Night to Shine returns to Page County
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Hosted for the second year by St. Mary’s Catholic
Church in Shenandoah, Night to Shine will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Shenandoah Elks Lodge. The event is designed for guests ages 14 and older and centers on dignity, inclusion and celebration, treating every attendee like royalty.
“Night to Shine is about making sure individuals with special needs know they are loved, valued, worthy and celebrated,” said Tiffany Doyle, a co-chair of the local planning committee. “That message is at the heart of everything we do.”
First launched in 2015, Night to Shine is held on the same evening worldwide, typically just ahead of Valentine’s Day. While the Tim Tebow Foundation provides guidance, training and initial grant support, each event is planned and hosted locally by churches, allowing communities to tailor the experience to their guests. Hundreds of churches across all 50 states and dozens of countries participate each year.
Planning is led by a
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volunteer board of 10 members who meet throughout the year to coordinate the event. Doyle serves as co-chair alongside chairperson Gigi DeSa, with committee members overseeing everything from registration and décor to volunteer coordination and guest experience.
“This was brand new last year, so there were a lot of unknowns,” Doyle said.
“But it went beautifully. We learned small things, mostly about flow and timing, that helped us make this year even smoother.”
While the overall structure remains the same, organizers made a few thoughtful adjustments for 2026, including shifting from a buffet-style dinner to a
seated meal and refining the layout for activities like karaoke and the photo booth to improve accessibility and flow.
Attendance is intentionally capped to ensure each guest receives personal attention. This year’s event includes 95 honored guests paired with volunteer “buddies,” who also spend the evening dancing, socializing and celebrating.
“Buddies are the heart of the night,” Doyle said. “We especially love having high school students volunteer. Our guests really connect with their energy and enthusiasm.”
Volunteer support and community involvement
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PHOTO BY LIZ SKILLERN HER TIME
With pure joy, a Night to Shine guest celebrates at the end of the red carpet. So excited by the experience, she returned to walk the red carpet several times, soaking in the cheers and celebration.
U.S. News & World Report:
SMC top maternity care access hospital
Shenandoah Medical
Center's Labor and Delivery Services have been nationally recognized by
U.S. News & World Report as a Maternity Care Access Hospital, the only facility in Iowa to receive this distinction in 2025, and one of only 147 nationwide.
SMC offers these essential services in the maternity desert of Southwest Iowa, where access to maternity care is limited.
This recognition highlights SMC's commitment to providing high-quality care, particularly in underserved
communities. To earn this distinction, SMC met rigorous criteria for geographic need and quality performance, including above-average performance in handling severe newborn complications.
SMC is honoring its Obstetrical Team on this outstanding achievement, serving the community with dedication and care.
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings Dec. 9, which also recognizes hospitals providing services to
Brooke family honored with Wergin Good Farm Neighbor recognition
BY LIZ SKILLERN
lizskillern2@gmail.com
The Lee and Darla Brooke family of rural Clarinda was recognized Friday, Jan. 9, with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, a statewide honor presented by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig for excellence in conservation, animal care and community involvement. The award was presented during a ceremony held at the Brooke family farm in Page County, where six generations of the family have worked the land. Lee Brooke began farming straight out of high school in 1980 and has since
built a diversified, multigenerational operation alongside his wife, Darla, their son Logan, Logan’s wife Annie, and their young grandson, Lawson.
“I’m very humbled and honored to receive this award,” Brooke said. “It means a lot to us to be recognized for something we try to do every day. To receive this award, you have to have livestock, be conservation minded, and be involved in your community — those are things I’ve done for as long as I can remember.”
The Brooke operation includes approximately
See BROOKE, PAGE 7
underserved communities.
U.S. News & World Report used self-reported maternity care data to identify 147 hospitals as Maternity Care Access Hospitals for providing maternity services in areas that would otherwise lack adequate access to such care.
Hospitals were eligible if they met geographic and quality criteria. They met geographic criteria if they were the only hospital providing maternity care within their county and the county had fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births.
Alternatively, hospitals qualified if they were the only facility within a 15mile radius and were located in a county with fewer than 128 obstetric providers per 10,000 births.
Shenandoah Medical Center was one of the 147 hospitals recognized nationally and the only facility recognized in Iowa for this distinction.
In terms of quality, these hospitals also demonstrated performance above average performance for severe unexpected newborn complications, C-sections or episiotomy rates.
Shenandoah Winter Homecoming Court
have grown significantly since the first year. Doyle said word-of-mouth excitement has led to increased sponsorships, donations and volunteer sign-ups. “We’ve had people come back this year saying, ‘I heard how amazing it was - how can I help?’ That’s been really encouraging,” she said.
A key community partner is Emily Martin of Nishna Productions, who has been involved since the beginning. Martin helps guide organizers in best serving guests with special needs and ensuring the experience is both welcoming and meaningful. “We truly couldn’t do this without her,” Doyle said. “She’s been our eyes and ears into the world of our honored guests.”
In preparation for the big night, St. Mary’s is hosting a Night to Shine boutique on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church hall, 512 W. Thomas Street in Shenandoah. Attendees
can select formal wear, including dresses, jewelry and men’s dress clothing, with the help of volunteers. Light refreshments will be served. Questions may be directed to Emily at 712621-6679.
While the Tim Tebow Foundation provides initial funding, Night to Shine is designed to become fully community-supported over time. Donations help ensure the event can continue in future years. “Eventually, it becomes entirely sustained by the community,” Doyle said. “That’s our hope — that this becomes something Page County continues to rally around.”
For Doyle, the most meaningful moments come from seeing guests experience pure joy and belonging. “One moment that will always stay with me was watching a high school guest walk the red carpet,” she said. “She was smiling ear to ear, and she loved it so much she went through four times. She just wanted to feel that special feeling again.”
Another unforgettable sight came later in the evening. “When you stepped back and looked across the Elks Lodge, the dance floor was packed wall to wall — dancing, smiling, laughing,” Doyle said. “Even high school volunteers told me this was better than their own school dances because no one was worried about what they looked like. Everyone was just having fun together. That’s what this is all about.”
Night to Shine aligns closely with St. Mary’s mission of outreach and inclusion, Doyle said. “Our message at church is simple — all are welcome, and all are loved,” she said. “This event brings families, volunteers and the community together in fellowship, and it’s incredible to see friendships form and grow.”
Community members interested in volunteering or donating may contact Tiffany Doyle at tiffanydoyledre@ gmail.com or Gigi DeSa at button61@icloud.com.
“We’re honored to be part of something that
our church and community
PHOTO BY LIZ SKILLERN
guest walks the red carpet with his volunteer buddy during the event held Feb. 7, 2025, at the Shenandoah Elks Lodge.
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250 spring-calving beef cows, a cattle finishing hoop building, replacement heifers, and a 2,499-head wean-to-finish hog facility. The family also raises corn, soybeans, hay, and maintains pasture ground across Page and Taylor counties. Logan Brooke operates his own farming enterprise as well.
The family’s agricultural roots date back to land originally homesteaded in 1869. While some of that ground left the family during the 1970s, Lee and Darla were able to repurchase it in 1998, reconnecting it with a Heritage Farm deeded in 1869 and now owned by Lee’s mother, 91-year-old Marnice Brooke.
“My son is the sixth generation to work the land, and hopefully my grandkids will be the seventh,” Brooke said. “It always has me thinking of ways to improve and do better for the future, knowing the rough times the past generations went through to hang onto it for us.”
Environmental stewardship has been a longstanding priority for the Brookes, particularly on the rolling, erosion-prone ground common to southwest Iowa.
The family has practiced 100 percent no-till farming on row-crop acres for more than three decades and utilizes precision technology to apply fertilizer and plant seed efficiently. Their cropland is fully tiled and terraced, with similar improvements made on nearly all rented ground in cooperation with landowners.
“The miles and miles of terraces we’ve built since I started farming is something I’m really proud of,” Brooke said. “Taking care of our pasture land is also high on the list. By taking conservation seriously, we’re protecting water sources for everyone, and with livestock we’re producing food and organic fertilizer at the same time.”
Cover crops such as rye and triticale are planted in the fall and harvested in the spring for cattle feed,
while additional acres of rye and turnips are seeded into cornstalks to provide fall and winter grazing. The family plans to continue expanding its use of cover crops. Animal care and innovation are also central to the operation. The Brookes work closely with a nutritionist to test feedstuffs, manage inventories, and maintain detailed daily feeding records. They hold both Beef Quality Assurance and Pork Quality Assurance certifications and partner with their veterinarian to ensure strong animal health protocols. Their cattle hoop building was among the first
constructed in Page County using EQIP and state lowinterest loan programs.
In presenting the award, Secretary Naig praised the family’s well-rounded approach to farming and community involvement.
“Being a good farm neighbor means more than what happens in the field or the barn, and the Brooke family clearly understands that,” Naig said. “They are good neighbors in every sense of the word, caring for their livestock, utilizing conservation, and staying actively engaged in their community and agricultural organizations.”
*Behavioral Health Intervention Services for children
*Outpatient Mental Health therapy and counseling for all ages
*Positive Family - Home Visiting Program for families with children 0-5
*Dinosaur School for preschoolers
*Foster After Care for children exiting the Foster Care System
*Kindness Closet (open Mon and Wed 9-12)
Brooke’s involvement extends well beyond his own farm. He is beginning his fifth year on the Iowa Soybean Association Board and currently serves as presidentelect. His past leadership includes service on the Page County Cattlemen board, Page County FSA Committee, Iowa-Nebraska regional Land O’Lakes Board, Southwest Regional Water District Board, a local cooperative board, and leadership roles at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
“Being involved in ag
leadership and community service gives you a sense of purpose to help make a difference in your profession,” Brooke said. “It keeps you updated on what’s happening and helps you understand how decisions made elsewhere affect things at the local level — and hopefully explain that to your neighbors.”
Despite the recognition, Brooke emphasized that many others in the area are equally deserving.
“We were fortunate to receive this award, but there
are many in Page County just as deserving,” he said. “There have already been two families ahead of us.” Now in its 22nd year, the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is presented through a partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, and The Big Show on WHO Radio. The award recognizes livestock farmers who demonstrate excellence in environmental stewardship, animal care, and community leadership.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sen. Tom Shipley, Lee and Darla Brooke, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig are pictured at the Brooke family farm near Clarinda during the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award presentation.
Clarinda: 1200 S. 16th Street | Shenandoah: 500 S. Fremont Street | Red Oak: 1605 N. Broadway Street