Healthy Community Initiative

The horrific shootings of State Representative Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, State Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette, have left us saddened and shaken. Violence has no place in our community. We send the Hortman family our condolences and join people across Minnesota in grieving a strong leader and champion for youth voice and […]

By Martha Lundin as a Guest Columnist for the Northfield News For the last four years, I worked with high school students as Healthy Community Initiative’s youth engagement coordinator. I am a youth worker. I became a youth worker by accident. Accident in the way that I did not aspire in high school to become a […]

Diplomas, scholarships, college acceptances — seniors in the TORCH program had many reasons to celebrate in the final weeks and months of their education at Northfield Public Schools. Thirty two out of the 33 TORCH seniors graduated on time with the Class of 2025, for a 97% graduation rate! TORCH Senior Manager Tessa Kiesow said […]

A new childcare center opened in Faribault last week, marking the result of a year-long partnership between Healthy Community Initiative and Faribault Cares. Little Scholars Academy will serve 77 children from infant to school-age. It’s located at 550 Wilson Avenue and is the second Faribault location for Little Scholars, which also has a facility at […]

Cheers to Growing Up Healthy! The HCI program recently received a Seed Coalition 2025 Presidents’ Community Partner Award, which celebrates individuals and organizations who have meaningfully improved a community’s quality of life through collaboration with a college or university. Growing Up Healthy was nominated by Seed Coalition member St. Olaf College. Seed Coalition consists of 40+ […]

Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) is celebrating National Prevention Week (May 11-17) by recognizing the efforts of local prevention champions. The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition recently presented 2025 Prevention Champion awards to David Aase, principal broker and founder of Revival Commercial Real Estate; Gabbie Carlander, Community School Coordinator at Faribault High School; Daryl […]

The Northfield Community College Collaborative is an HCI program that offers in-person and online community college classes, tutoring, career planning assistance, and other support to anyone who has graduated from high school or has a GED. Sign up now for summer and fall classes! Summer Session: 4-Week Global Studies Course! The deadline for summer registration […]

Originally published March 11, 2025 by Carleton College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement The Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) partners with schools and organizations for our Community-Based Work Study (CBWS) program, providing students with opportunities to engage with the Rice County community through their work-study positions. One CBWS job is tutoring with […]

Highlights from HCI’s 2025 Community Breakfast More than 250 guests gathered in St. Olaf College’s Buntrock Commons Ballroom on Wednesday, April 9, for HCI’s annual Community Breakfast. HCI’s staff and board, along with friends, community leaders, and longtime and recent supporters of HCI, enjoyed breakfast and celebrated the transformational impact HCI-supported programs are having on […]

By Colton Kemp for the Northfield News Northfielder Nikita Geissler hopes to soon be promoted to house manager at A Way Out Sober Living in Northfield. There was a significant skill he was lacking experience with however — administering naloxone. Naloxone, often referred to as the brand name “Narcan,” is what’s called an opioid antagonist, […]