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Ahoy! Minnetonka: S3 E4: Connecting through Volunteering, Celebrating Service
Hopkins Public SchoolsFriday, November 21, 2025
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[0:08] Ohoy Minnitankaka. I'm Jackie Getty,
[0:10] executive director of communications for
[0:12] Minnitonka schools and host of season 3
[0:14] of our district podcast, AOY Mitaka. One
[0:17] of the many areas where our students and
[0:19] staff excel is in how they serve their
[0:21] communities and contribute to the
[0:22] greater good of society. Joining me
[0:24] today are two students, Brooklyn and
[0:26] Jane, who have made volunteering in
[0:28] their community a huge priority in their
[0:30] lives, and our coordinator of Tonka
[0:32] Serves, who helps to connect students
[0:33] with volunteer and service learning
[0:35] opportunities, Sarah Johnson. Thank you
[0:38] to each of you for being here. We'd love
[0:40] to hear a little bit more about each one
[0:41] of you. Sarah, do you want to start?
[0:43] >> Sure, I'd love to start. Again, my name
[0:44] is Sarah Johnson and I am the community
[0:46] service specialist for Minnitaka Public
[0:48] Schools. This is my fifth year in the
[0:51] role. Um but much of my history in work
[0:54] has been in nonprofit um oriented work.
[0:58] Um bringing that history to working with
[1:01] students and families and kind of acting
[1:04] as a resource um for them to get
[1:07] connected to volunteer opportunities. Um
[1:10] I've lived in the district for 20 years.
[1:12] Uh I've have two children who have
[1:14] graduated from the Mitaka public
[1:16] schools. Was always a really active
[1:18] parent as well. So, it's been a
[1:20] wonderful way for me to have the
[1:21] perspective of a par as a parent, as
[1:23] somebody who's worked in nonprofit um
[1:26] events, development, and um volunteer
[1:29] work, and then coordinating such great
[1:32] resources and opportunities here at
[1:34] Mitaka Public Schools.
[1:35] >> We're really lucky to have you, and
[1:37] we'll dig into more of your role kind of
[1:39] as we as we talk today. Thanks, Sarah.
[1:42] Uh Jane.
[1:43] >> Yeah, so I'm Jane Kuslick. I'm a junior
[1:45] here at Minnotonka and I'm one of the
[1:48] co-presidents of Interact Club. I'm also
[1:50] involved. I play softball for the high
[1:52] school team in the spring and I've gone
[1:55] to Minnotonka my whole life starting
[1:57] kindergarten. Um and my sister graduated
[2:00] last year. She's now at Gustavis and
[2:03] yeah, I've just always been part of the
[2:05] community.
[2:06] >> Fantastic. Brooklyn.
[2:07] >> Yeah. So, I'm Brooklyn Duca. I'm a
[2:09] junior and like Kane said, I'm also the
[2:11] co-president of Interact. I've been in
[2:13] Minnetonka since kindergarten, so I've
[2:15] really been a part of the community. And
[2:17] also my sister, she just graduated two
[2:19] years ago and she's at the University of
[2:20] Iowa. So yeah.
[2:22] >> Well, thanks ladies for being here, all
[2:24] of you. Recently, Sarah, the district
[2:26] held its celebration of service, which I
[2:27] know you spearhead every year. It is a
[2:29] lot of work. Um, it's an event where we
[2:31] honor students and the adults with the
[2:32] thousands of hours of service work that
[2:34] they do in our communities. Um, can you
[2:36] tell us some of the highlights of the
[2:38] program?
[2:39] >> Sure. It's such a wonderful annual
[2:41] event. Um, as you said, it's a way for
[2:43] us to acknowledge and recognize some
[2:46] wonderful work that's being done out in
[2:48] the community. Uh, we have students, uh,
[2:51] as young as five, six years old each
[2:54] year being recognized upwards to the
[2:57] adults and groups that are being
[2:58] recognized. Um, the event kind of
[3:01] focuses on recognizing two different
[3:02] awards that we give out to folks. Uh, we
[3:05] have the President's Volunteer Service
[3:06] Award, which is a national award that we
[3:08] recognize. Uh and again that award lets
[3:12] us recognize individuals as young as
[3:14] five years old uh and then through
[3:16] adulthood. We also recognize the varsity
[3:19] letter winners um that are actually the
[3:22] varsity letter winners in community
[3:24] service here at Minnetonka High School.
[3:26] So that's a unique program to our
[3:28] school. Not many high schools offer
[3:29] that. But that that uh those are the two
[3:32] awards that we look at and look at
[3:34] recognizing during the event. We've had
[3:36] so many wonderful um stories come out of
[3:39] these events just looking at the
[3:41] thousands as you say thousands of hours
[3:43] of service that students and their
[3:45] parents give to the community in the
[3:47] world. Um and lots of great um great
[3:50] ways that they've given back. Um and you
[3:53] know we've got young young folks that
[3:56] have been spending hours every week. I
[3:59] mean we had one student this year who's
[4:01] not even 10 years old that goes to a
[4:03] senior residence every week. helps with
[4:05] bingo and acts as the candyman. Um gives
[4:08] out candy to the winners of bingo. Just
[4:11] so fantastic.
[4:13] >> Lots of students doing work out in, you
[4:15] know, packing food, food for those who
[4:18] are food insecure, which we'll talk
[4:20] about, I'm sure, later. Um and then just
[4:23] working as tutors, working in healthc
[4:26] care centers. There's lots of ways that
[4:28] our students are giving back. So, it's
[4:29] just a fantastic evening. wonderful way
[4:31] for us to highlight that and such a
[4:34] privilege to be a part of it.
[4:35] >> What does it take to to letter in
[4:37] community service?
[4:38] >> You know, lettering in community service
[4:40] is um really it is pretty extensive. Uh
[4:44] and one of the ways that we look at this
[4:47] is, you know, acknowledging servitude in
[4:50] the varsity letter is really kind of
[4:52] comparing it to the kind of depth that
[4:54] we would look at any varsity letter. Um,
[4:57] and one of the things that I love about
[4:58] this district is that we are recognizing
[5:01] outside of just athletics and music um
[5:04] ways that people are contributing
[5:05] because it takes a huge commitment to
[5:07] meet those requirements and also in
[5:10] servitude it does too. So um few
[5:14] different things that we look at uh in
[5:16] terms of the requirements we look at the
[5:17] hours of service students who are
[5:19] interested in that need to have
[5:21] accumulated 150 hours uh within a year's
[5:25] time. um they need to have 75% of those
[5:28] hours kind of related to a certain topic
[5:31] or an area. So maybe it's working with
[5:33] children or maybe it's food insecurity,
[5:36] you know, it's something it's up to
[5:37] them. It's about their passion and
[5:39] what's drawing them to volunteer work.
[5:41] >> The kind of focused
[5:43] >> Yes, a focused service work. We require
[5:45] two recommendations from individuals who
[5:48] have had connections with them while
[5:50] they're doing their service work. And we
[5:52] also require a reflection project. So,
[5:54] the reflection project really is about
[5:56] um really highlighting the ways that
[5:58] you've grown when you've been
[6:00] volunteering uh and maybe challenges
[6:02] you've had, skills that you've learned.
[6:05] Um and so students can write papers,
[6:08] they can develop projects, or they can
[6:09] interview with me, and that's a
[6:11] wonderful way for me to kind of get a
[6:13] sense of what they've done. And just a
[6:15] fabulous way to get to know students.
[6:18] Um, I learn so much when I get to to
[6:20] meet them. But again, fabulous way to
[6:23] acknowledge students who have really
[6:25] committed a lot of time to serving the
[6:28] greater good.
[6:28] >> Do we have a lot of students that letter
[6:30] each year?
[6:30] >> We do. We have about 40 students at
[6:33] least um sometimes upwards of 60. So,
[6:36] you know, that's a lot of students
[6:38] giving a lot of hours. 150 hours is a
[6:40] lot of time. So,
[6:41] >> it absolutely is.
[6:43] >> So, and then again that has to be
[6:44] accumulated within one year. So,
[6:46] >> thank you. Yeah,
[6:47] >> Brooklyn and Jame, you are both super
[6:49] active volunteers. Um, as members of the
[6:51] Interact Club at the school, and I
[6:53] understand that's a service club. Can
[6:55] you talk a little bit more about what
[6:57] Interact is? Yeah, so Interact, we are
[6:59] volunteer-based club. Um, and if you
[7:02] ever heard of Rotary International, we
[7:04] are the high school division of that.
[7:05] So, Rotary is a worldwide um
[7:07] volunteer-based club for adults. And so,
[7:10] Interact is just the high school
[7:11] division of that. So on Thursday
[7:13] mornings we host various um volunteer
[7:16] opportunities um where we usually have
[7:18] around 30 plus kids come and we'll do
[7:21] activities such as tie blankets or um
[7:25] packing activity packs for the Ronald
[7:27] McDonald House and um every spring we
[7:30] also do we make sandwiches for the
[7:32] sandwich man that is handed out to
[7:34] people um that are need in need of food
[7:36] just around the cities.
[7:37] >> What is tie blankets? So that's uh you
[7:41] get like the fabric and um so two sheets
[7:44] of fabric and then you cut little slits
[7:46] and then um you tie them together and we
[7:48] make blankets and I think we just gave
[7:50] them to uh children's hospital, right?
[7:53] Yeah,
[7:54] >> just a couple weeks ago.
[7:55] >> Oh, that's neat. So have you been
[7:56] involved with this your whole time in
[7:58] high school or when did Interact
[7:59] Interact come to be?
[8:01] >> So um our sisters actually started the
[8:04] food shelf. So they graduated, my sister
[8:06] graduated in 2024, hers in 2025. So they
[8:10] kind of helped curate the food shelf and
[8:11] that's kind of how we both got
[8:13] introduced to the club through our
[8:14] sisters.
[8:15] >> So the food shelf, tell me about that
[8:16] because I don't think we've mentioned
[8:17] that yet.
[8:18] >> So every Wednesday after school, a few
[8:20] of our members gather at the food shelf
[8:22] inside the high school and we pack food
[8:24] for people in need and we have an
[8:26] anominous system um where you can fill
[8:29] out a Google form and that way um it
[8:32] keeps it very discreet. Um, so they fill
[8:35] out the food and then we go in the food
[8:36] shelf and we pack it and then every
[8:38] Thursday morning they come to pick it up
[8:40] at the main entrance.
[8:41] >> So the Interact students run the food
[8:43] shelf in the high school.
[8:44] >> Yes. Yeah.
[8:45] >> And is that all on your own or is there
[8:47] a larger food shelf that you're
[8:48] connected to or how does this work?
[8:50] >> Well, we are a division of ICA. So we
[8:53] can get um a food shipped to us if we
[8:56] are in need of it. But from funds we get
[8:59] from grants and other places like the
[9:01] booster club, we use that money to help
[9:04] stock our food shelf, too.
[9:06] >> And so if you get items donated to the
[9:08] club that um need to be refrigerated or
[9:10] that don't really fit the needs of
[9:12] students and families that would
[9:13] normally order food anonymously through
[9:15] your site, um you circle back with ICA
[9:18] food shelf. Is that how that works? And
[9:20] then they'll come and pick it up. And
[9:23] >> at our food shelf, we have like a little
[9:25] truck outside that's an ICA truck. So
[9:27] all the food that we don't use at the
[9:29] food shelf goes to them. So yeah,
[9:31] >> that's great. Well, we hear a lot about
[9:32] food insecurity. We hear that there are
[9:34] greater needs in our community. We've
[9:35] heard that from ICA. Um we've heard that
[9:37] from other food shelves in the area. Um
[9:40] so you are having an upcoming event.
[9:42] Talk about that.
[9:43] >> So Saturday the 22nd from 10 to 1, we
[9:47] are having a food drive um at the high
[9:49] school. We'll be in the art center. Um,
[9:51] so you'll drive around the main lot and
[9:53] stop your car right outside the art
[9:55] center doors and then we'll come out and
[9:57] we'll grab the food from your car and
[9:58] bring it inside. So it's easy. Just drop
[10:01] it off if you're able to. Um, we'll be
[10:03] there for 3 hours. Yep.
[10:05] >> Yeah. Yeah.
[10:06] >> What are the kinds of things that are
[10:07] needed most right now?
[10:09] >> So right now I would say like canned
[10:11] chicken, canned tuna, definitely
[10:13] proteins. I think like the rice and
[10:15] noodle meal packs is really good. Um,
[10:18] protein drinks are always good, too. Um,
[10:21] >> that don't need to be refrigerated or
[10:24] >> everything needs to be shelf stable. So,
[10:26] cans are great. We love having hygiene
[10:28] products available because we have a
[10:30] section of that on our form, too.
[10:32] >> So, not just food, right?
[10:33] >> We do. Um, yeah, hygiene products,
[10:35] cleaning products are great, too. We
[10:37] would love sprays or disinfectant like
[10:40] Clorox wipes. Um, we also take
[10:42] batteries. That's helpful. Um,
[10:44] >> paper products. Uh, not we do have paper
[10:48] towels and toilet paper. So, yes.
[10:50] >> And those are needs.
[10:52] >> Yes.
[10:52] >> What about like diapers or things for
[10:54] babies?
[10:55] >> Yes, we have baby wipes, diapers,
[10:57] feminine products, all of those kind of
[10:59] things, too.
[11:00] >> Is this the first year of the food
[11:01] drive?
[11:02] >> Um, we've done food drives um I think
[11:05] every couple a couple years in the past.
[11:07] We did one last year that was very
[11:09] successful. So, we've kind of got our
[11:11] flow down, you know. Um, but we've been
[11:14] able to be really successful with our
[11:15] food drives. Oh, and we also love
[11:17] getting backpacks too in our food drive
[11:20] because one of the options on our form,
[11:22] you can opt for a cardboard box, a
[11:24] cardboard or paper bag or backpacks. So,
[11:28] for students picking up food during the
[11:31] school day to have a little more
[11:32] confidentiality, they can opt for a
[11:34] backpack option because no one's going
[11:36] to question you if you have two
[11:37] backpacks with you. So, just something
[11:40] to keep it more private for them, too.
[11:41] So backpacks are a great um donation we
[11:44] accept too.
[11:45] >> So you talked about confidentiality and
[11:47] it being anonymous. You talked about
[11:48] this being mostly focused for students
[11:50] and for their families. How does it
[11:52] work? Walk me through the process. I'm a
[11:54] student. Um we have some food insecurity
[11:56] at home. I'd like to bring home some
[11:58] food items. What do I do?
[12:00] >> So there are QR codes listed all around
[12:02] the schools. I'm pretty sure there's one
[12:03] in pretty much every classroom. So
[12:05] students can scan that or just we have
[12:08] like um posters at in like the hallways
[12:10] as well. So, you can get information
[12:12] that way. You scan it and then it takes
[12:14] you directly to a Google form like I
[12:16] mentioned. You can fill out the food and
[12:18] at the end of the form you um have like
[12:20] a six-digit number and we take that
[12:22] number, we put it on a sticker and we
[12:24] put on like the bag or the backpack. So,
[12:25] that way they know their code and they
[12:27] know which one is theirs and it keeps it
[12:29] very seamless.
[12:30] >> Yeah. So, you can essentially grocery
[12:31] shop throughout the form. So, you'll
[12:33] tell us a little about your family. So,
[12:35] how many people are you
[12:36] >> but not name?
[12:37] >> No names. Correct. So, how many people
[12:40] in your family, five plus, four,
[12:42] whatever, the option of what bag you'd
[12:44] like it in. Then we kind of go through
[12:46] like canned fruits and vegetables,
[12:47] meats, snacks, um hygiene products,
[12:51] cleaning supplies, and you kind of work
[12:53] your way down the um Google form and
[12:55] just click out the ones you like. And
[12:57] then we look at that in our order and we
[12:59] grab out those items and put it into
[13:00] their bags.
[13:01] >> Yeah.
[13:02] >> And then when do you pack it? When do
[13:04] they pick it up? How do they know where
[13:06] to pick it up?
[13:07] Um, so we pack every Wednesday after
[13:10] school and there is a location on the
[13:13] Google form that tells you where to go
[13:14] to pick up your food. Um, so you can
[13:16] just stop by over there and grab your
[13:18] food throughout the day.
[13:19] >> You have a number and you find the
[13:21] number on the bag
[13:22] >> and it'll say like one of two, two of
[13:24] two so that you make sure you get all
[13:25] your bags and then in the summer we
[13:28] change our location so that we can still
[13:30] do the food shelf throughout the whole
[13:32] year.
[13:32] >> Right. Yeah.
[13:33] >> Is this mostly geared to students then?
[13:34] like students are the liaison to their
[13:36] family. So if they I mean is this them
[13:39] filling it out or do parents also fill
[13:40] this out?
[13:41] >> It's a mixture I would say. We
[13:42] definitely have a few families that are
[13:44] not connected to the school but in like
[13:45] the greater community I would say and
[13:47] then we do have some students but again
[13:49] it's confidential so we don't really
[13:50] know but it definitely I would say is a
[13:52] mixture.
[13:53] >> Yeah we get a mixture of backpack orders
[13:55] and um bag orders every week.
[13:57] >> So if it is a parent is it in a site
[13:59] where they can come in and get it pretty
[14:01] readily?
[14:02] >> Yes. Yeah.
[14:02] >> Do we ask if it's a student or a parent
[14:04] or we don't? Yeah,
[14:05] >> we have no information on that.
[14:06] >> What a great process. And so, how many
[14:08] families do you usually or I guess
[14:10] customers do you serve each say week?
[14:13] >> Sometimes it can range. So, sometimes
[14:15] we'll have two to three orders.
[14:16] Sometimes we can be anywhere to five or
[14:19] more. Like last two weeks ago, I think
[14:21] we had six orders. Um, but we usually
[14:25] steady around the three to four mark
[14:27] kind.
[14:28] >> Yeah. Um, and any other details I think
[14:31] that people should know about either the
[14:33] Interact Club or the food drive? Are you
[14:35] looking for members if you're talking to
[14:37] the student body? Well, yeah, we'd
[14:38] always
[14:38] >> always looking for members.
[14:40] >> And then is it all types of kids? Like
[14:43] you don't have to do this every week.
[14:45] It's when you can make it and
[14:47] >> Yeah, there's no like huge commitment.
[14:49] It's kind of show up when you can. We
[14:51] would love to have you. Um, just
[14:53] whenever it works for you.
[14:55] >> It's a great way to get volunteer hours,
[14:56] too. That's awesome. And Sarah, talking
[14:59] back about volunteer hours, um how do
[15:02] you find volunteer opportunities for
[15:04] students? I I am serve in um
[15:07] communications role. And so we meet
[15:09] monthly as part of the PTO and PTA
[15:11] leaders uh group and Sarah's always
[15:13] there representing Tonka Service and
[15:15] talks to the leaders all the time about
[15:16] connecting high school students back
[15:18] with the elementarymentaries. So talk
[15:19] about that too like how do projects come
[15:21] in and then how do you connect them with
[15:22] students?
[15:23] >> Sure. You know, I can talk first about
[15:26] how I work with partners, nonprofit
[15:28] partners. And one of my jobs really is
[15:31] to make connections with them regularly
[15:34] so I know if they have needs, they have
[15:36] special events they need help with.
[15:38] There's some acute need where they
[15:40] really could use a few volunteers to
[15:42] come in. Uh so I'm I'm talking with them
[15:44] all the time, emailing, visiting, and
[15:47] they know they have my contact
[15:49] information. And so on a weekly basis,
[15:50] I'm getting two or three different leads
[15:53] on some new opportunities.
[15:55] >> Is it usually like I need one volunteer
[15:57] or I need a whole group?
[15:58] >> Real, you know, it's it varies. So, you
[16:00] know, depending on the ask, I will reach
[16:03] out to students versus schooly um in
[16:06] email form. I will reach out to clubs
[16:09] and let them know about an opportunity
[16:11] if it's a big group of people that they
[16:13] need. Uh so I'm constantly working with
[16:15] nonprofit partners. Uh we have volunteer
[16:18] fairs twice a year too. So we bring in
[16:20] 30 plus volunte uh volunteer
[16:22] organizations or nonprofits to be face
[16:25] toface with students um at at MHS. And
[16:29] then after that I usually take all of
[16:31] the information that I've gathered. I
[16:33] put it into different um forms formats
[16:36] that really speaks to uh age appropriate
[16:39] kind of groups of students. So kind of
[16:41] communicate communicating that
[16:42] information
[16:44] to elementary students and their
[16:46] families, middle school and then high
[16:49] school students.
[16:49] >> So why do you think service learning is
[16:52] so important? Why is that such an
[16:53] important tenant for Minnotonka schools
[16:55] and as a parent of kids that were in the
[16:58] district as now a staff member
[17:00] overseeing this work?
[17:02] >> Yeah, I mean I know that volunteering is
[17:05] so important, right? Um it is a part of
[17:10] being a good citizen. It's a part of
[17:12] learning, growing, um maturing and being
[17:16] um in a community, right? So I am so
[17:19] blessed here to have a community within
[17:22] the public school district that values
[17:24] that and has for years. I mean creating
[17:27] this role to make sure that students
[17:30] learn how to give back to understand how
[17:32] to be um empathetic um to be a good
[17:36] citizen. So there are so many benefits
[17:41] to volunteering. So we already know that
[17:44] you develop confidence, new skills, you
[17:47] know you're part of a community. Uh so
[17:49] those are definitely the benefits of
[17:51] volunteering and I try to express that
[17:53] as much as I can and I think students
[17:54] know that once you start
[17:56] >> you really learn that that almost
[17:58] immediately what the benefits are. You
[18:00] know you feel better about yourself, you
[18:02] feel better about what you're doing
[18:04] >> uh for the community. So um certainly
[18:07] the value is there um and the district
[18:10] realizes that. So coordinating those
[18:13] kinds of efforts and the resources and
[18:15] making the connections for students is
[18:17] such a gift um to me but also I think
[18:21] students see the benefit right away.
[18:24] >> Ladies, you must be very proud carrying
[18:26] on the legacy that your sisters started
[18:28] together um and that you get to continue
[18:31] on. Um Sarah talked a lot about some of
[18:33] the benefits that she sees and we see it
[18:35] from an adult perspective as students
[18:37] actively involved in this kind of work.
[18:39] Um what are the benefits? What are the
[18:41] things that you just feel good about or
[18:43] that you get to experience or that
[18:44] you've made connections with?
[18:46] >> I think for me, I just really like being
[18:48] able to see something I'm doing is
[18:50] helping someone else. So, for when I
[18:52] pack my food shelf orders, I get to see
[18:54] that the next week I come back, they
[18:56] were gone and they were picked up by
[18:57] someone, which makes me feel so good
[18:59] about myself. And it also makes me feel
[19:01] good when I get to start my day off on
[19:03] for our Thursday meetings and we're
[19:05] starting our day off doing something
[19:07] good. It just puts you in a good mind
[19:09] space for the rest of the day.
[19:10] >> Yeah. Kind of what Jane said, I really
[19:12] just like being a part of the community.
[19:14] And when you like start your day doing
[19:16] something good, I think it sets you up
[19:17] for the rest of your day. It makes you
[19:19] feel better while benefiting benefiting
[19:21] others. I think that's a really great
[19:23] great thing to do. Yeah,
[19:24] >> that's fantastic. Um, was volunteering
[19:27] always a part of your families? Is this
[19:28] something that was instilled in you from
[19:30] a young age?
[19:31] >> Well, my dad is part of Rotary, so he
[19:33] joined um a few years ago. So that kind
[19:36] of introduced me into the volunteering
[19:38] aspect. I would go to the bell ringing
[19:40] for Salvation Army with him, which I
[19:42] always found so fun. So that was kind of
[19:44] like my introduction into volunteering.
[19:47] And I've also done a lot of volunteer
[19:48] work with um the like MGSA little kid
[19:52] softball association um where I've
[19:55] helped with like hanging up banners for
[19:56] the sponsorship. So I've always kind of
[19:58] been around volunteering, but it's nice
[20:00] that I'm in high school now. I can kind
[20:02] of pick my organization I want to be a
[20:04] part of and really see how it can grow.
[20:06] >> Fantastic. Brooklyn, how about you?
[20:08] >> Yeah, I've always done I've done FEMA
[20:10] serving children with different teams.
[20:12] My family has always helped out around
[20:13] the holidays and year round and stuff
[20:15] like that. But I would say definitely
[20:17] having um a passion kind of in high
[20:19] school really helped me um increase my
[20:22] volunteer um experience I think and that
[20:24] really helped um me to do that.
[20:27] >> Fantastic. Sarah, what are um I mean
[20:29] what are the interests that people have
[20:31] to have to volunteer? I mean there you
[20:33] can volunteer if you love pets, you can
[20:34] volunteer if you love the outdoors.
[20:37] >> Yeah.
[20:37] >> Yeah. And kind of to speak to what you
[20:39] just said is that for me when I'm
[20:41] meeting with students I always talk
[20:43] about what are you interested in? What
[20:45] are your hobbies? What are the things
[20:47] that really make you feel good or what
[20:48] do you like to do? Is it nature? Is it
[20:51] are are you passionate about the
[20:53] environment or about animals? Um there
[20:55] is something out there for everybody.
[20:58] And um that's one of the fun parts about
[21:00] my job because I sit down with high
[21:01] school students a lot. Um to talk about
[21:04] that, talk about gosh, you know, what
[21:06] would be a good thing for me to do? Um
[21:08] I'm interested in volunteering. I just
[21:10] don't know where to start. You know,
[21:11] that's where we usually start. We talk
[21:13] about what your hobbies are, what you
[21:14] like to do, um what you're willing to
[21:17] try, you know, and a lot of times that's
[21:18] also something like something new is can
[21:21] be really rejuvenating for a lot of
[21:22] students. So, and that goes with
[21:24] families, too, because I have a lot of
[21:26] conversations. Um, obviously, if you
[21:29] have young children, you may not know,
[21:31] gosh, what could I do with my kids when
[21:34] they're five, six, and seven years old.
[21:36] Um, and we talk a lot about, you know,
[21:39] the things that you can do at home or
[21:40] the things that you could, you know, tag
[21:42] along with your your parent and ring the
[21:45] bell or kind of do something in a
[21:47] nonprofit or outdoor setting that might
[21:49] be really helpful. So those that's the
[21:51] way that I typically will lead
[21:53] conversations, but it's always a rich
[21:55] experience just because we get to learn
[21:57] a lot about each other and kind of
[21:59] connect with whatever your passion or
[22:00] hobby is.
[22:01] >> Uh and then one last plug for your food
[22:03] drive before we go. We're kind of
[22:05] running out of time, but um just one
[22:07] more reminder from either one of you.
[22:08] Time, place, and most needed items.
[22:12] >> Yeah. So it's Saturday, November 22nd
[22:14] from 10 to 1. And I would say most
[22:16] needed things are definitely hygiene
[22:19] products, um, canned goods and protein
[22:22] drinks probably. And yeah, so please
[22:24] come to that. And any nonrefrigerated
[22:27] milk, almond milk, whatever you can
[22:28] find. And any extras that we get from
[22:31] our food drive will be going straight to
[22:32] the A. So we would love as many
[22:35] donations as possible.
[22:36] >> We can fill up our cars. Fill up your
[22:37] car. Bring it all
[22:38] >> to the high school right in front of the
[22:40] art center and a one on Saturday,
[22:43] November 22nd. And there should be
[22:45] posters kind of telling you where to go
[22:47] to.
[22:47] >> As we close, I want to thank each one of
[22:49] you for the ways that you serve our
[22:50] community. And to our listeners, thank
[22:52] you for joining us. We'll see you on the
[22:54] next episode of AOY Minnetonka.