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Call the LINK Center at:
507-664-3500
LINK CENTER
HOURS
Monday—Thursday:
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday:
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
September 2014 Community Connections
time for getting up,
eating breakfast and
getting to school.
Make extra time in
your own schedule
during the first few
weeks of school. Children sometimes need
help getting used to the new school year
routine.
Arrange play dates with your chidren’s class-
mates during the first few weeks of school.
This helps children re-establish good con-
nections with their peers.
Help your children get back into the swing of
doing homework by setting aside a quiet
place for it in your home.
Information retrieved from Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth newsletter, 2013
Call 507-332-6111 and ask for C&TC Outreach.
Ann will be happy to help you if you have
needs with transportation, interpreters, or
making a C&TC appointment.
LINK Center
1651 Jefferson Parkway
Northfield, MN 550507
(507) 664-3500
Inside this Issue:
September LINK
Center events
Northfield Walk to
Remember
Northfield News
articles
Northfield Library
calendar
Getting the new school year off to a good start
is important for your child in many ways. Help
your family make the transition successfully
with these ideas.
Talk to your children about any fears or wor-
ries they may have about the new school year.
Encourage children to face their fears rather
than running away from them. One good op-
tion: Focus on good experiences from the last
school year and how they can be part of this
school year. Another option: Put encouraging
notes in your child’s lunchbox or book bag
during the first few weeks of school.
Get to know your child’s school and teachers,
if you don’t already. This will help you under-
stand your children’s surroundings and the
transition they’re undergoing.
Keep your children’s backpacks, binders,
lunchboxes or cafeteria money in a central
place in your home. This will help prevent
stress in the mornings when your children are
getting ready for school. Also, allow plenty of
SEPTEMBER LINK CENTER Calendar
Tuesday, September 2
10am-12pm
A representative of the HOPE Center
will be available to talk with clients.
The HOPE Center serves victims of
domestic and sexual violence.
NOTE: CHANGE IN RICE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
DAYS AT THE LINK CENTER.
Every Other Monday
2:30pm-4:30pm
Beginning Monday August 11, 2014, the Public Health Nurse will be coming every other Monday to the LINK Center. If you
have any questions please feel free to call our office at Main Telephone: (507) 332-6111 Toll Free from Northfield: (507) 645-
9576, ext. 6111 Toll Free from Lonsdale: (507) 744-5185, ext. 6111. The remaining days for 2014 are listed below:
September 8 and 22 October 6 and 20
November 3 and 17 December 1, 15 and 29
Thursday, September 11
3 pm-5 pm
City Council member Rhonda Pownell will be availa-
ble to talk with Northfield residents.
Making a Good Back-To-School Transition
MultiCultural Cooking Club!
Sorry ... No Cooking Club this month due to Labor Day. See you in October!
Get Involved with the 2014 Northfield
Walk to Remember
Mark your calendar now to join the Northfield Walk to Remember to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 1 PM from the North-field Retirement Community to Three Links Care Center and back. This wheelchair and stroller-friendly community event is sure to be a rewarding and fun opportunity for every age and will feature entertainment and kids activities.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most-recognized public health crisis fac-ing the nation today and it is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. According to Debbie Eddy, Community Engagement Senior Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, “It is projected that the number of Minnesotans living with Alzheimer’s will in-crease over 36 percent by 2025. To change the tide of these num-bers and to help wipe it out, we are asking people to get involved with this year’s Walk and help make Alzheimer’s disease a local, state and national priority.”
When you participate in Walk to End Alzheimer's, you help sup-port:
24/7 Helpline 1-800-272-3900
Education programs and services
Care consultations with the Alzheimer's Association registered nurse, occupational therapist and social workers
Caregiver support groups
Early stage services
Free educational literature and publications
Employee wellness materials
Healthcare professional training
Medical research
Local and national advocacy
There are several ways to get involved:
Form or join a team, or join as an individual and preregister at www.alz.org. Participants in the Northfield walk should regis-ter under the Owatonna walk. For further instructions or for questions, contact Emily Kerling, 507-664-7353 or [email protected]. Same day registration will begin at 12 noon on 9/21.
Corporate sponsorships - For information about Corporate Sponsorship opportunities please contact Debbie Eddy, 507-289-3950 or [email protected]
In-Kind donations—Please consider donating a product or ser-vice (food, entertainment, prizes, publicity, etc.) from your company and receive recognition in the Walk day program. Contact Emily Kerling, 507-664-7353 or [email protected] for more information.
Volunteer—Help with team and walker recruitment, enter-tainment, food and beverages, raffle donations, registration, logistics, publicity or other tasks. Contact Emily Kerline, 507-664-7353 or [email protected] for more infor-mation.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s®
Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and re-search. Held annually in more than 600 communities nation-wide, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions. The Walk brings to-gether family, friends, caregivers and concerned community members and provides the opportunity to make a difference and provide hope.
Community happenings from the pages of:
Northfield News
There's a lot going in North-
field. Countless opportuni-
ties are available for youth
to get involved and stay ac-
tive.
On Wednesday evening,
Northfield Community Ser-
vices presented the 12th
annual Community Youth
Fairs event.
Various athletic teams and
groups from Northfield
High School as well as
community groups and
clubs gathered at both Em-
maus Church and Bridge-
water Elementary for young
children and their families
to visit.
According to Melissa Bern-
hard, community services
recreation coordinator, the
event is sponsored in part
from a Healthy Community
Initiative grant. E-mail
blasts and advertisements
went out to every family in
the district inviting them to
attend.
Many vendors provided in-
formation on their groups
while others had activities
and treats. NHS football
players hosted a football
toss, Northfield Wrestling
brought a mat for kids to
practice their takedowns on.
There was a face painting
booth and cheerleaders per-
forming.
Pop, hot dogs and chips
were for sale, with the pro-
ceeds going into a scholar-
ship fund that will provide
aid for children to partici-
pate in activities like those
represented on Wednesday
evening.
Tour de SAVE working to reduce
stigma of suicide
Each year when the Suicide Awareness Voice of Education
organization holds the Tour de SAVE, it begins the first mile
of the event in silence as a way to honor those who have taken
their lives through suicide.
But it’s silence surrounding suicide that participants want to
eliminate.
This year marked the 11th year that the ride has taken place.
The ride started in 2003 to honor Nick Sansome, a Northfield
resident and avid bicycling enthusiast, who took his own life.
Participants and Tour de SAVE organizers aim to remove the
stigma with suicide and create a more open dialogue about
suicide and mental health issues.
The SAVE site (www.save.org), along with the organization’s
work, is based on the foundation and belief that suicide should
no longer be considered a hidden or taboo topic and that
through raising awareness and educating the public, lives can
be saved.
Suicide takes the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans every year.
The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression. More than
80 percent of people that seek treatment for depression are
treated successfully.
SAVE was one of the nation’s first organizations dedicated to
the prevention of suicide and was a co-founding member of
the National Council for Suicide Prevention.
Making Livability.com list of Top 10 Small
Towns has people talking in Northfield
Word spread pretty quickly when Northfield made the Liva-
bility.com list of Top 10 Small Towns.
City officials and proud citizens alike walked a little taller,
while the congratulatory remarks spread on Facebook and
Twitter. And all around town, people could be overheard
asking: “Did you hear about Northfield being named No. 2
on the list of best places to live?”
It’s true. It was.
Livability.com named the 2014 Top 10 Small Towns after
editors analyzed more data on micropolitan areas than ever
before, according to the release. They started by looking at
cities with populations under 20,000, then dug into statis-
tics like cost of living, health-care spending, racial and so-
cioeconomic diversity, education, adult obesity, crime, civ-
ic engagement, air quality and natural amenities, to name a
few of the 41 data points.
After narrowing down the list, editors conducted a visual
assessment of the cities and found out what visitors had to
say about them and what residents liked about living there.
After that, Northfield got the nod.
Northfield law enforcement consider use of
overdose antidote
Northfield police officers could have more resources to
save the life of a drug overdose victim, thanks to a bill in-
troduced in the MN House of Representatives and signed
into law May 10.
The law, nicknamed “Steve’s Law” after a resident who
died in a heroin overdose as police officers struggled to
save him, allows law enforcement to carry and administer a
heroin overdose antidote called nalozone (also known by
the brand name Narcan). According to the law, a doctor
must write a standing order for an agency to carry the anti-
dote, and officers must undergo training to learn how to
administer it.
In addition, the law offers some safety from prosecution
for people who call for medical help for a person experi-
encing a drug overdose. Under the law, people who report
drug overdoses are immune from criminal charges such as
possession or use of drugs. This is to encourage people to
call for help when needed without fear of prosecution.
So far, Hennepin County is the only one in the state to take
advantage of the new law, but other counties are watching
and weighing their options.
In Rice County, the sheriff’s department, Faribault and
Northfield Police departments, Rice County Health Coali-
tion and Northfield Hospital Emergency Medical Services
met last Monday to discuss the possibility of equipping
officers with the anti-overdose drug.
Thank You…
to the Northfield News for submitting
articles and photos to the Community
Connections newsletter each month!
Opportunities abound at Northfield
Community Youth Fairs
Progress: Northfield Area Family YMCA on track to open Sept. 3 More than eight years of idea-sharing, hard work and
tireless fundraising has brought the Northfield Area
Family YMCA to the home stretch of its vision of
building a new community gathering space.
Executive director and CEO Virginia Kaczmarek said
construction on the new Northfield YMCA is due to be
completed on schedule, with the doors opening Sept. 3
for those who are Charter members. The walking track
and gymnasium will open the week of Sept. 15, she
said.
Kaczmarek said that local support has been extraordi-
nary as the community has worked together to build a
brand new Y, a facility that will be “a significant com-
munity asset for generations to come.”
The Northfield Y Community Center will include:
• Indoor aquatic center featuring a family play pool,
swim lessons for all ages, lap swimming and water fit-
ness
• Indoor running/walking track (13 times around is a
mile)
• Full-size regulation high school gymnasium
• Community gathering room and supervised Child
Watch center
• Group fitness studio and multipurpose room
The Northfield Arts Guild announced its 55th theater
season this month, including five well-known plays
to ensure this season is a memorable one.
The five plays will be directed by both local and
greater Minnesota directors, and will feature local
actors.
Each year the NAG produces a children’s show, a
drama, a musical and a classical. This season, NAG
will show “The Addams Family — A New Musi-
cal,” “Inspecting Carol,” “MacBeth,” “August:
Osage County” and “Oliver!”.
Ann Mosey, executive director of the Northfield
Arts Guild, said in her six years of being with NAG,
they have focused on a mixed program.
“We have been doing both musicals and drama,” she
said. “But we always make sure we get a kids show
in there because we have so many local actors.”
Many of the local actors go through the Young Peo-
ple’s Theater Workshop that the NAG puts on each
summer. Mosey said with this year being the NAG’s
55th theater season, they wanted to focus on finding
recognizable plays.
“We were really attending to the audience,” Mosey
said. “We have quite a range of shows.”
Here is a list of scheduled shows:
The Addams Family: A New Musical -- Auditions:
Sept. 2 and 3; Rehearsal begins on Sept. 8; Show Dates:
Oct. 24 through 26, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 and Nov. 7
through Nov. 9; Times: Friday and Saturday at 7:30
p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Inspecting Carol -- Dates: Dec. 12 through Dec. 14
and Dec. 19 through Dec. 21; Times: Friday and Satur-
day at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
August: Osage County -- Dates: Feb. 20 through Feb.
22 and Feb. 27 through March 1; Times: Friday and
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Oliver! -- Dates: April 17 through April 19, April 24
through the 26 and May 1 through May 3; Times: Fri-
day and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
MacBeth -- Dates: June 19 through June 21 and June
25 through June 27; Times: 7 p.m.; Located in Central
Park
The Northfield Arts Guild is a nonprofit, community-
based organization which offers classes, performances
and exhibits in visual and literary arts, drama, music
and dance.. The Arts Guild Theater produces 4 to 5
shows a year, including musicals, children’s theater and
classical works.
The Arts Guild office is located at 304 Division Street.
The Arts Guild theater is located at 411 West Third
Street.
Carleton College student looks to tackle
food barriers in Rice County
Low-income families now have access to local produce at a reduced price, thanks to a Carleton College student who teamed
up with Growing Up Healthy to help break down the barriers of food access.
The Farmer to Family program was developed by a Carleton College senior, Tori Ostenso, who has spent the summer focus-
ing on breaking down food access issues in Rice County, including cost, transportation and nutrition education.
It didn’t take Ostenso long to decide where she wanted to use the funds (she received a Phillips Scholarship), as she was al-
ready familiar with local farmers and had a strong interest in food access issues. She has been involved with several agricul-
ture groups on Carleton’s campus including the Carleton organic farm, the gleaning program and FireBellies cooking club.
As part of the gleaning program, members visit local farms to gather produce, after which they donate it to the food shelf.
With the FireBellies cooking club, a group of Carleton students go to the middle school and give cooking demonstrations.
Thanks to these different organizations, deciding on a summer project was simple for Ostenso, with help from Growing Up
Healthy.
“I noticed most of the people who are getting the local produce in Rice County were the upper-class people who could afford
it,” she said.
After getting in touch with the coordinator at Growing Up Healthy, Ostenso discovered there were already events planned for
low-income neighborhoods in Rice County.
Growing Up Healthy Coordinator Leah Eby said she and Ostenso went out and talked with neighborhood leaders to identify a
community need in those neighborhoods.
Northfield Arts Guild announces its 55th theater season
