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Be The Change MN transforms MOA into a Winter Wonderland
This community initiative brings joy, unity, and memorable experiences for more than 800 children and families.
MINNEAPOLIS — What if you could gift wonder for a day, free from responsibilities and tough circumstances? That’s the goal of Be The Change MN, an organization aiming to bring kids, families and communities together.
John Baker, the founder of Be The Change MN is from north Minneapolis. Baker’s hope for Be The Change MN is to connect the community, sponsors and families through curated experiences that foster joy, authentic connections and opportunities.
“I just know there’s a need there to help kids,” Baker emphasized.
With the help of Mall of America, The Minneapolis Foundation and the Pohlad Foundation, Be The Change took over Nickelodeon Universe and provided a free day at their Winter Wonderland.
More than 800 students from Bethune Arts, Hall STEM, and Nellie Stone Johnson, pre-K through 5th grade, and families from north Minneapolis enjoyed unlimited music, dancing, food and games.
Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School Principal Kelly Wright said it is key to provide students and their families with experiences like Winter Wonderland. “Often, we don’t hear about the good things that happen in north Minneapolis and at our schools,” Wright said.
Toys For Tots Twin Cities donated hundreds of toys to help students have a happier holiday.
“These Marines are incredible. I mean, the time they dedicated. It’s just I just can’t thank them enough. They came in and they brought over 800 toys to these kids, you know, and they got a chance to see the Marines in action really helping and supporting the community,” Baker said.
Student Ambassadors from area private schools helped plan the Winter Wonderland.
“These kids have been amazing. I mean, they’ve done clothing drives, they’ve organized volunteers. They’ve talked in front of their student body about how important it is to volunteer and to work with underserved youth,” Baker said.”They got a chance to really see north Minneapolis…that these kids are the same as you and they’d love the same things.”
Kristian Baker, a Be The Change Junior ambassador, said working beside his classmates to give back is teaching him life lessons.
“Leading with Be The Change has been really nice because I get to lead younger kids, but also my peers,” Kristian said. “Getting a new toy and feeling the rush when you get something that you really wanted is just so amazing. So giving that feeling to these kids is just so important to me.”
Principal Wright said efforts like Winter Wonderland are a reminder of how important creating a village of support is. “Our scholars will never forget Winter Wonderland,” she beamed.
John Baker emphasized the positive impact such events have in dispelling misconceptions about North Minneapolis. “No one ever really talks about the good things,” he said, highlighting the appreciation the kids showed for the event.
If you’re interested in donating, you can drop off a new, unwrapped toy at KARE 11’s studios through Dec. 13.
KARE 11 is located at the corner of Olson Memorial Highway and General Mills Boulevard in Golden Valley.
The tent is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
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The crash happened when a Suburban pulling a trailer failed to stop at a stop sign, Minnesota State Patrol said.
WAUKENABO, Minn. — Two people from Minnetonka died in a crash Friday in Aitkin County while others, including children, were hurt.
According to Minnesota State Patrol, it happened at the intersection of Highway 169 and Grove Street/County Road 3 in Waukenabo Township at approximately 5:15 p.m.
A Suburban pulling a trailer was driving east on County Road 3 but did not stop at the stop sign at Highway 169, authorities said. The vehicle was struck by a northbound GMC Yukon. Two other vehicles were struck in the crash, but the people in those two cars were not injured.
In the Suburban, the driver sustained life-threatening injuries, according to State Patrol. Elizabeth Jane Baldwin, 61, of Minnetonka, and Marlo Dean Baldwin, 92, of Minnetonka, both died. Officials said the driver of the vehicle, a 61-year-old from Minnetonka, has life-threatening injuries.
There were six people in the Yukon when the crash occurred. The 44-year-old driver, as well as passengers ages 18, 14, and 11, sustained what officials described as life-threatening injuries. The other two passengers have non-life-threatening injuries.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, but officials said Elizabeth Jane Baldwin had not been wearing a seatbelt.
Among those at the start line this year will be Alex Vigil.
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Pixar’s second installment of the movie features characters we’ve already met — Joy, Sadness and Anger — and gives them a new roommate named Anxiety.
MINNEAPOLIS — Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” universe plays out inside the mind of the movie’s adolescent protagonist, Riley.
She plays a kid from Minnesota whose family uproots her life by moving to San Francisco. But did you know that what plays out in Riley’s mind actually comes from the mind of a real-life Minnesotan?
“You are one of us!” said Breaking the News anchor Jana Shortal.
“Yes, I am!” said Burnsville native and the movie’s creator and director, Kelsey Mann.
Mann was chosen for the role by ANOTHER Minnesotan — Pete Docter, the man behind the original movie, “Inside Out.”
“I don’t know if Pete asked me to do this movie because I was from Minnesota and he was from Minnesota … I just think it worked out that way,” Mann said.
How two guys from the south metro made a pair of Pixar movies that would change the game is a hell of a story that began with Docter in 2015.
“He [Docter] was just trying to tell a fun story — an emotional, fun story — and didn’t realize how much it would help give kids a vocabulary to talk about things they were feeling because they are feeling those emotions, but they’re really hard to talk about,” Mann said.
Some parents, counselors and teachers might even tell you it did more good for kids than just entertain them. It unlocked their emotions and begged for what Mann set out to create at the beginning of 2020.
“That part was fun, particularly fun,” he said. “I think the daunting part was following up a film that everyone really loved.”
But Mann knew what he wanted to do with the movie’s follow-up, “Inside Out 2.”
“Diving into Riley’s adolescence … that was just fun,” he said.
This time around, Riley is 13, hitting puberty and facing all of what, and who, comes with it. The franchise’s second installment features characters we’ve already met — Joy, Sadness and Anger — and gives them a new roommate named Anxiety.
“I think that’s what’s fun about the ‘Inside Out’ world: You can take something we all know and give it a face,” Mann said. “We can give anxiety a name and a face.”
The film follows Riley’s emotions fighting it out for control of her life. Joy wants Riley to stay young and hold on only to joy, while anxiety is hell-bent on taking over Riley over at the age of 13 because as a lot of us know, that’s when anxiety often moves in.
“I always pitched it as a takeover movie, like an emotional takeover,” Mann said. “Anxiety can kind of feel like that; it can take over and kind of shove your other emotions to the side and repress them.”
For a kids’ movie, it’s hard to watch this animation play out, even when an adult has the keys to decide.
“I’m making a movie about anxiety and I still have to remind myself to have my anxiety take a seat,” Mann said.
All of our individual anxieties have a place in this world.
“The whole movie honestly is about acceptance. Both acceptance of anxiety being there and also of your own flaws,” said Mann.
Even for our kids, we have to remember that this is life.
Anxiety will come for them; it does for us all.
The “Inside Out” world just shows them it’s so.
