About 60 locals gathered last week at the Chinook Eagles for a surprise "thank you" party for Jana McPherson-Hauer resigned recently as head of the Blaine County Health Department. Betty Billmeyer, Betty's daughter Stephanie Billmeyer Silva and others organized the event to, as Betty put it, "Give the community an opportunity to thank Jana for the great job she did as the county's public health nurse." Jana joined the health department in September, 2014.

Jana McPherson-Hauer, second from right, poses with some family members at her recent "thank you party." The gathering gave locals a chance to express appreciation to her for her work as Blaine County's Public Health Nurse. Left to right are: Jana's son, Jefferson Nordboe; Jana's mother, Marie McPherson; Jana and husband Jayson Hauer.

Jana's husband, Jayson, and Stephanie Billmeyer Silva organized a ruse to get Jana to the surprise gathering. Jana and her family were invited to a birthday party for Stephanie's five-year-old daughter, Zyon. Jana said, "I thought I was coming for a birthday party. About the time we got to the Eagles I saw some people I would not expect at Zyon's birthday party. I turned and asked Jayson, "Is this some sort of a surprise for me?"" Turns out the surprise was for her.

Responding to the well-wishers, Jana said she was surprised by the showing and was very grateful for the outpouring of thanks. She added, "I said many times during the evening we need to do events like this for everyone to show they are valued. The show of appreciation was wonderful and humbling." Guests enjoyed finger foods prepared by the Eagle's staff and a special thank you cake created by Ginger Hansen.

Betty Billmeyer said, "The entire staff at the county nurse's office has done a great job looking out for us. With Jana's leaving I wanted to give folks an opportunity to thank her for the job she and her colleagues did helping us stay healthy. We need to look for more opportunities to show folks how much they are appreciated."

A thank you note to Jana, written in icing on top of the special cake made for the gathering, summed up the theme of the surprise thank you party: "Your efforts to keep our community safe did not go unnoticed or unappreciated." Well said and tasty.