Burnsville City Council Recognizes Ten 'Community Builders'

The Burnsville City Council recognized ten community organizations and members of the Burnsville community with their annual “Community Builder Award” during their Oct. 18 City Council Meeting. This year, awards were presented to:

Arbors at Ridges Senior Living Community, Public Safety Fundraisers: Arbors at Ridges in Burnsville has collaborated with Burnsville’s Police and Fire departments to host a number of valuable fundraiser luncheons to benefit the organizations. This collaboration has helped the departments obtain funding for the Police K-9 program, fire survivor escape rope systems, mobile video recording systems, AEDs, fire prevention home safety products, a senior-friendly lift for emergency vehicles, pediatric medical equipment, rehabilitation supplies and Police Honor Guard uniforms.

Polly Bergson, Election Volunteer: Bergson started serving as an election judge in the early 1970s, and has continued to do so for more than four decades. She has served as a precinct chair, absentee voting official,
equipment tester and mentor. Her insight, knowledge and tireless dedication have far exceeded any expectations of a part-time election helper. Bergson also contributes in many other areas of community service.

Barb Dorry, Community Services Volunteer: Dorry has been a volunteer with the City of Burnsville’s Community Services department since 2008. For the past eight-plus years, she has come into the office almost every week. She volunteers her time and talents in areas such as senior programs, Night to Unite and the International Festival of Burnsville. Most importantly, she assists with the volunteer program itself, organizing and inputting new volunteer information and volunteer hours/timesheets. Sam Dalal, Dale Yohnk and Nick Pechman, Heart Restart Volunteers: Since 2012, the Burnsville Fire Department and the Burnsville Mobile Volunteer Network have worked together to reduce the number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.

The campaign “Burnsville Heart Restart: Who Will YOU Save,” set the goal of training 6,000 people in CPR. CPR classes are currently taught by Dalal, Yohnk and Pechman. In addition to classes taught at City Hall, the trio goes out to community businesses and neighborhoods to teach this lifesaving skill.

Patrick Henney, Burnsville Fire Muster Grounds Chair: Patrick Henney has been the grounds chair for the Burnsville Fire Muster for several years. He is the quiet force behind all the beloved Fire Muster activities. Henney spends most of the year – January to August – working with suppliers to have everything planned and on-hand for the event. During Fire Muster week he works from 5 a.m. until midnight or 1 a.m. each day to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Christian Kibler, Burnsville Youth Collaborative Coordinator: Kibler spends much of his time mentoring students. As the Burnsville Youth Collaborative Coordinator, he works hard to give students with limited opportunities the chance to participate in things they may not otherwise have the chance to experience. In his role, he coordinates the after-school program for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District, which is an important part of the new Burnsville Youth Collaborative.

Sean Lenhardt, Burnsville Robotics Mentor: Lenhardt is dedicated to the sport of Robotics in Burnsville. Because of his work, many local students continue to gain life-long experiences and advantages. Lehnhardt currently serves as the Lead Mentor for the Burnsville high school robotics team – as well as a mentor at both the elementary and junior high level. He donates hundreds of hours of time to not only maintaining the current team, but envisioning the possibilities for Burnsville Robotics in the future.

Tyrese Leverty, High School Student and Leader: Leverty, a senior at Burnsville High School, has been a leader in preparing his classmates for the historic changes and increased opportunities happening at Burnsville High School as a result of Vision One91. Leverty wanted to share information and support his classmates throughout the transition and construction project.

To get students excited, he recruited other interested students to form a Vision One91 subcommittee of #BurnsvilleStrong. Laurie Thulien, Kids ‘n Kinship Mentor: Thulien is a volunteer mentor to a girl in foster care. She has stayed with the girl through many ups and downs – and through an adoption – for more than a year and a half. In addition to her mentorship, Thulien chairs the Kids 'n Kinship annual Gala, raising awareness for mentoring and funds to match volunteer mentors with youth who need support.

Beth Torstenson, Birnamwood Homeowners Association: Torstenson serves as the chair of the Architectural Control Committee at the Birnamwood Homeowners Association in Burnsville. Her welcoming demeanor and drive to build a better environment have not gone unnoticed by her fellow association members and neighbors.

History of the Award

The Community Builder Award began in 1998 and has been presented each year to individuals, groups, and
businesses that make contributions that build community and make a lasting impact on the quality of life in Burnsville, according to a news release.