St. Cloud Celebrates Civic Excellence: 2024 Rock-On Awards Honor Community Leaders

(KNSI) – As part of the kickoff to Granite City Days, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis has announced the 2024 winners of the Rock-On Awards.

The honors are handed out during the opening ceremony of the city’s summer celebration at St. Cloud State University. The awards are given to individuals or groups in the community who have demonstrated outstanding civic participation, leadership and achievements.

This year’s winners are:

Dorothy “Dottie” Riley
Riley is involved in several activities and even uses her home to spread love to the community. “Mama Dottie,” as she’s known, is a parent to her beloved 11 children, 12 grandchildren, and 32 godchildren. Dottie was honored in 2022 by Higher Works Collaborative via the Community Impact Award. Her service is grounded in her deep Christian beliefs.

Robert & Icephine Johnson
The Johnsons have spent decades working in the community. Robert has worked at SCSU since 1985, where he has grown
and evolved many programs, including the Office of Precollege Programs, the Access and Opportunity Center, and the African
American Male Forum. Icephine is a retired Nurse Practitioner. She co-founded the Black Women’s Reading Group, and has mentored many young girls and women of color for several years. They have hosted hundreds of college students and several international high school exchange students.

Bill Mund
Mund worked for the St. Cloud Fire Department from 1983 to 2015, where he went from a firefighter to lieutenant and eventually fire chief. He held that role for 12 years. Mund also served on the planning commission for almost 10 years.

Dennis Ballantine
Ballantine was the St. Cloud Police Chief from 2001-2012 where he worked to implement safety initiatives and played a major role in the construction of the new police station. He then served on the St. Cloud Planning Commission for a decade.

SCSU Student Veterans Association- Kristin Hughes and Students
The Student Veterans Organization represents around 500 veterans, current service members, military/veteran dependents and spouses attending St. Cloud State. The goal of the SVO is to provide a connection and peer support to military and military-connected students during their academic years and to create meaningful relationships with campus and the community.

180 Degrees St. Cloud Youth Shelter- Nancy Dyson, Victoria Driscoll, Dominic Jones
The group serves the community’s youth who are at risk for neglect, homelessness, and exploitation. Having a newly remodeled home has been key to offering trauma-informed care to people between 12 and 19. Their shelter is installing vegetable, herb, and butterfly gardens, which will help provide youth with an opportunity for healing.

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