Below are more details from Kirk and Michael Kane, the Sports Program Director for Special Olympics Minnesota. To volunteer or find out more information you can contact Emily Halbur, Volunteer Manager at halbure@somn.org or at 612-604-1274.

message from Kirk:

We need your help volunteers. A charity in our community (Special Olympics Minnesota) desperately needs our help next weekend (Aug. 20-22). Look, what a better way to help YOUR community than helping with sports in the beautiful Minnesota summer. See the e-mail below for instructions. Here’s what I am hoping for from this e-mail

• Coaches: Please forward this on to your student athletes. U of M This will count towards your volunteer hours.
• Student athletes: Those who need hours at school, this will count. Let me know if you need a letter of recommendation as I write a killer letter!
• Business owners: A). Join us. B). If you could post this so your employees can have this opportunity, that would be great!
• All the rest of us: Please come out and help. This is an opportunity to help in our community and we should take advantage of this. If you haven’t before, it will lift your spirits. If you have, well, then you know what I’m talking about.

I love these athletes! Some of my very best friend are Special Olympians. I guarantee if you’ve been to a sporting event I’ve announced,, then you’ve all heard Louie sing the National Anthem. Best male voice I’ve ever heard sing it! Please come out and help! You won’t regret it!

message from Michael:

Family and friends,

I hope you are all enjoying what is left of your summer – if you’re looking for that last chance to get out and enjoy the summer weather, please consider joining me to volunteer for the Special Olympics Minnesota’s 2010 state Fall Games next week. Fall Games will be Aug. 20-22 and includes equestrian, golf, softball and bocce competition so you can have your pick of fun. And there are a variety of kinds of volunteer opportunities as well, everything from selling merchandise, umpping softball, handing out bocce awards or assisting with 9-hole golf competition. You can contact me directly to sign up for a shift, or email Emily Halbur, Volunteer Manager at halbure@somn.org or at 612-604-1274. The events are all here in the Twin Cities so whatever you are interested in you won’t have far to go.

Thank you for your support!

Pastor Luther Dale of Incarnation Church was on hand at the dedication to lead the large group on hand in an opening and closing prayer. Mayor Sandy martin of Shoreview, Habitat for Humanity and Holy Hammers representatives, as well as families of the newly completed Shoreview and other Habitat for Humanity homes were spoke in praise and thanks for efforts put forth by volunteers and the community.

Their tour of Northern Germany is June 16 through July 2 of 2011 and will include stops in Shoreview’s sister city of Einhausen, Cloppenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lubeck, Rostock, Rugen, Binz and Berlin. Registration is open for the trip and prices start at $3645.

An informational meeting at the Shoreview Community Center will be held on Sunday, September 19th at 3:00 pm.

A quick summary flyer and full brochure with registration form for the trip is available online.

The proud new homeowners will be Fetsum Beyene and Enkutatash Areta along with their two children, Mezekir (age 11) and Makida (age 7). They are looking forward to their Habitat home because it will provide them enough room for the whole family and it is affordable. Fetsum works as a surgical support staff person at Abbot North West hospital and as a family they enjoy reading, playing in the yard and getting to know their neighbors. They are from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and they speak English, Amharic and Tigrina.

• Celebrate with Fellow Volunteers from the Holy Hammers, TC Habitat Staff, Friends, and Neighbors
• Tour the Home – Shoreview’s First Habitat Project
• Enjoy Refreshments!

At this ceremony, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity will also dedicate the homes of four additional families who will soon be moving into their homes in various parts of St. Paul. These families are: Bwei Paw & Mu Dah (767 Rose Ave., East), Seinphy Van, (761 Rose Ave., East), Kate Fay, (1054 Blair Ave.), and Tsehay Tamrat, (1114 Livingston Ave.).

Owasso Lane is west off of Rice Street, 1/2 mile south of Highway 694 — just south of the railroad overpass. No parking is allowed on Owasso Lane. Parking options are: Qwest parking lot (about 2 blocks north of Owasso Lane on Rice St.) or on Soo St. or on Rice St. (Use caution because of traffic and avoid residents’ driveways.)

Holy Hammers is an ecumenical partnership of 13 congregations working through Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to help bring affordable housing to our community. The congregations are: Centennial United Methodist (Roseville), Corpus Christi Catholic (Roseville), Christ the King Lutheran (White Bear Lake), Falcon Heights United Church of Christ, Incarnation Lutheran (Shoreview), Lutheran Church of the Resurrection (Shoreview), New Brighton United Church of Christ, North Como Presbyterian (Roseville), Our Savior’s Lutheran (Circle Pines), Presbyterian Church of the Way (Shoreview), Prince of Peace Lutheran (Roseville), St. Michael’s Lutheran (Roseville) and Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran (Shoreview).

Stop by our booth at the Slice of Shoreview – July 23-25. We will have more information about our tour to Germany in 2011.

Reminder, there will not be a SESCA meeting in the month of August. The next regular meeting date is Monday September 13 which is one week later than normal due to the Labor Day holiday.

Ecumen, the largest non-profit corporation operating senior housing in Minnesota is planning a new housing project in Maplewood and is also refinancing their headquarters in Shoreview. Their plan is to utilize revenue bonds issued through the City of Maplewood but in order to do so Shoreview must also authorize the bond issuance.

This practice is not uncommon and has been done before for projects including Presbyterian Homes, Twin City Christian Homes, Northwest YMCA and the original purchase of the Ecumen building in Shoreview.

There are no risks or obligations to the City of Shoreview with the host city approval.

“This is a great way to learn more about another country and culture while hosting a student” said Nancy Mulhern, local coordinator with World Link. “And, it gives families an opportunity to ‘try out’ as hosts for a short period. If interested, families can also volunteer to host a foreign student for longer periods of time.”

This short-term program brings merit-selected students from Serbia to the United States to learn about American society, civic engagement and volunteer service. Mulhern said “These are high school age students who have been awarded scholarships by the US Department of State. These students speak English well and are interested in participating in community and family life.”

The short-term Serbian Youth Leadership Program in April has students engaged in activities during the weekdays and with their host families in the evenings and weekends. World Link furnishes transportation services for students to attend the weekday programs. Families need only to provide a bed, three meals a day and a supportive environment. They do not need to have children who are of high school age in their home already. And a local coordinator maintains contact to ensure a positive experience for both the student and the family.

World Link’s academic year programs (FLEX, A-SMYLE and YES) run from August to May or June. Students come from Russia, the former countries of the Soviet Union, Afghanistan and SE Europe. Mulhern explained that the families can select the student they wish to host by reviewing student essays and file information. Families may host for the entire academic year or for half of the year. Students become a part of the family and enroll in the local high school. World Link covers the cost of school supplies and fees.

Mulhern said that this exchange benefits both the students and the participating families. She quoted one local family as saying “It just became a situation where she was a part of our family”

For more information or to participate, call Mulhern at 612.388.6701 or email to MNworldlink@gmail.com.