“Our community is large and wildly diverse, which is at the same time our strength and our weakness. #Activate10 is a movement seeking to increase communication between individuals and organizations across Fremont County and to promote positive action in our communities.”
(Pavillion, WY) – Wind River Schools will be hosting the 15th Annual Service Week starting Feb. 5! This year’s recipient is Jeff Bates.
On December 8th, Jeff was in a serious car accident, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Jeff was life-flighted to Billings, where he underwent a 6-hour surgery to repair the damage to his neck. He was blessed with some amazing surgeons who were able to repair the disks and vertebrae, but the damage to the spinal cord was significant. Jeff spent over a week in the ICU at Billings Clinic and was later transferred to Elkhorn Rehabilitation Center in Casper. The neurologists are hopeful that Jeff will have a full recovery. However, it will take many months, possibly years of PT and OT, for him to regain all of his motor functions. Jeff is currently at Elkhorn Rehabilitation, and we look forward to his release.
Jeff, his wife Janet, son Austin, and daughter Brooklyn have been part of the Wind River Community for the past 12 years. Janet taught at Wind River Schools, and Jeff previously drove the bus for the Cougars. Jeff is currently a mechanic at Stotz Equipment and also worked for Harley Davidson for 20 years. He also served on the volunteer fire department in Kinnear and is currently serving the fire department in Crowheart.
They are currently accepting donations for their online auction that will open the week of Feb. 5. Please take a picture of your auction item and include the estimated value with a short description and email that info to [email protected] or [email protected]. The online auction will run Monday the 5th through Saturday the 10th.
There will also be items auctioned off during the Wind River vs. Shoshoni basketball game on Feb. 9 during the girls and boys varsity games starting at 5:30 p.m.