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WAS THERE BIRDSONG: In the shadow of the eclipse? PAGE 11
YMCA changes Centennial grad's life BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
LINO LAKES — For many the YMCA is a great place to work out, go swimming, take a class or make new friends, but to a local resident it served as much more than that. Yohanis Shitta, a resident of Circle Pines, graduated from Centennial in 2014. The YMCA in Lino Lakes has been a significant part of his life since he was in middle school. Shitta is the son of Kinfu Kibret and Frewa Lakew. Shitta is originally from Ethiopia. When he was 2 years old, he became
very sick. “When I went into the hospital I would actually get more sick from something else. I needed surgery but there wasn't good enough technology at the time,” he recalled. “It was a pretty tough situation and my parents didn't really know what to do.” With an instant of luck everything changed. Shitta's father won the Diversity Visa Lottery and was given a free visa to move to the U.S. “We decided to take that chance,” Shitta said. Shitta's family moved to Minneapolis and stayed with a family
friend for a couple of years until they got on their feet. Shortly after arriving in the U.S., Shitta underwent the surgery he needed and survived. When Shitta was 6 years old, his family moved into a home in Circle Pines. “Coming to the neighborhood, we were really excited because it was supposed to be a great area and it really was, but we defi nitely didn't have a lot of community. Not that everybody was bad to us, but there were defi nitely some difficult SEE YOHANIS SHITTA, PAGE 10
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Centennial grad Yohanis Shitta with Wee Backpacker Max, 4, of Lino Lakes at Camp Heritage. This is Shitta’s fourth year working at the camp.
Child safety experts dispel myths and share tips BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER LOWDOWN EDITOR
Family safety was the theme of the most recent presentation in a community education series hosted by the nonprofit St. Croix Family Resource Center at St. Paul Lutheran Church on July 31. Educators from the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center (JWRC) were invited to share their insights with St. Croix Valley families. While kids played games, colored and learned safety topics with JWRC Program Manager Alison Feigh in one part of the church, their parents heard a presentation from JWRC Victim Assistance Specialist Jane Straub in the sanctuary. Straub summed up the mission of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, and its role in promoting child safety. “We do the serving of victims and survivors, but we also really want to work on prevention,” she said. “We know that abuse does not have to happen, and we want to find ways that we can prevent it.” Though the center was formed in honor of Jacob Wetterling, a Minnesota boy who was abducted in 1989, Straub explained that Wetterling's case is not the norm. “It is not a stranger that's the person that's going to hurt our kids,” Straub said. “That could happen, but it's extremely rare. And unfortunately, working at the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, that's what people think. That was Jacob's case, where it was a complete stranger … Jacob's type of case is not what we need people to look at. We need to look at who are the people we invite through the front door.” It isn't easy for parents to think this way, Straub said. “I think as a adults that does make us feel a little uncomfortable, because we want to feel like people are above suspicion … unfortunately, we know that
SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Circle Pines was packed with backpacks for the annual Adopt-a-Backpack distribution day Aug. 23. This is the program's 22nd year.
Adopt-a-Backpack equips students with tools to learn BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
This school year, 474 students, 370 of whom attend school in the Centennial School District, are headed back to school with a brand new backpack filled with donated supplies. Donations were provided through the Adopt-a-Backpack program. The annual backpack drive is sponsored by Our
Savior's Lutheran Church in Circle Pines and supported by various local businesses and organizations. The program is meant to help students in need head back to class with the tools they need to learn. Now in its 22nd year, the program began after Our Saviors gave its social ministry permission and a budget to carry out projects. The ministry identified local SEE ADOPT-A-BACKPACK, PAGE 12
SEE SAFETY EVENT, PAGE 13
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