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FALL FESTIVAL: Cider, leaves, pioneer games and more at PAGE 14
Lino Lakes YMCA under new leadership BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
LINO LAKES — For nearly a couple of months now, Andrew Hoffman has been learning about the Quad area and meeting as many community members as he can. Hoffman, of Andover, became the executive director of the Lino Lakes YMCA in the beginning of September after Derek Otto took the executive director position at the Forest Lake location. Otto served at the Lino Lakes YMCA for a little more than a year. “I've always had a career goal of being an executive director,” Hoffman explained. “While I was able to make some impact as a sales director in a membership capacity, I wanted to be able to make a greater effect. I think the YMCA can help be catalysts for change and close opportunity gaps.” Hoffman has been with the YMCA for 11 years and has held numerous positions at multiple branches. His career with the YMCA began in 2006 with a part-time position at the member services desk in Eagan. During that time he attended Bethel University part-time to pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration. About a year after beginning with the Y, a full-time position as a member services adviser opened up; he remained in that position at the Eagan location, followed by positions in membership sales and as interim branch director in a number of YMCA locations, including Hastings, downtown St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Woodbury and Minneapolis and Rochester.
SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Manna Market volunteer Trent Sharba, of Lexington, hands out meat at the Manna Market Monday, Oct. 16. Sharba, who utilizes the Manna Market occasionally, felt it was important to give back by volunteering his time.
Manna Market distributes food while providing faith opportunities what can't be said in words,” said Pastor Steve Burch. The concept was founded by Forrest Gregory at Youthway Ministries in Blaine. It grew so rapidly, it was necessary to expand to other locations. Currently, there are around seven locations, but SonLight Church is the only location in the Quad area.
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
Every Monday around 4 p.m., the parking lot and pews of SonLight Church of the Nazarene in Blaine fill up: the church is transformed into a market full of fresh produce, meats, clothes and other necessities. “Anyone who would visit on a Monday night would find
SEE MANNA MARKET, PAGE 16
SEE ANDREW HOFFMAN, PAGE 9
Local inventor gets kids to polish their pearly whites Hi-tech toothbrushing
BY JULIA ARNOLD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
LINO LAKES — Doctors, dentists and dental hygienists preach the importance of proper brushing, but getting kids to spend two full minutes twice a day thoroughly brushing their teeth isn't always easy. Enter Brushies. Lino Lakes resident Ammar Darkazanli and his wife experienced these brushing battles with their young daughter. “We've got to do something about this,” Darkazanli thought. “Let's mix things up. She doesn't like brushing her teeth, but she likes games: can we put them together to avoid the ordeal?”
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“They can't play the game until they've brushed for two full minutes ...” The device measures the quality factor as well. The games were reviewed by child psychologists to make sure they incorporate educational, strategic thinking. The target age range for Brushies users is ages 5-8. As the company's dentist adviser indicated, if good brushing habits can be instilled early, then it becomes a part of their life — a habit — as they get older.
Having a background in the technical industry, Darkazanli came up with a solution. Brushies are small electronic devices that attach to regular toothbrushes to encourage kids to keep brushing. As a reward, children earn virtual tokens to use with the Brushies app to play interactive games. The brushing movements are recorded in a smartphone, and the device is interactive, advising brushers with comments like, “Don't forget the upper left!” “It gives them feedback,” Darkazanli noted. “The beauty of this is that it takes (the need for) the parent sitting right next to them out of it,” he explained.
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Shark Tank dreams Darkazanli came to Minnesota from SEE LOCAL INVENTOR, PAGE 10
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Ammar Darkazanli shows off his Brushies invention at a trade show. Darkazanli invented Brushies to help children improve their toothbrushing skills.
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