by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Two long-time Sartell residents, Lint Edgerly and Tom Offerdahl, were honored by the Sartell Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards banquet April 26 at Mulligan’s Event Center in Sartell.
Edgerly was named Retired Volunteer of the Year, and Offerdahl was selected as Sartell Citizen of the Year.
At the banquet, House of Pizza was named Business of the Year. (For more on that award, see separate story in May 4 edition of the Sartell Newsleader.)
Edgerly
Lint Edgerly has worked long and hard both on senior issues and community projects to improve the quality of life in Sartell.
He was one of the founders of the Sartell Senior Connection and has served on that organization’s board for the past four years.
Edgerly is also a member of Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, which is a partnership between the Sartell Police Department and senior residents of Sartell.
Edgerly has also volunteered, year after year, to help at Sartell SummerFest, River Bat baseball games, the Senior Expo, the Chamber of Commerce Community Showcase and many other activities involving Edgerly’s membership in the American Legion of Sartell. He is also a member of the tri-county Community Emergency Response Team and the volunteer agency known as RSVP.
As a member of the Sartell Volunteer Firefigher’s Association, Edgerly has been instrumental in helping fund or create many projects, including the refurbishment of a playground firetruck as a monument to all Sartell-LeSauk firefighters, past and present.
One recent success in which Edgerly played a big role was the all-grades, all-years reunion of the old Sartell School (grades K-8), which happened last year. He was also instrumental in helping the Sartell Senior Connection sponsor the popular annual Lemonade and Laughter event for the public.
Edgerly enjoys working for the “Fall Prevention Program” for which he visits homes and apartments to check for hazards that could cause nasty falls for the elderly or the physically disabled.
Edgerly’s wife, Carol, is also a very active volunteer and assists her husband with many of his pet volunteer projects.
Edgerly thanked the Chamber for the award, which was given to him by last year’s honoree, Judy Morgan.
Offerdahl
Tom Offerdahl, the business manager for St. Francis Xavier Parish, has been involved with virtually every aspect of what makes Sartell a quality city.
“Tom does not count the cost but gives of his talents with joy,” said Sister Cordelia Korkowski, Order of St. Francis, who nominated Offerdahl for the “Citizen of the Year” honor. “He is friendly, knows how to be inclusive and is inviting and helpful in his interactions as a volunteer. He is proud to be a citizen of Sartell and looks for opportunities to make Sartell a safer, healthier and better community for all.”
Offerdahl, the current president of the LeSauk Lions Club, is a deputy Grand Knight of the Bishop Trobec Knights of Columbus Council. He teaches religious education at St. Francis Xavier Parish and coordinates the parish’s annual Fall Festival. As a church member, he is also a parish lector, usher, greeter, Eucharistic minister and audio-visual technician. He arranged that all buildings in the parish grounds should have defibrillators. In 2009, Offerdahl was honored with a Lifesaving Award from the Sartell Police Department for helping save the life of a parishioner who suddenly went into cardiac arrest.
Offerdahl’s friends and acquaintances greatly value his willingness to help with all things technical. He has spent countless hours helping church officials and others with computer problems.
Among his other volunteer achievements: A member of the Diabetes Center’s advisory board at CentraCare Health Systems, a former Boy Scout den leader, active in the Junior Achievement program, volunteer for Sartell SummerFest, a Polar Plunge participant for the Special Olympics and a member of the Community Emergency Response Team for Stearns and Benton counties.
Offerdahl was praised for his fun-loving, good sense of humor and his talents as an open-minded good listener.
Last year’s winner, John Kokula, presented Offerdahl with his award.