Live for Others - Healthy Community Award

On April 10, the Olmsted County Public Healthy Department presented the 2007 Live for Others - Healthy Community Awards. The County Board room was packed full of Olmsted County citizens, from youth to seniors.

RNeighbors was happy to be both a nominator and a nominee!

We nominated Mary Clark, from the Meadow Park Neighbors Association. Mary was a neighborhood leader in our Fall 2006 NeighborWalks program. She is passionate about walking and physical activity. Using this energy and drive she encouraged the young kids who came each Tuesday night and often became the group leader. She was a treat to work with and made the weekly walks fun; now she can't wait for the next NeighborWalks session to start in Fall of 2007!

RNeighbors was nominated for our NeighborWalks program. We gladly accepted this nomination but would like to point out that the success of the program is thanks to the neighbors who came out each week to enthusiastically walk and get to know each other.

Below is text from the program for the awards ceremony. There were so many amazing citizens and groups that were recognized. Olmsted County is a better place thanks to the caring people in our community.

Olmsted County Live for Others - Healthy Community Award
In memory of Dr. Lyle Weed

Dr. Lyle Weed (1904-1983) was an accomplished microbiologist, an outstanding humanitarian and an exemplary, productive volunteer throughout his life. After his retirement from Mayo Clinic and Mayo Graduate School, Dr. Weed was a volunteer for ten years at Olmsted County Public Health Services. He devoted his time and expertise to improve people’s lives. Dr. Weed lived by his motto, “Live for Others.” Therefore the “Live for Others” award was established in his memory to recognize individuals and groups in the community who live to improve people’s lives in Olmsted County.

2007 Live for Others - Healthy Community Award Recipients

• Denny Breza – Individual Category Award Recipient
  Denny Breza is the reason the NAMI Olmsted County Warmline exists today. The NAMI Warmline is a mental health peer support telephone line. The Warmline offers support and reduces the isolation many callers with mental illness experience as a result of the prevailing stigma around mental illness. Denny is a role model to people with mental illness through his encouraging words and optimistic outlook on life. In addition, he devotes his time to train numerous Warmline volunteers on how to help callers through any situation. Through Denny’s excellent supervision, the number of Warmline callers has increased and it continues to improve the lives of those struggling with mental illness.

• IMAA Community Health Workers – Group Category Award Recipient
  Dahabo Ahmed, Mary Lako, Sheena Loth, Ambrose Magaya and Ana Velazquez are the five community health workers at IMAA. In 2006, the community health workers juggled multiple jobs, their families and a 16-credit RCTC community health workers certificate program. All of them graduated in October 2006. The community health workers have individualized ways of improving the health and wellness of people in Olmsted County. Dahabo assists hundreds of Somali clients on how to find dental services and transportation to appointments. Mary teaches Sudanese women about stress management, personal safety and other health issues. Sheena teaches Cambodian clients the process to refill prescriptions and the importance of taking their medications. Ambrose is a Sudanese community health worker with the unique gift of working with people from all cultures. He teaches his clients how to access various health care services. Lastly, Ana’s passion is to reduce childhood obesity in the Hispanic community. She teaches her clients about nutrition and encourages them to exercise. In 2006, the IMAA community health workers made about 900 client visits and improved people’s lives in Olmsted County.
• Dana Hernandez – Youth Category Award Recipient
  Dana Hernandez is an outstanding student and role model to the youth community. This past year Dana participated in the Great American Smoke Out, Walk to School and testified at the final hearing to pass the expanded county-wide smoking ban. Dana is an example to youth that you can be an advocate at any age and that your voice can make a difference.
• Teen Council – Special Recognition Award Recipient
  The Rochester Teen Council is a group of highly-motivated teens who encourage healthy relationships by serving as role models, educating their peers and participating in community service projects. Teen Council members are Whitney Barthelme, Matthew Chase, Emily Egersdorf, AmberLee Hoye, Leland McKeeman, Dianera Montes, Christina Mulee and Diana Rios-Rodriguez. Over the 2006-2007 school year, Teen Council spent over 100 hours training, taught on health-related issues to about 1,700 youth and organized the Get Out the Vote campaign. In addition to teaching, this spring they will work with their legislators at the state capitol to make sure teen voices are heard on important issues.

All Other Nominees

• Joan Bachman is an ESL teacher, department head, diversity committee head and compassionate adult. In addition, Joan works tirelessly to help students learn important life skills and receive proper health services.
• Jan Bailey is a counselor at State Services for the Blind in Rochester. Jan is an advocate for children and provides support & direction to families to help their children become productive members of the community and reach their full potential.
• Darald Bothun is a longtime Rochester Public School elementary teacher and cross-country running and skiing coach. Darald doesn’t just coach a sport, he is well-known for caring for individuals and building team spirit. Darald is the co-founder of the Med-City Kid’s Run, which motivates youth to run a marathon.
• Mary Clark is a passionate advocate for physical activity, member and neighborhood leader of the RNeighbors - NeighborWalks program. Mary is a volunteer and neighborhood leader who helped recruit, promote, and implement this program. She serves as a role model for community engagement and healthy living.
• Cumulus Broadcasting—Tom Garrett & Tracy McCray are outstanding supporters for public health. They arrange interviews on their shows to discuss public health issues, such as the county-wide smoking ban or volunteer their own personal time to help. They are outstanding role models for other broadcasters.
• Golden Hill School CEC staff provide seamless service to students who continue their education during pregnancy and increase the student’s chances of obtaining a high school diploma. CEC staff positively impact the health of the students and their children by providing health education and parenting skills.
• Ann Haddorff is the designer of the Chateau Ste Giverny for the elderly. Ann has a passion to help the elderly live out their lives in a loving environment surrounded by music, laughter, people and beauty. She is an advocate for the elderly and a role model on how we should provide end-of-life care.
• Hawthorne Health Services (Mary Pat Jewison, Dr. Marilynn Olney, Kathy Orth, Dr. Jenny Rho, & Lisa Schnepper). This group dedicates their time and expertise to teach health literacy so students can navigate through the complex medical system and receive the medical services needed to improve their lives.
• Henrietta Hemmesch is a school social worker with ISD 535. She helps countless students access resources for housing, food, legal services, financial and other educational opportunities. She is a role model in caring for adolescents and a mentor to those who work with her professionally.
• Pat Horlocker is an advocate and American Cancer Society volunteer who spends countless hours educating the community on the dangers of secondhand smoke. She is a leader in Olmsted County and throughout the state of Minnesota advocating for this very important public health issue.
• Dr. Young J. Juhn has narrowed the gap between the academic institution and community through his advocacy for community-based pediatric education and community-based research. Dr. Juhn developed a community-based pediatric education curriculum that is an important part of pediatric education at Mayo Clinic.
• Andy & Peggy Kilen are the founders of Network for Re-Entry which began with the idea of providing weekly support and prayer groups for people released from jail back into the community. The program has flourished into providing temporary housing, medical care assistance, food, clothing and mentorship.
• Kandace Lackore serves as the coordinator of the Oasis Church food shelf distribution ministry in partnership with Channel One. She oversees and coordinates the program which helps about 50 families per month obtain food on the north-side of town.
• MADD Victim Impact Panel share their stories with DWI offenders and encourage them to make healthy decisions in the future by not driving while impaired by alcohol. This group helped to successfully lobby in many states to change the minimum drinking age and pass the Federal Zero Tolerance Law.
• Christina Mansicka is a volunteer at her church in a program called Kids Hope. She meets with a child identified by the school as in need of special help and provides tutoring. Christina developed a children’s summer outreach program which reaches out to minority children and their families in the church neighborhood.
• Tracey McGuire goes beyond the call of duty and is always willing to volunteer her time. Her motto is, “We all do better when we all do better.” She is one of the founding volunteers of the on-line Y Auction and she raised more money than any other volunteer for the 2006 Strong Kids Campaign.
• Olmsted County Maternal & Child Health Advisory Committee maintains and strengthens the partnership among public/private sector professionals and consumers. This committee is committed to improving maternal and child health through the Healthy Moms & Healthy Babies Campaign and other committees.
• RNeighbors - NeighborWalks Program helps create access to physical activity in the community and encourages fitness and social connectedness in neighborhoods. Last year there were over 200 NeighborWalks participants ranging from youth to senior citizens.
• SAT (Student Action Team) - Dover Eyota High School applies early intervention and prevention principles. They never look at any child as a lost cause and focus on how to help students reach their full potential.
• Robert Sawyer is the Associate Director of Olmsted County Community Services, Child and Family Services. During his tenure he has exhibited exceptional leadership and advocacy. He has made significant contributions toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect in Olmsted County.
• Mary K. Trent has worked in the area of helping others since the 1970’s. She has worked in the areas of Community Action and as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker at Mayo Clinic in the Psychiatric Social Services Department. Mary is an educator and serves as a role model for all social workers.
• Jay Youmans is a tremendous supporter and champion for the tobacco-free policies. Jay has met and challenged elected officials to increase their understanding and support for these issues. Jay has testified at committee meetings, sent letters to the editor and chaired the local citizens tobacco control committee.