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Don’t Forget – Town Hall Meeting this Sunday on addiction and recovery in Northfield

November 6, 2009 – 7:59 am

Town Hall Meeting and Dinner

Main Street Moravian Church
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 3:00 pm

The Main Street Moravian Church will host a Town Hall Meeting and Dinner this Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 3 pm. The entire event is FREE. The meeting will focus on personal stories of addition and recovery in Northfield.

A variety of speakers will have 15 minutes each to share their stories of addiction and recovery. The speakers will talk about what led them to use drugs, what made it possible to keep using, and what led to their getting sober. The panelists will speak specifically about Northfield as a community and what makes it a place for both addiction and recovery.

The Main Street Moravian Church is located at 713 Division Street.

The speakers include people who are living in Northfield or who grew up in Northfield, who have struggled with addiction while being a part of our community, and who are all presently living sober lives. The speakers include a wife and mother, as well as young adults ranging in age from 21-27. Some have been sober years, some months. The stories will be followed by a moderated question and answer time between the audience and the speakers.

There will also be a time for those who are working in the area of recovery to introduce themselves and share their information.

Following the talk, there is a FREE dinner to which all are invited. Vegetarian options are available. The dinner will begin at 6:15 pm.

There is ample seating for the Town Hall meeting. Seating is limited to 100 for the dinner. Please RSVP for the dinner, if possible, by Nov. 3. Please call Pastor Amy at 645-7566 for reservations or more information.

To read a recent Northfield News column on the event or to hear an interview with Pastor Amy about the event, visit the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use posting HERE.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Mark your calendar – “Stories of Addiction and Recovery” Town Hall meeting on Sunday, November 8

October 29, 2009 – 8:51 am

Town Hall Meeting and Dinner
Main Street Moravian Church
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 3:00 pm

The Main Street Moravian Church will host a Town Hall Meeting and Dinner on Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 3 pm. The entire event is FREE. The meeting will be focused on personal stories of addition and recovery in Northfield.

The Main Street Moravian Church is located at 713 Division Street.

The speakers include people who are living Northfield or who grew up in Northfield, who have struggled with addiction while being a part of our community, and who are all presently living sober lives. The speakers include a wife and mother, as well as young adults ranging in age from 21-27. Some have been sober years, some months. The stories will be followed by a moderated question and answer time between the audience and the speakers.

There will also be a time for those who are working in the area of recovery to introduce themselves and share their information.

Following the talk, there is a FREE dinner to which all are invited. Vegetarian options are available. The dinner will begin at 6:15 pm.

To read a recent Northfield News column on the event or to hear an interview with Pastor Amy about the event, visit the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use posting HERE.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Chemical health, HCI Newsletter, Parent support, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | Comments (0)

Community meetings planned for proposed halfway house

September 22, 2009 – 10:12 am

West Hills Lodge and the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition are pleased to announce the scheduling of two community meetings to present information and answer questions about plans to establish a halfway house in Northfield.

The first meeting will be held on Monday, September 28, 2009, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the meeting room at Just Foods Co-Op (516 Water Street South). The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in room SS104 of the Northfield Community Resource Center (1651 Jefferson Parkway).

Both meetings are open to the public and will feature a short presentation by Sue Fillipi, Director of West Hills Lodge (a halfway house program in Owatonna). West Hills will operate the halfway house program in Northfield. Following the presentation, meeting attendees will have a chance to ask questions about the project.

The proposed halfway house will be designed to support six women working on recovering from alcohol and/or other drug addiction.

Members of the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition and its Provider Team will also be at the meeting.

For questions about the meetings, please call 507-664-3524.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the halfway house, please click HERE.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Northfield out-of-school programs receive $246,000 grant

September 9, 2009 – 3:34 pm

The Minnesota Office of Justice Programs announced on Friday that Northfield has been selected as a recepient of funding from the “Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” This federal stimulus funding will support the Northfield PRIMEtime out-of-school collaborative, which provides free after school and summer programming to over 1,300 local youth (unduplicated) in grades K-12 each year. The Northfield Public Schools served as the official applicant for the collaborative. Northfield will receive $246,039 total over a two-year period.

The funding will provide staffing support for four important youth programs, as well as transportation costs to get local youth to/from these programs:

* Northfield Union of Youth/The Key

* Middle School Youth Center

* PLUS after school program at Bridgewater, Greenvale Park, and Sibley Elementary Schools

* Summer PLUS program

A total of 315 applicants statewide applied for this funding. Northfield PRIMEtime was one of 41 projects selected through a competitive review process. Click HERE for a list of all recipients.

The Northfield funding will help to replace a two-year after school grant from the Minnesota Department of Education that expired at the end of August and for which no additional state money was available. The Northfield News featured a story on this grant — and its impact on local youth — this summer.

Congratulations to the Northfield Public Schools and all the PRIMEtime partners for this grant, which will assure the continuation of important free out-of-school-time programs for young people in our community!

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Heather Suess is August Making a Difference Recipient

September 1, 2009 – 12:45 pm

Heather Suess received the August Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) “Making a Difference” Award. The award celebrates groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on youth.

Heather was nominated by two Northfield Middle School girls she coached during summer soccer. She combined her talents of coaching soccer skills and teaching life skills to reinforce positive decision-making. Heather has been an active Northfield Soccer Association member and coach and also volunteers with a variety of community and youth organizations.

HCI and the Northfield News present the “Making a Difference” Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate, visit www.northfieldhci.org for guidelines and the application.

By Julie Bubser | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Pure Performance presentation on Tuesday, Sept. 1

August 21, 2009 – 7:05 am

Parents and community members are invited to attend an important community presentation…

Pure Performance

The impact of alcohol or drug use on athletic performance

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Northfield High School Auditorium

1400 Division Street South

The presentation is led by John Underwood, President of the American Athletic Institute. A formed NCAA All-American, John has coached or advised more than 25 Olympians (including World and Olympic Champions) and has worked with nearly every sport federation (including the NCAA, NHL, U.S. Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, and International Olympic Committee). John and the American Athletic Institute present Pure Performance to the National Basketball Association (NBA), USA Hockey, and university teams including the University of Minnesota, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan. They have also presented at high schools across the country and will be presenting again to the Lakeville school district during this visit.

For more information on the September 1 event, call the Northfield High School Activities Office at 507-663-0632.

Financial support for this event is provided by the Brent Setterstrom Memorial Fund.

This event is sponsored by the Northfield Public Schools, Northfield Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use, Northfield Police Department, Rice County Chemical Health Coalition, Northfield Hospital, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, and Rice County Safe Communities Coalition.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Chemical health, HCI Newsletter, Parent support, Programs, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | Comments (0)

Trio of Neighbors are July HCI Making a Difference Recipients

August 17, 2009 – 11:43 am

John Schad, Jimi Brown and Mike Plank are the July recipients of the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) “Making a Difference” Award.

The trio of neighbors stepped forward and donated time, talent and tools to help bring the Northfield Skateboard Coalition’s temportary skate park closer to a reality. Schad, Brown and Plank worked side-by-side with youth Coalition members building ramps, jumps and other park obstacles.

The effort yielded the opportunity for youth to learn new skills and share their knowledge and passion with adult volunteers.

HCI and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference award cooperatively each month to a group or individual in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.Visit www.northfieldhci.org for nomination guidelines and applications.

By Julie Bubser | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Kathy Cooper is June HCI Making a Difference Recipient

July 21, 2009 – 10:09 am

Kathy Cooper is the June recipient of the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative “Making a Difference” Award. Kathy was nominated for her dedication to creating a safe and healthy environment for youth throughout Rice County.

She serves on the Northfield Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol and Drug Use and is the coordinator for the Rice County Safe Communities Coalition. She works with youth at the Union of Youth (KEY) and Rice County high school students on projects to promote traffic safety and most recently helped push forward passage of the Minnesota Primary Seat Belt Law.

Kathy continually recognizes the value of youth-led initiatives and works to give youth the opportunity to plan and implement projects. “Kathy has shown a long-term commitment to the safety and well-being of youth through her work with distracted driving, substance abuse prevention and seat belt use,” said Kathy Sandberg, Rice County Family Services Collaborative Coordinator.

HCI and the Northfield News present the “Making a Difference” Award cooperatively. If you would like to nominate an individual or group for this award, visit www.northfieldhci.org for guidelines and the the easy-to-complete application.

By Julie Bubser | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Neighborhood comes together to help local skaters

July 18, 2009 – 11:37 am

If you heard hammers and electric screwdrivers at work on Pepper Ridge Knoll on Friday, you were listening to the sounds of a neighborhood coming together to help local youth.

Led by the amazing Jimi Brown, Mike Plank, and John Schad, neighbors on this street spent much of the day and night (and weekend!) helping to construct equipment for the temporary skate park. The adults worked side-by-side with local youth skaters. Neighbors even made food for the volunteers at work — including homemade cookies! It was a moment that made one proud to live in a town like Northfield.

The temporary park is set to open soon at Babcock Park (near Culver’s).

Many thanks to these fantastic volunteers — and to Jordan Taylor, who has been working with the youth this summer on this project!

Check out some photos of some of the awesome volunteers at work!