The group offers both education and support.  It meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm.  Thus, the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

The group meets at the Omada Behavioral Health offices.  Omada is located at 401 S. Division Street in Northfield (Central Block Building – 2nd floor, above the Rare Pair).  Enter on the back side of the building.

All parents are welcome.  There is no cost and no need to register.

If you have questions, please call one of the following:

• Yvette Marthaler        507-332-6115
• Sarah Shippy            507-664-9407

Irwin (left in red) and members of the Northfield Ballroom Dance Club

Leisa Irwin is the August 2010 recipient of HCI’s “Making a Difference” award.  The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Irwin organized the Northfield Ballroom Dance Club last fall out of a desire to teach her own sons an activity she enjoyed.  Interest by other students and community members grew, and the club now offers lessons three times a week during the school year, and twice in the summer, from dance instructors who come to Northfield from the Twin Cities.  The club is open to adults and youth.

The student who nominated Irwin noted that Irwin has not only organized the classes, she’s also paid transportation, instruction and competition entry fees for youth who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate.

Irwin said dance was her favorite extracurricular activity when she was a student, and she’s found it rewarding to help others benefit from the experience.

“These are kids who are looking for a way to get involved in something; the fact that it’s dance is wonderful,” Irwin said.  “To see them step into these roles and flourish is really exciting.”

************

To learn more about the “Making a Difference” award or to nominate an individual or group, click HERE.

Walkers will meet at Eighth and Water (the site of the first Northfield Hospital) at 9 a.m. and then walk to Way Park (the site of the 1939 hospital). After a brief rest, they will complete the historical trail by walking to the new hospital at 2000 North Avenue, where there will be refreshments and music.

There is no fee for the walk and no registration is required. Everyone is invited to come and join in!  Transportation will be available to bring people back to the downtown from the hospital after the walk, or walkers are invited to make their own arrangements.

HealthFinders will be selling T-shirts and accepting donations at the event to raise funds for its general operations.

The TLC campaign will include a series of postcards on parenting topics, as well as information distributed through a variety of other channels  (school and community events, student telephone directories, etc.).

Click HERE to view recent TLC postcards on topics including:

• Importance of Parents Talking with their Teens about Drug and Alcohol Use
• Summer Parenting Tips
• Setting Curfew

What ARE these signs all about?!?!

Click HERE to learn more about the PRIMEtime out-of-school collaborative and the “It’s 4:00 p.m.” campaign.

For a video about the PRIMEtime collaborative, click HERE.

Check out the July 2010 newsletter for a series of very interesting features on summer activities.  Be sure to click on the “Summertime Achievement” video to learn more about a number of free, neighborhood-based summer enrichment programs designed to help close the academic achievement gap.  One of them — a Super Kids program near Viking Terrace that’s organized by Northfield Public Schools Community Services — was funded by a HCI Mini-Grant.

Hanson, Langehough and Strike, who all graduated from Northfield High School in June, organized the successful Beat Cancer: Cancer Jam 2010 benefit concert this spring and raised$13,000.  Eleven bands from Northfield, Faribault, Cannon Falls and Montgomery-Lonsdale participated in the Memorial Day concert at Northfield High School, which attracted an audience of several hundred people.

Beat Cancer started as the students’ year-end project for their service-learning class at the high school.  Hanson, Langehough and Strike made and sold T-shirts, got businesses to donate food, and advertised the event through a Beat Cancer Facebook page that attracted more than 1,800 fans.

“Our mission is simple: To bring people together to raise awareness and support through music and community activity,” the young women explained on the Facebook page.

The money raised benefited a local woman battling cancer, Darla Petersen, and the American Cancer Society’s patient fund.  The event was covered by the local media and by KARE-11 TV.

The new Y Kids Tri is a fun, non-competitive triathlon that’s all about getting kids excited to get fit!

Youth ages 6-14 will experience a morning of encouragement, cheers and satisfaction of completing the swim, bike and run event.  There’s nothing like the excitement of crossing a finish line!

No experience is necessary.

All participants will receive a Y Kids Tri t-shirt and swim cap.
For an informational flier on the event and how to register, click HERE.  To learn more about the Northfield Area Family YMCA, visit their website.

Registrations must be received by July 31, 2010.

Y Kids Tri organizers Andrea Hoff & Angie McCarthy

Rotary announced that they will provide up to $40,000 in assistance to support the purchase of the new Key location in downtown Northfield (see photo below).  They will also partner with the Northfield Union of Youth/The Key to expand mentoring opportunities and to encourage additional intergenerational connections between local youth and adults.

Click HERE to read more about this exciting partnership in the July 10, 2010, edition of the Northfield News.

The new Key -- hopes to open this summer!

Two PRIMEtime 7th graders charmed the group with their perspectives on the programs they are involved with.

Check NTV this week to watch the presentation.

For more information on the PRIMEtime collaboration and the free after school programs, visit www.primetimekids.org