Great job!

This week's model of awesomeness is KYUK Public Media from Bethel, Alaska, a tiny station that serves 56 villages on the edge of the tundra, 300 miles from the nearest road. It truly is a place like no other, and the station is a lifeline to the the world for the people of the region.

So why the awesomeness?

For their fall fundraiser, they dared to set one of the largest goals in their history and they went for it all out, with 100% enthusiasm. Incredibly, they reached their stretch goal of $20,000 ahead of schedule.

How did they do it? They made their fundraiser completely theirs. They made it about their community. They made it passionate and fun, and it worked.

It started with their first ever "Village Showdown" - won by the people of Kwethluk - that pitted village against village for total donations, for the chance to win live coverage of a men's and women's high school basketball game, a big thing in Alaska.

And then there was the grand prize - Alaska Airlines tickets and miles, of course, plus a half cord of pre-split wood donated by the village of Napaimute, already drying and waiting for pick-up by the lucky winner. As one of their facebook fans noted, "that's better than money in the dead of winter!"

Would this work anywhere else in the country? Probably not. But that's the brilliance of it. 

It only had to work for them. And it did.

Here's general manager Mike Martz's heartfelt post-drive note to the community. 

Bravo for thinking big KYUK!