(KNSI) – St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson revealed the impressive slate of winners Friday of the four Rock On Awards set to be handed out at Granite City Days.
Anderson has chosen Rick and Helga Bauerly, Donella Westphal, the Rotary Club of St. Cloud, and the Great River Children’s Museum, which will have been open for just over two weeks at the time of the ceremony.
Rick and Helga Bauerly are described as influential forces in the community, particularly when it comes to fostering an inviting business climate. He is the founder and CEO of Granite Partners and is active at the Anderson Center and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation. Bauerly also serves on the Minnesota Chamber Foundation and CentraCare Health boards. Helga plays a quieter, but just as important, role in the couple’s philanthropic efforts. She focuses on economic development and cultural enrichment organizations.
Donela Westphal owns the popular downtown St. Cloud restaurant, Jule’s Bistro. She is receiving the award for her “Shop with a Cop” initiative. The program allows St. Cloud officers to take hundreds of area children to stores at Christmas time so they can pick out the perfect present. Westphal’s restaurant also teams up with Anna Marie’s Alliance domestic violence shelter and Pathways 4 Youth throughout the year.
The Rotary Club’s impact on St. Cloud over the past 100 years is hard to quantify. The group was the driving force behind the renovations at Lake George and Eastman Park, and now hosts summer concerts there. Rotary also played a large role in funding the Community Outposts, or COP Houses, in three locations in the city. Anderson says the club “demonstrates how civic duty and community-led projects can drive meaningful change.”
The newest attraction in the city is the Great River Children’s Museum. At over 31,000 square feet, it is filled with awe-inspiring, imagination-fueling exhibits, including the signature Climber to the Clouds tower. The museum will hit the ground running this summer and expect it to be a hub of field trips and manic fun when school is back in session this fall. The museum is the second-largest of its kind in the state.
The awards will be presented during the opening ceremonies of Granite City Days on June 26th.
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