2024

The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition has recognized three individuals and one group as 2024 Prevention Champions. They are: Toby Anderson, Recovery Care Coordinator with HealthFinders Collaborative; John Sherwin, Chief of Police for the City of Faribault; Eric Swan McDonald, Science Teacher at the Northfield Public Schools Area Learning Center (ALC); and the Recovery Staff at the Community Action Center.

The recipients were recognized for their significant contributions in reducing risk factors for alcohol and drug use, supporting recovery, promoting mental health and well-being, and/or building assets for our youth and other community members.

  • Toby Anderson tirelessly serves Northfield youth who are dealing with chemical dependency, said Kelli Podracky, director of the Northfield Union of Youth (the Key). “I am so grateful to have him as a community partner, working alongside him with
    several cases, leaning on and learning from his expertise,” she said.
  • John Sherwin has championed the Police Assisted Recovery and Deflection (PARD) program for the last several years and was instrumental in launching the program in 2023, said Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott. “John has pushed the program within his own organization and community and has
    been highly engaged on statewide and national efforts of police-led recovery. He has attended numerous meetings and talked with countless stakeholders to ensure program support,” Elliott said. “He has also spoken at regional conferences encouraging other communities to look at creating partnerships to assist in addressing Substance Use Disorder and has spread the word on how we did it here in Rice County, and how others can follow.”
  • Eric Swan McDonald led a weekly class called Youth Connect that provided a safe space for students to discuss chemical health related issues, said Jenn Toth, school social worker at the ALC. “He does an amazing job of fostering a safe and trusting environment for the students at the Area Learning Center,” Toth said.
  • The Recovery Staff at the Community Action Center was recognized for addressing the needs of participants in supporting them through mental health and chemical use struggles. Ashley Gardner, HCI’s Network Impact Coordinator for the Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition, said the recovery staff members have made a huge difference in people’s lives by meeting them where they are and by finding creative ways to provide them with the support they need.

The awards were presented in late April and early May in celebration of National Prevention Week, May 12-18, 2024.

Photos below:
1) Toby Anderson
2) Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott, left, Faribault Police Chief John Sherwin, and Ashley Gardner, HCI’s Network Impact Coordinator for the Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition
3) Eric Swan McDonald
4) HCI’s Ashley Gardner, left, with Brittany Hedlund and Shantel Arett from the Community Action Center

2023

The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition has recognized four individuals as 2023 Prevention Champions. They are: Harun Abdi, program manager and youth coordinator at the Somali Community Resettlement Services office in Faribault; Josh Sjodin, school resource officer at Faribault High School; Paul Stanton, school guidance counselor at the Northfield Public Schools Area Learning Center (ALC); Jenn Toth, social worker at the Northfield ALC.

The recipients were recognized for their significant contributions in reducing risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse, supporting recovery, promoting mental health and well-being, and/or building assets for our youth and other community members.

  • Harun Abdi wanted to help his community, so he left a job as a supervisor at Amazon to take the job with Somali Community Resettlement Services in Faribault, said Kari Anderson, SCRS program director. “Along with mentoring youth at the local high school, Harun works on our DEED workforce development programs and supports walk-in clients with a variety of needs such as health insurance, social security, and translation,” Anderson said. “He also runs a summer soccer program, organizing more than 40 youth in teams and a final tournament.”
  • Josh Sjodin is an integral part of Faribault High School, said Principal Joel Olson. “In every sense of the word he is an educator. He cares about the person first, working in collaboration with our staff to provide support in the most urgent areas of need,” Olson said. “His approach in working with students is to see them, hear them and guide them. He effortlessly makes connections with our students, creating relationships that give kids one more caring adult in their lives.”
  • Paul Stanton and Jenn Toth work collaboratively and communicate effectively with staff and families to support students at the Northfield Area Learning Center, said ALC Director Daryl Kehler. “Both are willing to go above and beyond to help students and meet them where they are at in terms of mental health and/or chemical health,” Kehler said. “They truly do care about those they work with and about getting them support wherever they are in their journey. They are crucial to our Chemical Health and Student Support teams as they know resources and connect students and families whenever possible.”

The awards were presented in late April and early May in celebration of National Prevention Week, May 7-13, 2023.

2022 

The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition recognized three individuals and one organization as 2022 Prevention Champions. They are: Emily Fulton-Foley, executive director of the Northfield Union of Youth; Ashley Gardner and Sheila Lockler, Recovery Corps Navigators with the Community Action Center of Northfield; and the staff of the Faribault Public Schools Area Learning Center.

The recipients were recognized for their significant contributions in reducing risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse, supporting recovery, promoting mental health and well-being, and/or building assets for our youth and other community members. The awards were presented in late April and early May in advance of National Prevention Week, May 8-14, 2022.

  • Emily Fulton-Foley is “continually thinking of different avenues and ways to reach youth, both in terms of prevention and support,” the nominator wrote. “She goes above and beyond in educating youth about the risks inherent in use and the supports that are available in our community.”
  • Ashley Gardner and Sheila Lockler were commended for their work connecting people with recovery resources. The nominator wrote, “Sheila is so accepting of people and where they’re at on their journey and has such knowledge of the recovery world. Ashley is a go-getter who takes care of business and is getting to know many resources outside of the community to help meet participants’ needs.”
  • The Faribault ALC staff was nominated for “creating an environment where substance use prevention is worked into their daily interactions with students. They also have made mental health and well-being a priority for both staff and students,” the nominator wrote.