Look for the helpers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’" – Fred Rogers

This has been a hard year for our Sheridan County community.

The year started with one unimaginable tragedy — the death of Sgt. Nevada Krinkee — and as we’re heading into the final stretch of 2024, we’re faced with yet another: the massive Elk Fire, which has charred more than 50,000 acres of the Bighorn National Forest and threatened the lives and livelihoods of friends and neighbors in northern Sheridan County.

It’s a scary time for our community, and it’s hard to make sense of the suffering, but watching you — our friends and neighbors — gives us hope.

It was you who collected thousands of dollars to support Krinkee’s family after his death and you who lined Sheridan’s streets to celebrate his life. And as the Elk Fire rages, the community has stood up yet again to support those who need it most.

In the last few days, we’ve encountered relief efforts orchestrated by the Parkman Bar; community members lending their homes to evacuees needing a place to stay; Parkman residents lending trailers to neighbors needing to evacuate livestock; and Big Horn High School inviting TRHS students to celebrate homecoming with them. And that’s really just skimming the surface of all the good things happening in this hard time.

Perhaps one of our reporters said it best earlier this week: “If Sheridan does one thing well, it’s helping our neighbors.”

So thank you Sheridan County for all you do to make these hard times a little easier, and for helping your friends and neighbors.

And if you find yourself in a situation where you need more help than you can give right now, that’s OK too — you’ll find you have a community more than willing to wrap their arms around you and lend a hand.