HCI Blog

Local high school students are Making a Difference

February 3, 2012 – 8:20 am

Students Jasmine Barksdale, Olivia Upham and Jon Fried are surprised with the Making a Difference Award at the December benefit concert. Not pictured is Gabby Frenstad. Photo by Helen Forsythe.

Four teenagers who organized a benefit concert for a family who lost their home in a fire are the December 2011/January 2012 recipients of the Healthy Community Initiative’s  “Making a Difference” Award.  The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Within hours of learning of the Thanksgiving Eve fire that destroyed the home of the Haslett-Marroquin family, ARTech students Gabby Frenstad and Olivia Upham and Northfield High School students Jasmine Barksdale and Jon Fried rallied support for the family through a Facebook page and organized a concert and bake sale.  Their efforts have raised more than $6,500.

“I was incredibly surprised by how amazing the response was,” said Fried.  “Right from when we started organizing, we knew there would be a lot of people involved, and we knew that the event would probably have a good turnout, but it wasn’t until we got a call from the Star Tribune the evening of concert that the impact of what we were doing really hit me.”

Barksdale said her favorite memory of the concert was seeing all the people streaming in through the doors, after worrying that no one would show up.  “I definitely did not expect that many people to be willing to devote their time and money to people who they didn’t really know.  I think it says a lot about the community we live in,” she said.

“What these young people did for our family and for this community’s spirit after our house fire is beyond what we had imagined,” said Reginaldo and Amy Haslett-Marroquin.  “Together with the immense generosity and accompaniment from so many others, they have made our journey bearable and manageable.  The English language does not have a word that would properly express the depth of our gratitude.  What the youth gifted us with was so much more than funds – it was hope, and with hope anything is possible.”

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The Healthy Community Initiative and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate for this award, visit  www.northfieldhci.org for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application — or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

Article written by Joy Riggs, HCI Board member and freelance writer

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Making a Difference Award, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

St. John’s Church to host community forums on substance use and addiction in Northfield

January 26, 2012 – 1:21 pm

Dr. Charles Reznikoff will be presenting at the St. John’s Lutheran Church Forum on Sunday, January 29, 2012, during education hour in St. John’s Hall at 9:45 a.m.  Dr. Reznikoff is an addiction specialist on staff at Hennepin County Medical Center and facilitates the Opiate Agonist Therapy Clinic at Northfield Hospital.  He will present on the topics of drug addiction, opiate use, and substance abuse in Northfield.

The following Sunday, February 5, 2012, St. John’s Forum will include a panel presentation at 9:45 a.m. in St. John’s Hall.   Greg Kneser, Dean of Students at St. Olaf College; Joel Leer, Principal at Northfield High School; John Sand, Athletic Trainer and Health Educator at Northfield High School; and Joan Janusz, Member of the Northfield Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use, will be the panelists discussing addiction and substance use in Northfield.

The events are free and all are welcome to attend.  St. John’s Church is located at 500 3rd Street West in Northfield.

For more information, please call Barb Knaak at 507-664-0444.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in Chemical health, HCI Newsletter, Mayor's Task Force, Parent support, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | Comments (0)

Area youth to benefit from five mini-grants funded by the HCI Board

January 23, 2012 – 9:07 am

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board recently approved mini-grants to support five projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth.  Funded applicants included:

•The Northfield High School for the 10th Grade Career Fair.  The high school will host a career fair for all 10th grade students, giving them an opportunity to explore career interests and make connections with adult community members.  At the career fair, community members will speak to students about their careers and answer any questions that the students may have.  Juniors and seniors from the high school will be involved with the planning and implementation of the career fair.  The event follows a “Career Opportunities” lesson taught in all 10th grade classrooms.

•Northfield Area Learning Center students for the BWCAW Experience.  A group of students at the Northfield Area Learning Center (ALC) is planning a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  They are working to raise the money needed to outfit themselves and two chaperones for the experience, which is planned for mid-June.  The trip offers outdoor experiences for youth who have never had them before and provides a place to talk about the life choices and challenges each student faces.

•Northfield Middle School TORCH for Celebrate Success.  The middle school TORCH (Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes) program is planning a celebratory gathering for all middle school TORCH students who make the honor roll (earn a 2.6 GPA or greater) at the end of each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.  Each event would be held at the Northfield Middle School, where qualifying TORCH students will enjoy a pizza party and a movie.  Middle school administrators will be invited to these events.

•Vayu Maini Rekdal, freshman at Carleton College.  Rekdal and fellow members of the Carleton cooking club, FireBellies, will be giving cooking lessons to students of the Northfield Middle School Youth Center.  Carleton students will teach basic cooking skills, sustainability, and nutrition, while promoting an understanding of different cultures and cuisines.

•Jennifer Lompart, teacher at Northfield High School.  Ms. Lompart will host a celebratory gathering for all English as Second Language (ESL) students who have achieved good grades in all of their classes at the end of each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.  At each event, students and their parents will gather to eat, visit, and watch a movie.

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HCI offers mini-grants to projects and activities that:

  • provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
  • connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/mini-grants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI mini-grants comes from the Northfield Area United Way, Women In Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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By Amy Lunderby | Posted in HCI Mini-Grants, HCI Newsletter, Programs, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

Funding available to promote graduation initiatives

January 11, 2012 – 1:41 pm

Recently, the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) successfully applied to have Northfield named as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People.“  As a result, the MYC received funding to support efforts in the community to encourage high school graduation.

With this funding, the MYC is making grants available to groups to help promote graduation and increase our local graduation rates.

A total of $2,000 is available for Northfield projects.  The application is designed to be short and easy to complete.  It can be found HERE.

Applications are due by Friday, January 27, 2012.

Questions?  Call 664-3524 or email nfldmayorsyouthcouncil@gmail.com

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Site announcements, Upcoming events, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

HCI partners with WINGS to support Northfield High School service learning class projects

January 3, 2012 – 2:12 pm

In a cooperative initiative, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI), with financial support from WINGS (Women In Northfield Giving Support), agreed to fund six mini-grants to aid service projects developed by students at Northfield High School.  All students are enrolled in Sarah Swan-McDonald’s Service Learning Class, which concludes its semester with group service projects designed by the students.

Bullying prevention was a major theme that the students wanted to address with this year’s projects.  Funded projects included:

  • Bullying Prevention.  Ashleigh Cimino, Leah Grisim, and Mathilde Mortensen have designed a project to help prevent bullying at Greenvale Park Elementary School.  This group plans to engage the elementary students through activities and art projects to promote respectful behavior among students.

 

  • 5th Grade Self-Esteem Building & Bullying Awareness.  This project, designed by Annie Pumper, Karrah Nelson, Alissa Busssard, and Jillian King, will take place at Bridgewater Elementary School.  The group will discuss bullying awareness and prevention, as well as promoting self-esteem, with Bridgewater 5th graders.

 

  • Bullying Awareness in the Middle School.  Designed by Rachel Marosi, Amber Brezina, Cassidy Hanzlik, Elia Read, Tasha Wang, Oliver Swanson, and Katie Moors, this project focuses on bullying awareness through activities with Northfield Middle School students.

 

  • Kayla Amy, Katie Stadler, Adam Akida, and Jessica Holmes for Animal Cruelty Prevention.  This group of students is raising funds for a local foster-based animal rescue center, while also creating local awareness about animal abuse and neglect.

 

  • Jen Route, Jami DeRop, and Anna Huber for the Adult Bullying project.  These students will promote good sportsmanship among parents and adults through efforts at high school sporting events.

 

  • Human Trafficking Campaign.  Designed by Mitzi Calvario, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Leslie Nieves, and Olivia Woods, this is a project to create awareness about the issue of human trafficking and slavery.  The students are also planning a fundraiser to benefit a Minnesota-based organization that aids victims of human trafficking.

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This marks the second year of collaboration between HCI and WINGS in supporting Northfield High School service learning students in the design of projects.  Funding from WINGS is matched by HCI to help provide seed money for the students to turn their class project ideas into reality.

Community members are invited to attend an open house hosted by the service learning students on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Northfield High School lower cafeteria.  Come and learn about the students’ projects and have the chance to ask them questions.  The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on HCI’s mini-grants program, please visit www.northfieldhci.org/mini-grants .

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By Amy Lunderby | Posted in HCI Mini-Grants, HCI Newsletter, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

HCI releases its 2010-11 Mini-Grants Report

December 28, 2011 – 2:22 pm

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) has released its 2010-11 Mini-Grants Report.  The document highlights results from the over 70 projects that HCI helped to support through its mini-grants program during 2010-11.  For a copy of the report, click HERE.

Funded HCI mini-grant projects:

  • allow Northfield young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
  • connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, greater Northfield)

A record number of projects — nearly 70% — were designed and/or implemented by youth themselves.

HCI wishes to offer special thanks to the 2010-11 funders of the mini-grants program, including:

HCI is currently accepting applications for its 2011-12 mini-grants.  These are reviewed monthly by the HCI Board.  For more information, visit the HCI mini-grants webpage.

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Mini-Grants, HCI Newsletter, Programs, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

Ann & Bob Gregory-Bjorklund are Making a Difference

December 12, 2011 – 5:29 pm

The Gregory-Bjorklunds accept their Making a Difference Awards with the cast of West Side Story.

Bob Gregory-Bjorklund and Ann Gregory-Bjorklund are the November recipients of the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI)  “Making a Difference” Award.  The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

The Gregory-Bjorklunds were recognized for encouraging and supporting youth through the arts.  Bob, who recently directed a cast of more than 50 teens in the Northfield High School production of West Side Story, is the arts coordinator and an adviser at the Northfield School of Arts and Technology (ARTech).  His wife, Ann, has been involved at ARTech in several roles, including show costumer, Poetry Out Loud judge and substitute teacher.  Both of them have been active for more than a dozen years with the Northfield Arts Guild’s Young People’s Theater Workshop.

“Bob does an excellent job of seeing the potential in each kid.  He plays to that and knows how to tease that out of them in a really elegant fashion,” said Shari Setchell, who choreographed West Side and has worked with Bob on other productions.  “He also really believes in building community and ensembles, so that every kid feels he belongs and is important – which is important in life in general and especially important during a big show.”

ARTech senior Gabby Frenstad said of Ann, “She is always the most fun person in the room.  She is fantastic at communicating with students, and the way she and Bob are able to work together on so many projects is an amazing thing to see.”

Ann said she enjoys seeing students get excited about theater and become better performers.

“Being with kids – it makes you smile, it keeps you young.  It’s a real two-way street.  And when you’re bringing something that you love to the kids, you get back from the kids, too,” she said.

Bob agreed that seeing young people grow as actors and as people is rewarding, and he said he continues to find it as satisfying now as he did when he and Ann moved to Northfield in 1994 and began getting involved in the local arts community.

“One of the reasons that I continue to want to do my work in this community is because I feel valued here for that work, which may not be the case in some other places.  To be recognized that, yes, what you’re doing is valuable – I really appreciate it.  I appreciate getting that feedback,” he said.

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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 for this award, click HERE for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

- Written by Joy Riggs, freelance writer and HCI Board member

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Making a Difference Award, Site announcements, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Reminder: Shop at Verizon Wireless World now through Saturday to benefit HCI

December 8, 2011 – 9:31 am

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) has been selected for a fantastic opportunity by Northfield’s Wireless World.  Note the new dates!

Now through December 10, please visit Verizon Wireless World (400 W. 5th Street – next to Caribou Coffee).  All proceeds (100% of retail value) from accessory sales during these three days will be donated to HCI.  100%!  Thus, if you buy a $20 cell phone cover, HCI will receive all $20!

This is a great chance to do your holiday shopping and benefit a local nonprofit at the same time.

For an informational flyer from Verizon Wireless World, click HERE.

Don’t forget to visit Verizon Wireless World from now through Saturday, December 10, 2011!

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Programs, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | Comments (0)

Mayor’s Youth Council leads winter clothing drive

December 6, 2011 – 3:22 pm

Northfield youth, now is a great time to look through your closets and see which of your winter clothes could find a new home!

The Mayor’s Youth Council is sponsoring a winter clothing drive to help increase donations of winter wear to the Clothes Closet.

Here is how local teens can help:

  • High school students are encouraged to drop off their donations before school or during lunch at Northfield High School any day this week (December 5-9).
  • Middle school students are encouraged to bring their donations to the Northfield Middle School before school next Tuesday or Wednesday (December 13 & 14).

Any student bringing a donation will be entered into a drawing to win a Target gift card.  More than that, however, you have the chance to help assure that everyone can stay warm this winter season.

For more information, check out the article HERE in Saturday’s Northfield News about the clothing drive!

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events, Youth leadership | Comments (0)

HCI to benefit from sales at Verizon Wireless World from Dec. 8-10 (Note new dates!)

December 5, 2011 – 10:56 am

HCI has been selected for a fantastic opportunity by Northfield’s Wireless World.

On December 8, 9, and 10, please visit Verizon Wireless World (400 W. 5th Street – next to Caribou Coffee).  All proceeds (100% of retail value) from accessory sales during these three days will be donated to HCI.  100%!  Thus, if you buy a $20 cell phone cover, HCI will receive all $20!

This is a great chance to do your holiday shopping and benefit a local nonprofit at the same time.

For an informational flyer from Verizon Wireless World, click HERE.

Don’t forget to visit Verizon Wireless World from Thursday, December 8 through Saturday, December 10, 2011!

By Zach Pruitt | Posted in HCI Newsletter, Site announcements, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | Comments (0)