“You’re letting her do that?”
Bret Dockter was asked this question when his daughter, Emma, decided to pursue a career in teaching.
“Absolutely,” Bret responded, knowing he hadn’t looked at the profession through rose-colored glasses. Twenty-six years in teaching – and 27 as a football coach – will do that. Still, he loves it.
It’s a Friday afternoon, and Brooke Hilzendeger plops a heavy bag on the dirt floor of the Lineworker Training Center in Mandan, kicking up a trail of dust. She opens it and pulls out climbing boots, a body belt, a pole strap, gloves and a hard hat. These aren’t the items most people would expect to find in a woman’s bag, but for those who know Hilzendeger, a 29-year-old single mom and self-proclaimed tomboy, it comes as no surprise.
Rhonda Gilbertson-Evans wrote those words in a poem called “Why I Do This Work.” The poem explains her reasons for serving people experiencing homelessness, including a man dear to her heart.
“It’s not that easy for many of our community members who are homeless. Some hills are unsurmountable,” she said.
5-4-3-2-1. Pam Emmil didn’t count on a pain medication prescription plummeting her into addiction. But those five numbers helped count her steps back to sobriety. And to a thriving, therapeutic business.
Wrapped around Emmil’s wrists are the bracelets that not only helped her overcome her addiction, but which are now part of her business, 5 Second Rule Bracelet.
She now shares her personal journey of opioid addiction – and recovery – through her business, as she sells bracelets and other jewelry with a message.
