A total of six area individuals will be honored on Monday as recipients of the 26th Annual Heart of Dakota Awards.
The awards are sponsored by the Britton Area Foundation, the Britton Area Chamber and the Marshall County Journal. Winners will be recognized at a social and awards presentation set for the Britton Country Club on Monday. The social hour will begin at 5 p.m. with the awards being given out at 6:30 p.m.
Community members and especially past winners are encouraged to attend the event as they will be recognized.
Kelsi Heer will receive the award for Community Involvement. Robyn Sporhase of Dollar General was named as the Customer Service winner. David and Linda Deutsch and Angie Olson were co-winners for the People’s Choice Award. Dan Hagen will be recognized as the Agribusiness winner.
Kelsi Heer
Community Involvement
This year’s Heart of Dakota Award winner for Community Involvement wears many hats. She is a business owner, coach and busy parent. But it is for her work helping revive the waning local baseball and softball program that she was recognized. Kelsi Heer of Britton is a native to the area who now puts in many hours to help her community.
Heer is a 1997 Britton graduate who moved back to the area in 2001 when she got married. She and her mother Jeani run Dizzy Blondz and she coaches gymnastics. Yet, she just wasn’t busy enough.
“Not too many years ago, our baseball and softball program was nearly nonexistent,” Heer’s Heart of Dakota nominator remembers. “Numbers were low, volunteers and coaches were lacking, and the program was faltering.”
Enter Kelsi Heer. She explains that she developed a love of baseball watching her brother play over the years and grew up with it as her dad and grandfather played. Around ten years ago when several people from the area were talking about rejuvenating the ball program, Heer quietly noted that she would be willing to help in some fashion. “I offered to be a secretary or something like that,” Heer recalls. “I knew I wouldn’t coach but I can type and am good with organization.”
That helped get the ball rolling. She and others have worked to build the program up over the past decade and she now is the president of the Britton Baseball and Softball Board.
“With the assistance of others such as Preston Kilker and Adam Suther (and many other awesome baseball visionaries), the program today supports 198 registered kids playing for teams from tee-ball to teeners,” her nominator explained.
One might think, “How hard can it be to run a baseball and softball program?” Well, because Heer works countless hours behind the scenes, she makes it look effortless. Not only does she organize all of the registration information for players, but she also organizes uniform hand out and check in, communicates with local coaches and coaches from other towns, and schedules games and tournaments for all of the teams (including teams other than Britton). She manages financial information, in addition to so many other duties that there is not space to list them.
“Kelsi honestly lives and breathes baseball, and she has given life to a program that was nearly nonexistent,” her nominator said. “Kelsi has given herself so freely to this program. Because of her effort and countless hours of devotion, hundreds of kids have gotten to experience America’s favorite pastime and make memories to last a lifetime right here in our community.”
Heer said she was very touched when she learned about the Heart of Dakota Award. “I wasn’t expecting it,” she added. Yet, she is happy to see the program flourishing. “I love baseball and think it’s a wonderful activity for all ages. It also has a great impact on small towns like Britton. If you have towns that don’t have these types of activities, why would people want to live there.”
Those around her most definitely feel fortunate to have Heer in their community, working hard even as she is always smiling.
Robyn Sporhase
Customer Service
Robyn Sporhase was many people’s hero over the last year. She might be an unassuming person, but Sporhase helped more people than probably ever realized it. For several weeks, she was the only employee at the local Dollar General store and still provided impressive service. For that, she was nominated by various people and won the Heart of Dakota Customer Service Award.
Sporhase, who grew up a Beck, worked on the family farm west of Britton, where she said she learned her work ethic. She remembers waking up at 4 a.m. for farm work and being busy all day. In 2017, she began working full-time at Wheaton-Dumont Elevator in Britton.
Because she likes to stay busy, in 2020 when elevator hours were reduced due to COVID, Sporhase decided to pick up another job and joined the crew at Dollar General. She likely could not have anticipated how busy this job would eventually keep her. Earlier this year, when the other DG employees quit, Sporhase found herself the only person still working in the business. Yet, she did not shy away from what she considered her duty. She committed herself to keeping the store open.
“I would go in at 6 a.m. in the morning to let vendors in and did what I could,” she explained. Then she would put in a full day at the elevator. THEN she would go back to Dollar General to open the store from 5 p.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. Plus she would work there almost full days on the weekends. Sporhase reported that she would often work 85 to 90 hours per week between her two jobs.
And unsurprisingly, grateful customers noticed her efforts. Despite big lines when the store would open each day, Sporhase says that people were polite and patient. “Everyone thanked me constantly for having it open,” she added.
The people who nominated the committed Dollar General employee also want to thank her. “A grateful community should celebrate Robyn’s efforts to keep the local Dollar General going when she was the only staff member,” one person said. “She saw the need for the business to be open and took the steps necessary to make sure the community had that option.”
Another person commented, “Robyn single-handedly kept DG running for weeks and it was greatly appreciated by the community. She was the town ‘Rock Star’ for a long time! Her efforts did not go unnoticed.”
For her part, Sporhase is pretty humble about the experience. “I knew if the store closed, it would be hard to ever get it opened back up,” she emphasized. “It meant a lot to the community, and it was a needed thing to keep it open.”
Sporhase, who likes to bake and hang out with her grandkids in her limited free time, is happy that the store is more fully staffed now.” Yet she is pleased that the community noticed her efforts during a stressful time. “I’m grateful for the people who had patience and accepted what I could do.”
David and Linda Deutsch
People’s Choice
“Over the past 30 years in Britton, I’ve witnessed David and Linda’s unselfish dedication and community spirit,” said a Heart of Dakota nominator. “My first memory of Linda was her going out of her way to welcome me, making me feel instantly appreciated and at home. This initial impression has only been reinforced through their unwavering commitment to whatever is at the forefront in their lives.”
For this sort of commitment, David and Linda Deutsch of Britton are winners of the 2024 Heart of Dakota Award in the People’s Choice category. The Deutsches are natives to the Eden area and moved to Britton more than 35 years ago to raise their family. Despite being busy with work and four children (and now grandchildren), the couple continually made and still make time to lend a hand in several ways in their community.
They consistently step up to support friends and causes in need. Linda’s role in establishing the Indian taco fundraiser at St. John de Britto Catholic Church is a prime example of their impact. This event, which began as a means to fund essential church improvements, has now raised over $110,000 and continues to support various church and community projects.
Additionally, Linda’s idea for a local Christmas variety show is becoming a cherished tradition that concludes Britton’s Christmas on Parade, celebrating local talent and fostering community spirit. Both David and Linda are also known for their generosity in providing transportation for medical appointments and delivering ‘Meals on Wheels,’ further illustrating their commitment to serving others. David is an ambulance and school bus driver, roles that are both desperately needed in our community.
For their part, the Heart of Dakota Award-winning couple was surprised by the honor. “We were shocked,” said Linda. And David added, “I think there many other people out there who are just as deserving.”
The Deutsches chalk their good deeds up to the warm welcome they felt when they arrived in the community. “From the day we moved here, we always felt welcome,” said Linda. “They have been good to us, so we try to give back to the community in our own ways,” noted David.
“Their 50 years of marriage also exemplifies their enduring dedication and commitment, making them true pillars of our community,” added their nominator. “Marshall County is home to many good and wonderful people, but David and Linda have always stood out to me as individuals dedicated and devoted to everything in their lives, whether it be faith, family, employment, or volunteer work.”
The couple encourages everyone to support their own communities and lend a hand when needed. “There is always a little time that people can give,” concluded David.
Angie Olson
People’s Choice
Angie Olson is the other People’s Choice winner of a 2024 Heart of Dakota Award. Olson, who operates Just a Teazin’ Hair Salon in Britton, has become an important part of the community, putting time and effort into helping others.
Olson hailed from the Havana area and was a 2010 B-H graduate. She attended Lake Area Tech to earn a cosmetology degree. She promptly returned to the area to set up shop. “Angie is a life-long Britton girl, a local graduate who continued her education and came back home to open a business of service to her hometown,” her nominators said.
And it is her dedication to service that makes her a perfect candidate for a Heart of Dakota Award. She handles all things hair-related as well as manicures, pedicures and waxing services. Olson’s hairstyling and nailcare business is what brings people in her door, but it is her kindness and honest personality that bring them back again.
As her nominators pointed out, Olson is willing to take her skills with her to bring a fresh haircut and friendly company to someone who can’t get out. She has also helped out at care centers, done cleaning for others, and waited tables, always willing to do the hard work.
“All of this happens with a genuine, no nonsense attitude and a twinkle in her eye,” added her nomination. “When you are Angie’s client at Just A Teazin’, you are in good hands. She gives you that moment to feel like you’re special, her only concern. Personal care, for sure.”
“Angie is really special,” says one of her supporters. “She sees what needs to be done and dives right in. She never says no, and she just seems to know what people need. She’s like my own daughter.”
As far as her driving forces go, the stylist simply notes that she loves her customers and providing good service. She also admits to being a sort of workaholic as she additionally stays busy helping her family at Todd’s Tavern. “I like to help when help is needed,” Olson asserted.
She admits to being surprised when she learned about the Heart of Dakota honor but also pleased.
“There are many people in our community who have been Angie’s customers, and thus, Angie’s friends,” her nominators concluded. “After growing up here, she returned here, to bring a much-needed business to our downtown, a decision that enriched our community. “
Dan Hagen
Agribusiness
The Heart of Dakota Agribusiness winner this year is Dan Hagen, owner of Dan Hagen Repair.
Hagen started his own tractor repair business in 2015, but he held a wrench in his hand long before that. He was a 25-year employee of Liknes Brothers plus six more years after it turned into Titan Machinery. With all that experience under his belt, Hagen has yet to find a tractor that he can’t fix.
“I feel blessed that God has given me the knowledge and talent to work on all types of farming equipment,” he stated.
Several farmers and ranchers feel the same way, and not just area folks. Farmers call from several states, asking Hagen for advice, if he has time to fix, or for service calls. He even has a customer in Florida, a peanut farmer, who found his name to ask about fixing a part on a combine! At any given time of day, Hagen’s driveway is either lined with tractors for fixing, or someone stops in to ask a question or two.
One customer who nominated Hagen for the award said, “Dan is more than just a mechanic, he’s a good neighbor. He has always helped keep our equipment rolling, which keeps our day to day farmwork headed in the right direction. While we don’t look forward to having to call Dan, we’re lucky he drops everything and helps out every time.” Another farmer added, “Dan is so dedicated to his customers, and we couldn’t appreciate him more!”
It is easy to see why Hagen was nominated and chosen for this special award. He truly cares about getting the farmer back in the field or the rancher back to his hay ground. He is a huge asset to our farming communities.
