Names and notables

Edie Schmierbach, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Apr. 11—St. Peter Public Library

Leticia Snow, assistant library supervisor at St. Peter Public Library, will participate in the Association for Rural and Small Libraries Outstanding in Their Field Leadership Institute. She was selected to be part of the group of 30 library professionals from around the country, who in August will begin engaging in residential, online and conference experiences spanning 18 months.

ARSL's Leadership Institute is unique because its students are selected from only small and/or rural libraries. Often these are "accidental librarians" who have no formal education in librarianship and few local resources for library-specific professional development.

The program is funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Science. Key priorities for this institute are to develop strong rural and small library leaders, give them tools to strengthen the communities they serve, and empower them to add their voices to national conversations about libraries.

Fuel Your School

Nicollet Public Schools recently was picked as one of 55 winners in Hy-Vee Inc.'s Fuel Your School Sweepstakes.

Throughout January, customers participated in the sweepstakes that provided donations of up to $500 for schools within Hy-Vee's eight-state region.

Brown County Historical Society

A Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grant for $8,982 was awarded to Brown County Historical Society in New Ulm. The funds will be used to inventory, catalog and photograph objects housed in the Brown County Museum's artifact storage spaces.

This project is the second phase of a five-year comprehensive inventory of the 16,000 artifacts in BCHS' artifact collection.

FFA Hall of Fame

Two area residents have been named to the Minnesota FFA Alumni Association and Foundation's Hall of Fame.

Michael Dove, of New Ulm, and Mary Hoffmann, of Sleepy Eye, were recognized for their contributions and service to agriculture/agribusiness, to education in agriculture and to FFA.

Dove and Hoffmann were among nine 2021 inductees introduced March 6 during the organization's annual meeting.

Zonta Club of Mankato

Amelia Lawver, of Garden City, a student at Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial High School, recently was named the recipient of the Zonta Club of Mankato's 2021 Young Women in Public Affairs Award.

In addition to the $500 local scholarship, Lawver is now eligible for Zonta International scholarships.

The goal of the YWPA Award program is to encourage young women to participate in public affairs by recognizing a young woman's commitment to the volunteer sector, evidence of volunteer leadership achievements and a dedication to the empowerment of women.

Twin Valley Council

Twin Valley Council Boy Scouts of America's Scouting for Food annual campaign in March collected the equivalent of almost 67,000 pounds of food for 24 separate food shelves throughout 15 counties in south-central Minnesota.

Donation totals for area communities are:

Cleveland — 633 pounds of food and $50.

Gaylord — 871 pounds of food (no cash donations).

Janesville — 984 pounds of food and $45.

Lafayette/Winthrop — 211 pounds of food and $240.

Lake Crystal — 1,380 pounds of food and $20.

Mankato — 10,032 pounds of food and $575.

New Ulm — 4,900 pounds of food and $705.

St. James — 1,288 pounds of food and $10.

St. Peter — 2,875 pounds of food and $100.

Waseca — 2,373 pounds of food and $260.

Wells/Bricelyn — 950 pounds of food and $20.

State appointments

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan recently announced appointments to state councils and boards.

Jamie Swenson, of Kasota, was reappointed to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council for a four-year term ending Jan. 6, 2025.

The council makes recommendations to the legislature on appropriations of money from the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

Chandra Petersen, of Kasota, was named southeast advisory committee representative to the Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. Her term expires Jan. 1, 2024.