Get Involved

Volunteer, connect to the community, serve locally

Is your family curious about other countries and cultures? Whether your family is small or large, with children young or old, you might be just right for hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange student this year; all it takes is a desire to welcome someone to your community and home. 

Have you ever panted past the Headley House during a run on the Carleton College campus and wondered who lived there? Maybe you happened upon the Marston Headley Research Room while investigating the Northfield Historical Society and wondered why a library research room would be named for anyone?

For students, the news headlines say it all: College costs too much.  This has been the way of the academic world for decades. But a college education has been held up to be their future hope for job and success. What are they to do now? The current Covid-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions at all levels to change their classroom protocols from casual face-to-face to virtual instruction and to think outside the educational box.

What do these names have in common: Paul Bunyan --Tater Tot Hotdish -- Luke Skywater -- Drainy McDrainface? They are all names of Minnesota Storm Drains, also known as Catch Basins. These particular catch basins are part of a community volunteer program called Adopt-A-Drain.

Make it local. Make it Northfield. Enjoy a walk along the Cannon River and the sights, smells, and sounds of this year’s Fall Celebration Market October 9 at Bridge Square. Check out the new vendors for this special event and greet your favorite regulars.

It has been said that the only thing that you can count on is change. And so it is in Northfield. The latest winds of change swept over two elementary schools—Sibley and Longfellow. In October 2020, the school board considered changes in policy regarding the naming of school buildings and facilities.

Many non-profits and charities see a surge in seasonal donations and interest in volunteering around the holidays. Northfield is no exception. Please consider how you can be a part of some great local causes and volunteer your time this year.

Living in Northfield is non-stop excitement. It is an active community for all ages where ideas bring all members of the community to life. There's something for everyone, and at Northfield Shares a Dinner, there was food for 1000+ people.

I've been a member of Northfield Rotary Club since 2017. A few months ago they put me in charge of the Youth Exchange program, one of the strongest passions of our local club.

It's getting greener out there every day, and you can green up too! Earth day is a great reminder of all that our community is doing, (to steal a popular slogan), to "live responsibly by nature". But we can always be doing more. I know I can and this year I am redoubling my efforts to figure out which plastics go in recycling and which ones I shouldn't be acquiring in the first place.