By Tina Snell, Staff Writer
The Little Falls Community High School (LFCHS) students, alongside community members, will participate in the first annual “Day of Caring,” Wednesday, May 11.
Principal Tim Bjorge, through his connection with the Wadena School District, first heard about the effort to spruce up a city in the spring with Detroit Lakes’ annual Day of Caring.
“When I worked in Wadena, I heard that Detroit Lakes has over 3,000 participants who spend a day cleaning up the town. I thought it was a great idea for students to give back to their community,” he said.
Last year, Bjorge, along with other members of the school and the student council, went to Detroit Lakes to observe how the city went about the project.
“Our student council came back with strong feelings on having a ‘Day of Caring’ in Little Falls,” said Bjorge. “I decided to pursue the idea.”
During a school lyceum in February, Bjorge told the student body about the project.
“I have heard nothing but positive comments from my students, community leaders, business owners and service clubs,” he said. “They all want to join in.”
The students involved will be wearing T-shirts advertising the event. Bjorge has implemented a design contest with the winner receiving a cash prize.
The event will have high school students raking and doing minor landscaping projects at Little Falls’ resident’s homes and in the city parks and community properties. The target area will be within a two-mile radius of the LFCHS and Dr. S.G. Knight Elementary School in Randall. The target customer will be senior citizens and those with physical disabilities.
Applications are required and they can be picked up from local churches, the Little Falls Senior Center, Coborn’s, the Healthy Communities Collaborative (HCC) office and the Little Falls Carnegie Library. They are also available at the LFCHS and in this issue of the Record. The forms must be returned to HCC by April 18.
Partnering with the LFCHS for the “Day of Caring” are Camp Ripley and the National Guard, HCC, Spectrum Printing, the city of Little Falls and Coborn’s.
Garbage bags have been donated by the city and the cost to have city pick-up is eligible to use Select Committee On Recycling and the Environment funds, granted to Morrison County from the state of Minnesota.
Donations have been rolling in from local groups and there are grants pending. Several service clubs have told Bjorge they would like to be involved the day of the event.
“When I told my students that the Little Falls community had generously given over $200,000 in scholarships and grants, they wholeheartedly agreed to participate in a ‘Day of Caring to give back,’” he said.
For more information, call the LFCHS at (320) 616-2200.
