Lynx St. neighbors come to aid of 'one of their own'

When a 28-year-old woman picked a home to buy in Valley Springs two years ago, never did she imagine that she would be the recipient of a neighborly act of kindness.

After being let go from her job nearly a month ago as a merchandiser at POET, the woman (who requested that her name be withheld), found herself without a steady paycheck. 

And that’s where her Lynx Street neighbors stepped in. 

As the dozen or so Lynx Street homeowners gathered outside the American Legion in on April 14 to be heard telephonically by the town commission regarding the untimely street assessment notices they were presented, her story surfaced.

After learning of her predicament, the neighborhood secretly began pitching in money to help her make ends meet in the short-term. Then they called a special Lynx Street neighborhood meeting.

The woman was under the impression the gathering was called to discuss the street assessment the city had issued. Instead, her neighbors handed her a letter, expressing how they wanted her to continue to be their neighbor. Also included with the letter was a significant sum of money.

“It was incredible,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was very, very shocked and this was a good reminder of what small communities are like. I just hope I can pay it forward someday.”

She moved to the area nearly three years ago for a job with POET, first living in Sioux Falls until she found the “right” home for her on Lynx Street in Valley Springs.

“I’m from a really small town of about 250, so it’s all I’ve ever known and I love the small-town feel,” says the woman, who grew up in Lu Verne, Iowa. 

Still speechless, she called her parents as soon as she walked into home after receiving the unexpected gift of neighborly kindness.

“The first thing my Dad said was, ‘Now we know for sure you picked the ‘right’ house.’”

“I’m extremely thankful,” she adds. “I’ve been pretty speechless, but this really meant a lot.”