Students must exceed the standard 15 volunteer hours to be eligible. Applicants must apply through the school to Mr. Caldwell. Application to include an essay on "What Volunteering Means to Me". The Purple Pride board will review all applicants and narrow the field down to a select few that will be interviewed by the board for final selection.
About Gail Kathleen Snoozy Didow
Gail was born and raised in Belle Fourche, the only daughter out of seven children to Dorothy and Jim Snoozy. Although she lived many places in her adult life, South Dakota was her true home. Staying connected to family was the most important thing to Gail. When her children were growing up, she took them to Belle Fourche to spend a month each summer. She shared stories and experiences of her own childhood and fostered new and cherished memories for her kids, instilling in each of them a love for South Dakota.
She was the ultimate stay-at-home mom, she volunteered on ALL the committees, welcomed ALL the friends, cooked ALL the amazing meals, donated ALL her time, and created magical Christmas memories that could not be topped by anyone, anywhere. She was a master documentarian and could be seen with a massive video camera on her shoulder for most of the 80s and 90s. She also photographed every event, big or small, in our lives. Her table was always open, and it was the most common of occurrences to have extra people join in for meals. Gail always had a pot of coffee on. She loved going to the movies, live performances of any kind and the peacefulness of the ocean. She cherished her time spent in Mexico. Gail did not know a stranger and had a way of drawing people in that defied explanation. We were moved by her energy and the love she sent out into the world.
Her infectious laugh was her signature. You could hear her laugh from a mile away and immediately know that Gail had arrived. She never left the house without her earrings and lipstick repeating on many occasions that “you never know when you will get discovered”. To know Gail was to be loved by her. She was the life of the party and always knew how to take things up a notch. She was up for anything and never wanted to miss out on the fun – running through sprinklers on the golf course, taking her kids (and grandkids) to toilet paper houses, street racing her conversion van, going on cross country road trips, using a CB radio to chat up the truckers with whom she shared the road, participating in all-night conversations, attending 2 a.m. diner breakfasts and talking for hours on the phone to relatives/friends both near and far. Even in the busyness of her day, she always made time for the people who needed her. Gail’s children and grandkids brought her so much joy. She would travel great distances to spend time with them, asking them questions about their lives, playing games, sharing stories, laughing, and forging unbreakable bonds. She was always a safe place to land. Her hugs were epic, you could never have too many, and we all wish we could have one more. She had a strong faith in God and was loyal, resilient, and strong. She could have lived to be 120 years old and it still would not have felt like enough. We were all incredibly fortunate to be loved by her.
As a way to honor the love Gail had for her Belle Fourche heritage, In 2022, Gail's family established a memorial in her name with all the proceeds to be donated to Belle Fourche Purple Pride.