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

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.

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

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:

• Northfield Area United Way
• Women In Northfield Giving Support
• Carlson Capital Management

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.

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

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!

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!

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!

The Rice County Chemical Health Coalition calls them Project Prevention Champions. The Coalition will be honoring six individuals and one organization that have made significant contributions to the prevention, treatment and recovery from drug and alcohol abuse for residents in Rice County.

The 2011 Project Prevention Champions were nominated by fellow community members and chosen by a committee of individuals with close ties to local prevention efforts.

The Northfield award recipients include the following:

• Paul Beaumaster, the Rice County Attorney, was nominated by a local parent who appreciates Paul’s genuine desire to see our kids grow up strong and healthy. Paul’s column in the local newspapers sends a strong message about his commitment to creating an environment for youth to develop in a healthy way. In the courtroom and in the community, Paul’s commitment to substance abuse prevention is clear and firm.
• Tom Graupmann, the Activities Director of Northfield High School, was nominated by local parents for his enthusiastic support of the “Pure Performance: Life of an Athlete Program,” its implementation in Northfield and his advocacy for the program throughout the state.
• The Northfield Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use was nominated as a group of volunteer citizens who have developed a coherent action plan that focuses on prevention, strengthening community resources, enforcement and education. The individuals on the task force being honored include Curt Benson, Katherine Cooper, Patty Gallivan, Judi Harper-Malecha, Paul Hart Ruthenbeck, Joan Janusz, Jackie McBeain, Kristine Matson, Mark Mohlke, Mary F. Nelson, Susan Sanderson and Kris Vohs.

In Faribault, the following individuals will receive awards: Donna Crowl, a Faribault community member who is committed to providing access to activities for area youth; Ed Hoisington for his leadership of the Double Impact initiative; Rhonda Mulder of District One Hospital; and Martha Schultz, the Youth Development Coordinator of Faribault Public Schools.

For more information regarding the Project Prevention awards or other resources offered through the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition, please visit www.ricecountychc.com.

To RSVP for the Northfield training (where space is limited), please contact Heather Kuehl (hkuehl@ricecountychc.com OR 507-403-9696) by Friday, November 11.  No RSVP is necessary for the Faribault training.

The training will be led by Jay Jaffee, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Coordinator.

For an informational flyer on the training, please click HERE.  Continuing education credits are available.