Adult Day Services

Provides socialization, assistance with personal care needs and therapeutic services for older adults.

620 Carr Lake Road SE

Bemidji, MN  56601

751-1324

Director: April Collman

acollman@paulbunyan.net

ARC Headwaters

Advocacy and support for people with disabilities and their families in northern Minnesota.

1819 Bemidji Avenue

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-759-0097

Contacts: Cassandra Robinson

arcnw@paulbunyan.net

Bemidji Senior Citizen Center

The Bemidji Senior Center strives to fulfill the needs of area senior citizens by providing interesting activities, programs, and educational experiences so they may grow to their full potential in our community.  We work with area agencies and schools to offer seniors a variety of volunteer opportunities that suit their individual talents.  The Center houses such programs as the Volunteer Income Tax Preparation Program, 55 Alive Defensive Driving Course, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), all of which give seniors volunteer opportunities as well as much needed services.  The Center also houses the LSS Nutrition Project, serving five nutritious meals each week, and the Meals On Wheels Program that reaches out to seniors unable to come to the Center.  Through the generosity of the United Way, the Bemidji Senior Center is able to keep its doors open to provide these much needed services to the community as well as provide a place for seniors to congregate and enjoy companionship.

216 3rd Street NW

Bemidji, M  56601

218-751-8836

Contact: Becky Parker

bccoa@paulbunyan.net

www.paulbunyan.net/users/bccoa

Bemidji Community Soup Kitchen

Provides free meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week to those in need with no questions asked.

PO Box 1584

Bemidji, MN 56619

751-2810

Contact: Gloria Joy

gjoy@paulbunyan.net

Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area

Inspires and enables young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

PO Box 191

Bemidji, MN  56619

218-444-4171

Executive Director: Leonore Potter

lpotter@paulbunyan.net

http://www.bgcbemidji.com

Churches United

A collaborative of Bemidji area churches organized to serve and meet the needs of homeless, persistently poor, and impoverished individuals and families, by providing financial assistance and referrals in an empowering manner while also seeking the cause of poverty with the goal of reaching a solution to the immediate concerns.

702 Beltrami Ave. NW

Bemidji, MN 56619-0607

218-444-1380

Executive Director: Sarah Einerson

Email: cunited@paulbunyan.net

Website: www.Bemidjicu.org

Civil Air Patrol- Northland Squadron

"I pledge that I will serve faithfully in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program, and that I will attend meetings regularly, participate actively in unit activities, obey my officers, wear my uniform properly, and advance my education and training rapidly to prepare myself to be of service to my community, state and nation."

Community Resource Connections

Community Resource Connections (CRC) exists to assist, support, and promote area nonprofits and the clients they serve.  The services provided include: networking, coordination of multi-agency activities, information/advocacy & assistance for the general public, and advocacy for nonprofits.

616 America Avenue Suite 170

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8265

Contact: Ruth Sherman

ruth.sherman@co.beltrami.mn.us

http://www.communityresourceconnections.org

Courage Center

Services, resources and programs for people with physical disabilities.

3915 Golden Valley Road

Golden Valley, MN  55422

Main Office: 763-588-0811

Regional Director: Jennifer Woodford: 763-520-0546

Local Volunteers: Tom & Mimi Fogarty, 218-266-3658, couragen@wcta.net

Evergreen House

United Way is a stable and strong supporter of area nonprofits, especially during difficult financial times such as the current state budget crisis.  United Way support helps Evergreen House provide emergency shelter to nearly 300 children ages 9 to 17 each year.  Children served are homeless, runaways, experiencing abuse or neglect, or experiencing personal or family crisis.  The Evergreen Shelter provides a safe, supportive environment in which children receive meals and lodging, counseling, structured discussion groups, participate in recreational activities, and participate in family counseling.  Thanks to high quality family counseling, more than 90% of the children who come to the shelter each year return home.  Parents are supported in managing the home situation and parenting appropriately, while also receiving help in holding their children accountable for their behavior.  In 2007 United Way has invested in the Evergreen Youth Recovery House in addition to Evergreen's shelter.  The Evergreen Youth Recovery House is a residential halfway house program for chemical dependent adolescent males 14 through 18 years of age. All of Evergreen's services are free to children and families.  For more information on Evergreen House and its three program sites, visit us at www.evergreenhouse.org.

PO 662

622 Mississippi Ave. - shelter

820 Beltrami Ave. NW - youth recovery house

Bemidji, MN 56619

Executive Director: Becky Schueller, 218-751-8223

Shelter Program Coordinator: Gary Russell, 218-751-4332

Youth Recovery House Program Coordinator: Randy McKain, 751-2466

Foster Grandparents/Senior Companions

Gives seniors volunteer opportunities as mentors, tutors and caregivers for youth with exceptional needs and provides service to older adults who need assistance with daily living tasks.

PO Box 1518

Walker, MN  56484

800-563-8150

Director: Mar Kuha

mkuha@lssmn.org

Healthy Community Healthy Kids – Kinship North

Healthy Community Healthy Kids is a primary prevention program that promotes the 40 asset youth development model developed by Search Institute.  The more assets a youth has in his life, the more likely he will grow up to be successful.  United Way supports the Youth Asset Building and Kinship North mentoring programs operated by Healthy Community Healthy Kids.  The Youth Asset Building program helps kids access after-school activities by providing their activity fees.  The Kinship North mentoring program matches caring adults with children through a long-term commitment.  Thanks to United Way funding, these programs serve over 250 youth each year.

4 West Building, 403 4th Street

Bemidji, MN 56601

Healthy Community Healthy Kids: Maria Tatzmann, 218-333-8989, healthykidsbemidji@yahoo.com

Kinship North: Kari Glime, 218-333-8794, kinshipnorth@hotmail.com

Hope House

Hope House serves people with serious and persistent mental illness by assisting them to learn skills to live independently and hospital-free within the community.  Hope House is available to individuals 18 or older who live in Beltrami County or surrounding counties, have difficulty functioning in the community, are at risk for hospitalization/ restricted living, and have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, major depression, borderline personality disorder, or bipolar disorder.  Individuals are not personally charged for the services.

Through United Way we have been able to train members of the program to work as mentors to other consumers, establish a supportive community with a local church, and work on a consumer employment project, to name a few.  With United Way we have been able to help people live healthier lives and have a meaningful part in the community.

2014 7th St SE

PO Box 1097

Bemidji, MN  56619

444-6748

Director: Robin Wold

hopehous@paulbunyan.net

Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines

Promotes and provides educational programming for girls and young women ages 5-17 to help them build character and life skills to be successful adults.

750 Paul Bunyan Dr NW

Bemidji, M N 56601

Local Contact: Becky Dean, 218-751-4886

Executive Director: Leigh Ann Davis, (320) 252-2952

www.girlscoutslolc.org

Let's Go Fishing
Let's Go Fishing enriches the lives of senior citizens through fishing and boating activities that build relationships and create memories.  The organization provides opportunities to participate in stimulating and enriching social activities, promotes health and socialization, and increases independence and confidence.

PO Box 1041
Bemidji, MN  56619
Janee at 218-766-0881
Fundraising Committee Chair:  Charles Mann
www.lgfbemidji.org
 

Lutheran Social Service

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) has a guiding principle of shaping a supportive plan for each individual we serve.  We take great care in matching individuals who will be living together, securing housing that is appropriate for certain disabilities and allowing individual expression through activities, recreation and one’s personal space.  LSS creates a sense of community belonging for those served by Home and Community Living Services.

Nice, safe homes, a variety of activities, and the sense of accomplishment gained through work and/or education are important factors for persons with disabilities to establish a sense of community, and to live as independently as possible with optimal personal choice. In the Bemidji area, United Way funding enables a person we serve to attend camp, visit family, spend time with others who have the same disability away from home when they would not otherwise have the funds to do so.

403 NW 4th St, Suite 120

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-751-1305

Director: Barbara Stensland

bstensla@lssmn.org

North Country Food Bank

This organization was formed to reduce waste and help feed disadvantaged people by acting as a bridge between the food industry and agencies serving the needy.  The North Country Food Bank provides reduced cost food to many nonprofit agencies in our area as well as northern Minnesota.

424 North Broadway

Crookston, MN  56716

218-281-7356

Director: Susie Novak

ncfbanksn@rrv.net

North Country Home Care and Hospice

Hospice care is a compassionate, cost-effective program of care for the terminally ill.  It is a medically directed, interdisciplinary, case managed program of services that considers the patient and family as a unit of care.  Hospices provide palliative care, which emphasizes pain and symptom control, rather than curative care, during the last phases of a terminal illness.  A team approach offers patients a unique range of services that are unavailable through any other single health care provider.  The team is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to make visits.  Bereavement care is available for at least 13 months to surviving family members.  Services are individually tailored to each situation through a Plan of Care designed to meet the physical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs of both the patient and their family.  United Way has provided resources to support our volunteer program, family education materials, and bereavement support services.

3525 Pine Ridge Ave NW

Bemidji, MN  56601

218-333-5665

Director: Susan Erickson Dobbelstein

sdobbelstein@nchs.com

 
Northwoods Coalition for Family Safety
Northwoods Coalition for Family Safety provides a voice for battered women and member programs; challenge systems and institutions so they respond more effectively to the needs of battered women and their children; promote social change; and support, educate, and connect member programs.

PO Box 563
Bemidji, MN  56619
218-444-1395
Executive Director: Sara Stodgell
ncbw@paulbunyan.net
http://www.mcbw.org/node/1

 

Northwoods Habitat for Humanity

Northwoods Habitat for Humanity is a grass-root Christian ministry with the goal of eliminating poverty housing worldwide. Unwilling to accept the fact that millions of people live without adequate shelter. Habitat challenges individuals, churches, companies, foundations and other organizations to join in partnership with people in need to change the conditions in which they live. We partner with families in need to build simple, decent, affordable houses, that are sold to the family at no profit and with no-interest mortgages.

Northwoods Habitat for Humanity
1357 Industrial Park Dr SW
P.O. Box 1067
Bemidji, MN  56619
Executive Director: Geri Hickerson

habitat@paulbunyan.net
www.habitatbemidji.org


Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers (NICE)

Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers (NICE) is a volunteer-based organization that provides services for seniors and other special needs individuals and families.  Through many dedicated volunteers, NICE provides transportation to medical appointments, shopping assistance, friendly visiting, and respite care for seniors and children.  With the help of United Way and so many important caregivers, Northwoods Interfaith enables independent living and ensures to improve the quality of life for those with disabilities or special needs.  Northwoods Interfaith is “neighbors helping neighbors”--volunteers making a difference in our community!

616 America Ave, Ste. 170                                      

Bemidji, MN 56601                                                 

Director: Cindi Lee Jernigan, 218-333-8264 or 888-534-4432

Program Assistant: Melissa Thomas, 218-333-8266                           

E-mail: nice@paulbunyan.net

www.northwoodsnice.org

Occupational Development Center

Since 1973 the Occupational Development Center of Bemidji has helped persons age 16 and above find satisfying employment opportunities. Our staff of more than 30 individuals are trained to assist clients who have special needs develop career work skills that will enhance their whole lives. We help with employment planning, employee development, on the job support and placement into community jobs. Our center based facility located in Bemidji's industrial park employs 40-50 workers who do a variety of light factory work including packaging, assembly, wood shop and metal shop work. Most of our referrals begin with state rehab service and county social service support. The local United Way agency has teamed up with the ODC to help support our community employment program.  

1260 Industrial Park Drive SE

Bemidji, MN  56601

218-751-6001

Director: Brad Wahl

bwahl@odcmn.com

Ours to Serve House of Hospitality

Provides temporary shelter, food and support services for homeless individuals and families.

416 Irvine Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

751-0722

Director: Rebecca Hoffman

otss@paulbunyan.net

Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club

The Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club has been providing severe weather reporting (Skywarn), emergency communications support, and community service to Beltrami County for over 30 years.  Whenever severe weather threatens, club members are paged by the National Weather Service or the Beltrami County Emergency Operations Center.  Members immediately go to preplanned locations throughout the county where we communicate via radio directly with the National Weather Service radar operators in Grand Forks to provide advance warning of weather conditions that may threaten the citizens of the county.  The club also maintains and operates the Beltrami County Emergency Communications Trailer which is deployed as a mobile command and communications center for law enforcement, fire, ambulance, and other emergency and public service responders.

United Way has provided essential funding for the purchase and maintenance of the equipment required to operate the Skywarn system and the emergency communications/mobile command trailer.  Although the individual club members donate their time and the use of their own personal ham radio equipment for these public service activities, the support of United Way is vital to meet the high cost of the special equipment needed for the radio link to the National Weather Service and the emergency communications equipment used in the mobile command post. 

4545 Cartway Road NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

888-843-5126

Contact: Jon Crisman

jcrisman@paulbunyan.net

http://www.qsl.net/bemidji/

Peacemaker Resources

Provides primary prevention programs and activities that promote conflict management and other cooperative life skills to assist children and families to lead responsible, violence free lives and see themselves as valuable, contributing members of our community.

PO Box 862

Bemidji, MN  56619

218-444-8048

Contact:Barb Houg

peaceripple@hotmail.com

RSVP - Getting Things Done

RSVP is a nation wide volunteer program that connects people age 55 or better to meaningful volunteer opportunities that make a difference in their community.  Locally, RSVP is sponsored by Horizon Health Inc. a non-profit located in Pierz, MN dedicated to serving the needs of people in the communities in which they live.  RSVP is getting things done by connecting volunteers to community organizations and programs that need the help of skilled, knowledgeable, and generous people to make our communities a better place to live.  Join this national network of volunteers and share your talents with your local community.  We need you because you can make a difference. United Way funding has also helped RSVP develop a successful RSVP America Reads Program at several elementary schools in the Bemidji area. This program touches the lives of hundreds of children and in turn improves their chance of success in the adult life. 

c/o Horizon Health

PO Box 220

Pierz, MN  56364

800-224-6451

Director: Bridget Britz

bbritz@horizonhealthservices.com

America Reads

Ardis Lucken

216 3rd St.

Bemidji, MN  56601

751-8836

rsvpread@yahoo.com

Salvation Army

Offers emergency help with basic needs such as food and shelter.

2445 Prior Avenue

Roseville, MN  55113

Service Extension Director: Joanne Johnson, 800-456-4483, Joanne.Johnson.lee@usc.slavationarmy.org

NMN Field Representative: Val Stevens, 218-326-4847

Local Contact: Carol Campbell, 218-444-8434, geno@paulbunyan.net

Sexual Assault Program

Sexual Violence is any unwanted un-agreed upon sexual conduct.  Sexual Violence takes place when a person does not or cannot give consent and a sexual behavior is imposed on them.  Consent is based on Choice.  Consent is active not passive.  Consent is only possible when there is equal power.  Giving in because of fear is not consent.  If you can’t say “no” comfortably, then “yes” has no meaning. This program provides free and confidential advocacy services for survivors of sexual violence, their family, friends, and communities.  Education and training programs are available to area community groups and professionals free of charge. This program is supported by volunteers, federal, state, United Way of Bemidji Area Fund, and donations.

24 Crisis number: 1-800-708-2727

1819 Bemidji Ave. Suite #3

PO Box 1472

Bemidji, MN  56619

444-9524

Director: Cassondra Johnson Blackbird, sapbchc@gmail.com

Volunteer Coordinator: Kim Zimmerman, sap_kimzim@hotmail.com

Timber Bay

Strives to build supportive relationships with "at risk" youth ages 11-19 and their families.  Also offers a camp for individuals to learn about the value of work while learning life skills to succeed.

PO Box 371

Bemidji, MN  56619

751-9783 

Regional Director: Steve Hanson 

hanson@timberbay.org

Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center

Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center, Inc. is a non-profit community mental health center serving as a resource to people who have a need to gain more control in one or more areas of their lives. Programs offered include adult mental health services, children and family services, chemical and gambling addictions recovery, sexual abuse counseling for victims, families and offenders and family based (or home based) services to families.

722 15th Street

PO Box 640

Bemidji, MN 56619

218-751-3280

Executive Director: Manfred Tatzmann

email: manfred_tatzmann@ummhcmn.org

website: http://ummhc.org

Voyageur Area Boy Scout Council

Promotes and coordinates character and leadership building for male youth through a variety of programs, camps and activities.

Boy Scouts of America

3877 Stebner Road

Hermantown, MN  55811-1733

Regional Office: 218-729-5811

Local Director: Allison Barta, 218-335-4066, allison1@paulbunyan.net