You have to hand it to Helix.

The small Umatilla County town achieved something of a triumph recently through a vaccination program that will funnel funds to specific groups because it reached a high vaccination rate.

The effort began with Emily Smith, chair of the Helix Parks and Recreation and the director of marketing, communications and foundation for CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton.

Smith met with Pastor Mark Woolbright at the Helix Community Church about the county’s Community Rewards Program. The program incentivizes COVID-19 vaccine inoculations and works like this: When the ZIP code that covers Helix reached 60% of residents with vaccinations, groups that helped with the vaccine effort split a $10,000 reward.

Helix’s ZIP code was short of the 60% mark, but the parks department and the church united to sponsor a night swim at the town pool late last month. At the night swim offered free vaccines and nine people received inoculations, pushing the community to the 60% mark.

Helix now has the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the county.

The federal funds will be split among the key groups that helped with the effort and, according to Smith, the parks department wants to use its cut of the funds to build a new swimming pool. Woolbright said his church will give its money back to the community.

The Helix effort is especially significant now as the county is in the middle of another serious COVID-19 surge.

Across the state, the delta variant is fueling the COVID-19 wave.

That’s why such efforts as the one in Helix deserve a tremendous amount of praise. While Helix is a small town, its outsized determination to make a difference shows what people can do if they work together.

The money will be well spent to enhance the overall livability of the community.

While there are dozens of state and federal programs and initiatives on the books to battle COVID-19, in the end the key battle in the war against the disease will be won at a grassroots level in places such as Helix. When individuals decide to make a positive difference, it is encouraging and laudable. What the Helix effort shows is it doesn’t take trillions of dollars to take on COVID-19 but a clear plan and some motivated individuals who wish to help their community.

Area residents should review what Helix accomplished and reflect on how people such as Smith and Woolbright made a real difference.