By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Next Monday is Memorial Day, and the Northfield community will be hosting its annual Memorial Day Service at 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. In the lead-up to the service next week, KYMN News will be talking some time to share about the work and stories of veterans in our community. See all the stories in this series here.
Today, we are focusing on one of the biggest fundraisers that veteran groups in Northfield have committed to recently: Vest Fest, or purchasing bulletproof vests for Northfield Area First Responders. The fundraiser was a joint effort between the Northfield VFW and the Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee. Galen Malecha, General Chair of the DJJD Committee, stated that organizing the fundraiser started shortly after the death of several first responders in Burnsville last year:
“And I think maybe a week went by, and I was thinking, what if our fire department and EMS have? Protective vests. So I called up Julia on a Saturday morning. I said Hey. So I think we’re going to be doing a fundraiser.” – Galen Malecha, DJJD Committee General Chair, KYMN news file
Last year’s fundraising events included the Vest Fest event downtown and fundraisers at Third Thursdays. In the course of the year, the two organizations raised $32,000 to purchase bulletproof vests for Northfield Firefighters and for Northfield Paramedics and ambulance staff. The largest donation came from the Northfield Hospital Auxiliary.
Fire Chief Tom Nelson and Emergency Medical Service Chief Brian Edwards recently showed the new vests at VFW’s regular meeting and at the DJJD Board’s Meeting last week. Nelson stated that after the meeting, he was incredibly thankful for the community in raising the goal:
“And it’s for something that you hope never happens, but you always want to have the protection and stuff you need to be able to be safe.” – Tom Nelson, Northfield Area Fire Chief, KYMN News File
Edwards stated that Northfield was an incredibly dedicated community, raising the funds in a short period. he praised the work of the VFW and DJJD Committee, and in particular thanked Malecha and Julie Oddett with the VFW Auxiliary for leading the effort:
Memorial Day 2025 Service Details:
When: May 26th at 9am
Where: Northfield Area Veterans Memorial Park
In Case of Bad Weather: the service will be held at Skoglund Athletic Center at St. Olaf.
See pictures and listen to last year’s service here
“It means the world to me. It’s an amazing thing. I can’t believe How lucky we are to be in a city that pulled this off in less than a year, less than six months since the tragedy in Burnsville. You know, I it makes me feel a little more comfortable when my folks go out on calls that they’ll be protected.” – Brian Edwards, Northfield EMS Chief, KYMN News File
Malecha stated that first responders were part of the fabric of the community
“And you don’t want to see anything happen to them. And if we as a community could come together and provide that for them and give their families a better Peace of Mind when they are out on a call, that’s what it’s all about.” – Galen Malecha, DJJD Committee General Chair, KYMN News File
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