Day Trip Destinations

DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS: ‘AGRITAINMENT’ By Katie Leibel

Sever’s Fall Festival released this year’s corn maze.

‘AGRITAINMENT’ Fall into autumn at Sever’s Fall Festival

Photos courtesy Sever’s Fall Festival

Apple orchards, hay rides, haunted houses.The possibilities are endless this autumn. Even COVID-19 can’t keep us from enjoying our fall season the way we hope to every year.

One tradition retained this year is Sever’s Fall Festival in Shakopee. This day trip will give you an opportunity to take in the beautiful fall colors on your way up for a day of fun.

The corn maze began in 1997 as an idea from an exchange student.

“We’ve been part of the U of MN MAST program since the 1960s, and we had an English exchange student describing the labyrinth hedge mazes and the intricacies,” said organizer Nicola Peterson of Sever’s Fall Festival.

Sever and Sharon Peterson then decided that a maze of corn would

be a great idea. Their farm was established in the 1890s and has been growing corn for decades.

“It was a creative way to diversify while still crop farming,” Peterson said.

This maze was the first one created in the Midwest and the second in the country, the family said. Now there are hundreds of corn mazes across the U.S.

“A unique characteristic of our corn maze is that it is still cut by hand. We create our maze design each year, plant the field and then cut it ourselves with hoes. We believe that this makes for the clearest design and the squarest corners,” Peterson said.

Their maze designs are different every year and generated at fun brainstorming sessions.

“We have a list of ongoing themes that we think would look cool but also be interesting as we put 26 fact signs throughout the maze design. We have also received great suggestions from our patrons over the years.”

Corn mazes have become such a big business that companies will now come out and cut it with GPS, but Sever’s prefers to stick with their original method.

The festival began as a maze but now — more than 20 years later — has become a huge event with various attractions outside of the giant maze.

“Guests can now spend the day on our jumping pillows, in the corn pits, seeing a magic show or pig race, riding the zip lines, running on the straw bale maze, trying the obstacle course, or blasting a pumpkin. In addition, we have a variety of food concessions, beer and wine, live music, Safari North exotic petting zoo, pony and camel rides, hay rides, a giant slide, face painting and wildlife shows,” Peterson said.

The list goes on as they add new attractions. And this year they are starting Sever’s Stories, Riddles and Rhymes — a play on storybook time — but with a drive-thru aspect to make it COVID-friendly. (The farm follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.)

“Overall, our hope and plan is to create festival grounds that are based in agriculture — or as we say, ‘agritainment’ — and to expand into different events throughout the year,” Peterson said. Sever’s Fall Festival takes place this year implementing social distancing and safety protocols due to COVID-19.

Children bounce on the jumping pillows at Sever’s Fall Festival 2019.

They also are adding a drivethru light show. “Last year, we established Sever’s Holiday Lights, a drive-thru model to festive music and lights; and this year we’re not only expanding the holiday portion of Sever’s Holiday Lights but also adding a fall light show that will be Halloween/fall themed.”

Peterson adds, “Due to transforming into a fall festival and the attractions added each year, we’ve noticed not only an increase in attendance, but also that many of our guests make it part of their fall tradition! We’re grateful that people that came as children are now coming with their own children.”

The festival opens Sept.11 and goes through Nov. 1. They’re open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as MEA, which is Oct.15-16.

Organizers expressed their appreciation that this festival takes place outside and they are able to open this year despite the pandemic.

“We’ve always been an event that gets people outdoors and back to the agricultural roots so many Minnesotans share; but this season, we’re also glad to be a distraction, if only for a day.”

For more information on tickets, pricing, hours and more, visit https://www.seversfallfestival. com/.

Native dancers dressed in regalia, including Ariella Leith (second from left) from the Lower Sioux tribe, dance in Schellberg gymnasium during the grand entry at the inaugural powwow held at Minnesota State on April 18, 2019. The powwow, or wacipi in Dakota, was organized by students in an Indigenous leadership class.

Preserving culture

Indigenous People’s Day committee and community members preserve Native culture, history

By Diana Rojo-Garcia | File Photos

Megan Schnitcker’s childhood summers were spent in South Dakota at her grandparents’ house with her cousins. Her first exposure to traditional plant medicine was from her uncle Neil. Playing outside with her cousins, her uncle would frequently show them the purpose of different plants, like using one to treat bug bites or nibbling on lamb bells, which would taste like lemons (and is also called wood sorrel).

The mother of six, owner of Lakota Made, and Native American history/culture educator said this was her first exposure to traditional medicine.

“We always ate those for snacks,” she said. Schnitcker expanded her knowledge of plant medicines from her great-grandmother whom she first met when she was 8 years old.

“It was a hot summer day and her house didn’t have air conditioning, and she was sitting on her

Panelist Steve Tamayo speaks about the role of Indigenous People’s Day at MSU last year. He was joined by Megan Schnitker (left), of Mankato, Vanessa Goodthunder, of the Lower Sioux Community, and Elizabeth Skye, of Vermillion, South Dakota.

bed,” she recalled. Her great-grandmother kept asking her for her medicine, though Schnitcker said a huge language barrier existed because English was not her great-grandmother’s first language and Lakota wasn’t Schnitker’s first language.

“I was trying to understand her, and we made through her broken English enough for me to understand what she was saying.”

Her chest hurt, Schnitcker recalled her saying. And she needed her medicine and she wanted her to go find it and asked if it was in the bathroom.

“She showed me and dug around in her box that was next to her bed and showed me this plant,” she said. Her great-grandmother took her outside to find the same one and brought it back.

“That was my first teaching,” she said. “That one has a special place in my heart.”

For years, before her great-grandmother died when Schnitker was 16, she would teach her a little bit more and tell her stories. “After she passed away, I kind of lost my teacher.”

But Schnitcker later dove back into her culture. “I realized that the plant medicine part of our culture wasn’t there when I listened to our elders tell stories about our culture.”

She began research to find stories and history about this part of Lakota culture. “I had to do a lot of research on my own, asking every elder I could and gathering all of those stories and trying to teach it,” she said. “Because it’s not being taught and we’re losing elders every day, we’re losing huge stories, and it’s really important to me that we preserve them.”

She strives to do that daily starting at home.

This year’s Indigenous People’s Day celebration is to be online. It is open to the public to further the education and conversation about Native culture and history. This year’s panel is Oct. 12 and features Steve Tamayo of Bluebird Cultural Initiative, Robert Blake of Native Sun Solar and Chance Renville and Kimberly Pelkofsky of Thunder Valley. Other events, starting Oct. 1 and all online, include Indigenous People’s Day Community Read and IPD Film Watch Party.

YOUR LOCAL AUTO LOAN EXPERTS!

FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA EQUAL HOUSING LENDER NMLSR ID 504851

Since 1934

507-387-3055 www.mnvalleyfcu.coop

FINANCING DREAMS SINCE 1934

Schnitker’s heart broke when her daughter, a kindergartener at the time, came home crying after the day’s Thanksgiving lesson.

She was upset, Schnitker said, because her friends didn’t believe that Lakota people were real.

“The way they teach about Indigenous people is that we’re past tense, we don’t exist anymore,” Schnitker said.

This encounter prompted Schnitker to create Mahkato Revitalization Project, which “strives to provide space programming that promotes and practices well-being through ingenious arts, culture and education.”

“I teach Lakota, Dakota history and culture, I teach traditional plant medicine, and I am a huge advocate for Indgenious people and Indigenous history in the area,” Schnitker said.

She has done educational programs in the area for about 15 years, including at the Mankato Powwow, and is currently involved in a variety of projects such as serving on the board for Twin Rivers Art Council and YWCA, as vice chair of the Mankato Powwow, chair of the Indigenous People’s Day committee, vice chair of the River Valley Makers and also running her for-profit business, Lakota Made.

She believes education in Indgenious people’s history and culture is vital.

“We have lost a lot of our languages, but we have preserved it. So by me teaching anyone and everyone, I am preserving our history and our culture.”

She also educates because the way current history is written, she said, is in “the eyes of the victors.” The narrative doesn’t tell a full story and is one-sided. She adds that most education only adds snippets or small paragraphs about Indigenous peoples.

“Indigenous history is American history, and so all of it needs to be taught.”

At home, she makes sure her children get all the history of the culture. “We’re doing our best to save our culture through education.”

And it continues through the area. Two years ago, the city of Mankato agreed to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, a victory in the community, Schnitcker said.

“To have the community accept the change was a big deal.”

Changing that annual observance in Mankato was yet another step in the community of reconciliation, said Megan Heutmaker, director of Native American Indian Affairs at Minnesota State University and vice chair of Indigenous People’s Day committee.

“For me, it really showed the recommitment to show and honor Native people,” she said. It’s an effort that has been ongoing for more than 40 years, beginning with the first Mankato powwow that took place at YMCA in 1965. The powwow has been an annual event since 1972, although this year was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic..

The official change to Indigenous People’s Day also deepened the educational opportunity, said Chelsea Mead, MSU’s associate professor of anthropology and American Indigenous studies. The name change not only allows the door to open for more education in Mankato, but everywhere.

“That was one of the things we were really excited about,” she said. The ultimate vote also meant a great deal to the students who were in part of the effort to change the name.

“It wasn’t a unanimous vote and support — our students noticed that,” Mead said. “The vote ultimately did pass and that gives our students and community hope. ... More people are becoming aware how to be inclusive.”

Native American culture isn’t just important through the observance in October or during the celebrations of powwows. “It’s important all the time,” Mead said.

Furthering that education and providing that path to conversation increases the visibility of indigenous history and colonization and gets people more involved, so the effort grows to preserve the culture.

But it needs to begin earlier.

“The more we do it now, the less work we will have to do later,” Heutmaker said. “Talking to these students, young students, we want to change the narrative.”

By the time students go to college, they should have a basic level of understanding of Native

Megan Schnitker breaks open a stem of a jewel weed plant, which is a natural antidote to poison ivy, in her garden outside of her house. Schnitker, who makes salves, soaps, shampoo, deodorant, sunscreen, medicinal teas and lotion bars, said everything she makes come from her garden or the Mankato area.

history and it will be a natural progression to keep learning, the educators say.

Mead, who has taught about indigenous culture and history in the area from kindergarten to high school ages for the last couple of decades, has had children ask her if Native people still live in teepees. Even in her university-level classes, Mead’s students are shocked at how sanitized the history was as they were growing up.

“The image that they get so early is a very stereotypical image,” Mead said.

Heutmaker adds that for many the image of Native people is “just as historical figures.” “And that’s just not true,” Heutmaker said. Throughout the years, there have been events that bring light and attention to Native people in the U.S., such as the pipeline protest and the name change of the Washington NFL team.

“That personally gives us energy to keep pushing and do what we’re doing. Bit by bit makes changes,” Heutmaker said. MM

REFLECTIONS

By Pat Christman

The change of seasons marches on in Minnesota whether or not there is a pandemic. One of the few certainties in an uncertain 2020 is that summer will transition to fall. The leaves will turn from green to reds, oranges and yellows whether COVID-19 is around or not.

Fall may be one of the few live shows we can safely go to during the pandemic. There’s plenty of space for social distancing, there’s virtually no chance of a cancellations and Minnesota trees

always put on a good show. MM

Mary Mertesdorf and her Caring Connection friend, Paula, delivers food for Meals on Wheels to Vi in North Mankato. Community Heroes

Needs are ever growing in a community, especially in a pandemic; volunteers help fill those needs

Diana Rojo-Garcia | Photos by John Cross, Pat Christman and Casey Ek

They’re the people who take their time and talents to make a community better: volunteers.

Mankato has hundreds of volunteers and organizations that need to continue lifting spirits and communities up. Drivers, stockers and donors of produce at ECHO Food Shelf. Dog walkers, foster families and cleaners at BENCHS. Packers and deliverers at Feeding Our Community Partners.

The list goes on and on (check out getconnected. mankatounitedway.org for more volunteer opportunities). Volunteers help keep the mission of organizations alive and continue to make a difference in the community.

Here are just a few of the thousands of extraordinary community members who have gone above and beyond to do just that.

‘It’s just a piece of who I am’

It started off simple enough — babysitting for her friend’s kids when they couldn’t find a sitter, coaching the Peppers, taking time at church and helping out at vacation Bible school.

But Sara Stow, of North Mankato, hadn’t really ever thought of it as volunteering.

“I just love to help people,” she said. It’s been a piece of her life as long as she can remember beginning by watching her parents help out at the local church as much as possible. Watching them, she dedicated a lot of her time in church and other parts of the community.

“I just like to be that person that builds them up as much as I can,” she said. “I think that’s why I became a teacher — help kids be the best they can be, whatever that looks like.”

Stow, a global studies teacher for 17 years at Dakota Meadows, has helped further the success of students

through her dedication at Feeding Our Community Partners’ BackPack Food Program.

The program has helped hundreds of children in the community by ensuring they have food during the weekends. Bags of nutritious food are given to teachers who can then discretely place them into the students’ backpacks on Fridays. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program then delivered boxes of food to the children’s homes monthly, something Stow took part in.

She became passionate about the program after having spent an evening with the teachers association and volunteering after school three years ago.

“The people that work there are super passionate,” Stow said.

And they know that for kids to succeed in school, they have to be fed. At the frontlines, Stow has personally seen the difference in kids’ performance. If kids are hungry, Stow said, they can’t focus on learning.

In addition, she believes the program gives them a sense of being cared for.

“I think giving kids any tool to be successful is great,” she said. “And this is a big one.”

Stow takes up any and all opportunities to help at the facility. Most recently she helped pack boxes for the latest Beer, Brats and Bourbon. Throughout the year, she can be seen at packing sessions. One year, she celebrated her birthday by hosting a packing session. Instead of gifts, Stow said, she asked her friends and party-goers to donate to the program. She was hopeful they could see the impact and importance of the program and maybe, she said, develop a passion for it, too.

Spreading that passion is also what she does with her kids every year while she coordinates a team for Climb 2 Feed Kids stair-climbing fundraising event.

“(Students) are able to participate in something fun and also doing community service,” she said. “I think one of the biggest pieces for me is to watch other people learn how easy it is to give and how fun it is to give.”

One of her students even continued volunteering at Climb 2 Feed Kids throughout high school and made her own team. “That was really cool,” she said.

Stow has continued to volunteer at BackPack through the pandemic. “I am healthy, and I was able to. It’s just that important.”

Kids are still hungry and they’re at home, Stow said.“I think it was my way to feel a part of their life.”

Volunteering — or just helping others — is Stow’s essence.

“It’s just a piece of who I am. I just know that I have the time and the means to help,” she said. “I think my faith is a big part of why I volunteer. We’re supposed to love one another, and this is a really easy way to love one another.”

Community involvement

Barb Goelz, of North Mankato, had worked at Midwest Electric Products for 33 years. And for many of those years, Goelz had read The Free Press, especially one of the sections that lists volunteer opportunities.

“I saw that, and thought, if I ever retire, I want to do something like that,” Goelz said. “And then, in one of those columns, the hospital jumped out at me.”

In 2008, Goelz retired and soon after began Sara Stow (far right) with a few friends during Beer, Brats, Bourbon. Stow often volunteers at BBB along with packaging at the BackPack Food Program. Submitted photo

Barbara Goelz has volunteered at the BackPack Program delivering foods to schools. During the pandemic, she has delivered food to students’ homes.

volunteering at the hospital. “I’ve been doing that ever since.”

With COVID, the hospital hasn’t called on their volunteers to ensure the safety of everyone. Every Tuesday afternoon since 2009, Goelz could be found escorting patients or running errands for those at the hospital. The volunteering opportunity, she said, was a way to keep her busy.

“It was something that made me get up and leave the house,” she said. “Instead of just sitting there and doing nothing.”

Since the pandemic, she’s missed her Tuesday afternoons at the hospital.

“I miss going in there and seeing the familiar faces or escorting the new family out of the hospital and seeing the new babies,” she said. However, Goelz has remained busy at the BackPack Program where she has volunteered for seven years. She has done weekly distributions at three different schools — most recently at Roosevelt. Every Thursday, Goelz would go to the schools to bring the packages to teachers. Her weekly visits, seeing the kids’ reactions, is one of Goelz’s favorite moments.

“You get into the school and realize you’re seeing all these kids excited when you walk by,” she said.

Even during winter, and the ongoing pandemic, she has continued to do deliveries for students once a month.

“I’ve been enjoying that, just driving around and roping off the boxes. Then ringing the doorbell and seeing kids come to the door.”

The time commitments aren’t much, Goelz said. Maybe an hour in the afternoon at the hospital or a couple of hours a week at BackPack — those hours, and smiles, add up. And for Goelz, having worked at a factory for more than 30 years, she didn’t always feel appreciated.

Walking through the hospital, there’d be families or nurses and doctors that would thank her.

“I felt needed and I felt appreciated,” she said. “People were thanking me for doing something that I was enjoying.” Volunteering at BackPack, she said, everyone is appreciative of all of the volunteers’ work.

Giving her time has another perk, Goelz said: finding herself to be a little more outgoing than she originally thought.

“My whole adult life in work, I was always the behind-the-scenes person,” she said. But now? She directs traffic, helps do training or just talks to other volunteers. “I always thought I was more of a shy person and all of a sudden, I’m realizing, ‘Oh, I don’t think I am that.’”

Volunteering is a big part of who Goelz is and, of course, it’s important because there’s always a need in the community.

“I don’t do it because I’m going to get paid or anything,” she said. “It’s that part of me that I needed — I needed to go out in the community and do things like that.”

She suggests that anyone interested in volunteering to just do it.

“Don’t be afraid to try it because sometimes it’s not a very big commitment to do something.”

Mary Mertesdorf grabs food to be delivered for Meals on Wheels.

Siding

Windows

Gutters Gutter Helmet

507-625-6412 | SchmidtMankato.com

Busy bee

Mary Mertesdorf is a natural caregiver — she was a teacher at Headstart for years and later in life a caregiver for her husband who died in December 2016.

It was around this time that Mertesdorf began to visit the VINE Adult Community Center. Initially, it was to go to the fitness center.

“I just found out there were so many things,” she said. One of the first things she decided to do was join VINE’s choir — Divine Singers. “I have always enjoyed singing, especially in choir.”

The choir would practice every Monday and would then perform at different nursing homes in the area.

“I really enjoyed going out to the people that we went to see, just to enjoy their happiness,” she said. “We all miss it a great deal.”

Throughout COVID-19, the choir hasn’t been practicing or heading to nursing homes; however, Mertesdorf has continued to meet with her VINE Caring Connections friend, Paula. The program sets up volunteers with an elder in the community to meet up at least once a month for one-on-one visits.

Mertesdorf had been in a grief support group, led by Sister Joyce Kolbet. She asked Mertesdorf if she’d be interested in joining the Caring Connections. Now, a couple of years later, Mertesdorf and Paula have become good friends. They get lunch together, they’ve thrift shopped together, gone to the bookstore or just sit together for a chat and a cup of coffee. And before the pandemic, they’d do chair yoga together.

“We check on each other to see how we’re doing,” Mertesdorf said. She and Paula had even gone together to deliver meals for Meals on Wheels, another program Mertesdorf volunteers at. She actually began volunteering for the meal-delivery program when she decided to ride along with her friend just for the company.

“I said, ‘You know, I think I enjoy doing this,’” she said. And now she does, every other Friday. She’s enjoyed meeting (at a distance during the pandemic) those she delivers to.

“They’ll be sitting right there waiting for us to come by, and they enjoy having somebody come and ask how their day is going,” Mertesdorf said.

$999 99

where your policy comes with an agent

Mankato | Amboy | Vernon Center | cimankato.com | 507-385-4485

Left: Kevin Bigbee, a volunteer cook for the Holy Grounds program prepares to put a breakfast pizza in the oven. Middle” Holy Grounds volunteers Brad Noy and Audrey Gatchell package breakfast meals to be distributed to clients of the program. Right: Holy Grounds volunteers Nora Henry (left) and Julie Linn prepare servings of breakfast for distribution at the Centenary United Methodist Church.

However, it’s not just a meal drop-off — though, of course, that’s part of it.

“It’s also a safety check for them,” she said. For example, if someone doesn’t answer their phone or the door, they can call on somebody to go and check on them.

Mertesdorf, while starting at Meals on Wheels, also found another program she wanted to support, a literacy class for elders whose first language is not English. Having a background in teaching, Mertesdorf took that up, too. During the pandemic, the classes have stopped for now. However, she remembers her students from all over the world — France, Germany, Somalia, Latin America. Eventually, the students became friends despite the language barrier.

“There is a Hispanic lady and a Somali lady, and they were trying to teach other their languages,” she said. Other students would come in before classes to have coffee together. “That would make my morning,” she said.

Mertesdorf said the most challenging aspect of volunteering for her is trying to not overextend herself. She honestly just wants to do as much as she can because everything — especially at VINE — is interesting.

“When I first started this, my mother was still living, and she said, ‘You know, you’ve got to be very busy,’” Mertsedorf said. And all she could think of when her mother said that was “that’s the pot calling the kettle black.” Mertsedorf’s mom volunteered at Meals on Wheels and helped at MRCI, where she was the treasurer on the board just a few years before she died. She was 91.

“I remember my mother volunteering like this. I think I grew up watching her volunteer,” she said. “It’s just giving to other people, getting outside of yourself and doing for others is so important.”

Community builders

It’s a hustle and bustle atmosphere every morning at Holy Grounds as they open up its doors. The smell of coffee wafting through the air, chattering among breakfast-goers and volunteers, dishes clinking — a community.

The ministry’s origins are simple: a gathering to get to know Centenary Methodist Church’s immediate neighbors, the website said. Since then, the ministry has grown over the years to serve full breakfast six to seven days.

Though Holy Grounds had to close throughout the pandemic, it’s back with safety protocols in place to keep breakfast-goers and volunteers safe. Food is packaged in the kitchen as other volunteers run out the food and drinks. Currently Holy Grounds serves breakfast from 9-10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays and thrives with its dedicated volunteers.

Kevin Bigbee, head chef at Holy Grounds, comes in every day they’re open to cook. He’s been volunteering for three years. Over the years, Bigbee said, he’d feel the liveliness when breakfast-goers would be inside the church for breakfast.

“When we were inside here you get to talk to people more,” he said. But now everyone’s outside, though the community still builds.

And all the jobs — putting food

on the tray, moving it back and forth from the kitchen or setting up beverages — are isolated as all volunteers wear their masks.

“It’s very simple,” said Mary Beth Nygaard, another longtime volunteer. “It’s different now because people can’t come in here — and it’s not a community together — but it’s absolutely worth it.”

It comes down to the bottom line: human rights. “Everyone has to be able to eat,” Nygaard said.

It’s an adjustment for everyone, Audrey Gatchell said. She usually washes the dishes and began volunteering after hearing her pastor talk about the program.

“I’ve been coming ever since, basically one day a week or more,” she said. “People are nice. I like the people. It was hard when we weren’t coming in for a while.”

Mankato East High School senior Julie Lin began volunteering at Holy Grounds in July. She’s there every morning Holy Grounds is open to package food. Volunteering is something she had begun a passion for in seventh grade. Lin also volunteers at the ECHO Food Shelf, the Children’s Museum (the museum closed due to COVID-19) and Meals on Wheels.

Holy Grounds had been one of the organizations that opened up again and Lin decided to try it out. “I thought it was a good opportunity to find another place that I can build with the community,” she said. Volunteering in general is important, Lin said, but especially those around her age.

“You get a different perspective in the community,” she said. “I think it’s good to think about how the world doesn’t revolve around one thing.”

Nora Henry does a little bit of everything at Holy Grounds in the last year and a half. Henry said that Holy Grounds is a place where the community builds. She had to take a small break amid pandemic, but since Holy Grounds had set a routine, she has been a regular ever since.

“Initially I was doing this because I know I have been blessed — I’ve been privileged in my life,” she said. “And you know, it’s a good thing to give back to people that had never had as much as I did, but the truth is, I get as much out of this as anybody else.”

Her personal philosophy, she said, is that as humans we’re all here to try to make life better for one another much like volunteering at Holy Grounds. And during the pandemic, it has been even more important.

“For those who can (volunteer), it is our duty to step up and make sure that our vulnerable population is looked after,” she said. In a time when it’s scary and unknown, the tendency might be to withdraw into your own and I think we have to be very careful not to do that — not let the fear overcome us.” MM

MASCHKA, RIEDY, RIES & FRENTZ LAW FIRM

Abbie Olson and Joe Bromeland are experienced lawyers who are here to help with all your business and personal needs.

Business Formations Business Disputes Estate Planning Probate Real Estate Matters Land Use/Zoning Issues Business Transactions Municipal Law Trusts & Trust Litigation Estate Litigation Real Estate Litigation Construction Litigation

507.625.6600 Mankato, MN I mrr-law.com

Complex problems. Resolved.

Benji is one of the many animals that need help at BENCHS. Submitted photo

Get involved!

Check out these nonprofits that need help (and many others at unitedway.org/volunteer)

By: Katie Leibel

Lately it seems like all we get is bad news — the pandemic, the economy, politics. It’s tough not to feel hopeless at times, but at least there is still something we can do.

Though we may not all have extra money, many of us have the time and ability to help our community and make a positive difference.

Use your time and talents — it can help the community you’re passionate about. Here’s a sampling of places that could use your help.

Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society

This animal shelter has not only helped many animals find homes but also provides an opportunity for volunteers to care for the animals before adoption.

“BENCHS is here to take in animals who have been found within the community and from people who are looking for a safe place for their animal when things change in their lives. We take in stray animals from the community and surrendered animals as well,” said Andrew Burk, executive director of BENCHS.

They work to take in as many cats and dogs as possible. The first two weeks of August, they took in 65 animals alone.

This means they could use volunteers to help.

Right now BENCHS is limiting the number of volunteers in the shelter and they are required to wear a mask and wash/sanitize their hands regularly. In addition, volunteers are asked to maintain a 6-foot distance between one another.

“We want everyone to stay safe and also provide a safe environment to volunteer in,” Burk said.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of BENCHS, he said.

“We have them help with our laundry, sorting donations, cleaning cat condos, walking dogs, cleaning dog kennels, socializing with our cats and dogs, dishes, cleaning windows, mopping etc. There is so much they do that is vital to our success, and I cannot thank them enough for what they do.” .

More information on other areas to help can be found on www.benchs.org under the volunteer tab.

“Volunteering, if it is for BENCHS or somewhere else, can help that organization in more ways than you think. Being able to give back one hour of time lets the staff have more time with our cats and dogs. We learn more about them each day they are here and that information can help us find them the perfect home.”

Holy Grounds

Centenary United Methodist Church’s Holy Grounds is a way for those in need to stop by for food and find a sense of community in downtown Mankato.

“It started as a way to get to know our neighbors and to offer people experiencing homelessness a safe respite and some warm food and coffee during winter mornings,” said Rev. Michelle Hargrave, a senior pastor at the church at Cherry and Second streets.

“It has become a resource for people experiencing poverty and homelessness, a place to get good food most mornings and has developed into a community that looks out for one another.”

Holy Grounds offers a welcoming environment for people who need community, a solid breakfast and resources.

“It is a place where people know your name — I find that is a powerful part of this ministry. I also have noticed that folks who have just arrived in town, have been evicted, or just out of jail often come to Holy Grounds first. We can give them a fresh change of clothes and a jacket, numbers to call for help. Stabilizing people in these critical transition moments is good for the community,” Hargrave said.

Volunteers cook and serve the meal, wash dishes and visit with the community.

They are operating a bit differently now with the pandemic as volunteers must practice social distancing. They also serve a to-go breakfast from the door.

If interested in getting involved with Holy Grounds or if a group would like to sponsor a meal or cook a lunch, contact Rev. Erica Koser at 507-225-6370, via erica@ mankatocentenary.org, or through the Holy Grounds Facebook page..

Prospective volunteers can find more information at mankatocentenary.org.

Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest is looking for volunteers throughout Greater Mankato for the 2020-21 school year to help implement JA financial literacy programs for local K-12 students.

This group serves students in Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, St. Clair, St. Peter, Maple River, Lake Crystal and Cleveland.

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about college and career readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential programs. And you can help out kids of all ages.

The elementary school program consists of five lessons running 30-45 minutes each. These lessons can be delivered weekly. The middle and high school programs run six to 12 weeks, depending on the curriculum.

“Our mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We raise funds each year to bring JA curriculum to our local schools,” said District Manager Katie Mons. Erica Koser, director of the Holy Grounds program and associate pastor at Centenary United Methodist Church embraces a client. Photo by John Cross

Volunteers work with teachers on the best times during the year to do JA.

“As we gear up for the ‘20-’21 school year, we will have many options for educators to utilize. During this difficult economic time, JA is more important than ever to educate our students on financial planning and money management,” Mons said.

The 2019-2020 school year program impacted over 8,300 Greater Mankato students in 28 schools. JA quickly pivoted during the pandemic to make virtual curriculum available to teachers, students and parents for free, which may be vital this year given how uncertain the future is with schools.

“We will be looking for volunteers to help implement JA programs virtually or through video messages. Together, we will prosper and continue to impact our youth with financial literacy, work and career readiness and entrepreneurship,” Mons said.

Community members interested in volunteering do not need any experience as they will go through training. Those interested can contact Katie at katie@jaum.org.

VINE Faith in Action

Mankato has been referred to as one of the best places to retire in Minnesota, and for good reason.

With amazing resources such as VINE Faith in Action to help aging adults remain independent and in their own homes, this nonprofit benefits the whole community.

“Our mission is as follows: VINE Faith in Action promotes quality of life and a culture of caring, sustained by volunteerism, community engagement, and support for neighbors in need,” said Adam Massman, assistant to the director at VINE Faith in Action.

With all of the services that VINE offers and its huge mission, there are plenty of opportunities for volunteers.

“Volunteers provide transportation, deliver meals on wheels, serve as friendly visitors, provide chore services, assist in our adult day respite center, answer phones, assist in the fitness center and pool, teach classes, help at the VINE Thrift Store and more,” Massman said.

Each year VINE serves more than 3,000 people through numerous programs.

Prospective volunteers attend an hourlong orientation and must pass a background check before allowed to volunteer. For one-time events, such as big Rake the Town, an orientation is not required.

“VINE’s story is being written by each and every person who believes in the importance of neighbors helping neighbors. Our mission is fulfilled by each community member who has benefited from VINE’s services and each volunteer who has graciously provided help to others,” Massman said.

Programs especially needing volunteers right now include transportation, the friendly visitor

1117 Lori Lane, Mankato MLS# 7024810 | $249,900

138 Maple Park Drive, Mankato MLS# 7025123 | $389,900

2235 Northridge Drive, North Mankato MLS# 7025099 | $434,900

141 Hidden Oaks Circle, Mankato MLS# 7023270 | $579,900

SEEMORELISTINGSAT WWW.JBEALHOMES.COM

Taylor Corporation volunteers (front to back) Lisa Dahm, Miranda Quandt, Julie Mast and Lindsey Lanoue weed a portion of the Blue Earth County Community Garden during the first day of the United Way Week of Action June 2019. File photo

Caring Connection program and Meals on Wheels.

Individuals interested in finding out more about VINE can call 507- 387-1666 or visit its website at vinevolunteers.com.

Greater Mankato Area United Way

Greater Mankato Area United Way’s mission is to unite the community to secure and invest resources to improve people’s lives.

“We support 56 essential programs within 36 agencies to keep the region strong and balanced through basic needs, health and education,” said Barb Kaus, CEO of Greater Mankato Area United Way. “Our programs serve more than 51,000 people annually in Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet and Waseca counties. All programs that apply for funding are reviewed and vetted annually by more than 80 community volunteers.”

They also bring people and organizations together to meet community needs, which they refer to as “convening the community.”

“Some of our recent convenings have addressed emergency housing, social isolation in older adults, youth development and literacy. A few examples of initiatives developed from Greater Mankato Area United Way’s convening include the Connecting Kids program, Mankato Youth Place and Success by Six,” Kaus said.

United Way has more than 1,000 volunteers annually who contribute over 9,000 hours of service and are involved in every aspect. They serve on the community impact teams that review and vet agencies receiving funding each year, serve as board members, event

committee members, corporate callers, rally speakers and much more. Volunteers also take part in initiatives such as the annual Week of Action service projects.

“With the support of volunteers, givers, sponsors and in-kind donors, Greater Mankato Area United Way is able to accomplish big things. Five years ago, we reinvented our organization with a renewed focus on creating community engagement and fundraising opportunities to ensure the sustainability of our programs. Over the past five years, our annual campaigns have raised more than $10 million to improve lives in our four-county area,” Kaus said.

Those interested can find more information at GetConnected. MankatoUnitedWay.org or on their Facebook @GMAUW.

“This year’s campaign will be the most important yet,” Kaus said. “With the escalating needs, we encourage everyone to come together to ensure these essential nonprofit programs can carry out their work to keep our region strong and balanced through basic needs, health and education.” MM

ALL TYPES OF Commercial Signage

WE MAKE IT WE INSTALL IT

Specialists in custom commercial signs and graphics

507-345-3388

www.SignProMankato.com 301 Webster Avenue, North Mankato

Best of 2019

The Free Press

Newest Technology! Give Us a Call Today! 507.388.4895 1671 E. Madison Ave., Mankato abraauto.com fb.com/abraauto | @ABRAauto

Auto Body Repair • Auto Glass Repair & Replacement National Lifetime Limited Warranty

alluring...

It’s not a shade and it’s not a sheer; yet it raises, lowers and offers an almost endless variety of light control and viewing options. Allure ® Transitional Shades...something all together different!

1107 Cross St., North Mankato 507.625.3089 • www.rickwaycarpet.com

Call or stop by Today!