Community United

This week, Kat sits down with Laurel Merten, Director of the Big Lake Ambassadors Scholarship Program.

This program has a goal of empowering young ladies of Big Lake to be women of tomorrow through community service. They also work to promote leadership, professional development and personal growth, with an opportunity to earn an educational scholarship. All the Ambassadors had over 100 hours each last year of volunteering!

The Co...

This week Kat sits down with Maureen Baty who is the Executive Director for Great River Faith In Action 

Great River Faith in Action helps elderly and disabled people to be able to live in their homes safely by bringing in volunteers to help with tasks they are no longer able to do.  Some examples are lawn mowing, driving them to the doctor appt or grocery store, minor home repairs, snow removal, friendly visits, respite and m...

On rewind episode, we're headed back a few months to an episode where Kat is shared all about the Sherburne County Area United Way. Our organization has undergone a lot of transition the last few years, and we're excited to be sharing our new focus areas and goals.

The Community Connect event is from 11:00am-2:00pm Thursday October 19 at Elk River High School. Find out more here.

We are looking for board members to be ...

This week Kat sits down with Sarah Fritsch, who is the Early Childhood Coordinator for the Big Lake School District.  

This fun conversation is full of great information and tidbits. As the Early Childhood Coordinator, Sarah has a unique perspective on families with young children, and this episode is a great way to learn not only about early childhood programs, but also some great information about young children.

ECFE i...

Thumbs Up is located in Elk River, and is an organization that is committed to helping those who suffer from a mental health disorder find resources. They also support bereaved families and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Thumbs Up started as a memorial 5k in 2013, and now runs nine different programs. The 10th annual 5k and 10k is happening September 16, 2023 at Orono Park in Elk River. 

Thumbs Up programs:

• Ber...

This week Kat sits down with Emmitt Edwards, a recruiter for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota.  

Big Brothers Big Sister is a mentoring agency in the community, covering  Morrison, Benton, Stearns, Sherburne, and the northern tier of Wright Co. Their goal is to find youth, called “littles,”  and match them with an adult mentor “Bigs” in the community. Their mission is to create and support 1:1 mentor relationships that...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Cathy Wogen from the Kiwanis Club of St. Cloud. Cathy is the coach for the Kiwanis Club of the Elk River area, which is now forming. This club is solely focused on children and providing opportunities for them to thrive, grow in knowledge, and have fun while learning and doing so.

Kiwanis is an international service organization whose mission is to serve the children of the ...

In the second part of this two part conversation, Kat and Jim Boyle resume their conversation with Karen Wingard, the special events and farmers market coordinator for the City of Elk River. 

Find out more about the Farmers Market, the frequent shopper program, and the upcoming Indoor Farmers Market this winter: https://www.elkrivermn.gov/895/Farmers-Market

Details about the Power of Produce, as well as the senior days at...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Karen Wingard, the special events and farmers market coordinator for the City of Elk River. 

The City of Elk River is comprised of many departments all with the same goal to provide services and resources to make Elk River great.  Karen has the opportunity to work on everything from the farmers market, special events, youth enrichment, and business and volunteer collaboratio...

On today's special episode, Kat is sharing all about the Sherburne County Area United Way. Our organization has undergone a lot of transition the last few years, and we're excited to be sharing our new focus areas and goals.

The Community Connect event is from 11:00am-2:00pm Thursday October 19 at Elk River High School. Find out more here.

We are looking for board members to be actively involved in helping grow our o...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Lori Schultz, Executive Director of Tri-CAP. 

Tri-County Action Program, Inc. (Tri-CAP) is the federally designated, nonprofit community action program for Benton, Sherburne and Stearns counties. They help people and change lives by assisting people meet their basic needs in a variety of ways including:

Energy Assistance

Weatherization

Transportation including vehicle repair...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Amy Erickson, founder and executive director of Community Table.

Community Table is a once a month free meal, that is open to the community. The goal is to bring people together and serve good quality nutritious food. Over 400 people attend each month, which promotes community togetherness and serving one another. Community Table meals are usually held the 4th Sunday of the ...

On this episode of Community United, Kat and guest host Jim Boyle speak with Hannah-Ruth Patterson, who shares her journey working with an organization that supports victims of domestic violence. We discuss financial control as a tactic used by abusers, and how the organization provides financial support and safety planning to help victims leave abusive situations. We also learn about the organization's partnerships with law en...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Raeanne Danielowski, Big Lake Spud Fest chairman, and Deb Johnson, secretary and assistant gambling manager for Big Lake Spud Fest.

Big Lake Spud Fest was created in 1972.  Our founding fathers of the festival were looking for a means to provide funds for summer youth recreation programs and an event for Big Lake and surrounding areas that promoted a strong sense of community an...

This week Kat and guest host Jim Boyle sit down with Sandy McClurg, Executive Director of Big Lake Community Food Shelf. 

The Big Lake Community Food Shelf strives make sure no one in our community has to go hungry.  In 2022 they served over 5000 people and distributed 714,000 pounds of food. They offer food distributions through a variety of models including in person shopping, online ordering, mobile deliveries, drive through dis...

This week Kat sits down with Carole McNaughton-Commers, program coordinator of RSVP of Central Minnesota.

RSVP fosters volunteer engagement of adults 55+ to improve lives and strengthen communities.  RSVP's personalized approach to each individual's interest and experience makes it easy to get involved and to make a difference. We partner with non-profits, licensed health care and government organizations and support t...

This week Kat and our guest host Jim Boyle, editor of the Elk River Star News, sit down with Shawn Alderman, Founder & President of Magnus Veterans Foundation.

It is the mission of Magnus Veterans Foundation to heal and honor our veterans and their families through community fellowship and a comprehensive approach to restoring the body, heart, mind, and spirit.

Magnus Veterans Foundation online:

https://magnusveterans...

This week Kat and Jim Boyle, editor of the Elk River Star News, sit down with Liz Fagen, who runs the project Faces of Big Lake. Faces of Big Lake tells the story of the Big Lake community through the faces and voices of the people that live there. Their goal is to introduce the great people of our community to each other and the world, one smiling face at a time. 

The Faces of Big Lake online:

https://thefacesofbiglakemn.com/

This week Kat and Jim Boyle, editor of the Elk River Star News, sit down with John Osterman. John is a long time member and Past President of the Elk River Rotary Club, and shares a great history of the Rotary, what they do within our community, and information about the highly anticipated annual event, The Taste of Elk River.

To purchase tickets to the Taste of Elk River, reach out to John at (612) 804-5654.

The Rotary C...