Blooming Prairie, MN, January 2014 — At the November 21, 2013 Blooming Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce banquet Minimizer CEO and Chief Visionary Craig Kruckeberg donated $5,000 to the local Boys & Girls Club. The donation was in honor of his former high-school teacher LeMar Nelson.
Nelson currently serves as a Director on the Blooming Prairie Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors. When he was informed he would be bestowed with the Citizen of the Year Award, he heeded the suggestion of Cheri Krejci, a local philanthropic and volunteer leader, and decided to ask people to give money to support the Boys & Girls Club mission.
“I know that LeMar doesn’t like gifts and cards,” Krejci said. “So when I heard about his award, a light went off and I asked him if he’d be willing to try and raise money for his passion, the Blooming Prairie Boys and Girls Club. The current fundraising drive is focused on serving the needs of our local children, getting the Club’s kitchen compliant with state code and replacing the building’s roof.”
The $10,000 project began last April and since then there has been at least 300 hours of remodeling work done by volunteers. The objective is to repair the Club’s facilities, which will shore up the costs of having meals prepared offsite.
Since August the fundraising drive has been selling pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that forms a picture of the children who utilize the Boys & Girls Club’s services. Each puzzle piece is $5.00.
“When Craig heard about LeMar’s award and his wishes to donate, he wanted to honor him,” Krejci said, “Craig’s incredibly generous donation has helped our puzzle fundraising effort immensely. Now we’re in the home stretch, we only have 200 of the original 2000 pieces left to sell!”
“Minimizer is proud to be a Blooming Prairie, family owned business,” Craig Kruckeberg said. “We strongly believe in giving back to our community and honoring our local heroes, like Mr. Nelson, and contributing to the organizations that are the fabric of our community.”
Blooming Prairie, a town with a population of 1,970, has struggled to keep the Boys & Girls Club running at times. “It helps so many children and families. We hope to have the new kitchen up to code and the roof fixed by next summer, when the Club serves the most children,” said Krejci.
In a recent newspaper article Citizen of the Year award winner Nelson was quoted as saying, “I think the Boys & Girls Club is one of the more worthwhile organizations we have in the community. It is one place where latchkey children and kids who have no place to go after school can go and feel safe. They can do activities, continue to learn and get their homework done.”
Once they have sold the remaining 200 puzzle pieces, the puzzle will be glued together in its entirety, then framed and hung on a Club wall. Donations of all sizes, not just those as substantial as Kruckeberg’s, will aid Nelson and Krejci in fulfilling their mission to keep the Blooming Prairie Club going.
If you would like to donate and help the Boys & Girls Club reach their rebuilding goal, you can do so by calling Cheri Krejci at (507) 438-6895.
About Minimizer
Enhance and protect your vehicle with Minimizer products. Minimizer Tire Mask, poly and chrome poly fenders, floor mats and related products are available through exclusive Minimizer distributors. For more information or to contact a dealer, call (800) 248-3855, visit our website or email us atinfo@highbarbrands.com.
Headquartered in Blooming Prairie, Minn., Minimizer manufactures poly truck fenders, poly Tool Boxes, customized mud flaps, and bracket kits. Family owned and operated for nearly three generations, Minimizer parent company Spray Control Systems, Inc., was founded in 1983. Minimizer aims to provide products tough enough to please tough people in a tough industry. For more information call (800) 248-3855 or visithttps://www.minimizer.com.
