Greetings to all 5th Bridge Pledgers,

The excitement and tension of the elections are finally over. Our country has a new president; our community has a new mayor, many new city council members, and new school board members; and we are all now free of political ads (for a while at least). On behalf of 5th Bridge, I would like to thank all of the candidates for their willingness to serve, all the multitudes of volunteers who served during the election, and all the people in America who voted. That’s our democratic process in action, and while it may not be perfect, it’s one of the key elements that makes our country strong.

Now the hard work begins: our country is facing some big challenges, perhaps some of the biggest challenges in our history. We are going to need everyone working together to make our community, our country and our world a better place. One way that each of us can make a difference is to volunteer.

Over 1,100 people in the Northfield area have taken the 5th Bridge Pledge, which is a personal pledge to volunteer at least five hours per month in service to others. That service can be informal (helping neighbors, friends, or extended family, or cleaning up our community, etc…) or more formal (helping at church, school, local nonprofit organizations, or service clubs like Rotary, etc…). Any service that benefits the greater good counts! 5th Bridge helps you keep your pledge by offering encouragement and information about volunteer opportunities. We invite you to reflect on your individual gifts, talents, and interests and visit our website at www.5thbridge.org to find the volunteer opportunity that uniquely fits you.

Here are a few current volunteer opportunities that you will find on our website:

• Healthfinders, a free clinic serving low-income and uninsured people in Rice County, is looking for the following volunteers: board members, medical providers, Spanish interpreters, receptionists and fundraisers/event coordinators. More information is on the 5th Bridge website.
• Thursday's Table needs volunteers to help prepare, serve and clean up each Thursday evening community meal.
• Mental Health MN is a new organization that is in the process of establishing a website to provide information about mental health. The group is looking for volunteers to provide content and help co-administer the website maintenance.

The holiday season is right around the corner. In case you're looking for some ways to make the season more meaningful, here are some ideas:

• Have fun, burn off some of those Thanksgiving calories and help raise money for Thursday’s Table by participating in the 7th Annual Jingle Bell Run on Saturday, December 13. For more details, visit www.jinglebellrunwalk.org or call 507-645-8887.
• Volunteer to help with the Pajama Project for the Community Action Center's Christmas Sharing. Volunteers are needed to help cut out the pajama kits and to sew the pajamas. To learn more about what you can do to help needy children receive homemade pajamas at Christmas, see the posting on the 5th Bridge website.
• Volunteer to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. The red kettles will be out in the community beginning November 25. For more information, check our website, www.5thbridge.org, and look for the posting, or contact Richard Cook at 507-332-6012.
• Make plans to donate a new, unwrapped toy to Christmas Sharing. Watch for collection boxes at the banks, grocery stores and other local businesses around Northfield. If you have any questions, contact the Community Action Center's reception desk at 507-664-3550.
• Offer to help an elderly neighbor rake leaves or get their home ready for winter.
• Volunteer your childcare services to someone you know with small children to allow the parent(s) to run holiday errands.

Thank you for all that you do to make a difference! We hope you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

In gratitude,

Candy Taylor and your friends at 5th Bridge