Dividend Checks to Be Mailed December 1 Dividends to Griswold Communications shareholders are paid 10 years in arrears; therefore, the checks are for services from 2015. If you do not get your dividend check or you have questions, call our business office at 712-778-2121. Serving You Is a Gift All Year Long It’s a pleasure to help keep you connected! Griswold Communications employees and board wish you and your family a happy holiday season. Our business office will be closed Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26 for the Christmas holiday, and Thursday, January 1 for the New Year’s holiday. GRISWOLD Connections Cornerstone Group © 2025 WI NTER 2 0 2 5 Contact Griswold Communications 607 Main Street / PO Box 640 Griswold, IA 51535 Phone: 712-778-2121 Office Hours Monday – Friday 7:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Email us at gctc@netins.net Visit us online at griswoldcommunications.com FIBER’S FASTER than eight tiny reindEer JOINSANTAAND FLYATFIBERSPEEDS You’d think reindeer with speedy names like Dasher and Comet would be fast. But Santa realized—with a little help from his techsavvy elves—that nothing’s faster than fiber internet. Want to follow Santa’s lead? Our fiber internet plans offer multiple speeds to choose from up to 1 Gig. Update now, with no fee to change speed, and fly through online activities. To double your savings, add a router from Griswold Communications with no fee to install. We set it up, secure it, and include access to apps for network management. CALL 712-778-2121 AND SAY SANTA SENT YOU Certain restrictions apply. Contact us for details.
GRISWOLD COMMUNICATIONS • 712-778-2121 • gr i swoldcommun i cat ions . com Grab a Pen and Paper on December 26 December 26 is National ThankYou Note Day, an annual reminder of the time-honored tradition of thanking people in writing for their gifts and generosity. While there’s no official known reason as to why this day was created, we can assume it’s because of the many gifts exchanged on December 25. Granted, in our technology-driven lives, writing a thank-you note on paper has become a bit of a lost art. Yet the few minutes it takes to do so will undoubtedly be appreciated by the recipient. People enjoy getting personalized messages in the mail, and a note in your handwriting carries a tactile expression of thanks that verbal communication, texts, and emails often lack. If you’re not in the habit of writing thank-you notes, here’s all you have to do: Acknowledge the specific gift, share how much you’ll enjoy using it, and close with a heartfelt “thanks.” Speaking of thanks, Griswold Communications thanks you for your loyal support of our company! When you think of a "gamer," you probably don't think of a senior citizen. However, Entertainment Software Association (ESA) data from 2025 indicates there are 57 million Americans over 50 who game—a cohort that represents 28% of the approximately 205 million total U.S. gamers. Nearly half of Americans in their 60s and 70s play some form of PC, mobile, or console video game every week, as do 36% of people in their 80s. In addition to being a fun form of entertainment, gaming offers seniors other important benefits including these: Better Emotional Well-being - Research shows that gaming reduces stress and increases life satisfaction. For seniors, video games provide enjoyable challenges and social connections that can lift spirits and create a sense of community. Improved Physical Performance - Games that require physical interaction—like the VR game Beat Saber, Nintendo Switch Sports, and other motion-controlled titles— can help seniors improve balance, coordination, and reflexes. This is due to the quick decision-making and action required to play. Some seniors have even reported faster walking speeds as a result of playing video games. Enhanced Cognitive Ability - A study published by the National Institute on Aging found that video games can significantly improve memory function in older adults experiencing age-related cognitive decline. The research showed that video games provide novel environments that stimulate the hippocampus, the brain region critical for memory. For seniors who may be homebound, these virtual environments offer an engaging way to keep their brains active and healthy. Playing video games exercises a gamer’s memory, especially short-term memory. Playing even occasionally can help seniors remember things like names, addresses, phone numbers, dates, and times better than they do without video game stimulation. They also force players to switch quickly between different tasks, which can lead to increased mental flexibility and multi-tasking ability. If you’re planning to level up your gaming, you may need to upgrade your internet service. Visit griswoldcommunications.com to learn more. It’s Game on for Seniors
Cornerstone Group © 2025 What to Know About Synthetic Identity Theft Synthetic identity theft is one of the fastest-growing types of fraud. Instead of stealing a real person’s full identity, fraudsters create a new one by combining real and fake information, such as using a real Social Security number with a made-up name or address. These fake identities are used to apply for credit cards, bank accounts, loans, or government benefits, all of which can damage the credit of real individuals, often children or the elderly, and be a nightmare to correct. Protecting yourself starts with monitoring. Regularly check your credit reports from all three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union —for unfamiliar accounts. Freeze your credit to block unauthorized access and consider using identity theft protection services. Be cautious about sharing personal information, especially on social media, and watch for strange mail or credit denials. Synthetic identity theft can be hard to detect. However, staying vigilant and proactive can help stop fraud before it starts. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? You’ll probably be more successful at reaching goals if you’re regularly reminded of them and can see your progress. That’s the thinking behind the goal tracking apps featured here. Check them out! Gola - Aptly named, Gola is a goal tracker app where you can enter goals in a customizable template, see your progress in a chart, get reminders via notifications, and more. There’s also an AI feature that provides advice on completing your goals faster. Habitica - One of the cutest gamifying habit-tracker apps is Habitica. Your throwback avatar, which you can design yourself, is affected by your progress toward completing your goals, making for a fun app experience. Habitshare -This app helps you set and track goals, and lets you share your progress with friends and a social network. This way, you and your friends remain accountable to each other and stay connected. stickK - Designed by behavioral economists, stickK allows you to set goals, create a “commitment contract,” and apply a monetary incentive. (Research shows you’re much more likely to achieve your goal if you put money on the line.) If you’re unsuccessful at your goal, you choose where that money goes. Strides - If you’ve made New Year’s resolutions—maybe to drink more water, eat healthier, or take up a new hobby—but you’re not sure how to keep track of it all, Strides could be the right app for you. It lets you customize your habits and goals as you see fit. Todoist - Create tasks, projects, and subtasks, and assign them due dates, priorities, and labels. You can also sync your tasks across devices, collaborate with others, and integrate with other apps and services. Way of Life - If you want a visual goal tracker, you'll love this app. It helps reinforce good habits, or banish bad habits, by sending daily reminders and providing bar charts, pie graphs, and other measures of your progress. Stay Motivated With Goal Tracking Apps
Cornerstone Group © 2025 GRISWOLD COMMUNICATIONS • 712-778-2121 • gr i swoldcommun i cat ions . com YOU COULD WIN A $20 BILL CREDIT Answer the question below and Griswold Communications will enter you in a drawing for a chance to win a $20 credit to your Griswold Communications account. One winner from the Winter 2025 issue will be selected. Congratulations to Sharon Foster for being our most recent winner! To qualify for the drawing, all you have to do is call us at 712-778-2121 or email gctc@netins.net by December 31, 2025, and tell us the correct answer to this question, which can be found in this issue: What type of fraud combines real and fake information? Scholarship Notice for 2026 Graduates and Their Parents Griswold Communications offers a local scholarship to students in our serving area that can be applied for through the school’s general scholarship application. Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is currently accepting applications for their scholarships, with a February 14, 2026, deadline. Additional scholarship opportunities will be available through other associations, of which Griswold Communications is a member. All details have not been finalized yet, but deadlines for submission of scholarship applications last year were between February 14 and March 3. We anticipate those deadlines to be similar in 2026. More details will be made available as we get them. When you shop at a local farmers market or dine at a neighborhood café, you’re making a conscious choice to support your community. But there’s another powerful way to strengthen your local economy and social fabric—by giving local. Much like buying local keeps dollars circulating within the community, donating to local charities ensures your contribution has a direct, visible impact. Local nonprofits are often deeply rooted in the neighborhoods they serve, with firsthand knowledge of the challenges residents face. Your donation can help provide essential services that might otherwise go underfunded. Local giving also offers transparency. When you donate to a nearby cause, you can often see the results up close. Whether it’s a new food pantry opening, job training programs expanding, or more families finding shelter, your gift becomes part of a tangible solution. Local donations are more likely to address urgent needs quickly because community-based organizations are often more agile and connected than large national ones. In addition, local giving fosters civic pride and encourages collective responsibility. Supporting a cause in your backyard strengthens social bonds and creates a ripple effect. When others see you investing in your community, they’re more likely to follow. In this way, giving local doesn’t just help people—it builds stronger, more resilient communities. Local charities frequently collaborate with schools, businesses, and government agencies to create holistic support networks that national organizations can’t easily replicate. In the same way that buying local is an investment in your local economy, giving local is an investment in your community’s wellbeing. By keeping your dollars close to home, you're not just making a donation. You’re making a difference. GIvingTuesday is celebrated yearly on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Griswold Communications encourages you to give generously to your favorite local charities on this day and throughout the year. To see how our company gives back to the community, follow us on Facebook. Giving Local Is as Vital as Buying Local
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