The Radisson Hotel Bloomington was the place to be on Saturday, April 9th as HLFCA hosted the wonderfully successful 4th annual Celebration of Stars, an event to honor all family childcare providers for the important influence they have on young children and their families.
Johanna Harris, a childcare client, gave an inspiring presentation that left everyone with an increased sense of personal value and pride in their profession.
Sandy Masgai recognized Sheryl Warner, the first President of HLFCA, for her selection by MLFCCA as the Provider Advocate of the Year.
Each year HLFCA selects up to four providers to represent Hennepin County at the state conference held by MLFCCA. The 2011 representatives announced at the Celebration of Stars are Svitlana Uniyat, Diane Sharbono, Pam Colby, and Tina White. Nominations for consideration for this honor are made by friends, family, and clients of the providers.
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| 1 to 10 years Tina White, Svitlana Uniyat, Audrey Zirbes |
11 to 20 years Diane Sharbono, Pam Colby, and June Webb-Notermann (not pictured: Fay Hopkins) |
21 to 25 years Kathleen McCormick, Sheryl Warner, Sheryl Clouse, Kim Holt, Terri Davis (not pictured: Kim Bartick) |
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| 26 to 29 years Michelle Flaten and Delaine Barron |
30 to 40 years Carrol Stuber, Sue Green, Terre Britt, Kris Hartung, Vickie Extrand, Carol Leiran (not pictured: Carol Aguilar, Marie Pufpaff) |
Over 40 years Congratulations to Sandy Masgai for an exemplary 43 years in the childcare field |
Everyone enjoyed bidding on a huge variety of silent auction items ranging from Bruegger’s Bagels to an overnight stay at the Radisson Hotel, including passes to the amazing waterpark.
A delicious breakfast buffet was served with compliments to the chef at the Radisson.
This year, for the first time, the Celebration of Stars included a raffle with some exciting prizes. Jim Leitner won the grand prize, a signed Fran Tarkenton Vikings shirt. You can see by his smile that he was thrilled with his good luck.
Also pleased with their good fortune were the winners of the $100 gift certificate for the Split Rock Café, the $75 gift certificate for the Trillium Spa (both located in the Radisson Hotel) and the $50 cash prize.
We would like to express our gratitude to Vickie Extrand, a Bloomington Childcare Provider for hiring the photographer (jsfordphotography.com) and enabling us to document this occasion.
| Radisson Hotel — Mall of America | Artistic Floral of Edina | |
| Backyard Ninja | The Bakken Museum | |
| Bloomington Family Child Care Assoc. | Bruegger's Bagels | |
| Carbone's Pizza, Inc. | Chanhassen Dinner Theater | |
| City Looks | Clings | |
| Country Inns and Suites | Diamond Lake Hardware | |
| Firefighters Hall & Museum | Edward Aviation | |
| Foamy Soap | Grandpa's Crafted Items | |
| Early Day Care | Guthrie Theater | |
| jsfordphotography.com | Jungle Theater | |
| Kowalski's | McCormick & Schmick's | |
| Mall of America / Douglas Killian | MLFCCA | |
| Nails by Tricia in Roseville | Nokomis Childcare Group | |
| Northeast Bodyworks | Old Log Theater | |
| Our Little Secret | Questers | |
| RCC/Redleaf Press | Roller Garden | |
| The Science Museum | Three Rivers Park District | |
| Trader Joe's | Valley Fair |
| Carol Aguilar | Delaine Barron | Kim Bartick |
| Jim Blackwood | Vickie Extrand | Cindy Kish |
| Sandi Larson | Sarah Masgai | Stephanie Tauer |
Members of HLFCA enjoyed a pleasant evening of treats and camaraderie on October 25, 2010. Trainer Jia Brown shared valuable information on successful methods for incorporating curriculum when working with children of mixed ages. The HLFCA General Membership Meeting was held during the break and officer elections were conducted. Congratulations to Kim Bartick and Stephanie Tauer who were re-elected to their current positions as President and Treasurer respectively. Their current terms will run through December 31, 2012.