Just a restructuring

To the Editor:

In the legal notices of the Sentinel, there has been a notice that says Martin County Youth for Christ is dissolving. This has caused some to have misconceptions of what is/has been happening.

1. Martin County Youth for Christ is still alive and well. We went through a restructuring to implement some major cost-saving measures.

2. We joined with several other similar programs across southern Minnesota to use the economies of scale to save each of us thousands of dollars each year. In order for this to happen, we all are part of South Central Minnesota Youth for Christ. Once this was up and functioning well, the old corporation/entity of Martin County Youth for Christ Inc. had to go away. This is what the notice is speaking of.

3. As part of South Central Minnesota Youth for Christ, we still operate as Martin County Area Youth for Christ. This last year, we averaged seeing 300 to 350 different kids every week between our breakfast clubs and the Lighthouse, our drop-in center next to Jake’s Pizza in downtown Fairmont. We also have several camp-type ministries going on this summer.

4. Another misconception is that because our bookkeeping is now handled in Albert Lea, the money raised here does not stay here. It does go through the books over there, but then it goes directly into the Martin County account. It is not used elsewhere.

5. The changes we have made save Martin County Area at least $30,000 each year. For a non-profit organization, this is huge; and it means that we have more resources to use to reach more young people.

I would invite any and all questions about Youth for Christ. I can be reached at (507) 235-6016.

We also have an advisory board of local people who could also answer any concerns you may have. Those folks include Bob Engman, Linda Goraczkowski, Cheryl Hamp, Lisa Olson, and Catherine Gladfelter.

Chuck Rudolph, area director,

Martin County Youth for Christ

Fairmont

City Band grateful

To the Editor:

The Fairmont City Band has just finished a successful 2019 season and that would not be possible without the assistance of many groups and individuals.

We’d like to thank the city of Fairmont and the Parks Department for their financial support and help with the band shell and Sylvania Park; the Fairmont Area Schools music department for the use of its music and equipment, and the maintenance department for help with hauling items back and forth to the park; the Interlaken Heritage Days Committee for providing the concession stand; Wal-Mart for its donation to our potluck supplies; those individuals who worked behind the scenes to set up before and put equipment away after the concerts; our director, Bev Tenney, for the copious amount of work she does to make things run smoothly and help the band produce excellent music; the appreciative audiences; and, last but not least, the 60-plus band members who shared their time and musical talents each week.

We feel very fortunate to be able to perform in the Sylvania Park band shell and hear many comments from band and audience members about what a great structure and asset to the community it is. As planning and budgeting goes forward for needed maintenance and repairs, we look forward to enjoying this wonderful venue for years to come.

Jennifer Tow

and Fairmont City Band

board of directors