Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Each year, Rick Anderson hosts an annual bike sale—the proceeds of which he donates to a local mentoring organization.
Mentoring made a difference for Rick Anderson, who faced a tumultuous childhood growing up. "I know what it’s like to grow up in a crappy household. I could’ve gone a different direction, and I didn’t," said Anderson. "I think the guidance I got from those informal situations, that was part of the reason I didn’t." It's only natural that Anderson, an Apple Valley resident who works as an independent insurance agent, would want to give back. For years he has mentored two boys through Kids 'n Kinship, a local nonprofit that pairs youth in Dakota County with adult mentors. But Anderson is also the mastermind behind an yearly bike sale that has raised $22,000 for Kids 'n Kinship since 2008. This spring, Anderson will once again sell dozens of …
44.764768
-93.177546
12738 Ethelton Way, Apple Valley, MN
/articles/in-an-effort-to-help-others-apple-valley-man-repairs-hundreds-of-bikes-da0ed989
/locations/9293614
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Collin Westgard builds and refurbishes computers out of his parents' garage—then he donates them to families in need across the community.
Even in preschool, Collin Westgard had an affinity for computers. "At age four, he was the kid in the room who would rather help someone else play on the computer or work on it, than play with the blocks," his mother, Kathleen, remembers. Westgard, now a 15-year-old freshman at Eagan High School, still loves tinkering with computers and helping others—two traits that have earned him a special shout-out from Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire and the Eagan City Council. That's because Westgard, who works out of his parents' garage in Eagan, is using his skills to build and donate computers to local students. As if that wasn't enough, he also provides free tech support to elderly computer owners in the community. "With youth like this, and parents …
44.805641
-93.132073
Eagan Senior High School
4185 Braddock Trl, Eagan, MN
/articles/eagan-high-school-freshman-uses-computer-skills-to-give-back
1445274
/locations/9214185
Friday, March 15, 2013
Eagan resident Scott Swenson's list of contributions to the community is nearly endless.
Some volunteers are so interwoven into the fabric of Eagan that they seem omnipresent, an integral part of nearly every organization or community initiative. Eagan resident Scott Swenson is one of those people. The list of local organizations that Scott Swenson has volunteered for is nearly endless, which is why Patch chose to recognize this longtime Eagan resident with a Community Spotlight profile. Swenson's enthusiasm for volunteer work goes back to his college days, when he was a member of a service fraternity. "I didn’t realize it right away, but I kind of figured out that we could make a difference and have fun at the same time," Swenson said. Since then, Swenson has taken on significant leadership roles at All Saints Lutheran Church…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
March is Food Share Month, and the students at the high school are getting in on the action.
Don't donate bottled water or ramen noodles, but almost all other food products are fair game during the Eagan High School's week-long food drive, which kicked off on Wednesday. March is Food Share Month, and the high school hopes to break its food donation record this year. Donated food will be distributed to local food shelves. To support the food drive, students have been asked to bring food products based around daily themes. Thursday is "Veggie Tales" day, and students should bring canned vegetables for donation. Friday's theme is "The Office," and students are encouraged to bring cleaning products and supplies. Monday is baby-themed, Tuesday is all about canned fruit and Wednesday is entrées. Cash donations or checks made payable to …
44.805641
-93.132073
Eagan Senior High School
4185 Braddock Trl, Eagan, MN
/articles/eagan-high-school-aims-to-break-food-drive-record
1445274
/locations/9007611
Friday, March 8, 2013
Longtime Eagan Athletic Association volunteer Dean Kraus had an indelible impact on the organization. Kraus is the latest recipient of Eagan Patch's Community Spotlight award.
A father of three, Eagan resident Dean Kraus knows all too well how quickly children grow up. "It’s a short window of time that you get to be a part of your kid's life," Kraus said. "I'd feel bad if I sat at home and my kids were out doing something." Which is why Kraus got involved as a volunteer the Eagan Athletic Association. Over the course of a decade, he has coached soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse and football—all so he could spend time with his children and impact the lives of others in the program. In that time, Kraus also served as a sports director and board member for the association. His dedication to the organization has earned the admiration of other members of the Eagan sports community, including Tim Czaja, who …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Eagan & Lakeville Resource Center will host its fourth annual Empty Bowls event on March 21.
Become a 'souper supporter' of the Eagan & Lakeville Resource Centers when you attend the organization's fourth annual Empty Bowls fundraising event on March 21. The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Eagan. This unique fundraiser pairs handmade art with hunger relief; each year local potters craft and donate hundreds of handmade clay bowls for the event. Attentdees at the event select one of those handmade bowl, make a suggested donation toward hunger relief, enjoy soup and bread provided by a handful of local restaurants, and leave with an “empty bowl” as a symbol of hunger in the community. The Eagan & Lakeville Resource Centers is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization …
44.814347
-93.207842
Eagan Resource Center
3910 Rahn Rd, Eagan, MN
/articles/mark-your-calendars-for-eagan-s-empty-bowls-fundraiser
1446351
/locations/8947065
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Eagan elementary students have raised more than $8,000 this year to purchase food supplies for impoverished families across the globe.
Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us Tackling international humanitarian isses, like hunger, environmental destruction and violence can seem like an impossible task. But the daunting nature of those complex problems hasn't stopped the students and staff of Eagan's Northview Elementary School. This year, Northview will be partnering with Impact Lives, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, to raise money to purchase food supplies, which will then be packed by school volunteers and shipped to people in need across the globe. The school-wide, all-day food packing event will be held on March 15. This is the third time Northview has hosted Impact Lives, an organization that seeks to …
44.804661
-93.139117
Northview Elementary School
965 Diffley Rd, Eagan, MN
/articles/northview-students-get-into-the-giving-spirit
1445511
/locations/8788489
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Kids 'n Kinship mentoring program is having an information session from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Wescott Library.
Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us Editor's Note: The following is a press release from Kids 'n Kinship. The Kids 'n Kinship mentoring program is having an information session from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Wescott Library located at 1340 Wescott Road in Eagan. Individuals, couples, and families who have a desire to be a role model and friend for a child are invited to attend an information session. Kids 'n Kinship is seeking volunteers to provide support, encouragement, and friendship to a child or youth (ages 5-16) in your community or to support a student with academic needs at a local elementary school. Training and ongoing support is provided for both …
44.818905
-93.163606
Wescott Library
1340 Wescott Rd, Eagan, MN
/articles/kids-n-kinship-hosting-info-session-for-potential-mentors
1445864
/locations/8773397
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The community center will provide a display case local businesses and organizations can use to post information and recruit volunteers.
Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us The Eagan Community Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year—and part of that celebration includes promoting community volunteerism. During the month of February, the community center will highlight local volunteering needs by providing an outlet for organizations to recruit volunteers. Community center officials are asking local organizations for volunteering-related flyers, want ads or brochures to post in a display near the upper level doors. The community center averages about 1,000 people per day through the doors, giving the display case good visibility. If your organization is interested in providing information for the …
44.83808
-93.171859
Eagan Community Center
1501 Central Pkwy, Eagan, MN
/articles/eagan-community-center-highlighting-volunteerism-in-february
1606710
/locations/8727061
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The meals packed by Faithful Shepherd students will be distributed by Feed My Starving Children.
Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us Faithful Shepherd Catholic School's motto is: "Take care of yourself, take care of this place, and take care of others." Hundreds of students fulfilled the third portion of that motto on Tuesday morning as they crammed into the school's gym to pack 65,000 meals for hungry families in developing nations. The meals will be distributed by Feed My Starving Children, a Christian nonprofit that provides food assistance to starving children in 70 countries, including Haiti, Zambia, Kenya and the Phillipines. The school raised the funds for the meals through Septemberfest, its annual weekend-long fall celebration, according to a press release …
44.83503
-93.13658
Faithful Shepherd Catholic School
3355 Columbia Dr, Saint Paul, MN
/articles/video-faithful-shepherd-students-pack-65-000-meals-for-a-good-cause
1445516
/locations/8704438
Melanie Mord
9:44 am on Thursday, April 11, 2013
Collin, please contact me at info@gbsncr.com. We own Guarantee Business Systems, an Eagan Computer, networking business and would love to donate some items you need, from drives to memory to cases and more. Our website is www.gbsncr.com. Melanie Mord. It is awesome what you are doing and we would love to help! more ›