive. Also reading and listening to motivational books, videos and webinars keep my spirits up.
With our GreatLIFE Cares Foundation, we were able to assist and serve over 30 charitable and civic organizations including all three school systems. We provided over $200,000 to these organizations as well as helping them develop their programs. Through this coalition, we have created awareness and support that enabled their efforts to be more effective in reaching those most vulnerable.
A couple of weeks ago at the annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner, we partnered with both SD Salutes and the Gene Abdallah Scholarship Fund in providing $50,000 in matching funds through our GreatLIFE Cares Foundation. SD Salutes provides $10,000 to families that lose a law enforcement officer or first responder that is killed in the line of duty. With our support, they have added emergency financial funding for law enforcement and first responders’ families and programming assistance for smaller communities. The Gene Abdallah Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for individuals pursuing careers in law enforcement. GreatLIFE Cares will continue to provide leadership and funding to programs that are making a positive impact on families and individuals and especially kids.
Hopefully, with the elections over and vaccines being developed, we can get back to some normalcy in the near future. The health and safety of our Members and Team Members is our highest priority. Since day one of the viruses, we have worked on modifying our facilities to best mirror the CDC recommendations with social distancing, adding many sanitation stations, spacing equipment and even having separate mandatory mask-wearing work out areas both at Woodlake and our 39th & Phillips fitness center. Even in the beginning of the Covid 19 challenges, we were able to provide fitness centers with the 10 patron maximum to allow Members and Team Members to work out and burn off stress and anxiety.
We are continuously working to make your GreatLIFE membership more valuable to you. We are adding new Member Benefits every week, expanding programs and facilities. We are currently in negotiations with the downtown Y in becoming a GreatLIFE facility. I would like to thank each of you for being a GreatLIFE Member and especially those that helped with the “Warm Hands and Food Cans” promotion in November to provide warm clothing to the Center for Hope and food for Feeding South Dakota.
Gratefully,
Tom