Student event seeks host families April 9-11
SRRHS is hosting the State Student Council Convention April 9-11 and student council is in desperate need of many families to host students for three days. The deadline is coming up fast and your support is greatly appreciated to make this event a success. If you are able to help, please visit www.isd47.org and click on “Host Families Needed.”
Local parties hold caucuses March 1
Local branches of political parties are holding caucuses across the area at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. Precinct Caucuses are meetings run by Minnesota’s political parties. Generally, they are the first in a series of meetings where parties may endorse candidates, select delegates and discuss their goals and values. In 2016, a major part of caucuses will be for attendees to indicate their choice for the party’s endorsement for President via the presidential preference ballot. In order to participate in a caucus, Minnesotans must be eligible to vote in the November 2016 general election, live in the precinct and generally agree with the principles of the political party hosting the caucus. Minnesotans also have the right to take time off work to be at a precinct caucus or, if you are chosen as a delegate or alternate, a political party convention, but must give their employer 10 days written notice. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor, Green, Independence, Libertarian and Republican parties have all supplied this newspaper with their local caucus locations. For your preferred party’s caucus location, see the community calendar located on page 7 or the Calendar tab on our website, www.thenewsleaders.com.
Brackets For Good begins online fundraiser Feb. 26
From Feb. 26-April 1, Brackets For Good is hosting an online fundraising tournament for Twin Cities and surrounding area nonprofits. Online donations from individuals help nonprofit organizations advance in the Brackets For Good tournament and get one step closer to a $10,000 prize. The organizations compete to out-fundraise their opponents, earning increased exposure along with the chance to win the prize. Nonprofits keep all of the donations received during the tournament. Donations can be made at twincities.bfg.org.
United Way volunteer opportunities
Staff the bookstore
St. Cloud Friends of the Library seeks volunteers primarily for two-hour shifts to help staff the bookstore located in the St. Cloud Library. Current open shifts are mostly from 4-6 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Volunteers are also needed for sorting donated books and other materials, stocking the shelves in the bookstore and determining appropriate prices for the books. Contact Marcia Neely, St. Cloud Friends of the Library, at 320-428-1714 or marciagarden@yahoo.com.
Prepare meals for women’s shelter
Anna Marie’s Alliance is looking for small groups of men and women (teenagers welcome if supervised by an adult) to prepare meals for residents on the weekends. Volunteers will prepare a menu of their choice or one can be selected for them. Time commitment is three hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to eat with the residents. They ask groups try to commit to one shift a month. Anna Marie’s Alliance mission is to provide a safe place for victims of domestic abuse and to achieve systems change that reduces violence. Contact Mackenzie, Anna Marie’s Alliance, at 320-253-6900.
Play bingo
St. Scholastica’s Convent is looking for volunteers to play bingo with residents on Monday mornings from 10-11 a.m. at the convent at 1845 20th Ave. SE, St. Cloud. St. Scholastica Convent is active in diverse ministries throughout the community. The mission of the Volunteer Program focuses on inviting lay people to partner with the nuns in a collaborative effort so they may continue in their ministries. Contact Marina Schlangen OSB, volunteer coordinator at St. Scholastica, at 320-251-2225 or mschlangen@csbsju.edu.
Junior Achievement
Each year, Junior Achievement in the St. Cloud area partners with community volunteers to deliver programs to local classrooms in our schools. By sharing their personal and professional experiences and skills, volunteers help students make the connection between what they are learning in school and what they will need to succeed in work and life. The time commitment is minimal, scheduling is flexible and training is provided. Depending on the age of the students, volunteers make between five and seven visits to their classroom. Each visit lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Volunteers select a local classroom in which they want to work and are provided a packet of materials, which contains detailed lesson plans and hands-on activities to engage the students. As a volunteer you will help local students learn the value of controlling their own financial future, while they acquire the important life skills of communication, teamwork, critical thinking and decision-making. Contact Alli Nepsund, Junior Achievement, at 320-310-2165.
Help in the archives department
The Sisters of St. Benedict’s Monastery is active in diverse ministries throughout the community. It is the vision of the Volunteer Program to be recognized as a source of connecting St. Benedict’s Monastery with the wider community. They are looking for a volunteer to help in their Archives department. This project is very flexible, translating a cursive, handwritten document into a Word document. Contact Sister Jean Schwartz, St. Benedict’s Monastery, at 320-363-7105 or jschwartz@csbsju.edu.
For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or Mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.
