Hometown Heroes
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Aashna Kumar
Edina High School senior Aashna Kumar is among the first-ever graduates of the Edina Rotary Global Scholars program. Her work including examining sustainable agricultural practices across cultures and continents and her representation at the Model G20 Leadership Summit earned her a Mayor's Youth Service Commendation.
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Andy Lewis
Andy Lewis has taken his knowledge of land use and applied it to racial justice by volunteering to help educate people on restrictive property covenants and assist in renouncing them.
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Bob Hursh
Hometown Hero, or really Bluebird Hero, Bob Hursh sets up and maintains scores of nesting boxes specifically designed for bluebirds. This Birdman of Edina has helped more than 1,400 baby bluebirds fledge since 1992, and his work led to Braemar Golf Course being named a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
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Dean Bachmeier and Carol Greenland
Dean Bachmeier and Carol Greenland chose to do a meticulous deconstruction rather than demolition of their Arden Park home to salvage many materials for reuse, reduce environmental impact and support a nonprofit that provides jobs and training to those formerly incarcerated.
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Frannie Kuhs & Jane Tyggeson
These Hometown Heroes help Edina schoolchildren learn about great works of art and create their own through the volunteer-led Art Adventure program.
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Hannelore Brucker
Hometown Hero Hannelore Brucker has continued her lifelong passions - medicine and music - into retirement by still working tirelessly to help people with many projects, including turning her home into a recording studio to play for nursing homes during the COVID-19 lockdown.
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Harmony and Joel Kaplan
What started as a way to entertain people during the COVID-19 shutdown turned this Edina couple into a social media sensation, with their classic song parodies earning them the nickname the "Distancing Duo."
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Jasmine Brett Stringer
Jasmine Brett Stringer is devoted to amplifying the voices of BIPOC women and working toward equity and inclusion. This Hometown Hero has launched organizations devoted to the cause and serves on the Edina Community Foundation's Board of Directors and Edina's Human Rights & Relations Commission.
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Jeff Hall, Jane Lonnquist and Mimi Stake
This Country Club trio organized an effort to educate neighborhood homeowners on restrictive covenants likely in their property deeds and how to get assistance to renounce them.
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Julie James
Retired teacher Julie James continues to live the Creek Valley Elementary School motto "Go out and make a difference!" with her multiple volunteer efforts including coordinating fundraising events and other off-field support for Edina High School football.
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Kelsey Arneson and Tom Metzger
Hometown Heroes Kelsey Arneson and Tom Metzger took a more environmental-friendly approach to rebuilding their Countryside home by having a nonprofit remove parts of it for reuse and the non-reusable materials sent to a waste recycling processor. A grant even helped pay for it.
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Maggie Seidel
High Schooler Maggie Seidel is a Hometown Hero for her efforts to assist an organization that provides a crisis nursery for young children.
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Mike Seeger
The skills Mike Seeger gained as a member of Boy Scout Troop 68 helped him grow into a a leader and a successful Edina Police Officer. This Eagle Scout and Hometown Hero is now paying it forward as Scoutmaster of the same troop
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Rachel Adegbenro
Rachel Adegbenro, president of the Black Student Union, was weeks away from her Edina High School graduation when George Floyd was killed. She quickly turned to action, leading a donation effort for hard-hit Minneapolis residents and then the "Seeds of Change" art installation at 50th & France for which she created two of the signs.
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Rebecca Sorensen
Dismayed at the lack of a visual display of Edina's commitment to racial justice, Rebecca Sorensen reached out to artists and community groups, helping a grassroots effort to create and install the "Seeds of Change" display at 50th & France.
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Shane Stumm
Shane Stumm started out volunteering and coaching for the Edina Soccer Association and now helps lead the organization to grow and better serve Edina's youth.