Northern Highlights: Your gifts are fuel
Oct 16, 2015
We are proud to showcase the extraordinary people and programs of The Salvation Army in Minnesota and North Dakota in this, the 2015 edition of Northern Highlights magazine.
Your donations to The Salvation Army are the fuel behind these incredible stories: A man’s remarkable recovery after 15 years of heavy drug and alcohol abuse. A single mother with three children goes from homeless to thriving. Staff and volunteers in the North Dakota boomtowns of Minot and Williston are serving hundreds more people due to plunging oil prices.
There’s plenty more. Find the full collection of stories below, or view a digital copy of the magazine.
Thank you for helping The Salvation Army do the most good.
Stop the insanity: Man’s 15-year drug rampage ends at The Salvation Army
Young Casey Koerner tested out of his high school’s sophomore curriculum. College scouts came to watch him play soccer. He was, by all accounts, an exemplary young man. Then, he tried drugs. By the end of his sophomore year, he had dropped out of high school and was living with a drug dealer in a trailer park.
A ‘shale’ of two cities: Plunging oil prices test Salvation Army locations in Minot, Williston
Hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – allows oil companies to extract petroleum and natural gas from oil shale. The technology has transformed western North Dakota into a veritable gold rush. But plunging oil prices have slowed progress. Suddenly, The Salvation Army’s operation centers in Minot and Williston are busier than ever helping a new group of people: those laid off amid the economic downturn.
St. Cloud businesses sponsor meals at dizzying pace
Businesses in St. Cloud, Minn., are lining up to sponsor The Salvation Army’s “PhilanthroFEED” program, which allows organizations to purchase entire community meals for as little as $250 and serve the food themselves. “There are very few charities where you can directly hand out your donation to the people benefitting from it,” said Jim Muellenbach, PhilanthroFEED director.
Lost mom finds her way on ‘Pathway of Hope’
Dawn Lasserre’s life in Hibbing, Minn., was in shambles. Then she enrolled in a new Salvation Army initiative called Pathway of Hope, which provides long-term, one-on-one support for struggling families. Today, Dawn and her daughter are doing wonderfully.
Young DQ owner sweet on giving to The Salvation Army
Longtime Salvation Army supporter Dave Frauenshuh is one of Minnesota’s most prominent commercial real estate developers. His son, Matt Frauenshuh, owner of 164 Diary Queen Grill & Chill restaurants, has also grown up to become a successful businessman and ardent Salvation Army supporter.
Four years later, formerly homeless family thriving
It was October 2011. Tanya Barkhausen and her two young sons had just lost their home. Tanya had been battling three debilitating afflictions: 1. Cancer. 2. Mental health issues. 3. A serious back injury. The family wound up in Salvation Army shelter, where a social worker helped them chart a new course.
In Rochester, the doctor will see you now
The Salvation Army operates a fully functioning medical clinic and pharmacy in Rochester, Minn., thanks to the financial and volunteer backing of world-renowned Mayo Clinic. Last year, nearly 200 medical volunteers provided healthcare to 700 people during 1,320 visits, and filled 3,700 prescriptions.
Couple proves giving yields dividends … and vice versa
The E. Lake St. Salvation Army in Minneapolis has new tables and chairs thanks to donors Pat and Dave Teskey. But the Teskeys didn’t purchase the furniture by writing a check. They give in a way that not everybody realizes is an option: donating stock.
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community.
