The governing board of the Rice County Family Services Collaborative, a partnership between Rice County’s Public Health, Social Services and Community Corrections departments and Faribault and Northfield Public schools, the Cannon Valley Special Education Cooperative and Three Rivers Community Action, announced yesterday that it has awarded $447,000 to several Rice County organizations, providing them with two years of support.
The collaborative released a comprehensive list of the ten grants and the organizations they will benefit.
Community Action Center received two grants for $20,000 One will help the organization to become a “diaper bank” as certified by the National Diaper Bank Network, and the other is for a contingency fund that supports Northfield school district families.
Faribault Public Schools received $95,000 to continue and expand the full-service Faribault Community School initiative. Northfield Public Schools received $65,000 to provide expanded services at Northfield Community School’s three elementary school locations.
Faribault Youth Empowerment Center, a group that formed last year to empower youth through community-based and culturally tailored support in order to foster education, mental well-being and social connectedness was given a grant of $15,000 to provide a series of educational events for youth and families in Faribault and bring people of different cultural and economic backgrounds together.
Growing Up Healthy received $47,500 to support the Mobile Home Rehabilitation Program in Rice County.
Healthy Community Initiative and Northfield Public Schools received $47,500 to support the Family Engagement Navigators program, promoting attendance and preventing chronic absences in the Northfield Public Schools.
Healthy Community Initiative, Northfield Promise and the Rice County Ready for Kindergarten Council were granted $46,000 to support families in the year before children start kindergarten.
The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition will receive $71,000 to develop strategies in reducing youth substance use and promoting mental wellness across the county.
And Three Rivers Community Action will receive $20,000 for a contingency fund that supports families in Rice County.
The grantees began to receive the funds yesterday.
Dozens of spots could be available on city boards and commissions
The City of Northfield has begun its annual recruitment campaign encouraging all interested parties to consider joining one of the city’s many boards and commissions.
Members of the city boards and commissions participate in advisory, regulatory, governance and oversight activities in a wide variety of fields including housing, transportation and the arts. Other boards oversee specific city owned institutions like Northfield Hospital + Clinics and the Northfield Public Library. While some are purely advisory positions, others like the Planning Commission and the Heritage and Preservation Commission have quasi-judicial roles to fill from time to time in issuing building permits and certificates or ruling on a zoning appeal. A statement issued by the city said more than 145 community members annually provide valuable leadership to the City through their participation on these groups and special study committees.
The statement went on to say that the City Council is committed to appointing members who reflect and represent diverse segments of the community.
Tracy Davis Heisler, the 2023 recipient of the Board & Commission Excellence Award, has served on the Planning Commission for many years, and has also been a member of the Economic Development Authority, as well as several task forces. She said the work done by the various groups is incredibly important and rewarding, adding that they can also be an excellent place for people to learn about the inner workings of municipal government.
“Most of the boards and commissions don’t have any requirement for specific educational background or expertise. All you need is to be a resident of Northfield. Anybody with an interest can apply. And you learn a lot. I mean you sit there at first and you feel stupid, and you feel self-conscious, and you don’t want to venture an opinion because you’re still absorbing and learning, but it’s a good way to get to know people and be involved.”
Candidates to the boards are appointed by Mayor Pownell with confirmation by the City Council. The mayor typically meets with candidates one-on-one as she seeks to fill the appointments.
A cursory glance at the Boards and Commissions page on the city website showed dozens of positions with expiring terms or boards with vacant seats.
For more information on the individual boards and commissions, as well as an electronic application visit the boards and commissions pages on the City of Northfield website. Paper applications may be obtained at the Administration Office in City Hall, or at the Northfield Public Library.
Rue and Sabien will bring great humor, amazing musicianship to Guild Theater
Next weekend, the Northfield Arts Guild will continue its summer concert series by presenting Gary Rue and Randy Sabien at the Guild theater.
The duo of Rue and Sabien are a popular attraction, but the each is well established in their own right.
Gary Rue is a member of the Minnesota Music hall of fame, who has been writing and performing music for decades. He served for many years as Gene Pitney’s music director and has been at the center of many popular regional bands including the Sensational Sleepers, Nip and Tuck and Nouveau Rue. He has written hundreds of songs that have been recorded by a diverse variety of artists including Prudence Johnson, The Honeydogs, Mary Jane Alm and the Mavericks.
Randy Sabien is a master musician, best known for his work on the violin, whose music is a combination of Western Swing, be-bop jazz, and blues rock, with a touch of Duke Ellington thrown in.
A statement issued by the Northfield Arts Guild described a Rue/Sabien performance as “An ad lib, rapid-fire affair, riddled with a melodic cascade of personal favorites peppered with musical ideas occasionally interrupted by an errant thought, oblique social commentary, and comic highs and lows.”
Pauline Jennings, the Guild’s performing arts manager said, simply, they’re funny.
“And I think that’s what I love most about seeing Gary Rue and Randy Sabien perform. They’re old guys that have been friends for a really long time. So not only are they fabulous musicians, they play off each other musically so incredibly well and also personally. They’re very both very funny and they bring their humor to the audience, and it’s so delightful.”
Rue and Sabien will be at the Northfield arts Guild on July 13th, tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door or at northfieldartsguild.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Pauline Jennings of the Northfield Arts Guild can be heard here
KYMN Daily News 7/2/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
