By Teri Knight, News Director
Northfield Retirement Community reports that, as of May 1st they have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on their campus. They were the first congregate living facility locally to report they had a case. According to a post on their website, the two previously confirmed cases both within the Cannon Valley Suites setting, are no longer in need of isolation. They are happy to announce both cases fully recovered with the extensive care and support provided by the care team at Cannon Valley Suites and they continue to see zero cases among staff. They continue to work in collaboration with the Minnesota
Department of Health to ensure all appropriate steps are being taken at this time. Here is a LINK to their information on Covid-19 and much more.
Nfld Chamber keeping businesses up-to-date with reopening
While Stay at home continues through May 17th, non-essential businesses can now open for curbside and delivery. DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said the National Retail Federation and MN Retail Association, “they both recommend starting in phases, to go to this curbside delivery space first and then move to opening up”, adding, “this gets businesses acclimated to this new way of doing business, it gets customers acclimated”. Northfield Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Peterson said this allows those small retail businesses on main streets to start open and learn a new way of doing business. There had been some confusion as to what they were able to do. Salons are only allowed to sell product, not services. The Chamber’s website has a page dedicated to businesses for disseminating information on the effect of Covid-19, “whether that’s loans and grants information or just general guidance on how to reopen which we just posted from our friends at DEED”. She said they’re not interpreting the rules, they’re passing them along.
The KEY closed but staff delivers
The Northfield Union of Youth is closed and Ex. Dir. Emily Fulton-Foley says the loss of adult connection is taking a toll. However, staff are doing what they can including offering a Book Club, leading a Dungeons and Dragons game, “the game is there but it’s secondary to the connection with other human beings during this time”. Staff are delivering meals, they’re doing a big “grab and go” meal once a week. They have emergency food bags as well. They’re delivering art supplies and hosting online contests. As for unhealthy home lives, those are increasing but the KEY received a grant from Northfield Shares to allow for one night hotel stays when necessary. That allows time for family mediation or to get the youth to a safe place. They have one host home that, if everyone is healthy, they will take a teen in as long as the young person is willing to self-quarantine. Her full interview is HERE.
Share Your Talents – LBSA
Today was the final segment of our series Why Community Matters. Entitled “Share Your Talents”. Rob Hardy, Northfield’s Poet Laureate has been collaborating with Laura Baker Services Association staffer Bridget Novak to bring poetry to LBSA clients. He’s been meeting with them monthly for a year now writing poetry. They write collaboratively, each person in the circle writes one line of the poem until each person has contributed. He said some of the results were surprising and fun and beautiful. As a new experience working with intellectually and developmentally disabled persons, he was a little nervous at first, but everyone was so welcoming from staff to clients that his apprehension has disappeared. Angie Ekern has taught art for well over a dozen years to elementary students in Northfield. She was asked to be the Resident Artist at LBSA and the fit couldn’t have been better. She quite literally glowed talking about her work with Laura Baker clients. Her favorite medium is driftwood for it’s natural element, she said, “watching the clients hold the driftwood or choose the piece that speaks to them has been so magical”. Kenna Schulz has been involved for years starting with volunteering for the Gala committee which led to volunteering for the annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner. Mike Schulz, of Schulz Electric, provides monetary donations and also plenty of time. He said, “it’s just fun to be a part of. That’s the one thing with Laura Baker, they want you to be part of it, bring ideas, and they want your input and they want you to be a part of it not to just be on a committee, they want you to be there and celebrate with them”. It was clear the effect that the clients have on these volunteers. Community Matters. You can listen to the whole series and learn more about volunteering on kymnradio.net and also on laurabaker.org.
