EDINA, Minn. — A unique chorus and community added their voices to the holiday season on Friday.

The Giving Voice Crosstown Chorus serenaded their audience with a blend of traditional tunes and Christmas favorites. 

Choir members also shared about the beautiful community they’ve created, as every member is either a person living with Alzheimer’s or other form of dementia or their care partner.

KARE 11’s Karla Hult was honored to join the festivities as a featured speaker, adding that this concert is a “highlight of my holiday season,”

To learn more about Giving Voice – and the opportunity to support this organization or become part of a choir yourself – just click here.

You can also learn about the benefits (and joys) of music for those living with dementia in Karla’s conversation with Giving Voice Artistic Director Debbie Richman on Karla’s podcast, Hello Alzheimer’s. You can find the conversation here or wherever you get your podcasts.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — On the morning of the annual Winter Walk event in downtown Northfield, the brightly colored Christmas tree at the center of it all was in shambles.

“I got a text from one of the city streets guys saying the Grinch has been downtown and took out a tree,” said Jane Bartho, president of the Northfield Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. “I’m like, are you sure the wind didn’t take it out?” 

After seeing a photo of the tree, Bartho had a definitive answer to her question.

Jane Bartho: “Yeah, clearly it was not the wind. It looked like a chainsaw took it off. You could see a path where somebody dragged the tree across the street.”

Kent Erdahl: “So you see the path and then you think, ‘Okay, it is the Grinch.’ 

Bartho: “It was the Grinch because who else? Who else would do it? I just can’t imagine. I cannot imagine who… who would have done that.”

But dwelling in ‘who?’ville wasn’t an option for Bartho, not with a event just hours away, which would draw thousands of people into downtown.

“Honestly, most of my focus yesterday was about the event,” she said.

Though the city crew was able to trim the base of the tree and get it upright again, the decorations were in disrepair. 

“I mean, even the lights were cut,” Bartho said.

“Yeah, they cut the lights,” said Zandra Bornhauser, who was part of the team with Home Town Credit Union who sponsored the tree and had decorated it. “So we had to redecorate it fully, pretty much.” 

“We were just shocked,” said Kurt Halverson, who helped with the tree repair. “It was just hard to understand who would take the effort on such a cold night to come down here in such a public space and cut down something that’s just meant to be a symbol of good and cheer.”

Thanks to their quick work, the team of helpers made sure that Grinch didn’t rob anyone of that cheer. The tree was back shining bright by the time the festival began Thursday night.

“It was magical,” Bartho said.

“It was so inspiring to see how everybody rallied around to wish us good luck in re-setting up the tree,” Halverson said. “It really did bring the community closer together on such a cold evening.”

As for the cold-hearted grinch, Bartho says they’re still checking security cameras and asking around.

“To see if anybody was looking out,” she said. “If anybody saw anything.” 

And if they are eventually identified?

Bartho: “Maybe the punishment would have to be to decorate the tree every year in this frigid weather.” 

Erdahl: “If you’re going to keep with the theme, you’ve got to invite them down and sing with them, right? You’ve got to warm that cold heart.” 

Bartho: “At the end, yeah, his heart was warmed by the people in his life, so maybe the punishment would be to come down and have hot chocolate, feel the Christmas spirit and never do that again.” 

MINNESOTA, USA — Despite Give to the Max Day breaking donation records, nonprofits tell us they still need help to keep up the demand for their services.

According to a recent survey by the Council of Nonprofits, 73 percent of Minnesota organizations reported they have grown programs and services to meet the demands of Minnesotans. 

Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress. 

Open Arms is a nonprofit that delivers food to critically ill people. It said December is a crucial month for donations, because they will make decisions on their programs and services for the next year.

“Wages and the cost of ingredients have gone up 30% since the end of COVID or the end of the COVID years, and so that is really, really hard on all nonprofits,” said CEO Leah Hébert Welles. “And then the second thing, government funds have dried up.”

“It’s almost kind of like the way that the tide works and a big body of water where there is still significant need, but that wave of resources from 2020 has backed up, and the need for nonprofits is still right there,” said Jake Blumberg, the executive director of GiveMN, the organization in charge of Give to the Max Day. 

Blumberg says 30% of donations for nonprofits happen in the last six weeks of the year. 

“We have to make really hard decisions about what we can do next year, how many more people we can help, how many more staff we can hire,” said Welles,

To consider donation or volunteering to Open Arms of Minensota, click here.

To explore more nonprofits, visit GiveMN.org.