TOWER — They lost count of how many people were coming through the doors at the Lamppa Civic Center on Saturday, as the community turned out to support Dena Suihkonen, longtime EMT and ambulance supervisor. And luckily, they were able to get more food from Zup’s Grocery when the spaghetti started running out.
“I’d guess we had at least 500 people,” Dena said, “It was packed all afternoon, and people kept coming and coming.”
“Never in a million years,” she said, “would I have thought so many would come.”
Dena spent the entire afternoon visiting with friends. The Suihkonen and Tekautz families were there in force helping out, along with many family friends.
“It was overwhelming,” she said. “I heard from so many people that I had made a difference in their lives. And that does feel good. I guess that is how I have to look at it.”
There was a line of people all afternoon waiting to talk with her. One mentioned it felt like they were waiting in line to see Santa Claus.
“I tried to eat but didn’t have time,” she said. “Finally, my grandson, Odin, brought me a plate of food and told me I had to eat something!”
There were over 150 silent auction baskets, gift certificates, and sports-related items, including some big-ticket items that people generously bid on.
“It makes you feel special,” Dena said.
Dena spent the last 15 years with the Tower Ambulance Service. In more recent years, she served as ambulance supervisor until her injury in July.
She has been a vocal proponent of the needs of rural ambulance services, working with local and statewide legislators to find a solution to funding issues. State Sen. Grant Hauschild stopped by the fundraiser to visit, thanking Dena for her advocacy, and said he was looking forward to working with her on these issues in the future.
After using up her vacation and sick leave, she has since been placed on unpaid administrative leave. She and her union representative were scheduled to meet with city officials on Nov. 25 to discuss her future with the city.
She knows she is not able to fulfill the current job description, which includes responding to calls during her regular working hours (responding to hundreds of calls each year), but she is still able to perform administrative duties. She has been denied workman’s compensation for the injury, but she has yet to receive formal notification of that decision. She will qualify for social security disability in 2026.
Dena was paralyzed while volunteering at the Fourth of July Community Picnic in Soudan, when a dunk tank seat mechanism failed, throwing her backward.
Funds raised will be used to help with additional handicap-accessibility projects at her family home in Tower, and well as expenses relating to medical treatments, some of which require a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The family also hopes to be able to purchase a handicap-accessible vehicle with hand controls so Dena can resume driving.
The family would like to thank everyone who came to the fundraiser, and all the people and businesses who donated. Special thanks go to Zup’s Grocery in both Tower and Cook, which donated food for the meal, along with Sulu’s and a family member who donated most of the dessert options.