HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 1 - Tom Oye Award
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 • kcaron@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HRRC Recognizes Two City Staffers with Tom Oye Award
Edina, Minn., May 1, 2014 – The Human Rights & Relations Commission (HRRC) Awarded two City
employees the Tom Oye Human Rights Award for their efforts in developing an outreach program to the
Somali-American neighborhoods in Edina.
With the help and observations of Edina Public Schools and the Edina Resource Center, Recreation
Supervisor Kristin Aarsvold and Detective Tom McKenzie established a series of programs aimed at building
community between the City and Somali-American residents of the Parklawn Neighborhood.
“[It is] wonderful to see City employees reach out and encourage new immigrants [to get to know the City]. I
cannot emphasize how impressed the Commission was with City employees jumping out and doing things that
were nowhere in a job description,” said HRRC Member Steve Winneck.
The City partnered with Red Cross to provide a babysitting clinic that eventually grew to offer water safety,
common injury prevention, summer weather safety and chemical safety. A summer program has been held at
Cornelia Elementary for the last several years, transporting well over 100 children who have limited access to
safe routes to the area playgrounds. In addition, Aarsvold coordinated high school leaders to supervise
children and organize healthy activities for attendees. An event was also held at the Edina Park Apartments on
the annual “Night to Unite.” McKenzie worked to get the Edina Police Department involved to give residents
a chance to ask questions of the Police Department and learn more about squad cars and equipment.
“[What I find most rewarding is when] high school kids tell you they want to go into law enforcement. They
want to help the community. They’re seeing that they can do what they want to do and you can see in their
eyes that they really are going to do it,” said McKenzie.
Aarsvold and McKenzie’s efforts have resulted in decreased crime and more involvement from the Somali-
American communities in City programs. In addition, they have spearheaded efforts leading to the completion
of a bike path that gives students a safe route from the Parklawn Neighborhood to Cornelia Elementary.
Nominations for the Tom Oye Human Rights Award are always being accepted and are held for two years. If
you know of a deserving individual, nominate him or her at www.EdinaMN.gov/humanrights.
For more information on the award, contact HRRC Staff Liaison MJ Lamon at 952-826-0360 or
MLamon@EdinaMN.gov.
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