OME FALL H ENT M E IMPROV ection
Caponi Art Park in Eagan is playing host to the Medieval Fair on Oct. 3. See story in Thisweekend page 7A
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Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville
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SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 VOLUME 31, NO. 30
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Life’s lows won’t keep mayor from working for Lakeville Despite ‘perfect storm’ of personal difficulty, Holly Dahl is running again to lead Lakeville as mayor by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The past two years of Holly Dahl’s life have been a blur, she said. The two-term Lakeville mayor is thankful for the office she holds because right now, it’s among her only escapes from problems in her personal life. “We’ve been doing good and wonderful things on the City Council these past few years, I think. Times are hard, but I think we’ve done a good job,” Dahl, 54, said. “And it’s also something that’s a real positive in my life right now, and, frankly, I need that.” Working as mayor these past two years, Dahl hasn’t let on that her personal life has crumbled around her since being re-elected. “I try to be strong, I
suppose,” she said. “We try to be private, so there’s a lot who don’t know.” Shortly after voters put her back into office in 2008, Dahl’s husband, Kevin, was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. The prognosis at the time was that he had just three to six months to live. In addition, the commercial real estate business Kevin, 55, owned, called Dahl Financial & Consulting Services, LLC – which was the family’s main source of income – toppled under the burden of the economy and his sickness. In a matter of months, Dahl went from a sweeping election success to wondering how long she may have with her husband of 33 years; how long she could manage her family’s
finances; and even if they could stay in their home. “It’s crushing sometimes, all that’s happened,” she said. “But I pour myself into being mayor, making a difference and being an ambassador for this community. It helps get my mind off things.”
Highs and lows Dahl said she vividly recalls the day Kevin told her the nightmare news of his cancer, despite the past two years of his treatment being a blur. “He was diagnosed in September or October – during the election, but he didn’t tell me right away,” she said. “He didn’t want to burden me.” When Kevin did tell her, Dahl said, she went into shock.
“I remember it was raining and I took the dog for a walk and cried for an hour and a half,” she said. “I was scared and distraught.” Over the next month, the news became more grim. A battery of tests at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester showed Kevin’s cancer had spread through the “whole landscape.” “Three to six months – that’s such harsh reality. We know intellectually we aren’t going to be here forever, but the reality of it is just – it’s overwhelming,” Dahl said. With that, Kevin began non-FDA approved trials at the Mayo Clinic to aggressively combat the cancer, Dahl said. Holly guesses the mediSee Mayor, 16A
Yellow Ribbon day in Farmington
Photo by Derrick Williams
Holly Dahl at the Sept. 20 City Council meeting.
Food shelf coming back to downtown Lakeville Eagan Resource Center will open larger facility in Eagan, new food shelf in downtown Lakeville by Erin Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, left, and Minnesota National Guard Adjutant Major General Larry Shellito, far right, recognize several entities, including the city of Lakeville – represented by Mayor Holly Dahl, standing next to Pawlenty – at the Boeckman Middle School Auditorium in Farmington on Sept. 22. Nearly 30 organizations were officially given “Yellow Ribbon” designation. Counties, cities, and companies were recognized for their ongoing efforts to support service members and military family members. See story on Page 3A.
The Eagan Resource Center is responding to unprecedented demand in recent years by expanding into a larger Eagan facility and opening a satellite food shelf in Lakeville. As of Dec. 1, the organization plans to move its Eagan food shelf operations into a larger space just blocks from its current facility at 3910 Rahn Road. The Lakeville food shelf will open Oct. 1, in the same downtown building as the space vacated by the 360 Communities food shelf in June. Demand for the Eagan Resource Center’s food shelf services is at an all-time high, said Executive Director Lisa Horn. The facility now serves more than 500 families from Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley and Rosemount each month, up from just 38 families a month in 2005.
It served 410 new individuals in August alone, a 20 percent increase over previous months. “We are seeing the impact of the recession in a very real way with our families,” Horn said. “They are really struggling right now. We’ve got families that are sleeping in their cars.” The new Eagan facility, called The Pantry, will be set up like a grocery store, providing a more dignified experience for clients, Horn said. At 3,250 square feet, it will also provide more than 1,000 additional feet of space. Located in the Cedarvale Business Center on Cedar Grove Parkway, the expanded space will be open four days a week, an increase of two days. The resource center’s current Eagan building – a small, one-story house donated by Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church – will continue to be used for client intakes, proSee Food Shelf, 16A
Helping hand? How about a helping goat? Food For His Children is a nonprofit that provides poor families in Tanzania with goats by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Kerrie and Rob Holschbach know giving back to those less fortunate is something they need to do. “I feel it deep inside my heart,” Kerrie said. But the Burnsville couple wanted to do more than just donate money or food. Kerrie and Rob are the unlikely founders of Food For His Children, a nonprofit that provides goats for needy families in the poor African country. “We’re helping the poorest of the poor,” Kerrie said. “Children orphaned by HIVstricken mothers, elderly people – those a lot less fortunate.”
The nonprofit is holding a fundraiser at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26, at Crossroads Church, located at 17671 Glacier Way in Lakeville. For a $5 suggested donation, folks can get a taste of African cuisine, listen to an a capella group, or bid on items in a silent auction. All proceeds will go toward furthering development of the Tanzanian goat program. How do goats help families and villages in Tanzania? A female goat can produce 2-4 liters of milk each day, Kerrie said. “Not only can families use that for themselves, they can also sell it for 600 shillings, which
Photo submitted
Burnsville residents Rob and Kerrie Holschbach started Food For His Children, a nonprofit that provides goats to poor families in Tanzania. The goats provide families with milk that can be used by families to drink, and to sell. is about 50 cents,” she said. It may not seem like a lot of money, but in
Tanzania, that money can go a long way. “That opens the door for a lot of opportunities
for families,” Rob said. “Specifically schooling for children.” Rob said the schools in Tanzania are in rough shape. The schools are in dingy earth-floor buildings where kids share benches, pencils and paper. “There are no textbooks for the kids,” Rob said. “There’s just no money to buy them.” Food For His Children almost never happened. Kerrie first traveled to Tanzania with a Hosanna Church mission trip in 2006. But she had originally signed up to go on a similar trip to India. “It just didn’t work out,” she said. “So I signed up to go to Tan-
IF YOU GO What: Fundraiser for Food For His Children, a nonprofit offering goats to poor families in Tanzania. Where: Crossroads Church, located at 17671 Glacier Way in Lakeville. When: 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26 How it helps: All proceeds will go toward furthering development of the Tanzanian goat program. More information: www.foodforhischildren.com zania instead.” She’s been to TanzaSee Goats, 13A
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