HAYFIELD — Sometimes the worst situations bring out the best in a community.

When Hayfield principal Grant Klennert helped raise funds for Blooming Prairie after tragedy struck the Harberts family last fall, he never thought that support would be returned his way, but that’s exactly what happened.

As Christmas rolled around this year, Klennert found himself doing more worrying than celebrating. His wife Michele was diagnosed with Ependymoma, a form of spinal cancer, right before Christmas break and she was in surgery on New Year’s Eve. Michele, a fifth grade teacher in Hayfield, is now wheel chair bound and taking radiation treatment, but Grant is hopeful for a full recovery for his wife.

BP immediately stepped up to support the Klennerts, raising approximately $1,200 for the family in a short amount of time. The BP boys wore purple shirts saying ‘Michele’s Might Team’ during their game against Hayfield this week.

“Never in a million years did I imagine the shoe would be on the other foot,” Klennert said. “It’s unbelievable. The two communities are so intertwined. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support that we’ve had. It means the world to me.”

Hayfield stepped up big time with fundraising after BP elementary teacher Rachel Harberts and her daughter Emerson passed away in a car crash last fall. Jaxon Harberts, a BP seventh grader was injured in that crash. The Vikings football team donated all of its profits from the Homecoming football game against BP to the Harberts Family and the school district raised approximately $2,000 for the cause.

BP athletic director Ali Mach said it only felt right to return the favor to BP when they heard about Michele’s diagnosis. BP students raised funds by selling cookies and collecting donations at games.

“This fall it meant a lot to us to have them support us with gestures of kindness and financial donations. When we heard right before Christmas that Michelle was struggling with this, we thought it would be a good time to pay it forward and do some of the same stuff that they did for us,” Mach said. “It was great for our students to be part of that and it was great for our community. It’s a good experience. It was such a great life lesson for our kids and it showed them that this is what we can do and this is how we can show support. The kids were really excited about being part of it.”

Since Hayfield moved from the Hiawatha Valley League to the Gopher Conference this season, the Vikings and Awesome Blossoms have become bigger rivals on the court. But they’ve had not trouble supporting each other when it is necessary.

Hayfield athletic director and boys basketball coach Chris Pack said both schools have set a good example.

“When someone that close is going through something tough, it’s nice to have the support of another community,” Pack said. “The little things mean a lot.”

Michele is currently re-learning to walk and gain her balance after the surgery. While Grant said it has been a “whirlwind” of physical therapy and cancer treatment, it helps to know that two communities are in his corner.

“Sometimes these types of events bring out the best in communities. It’s been two really unfortunate events, but we’re neighbors and we’ve got each other’s backs,” Grant said. “We’re going to support each other through thick and thin and it’s been a lot of thick lately. It’s good to teach students that it’s an important aspect of life to support people in need, regardless of how well you know them.”