July 25

Music in the Park at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 31 features Ring of Kerry in Pinecone Central Park, 1105 Central Park Blvd., Sartell. This event is free.

 

MN Bluegrass, Old-Time Fest ticket giveaway

The Newsleaders has a limited amount of FREE tickets to the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Fest, a four-day music and camping festival Aug. 7-10 at El Rancho Manana, Richmond. The event includes 30 hours of live concerts; contests, crafts and games; 20 hands-on workshops; new groups on the Young Talent Stage; and dozens of food and merchant booths in the Marketplace Area. For tickets, please email news@thenewsleaders.com with your name, phone number and amount of tickets requested or like the Newsleaders on Facebook by Wednesday, Aug. 6. Your name will be placed in a drawing and winners will be notified via email no later than noon Thursday, Aug. 7.
Lindbergh State Park to host archaeology talk

Archaeologists from St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State Parks will be at Charles A. Lindbergh State Park on Saturday July 26 to present a special program about the archaeology they conducted at the Little Elk Unit of the park earlier this summer. The site explored by the archaeologists was an early Christian Mission that was established among the Ojibwe people who lived along the Mississippi River just north of  present-day Little Falls. This village was led by the influential leader Hole-in-the-Day, who invited Methodist Episcopal church leaders to establish a mission there in 1839. Tensions between the Ojibwe and Dakota forced the mission to relocate to Rabbit Lake in 1841. Although the mission was there for a short time, the site holds potential to answer important questions about a pivotal time in Minnesota’s history. The program will begin at 7 p.m. at the park’s picnic shelter. Included will be a slide talk and a look at artifacts uncovered in the excavations. The program is free of charge and open to the public. A vehicle permit is required to enter Minnesota State Parks. Vehicle permits may be purchased at the park office. For more information, call Charles A. Lindbergh State Park at 320-532-3269.

 

Back to School collection to benefit local kids

Financial gifts to purchase supplies can be mailed to your local Salvation Army or to the Salvation Army Northern Division, 2445 Prior Ave., Roseville, Minn. 55113.  Please note the donation is for school supplies.

The Salvation Army Northern Division has been serving Minnesota and North Dakota communities since 1886. Today the Northern Division serves in all 140 counties of both states, providing food, shelter, clothing, youth programs and other critical services to more than 480,000 people per year. To volunteer with the Salvation Army or make a donation, call 651-746-3400 or toll free at 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769). Find us on social media at Facebook.com/SalvationArmyNorth and Twitter at @salarmynorth.

United Way Volunteer OpportunitiesWalk Across the World celebrates different cultruesHands Across the World invites you to Walk Across the World. This is a community celebration scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 4:30-8:30 pm in Wilson Park. This is an exciting cultural event featuring, history and language of different countries. There will be games, music, and vendors. Volunteer assistance is needed with setting up for the event, directing the crowd, distributing water, and more! Have fun and learn about other cultures and gain experience with event planning. Contact Benedicte, Hands Across the World, at 320-224-0921.

Take a Day off on the Mississippi River

Take a Day OFF (Outdoor Family Fun) on the Mississippi River kicked off in August 2009, making this our 6th annual event.  This event is a partnership between Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and MN DNR to host a day of FREE Outdoor Family Fun, where people can get hands-on instructions in a variety of outdoor activities.  In years past they average 1000-1200 in attendance and offer over 30 different learning stations.  This truly is a fun filled day for both attendants and volunteers.  This Year’s Event Details: Saturday, August 2nd, 2014, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Stearns County Mississippi River Park (41300 CR 1, Rice, MN 56367). Contact Katie Winkelman, Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District, at 320-251-7800 x161.

Health insurance counselor

Help individuals make informed decisions about their health insurance and connect individuals with available resources. Responsibilities include assisting Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers to understand their benefits, review and explain health insurance and available government programs, assist with payment of medical bills and Medicare claims, explore ways to lower prescription drug costs, complete applications, forms and other paperwork. They are currently seeking volunteers in the St. Cloud, Rural Stearns County, Benton County, Brainerd, Wadena County, and Wright County areas.  The Core Body of Knowledge Training for all new Health Insurance Counseling Volunteers is coming up on September 17, 24 and 26th from 9am-3:30pm at the Central MN Council on Aging office, 1301 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud, MN 56301. Contact Brenda, Central Minnesota Council on Aging, at 800-333-2433 to register.

Grow our communities in a meaningful way: become a tutor.Tutors are needed to help children and youth succeed in school by giving them the extra support they need to read. Minnesota Reading Corps—the nation’s largest state AmeriCorps program—trains tutors to impact students in schools across Minnesota. We are looking to place more than 1,000 tutors in schools across Minnesota to commit a year of service and change the world of struggling students. As a tutor, you will implement research-based strategies to help children believe in themselves and succeed in reading by the end of third grade. You will receive training, a living allowance about $484 (full-time, an education award of up to $5,645 and the reward of making a real impact in your community. Tutors who are 55 or older may choose to transfer their education award to a child, grandchild or foster child. Give a year of service to grow our communities. Apply today to become a tutor! Visit www.MinnesotaReadingCorps.org. Strong preference is given to tutors who can start serving Aug. 10. Send questions to recruitment@servemnaction.org.

RSVP…your invitation to serve

RSVP is a volunteer program for men and women age 55 and better offering a variety of one-time and on-going volunteer opportunities within 220 local human service organizations.  With RSVP, volunteers choose how and where they want to serve. They choose the amount of time they want to give. And they choose whether they want to draw on current skills or develop new ones. Volunteers can utilize optional mileage reimbursement through RSVP. Contact RSVP at 320-255-7295 or visit www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/RSVP.

For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at (320) 223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.