20/06/2024
I managed a week-long training for my client, the Region 7E Adult Mental Health Initiative. Thirty law enforcement and crisis workers participated in Crisis Intervention Team Training facilitated by the The Barbara Schneider Foundation. The training consisted of morning classroom instruction and presentations. Afternoons were filled with professional actors portraying mental illness and crisis scenarios with the end goal to learn how to de-escalate the situation to keep everyone safe. Feedback from the participants were that it gave them new knowledge and tools in their toolbelt. One of the attendees stated he "had a blast" which was an interesting compliment considering how intense this training can be.
I'd like to acknowledge the many partners who helped make this a successful event for the attendees.
Big Apple Bagels supplied the coffee and morning bagel bites. Attendees enjoyed the variety and found some new favorites including the jalapeno cream cheese, as well as the cinnamon bagels and the cinnamon cream cheese.
Bruce's Foods knocked it out of the park with a picnic lunch prepared by their Deli. We had fried chicken and a variety of salads and fresh fruit. The attendees raved about that lunch all week and especially enjoyed the Shrimp and Crab Salad (that's my favorite too). They couldn't believe it came from a grocery store deli.
Tasty Asia Take Out. Teresa worked with me to determine the menu and quantities. The attendees loved the eggrolls and cream cheese wontons so much they were gone before they could go back for seconds. We also had the Limoncello Mascarpone Cake and Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake and both were a hit! Afterward, Teresa told me this was their first catering order from this location.
Subway in Stacy MN. I ordered box lunches using their online system through ezCater. I chose a variety of sub sandwiches and salads and the attendees enjoyed a simple, familiar lunch. This was the easiest lunch of the week!
Linwood Pizza! What can I say? Alex and crew prepared a couple specialty pizzas which introduced the new Meat & Maple and the Linwood Legend which are the two most popular pizzas on the menu. The attendees devoured the cheese bread, the Hawaiian, and the Cheese pizza, too. Pieces were cut small enough so attendees could choose a variety of options to find their favorite and then come back for more. Great job Alex and Blake!
White Pine Coffee. Kayla is so gracious to work with. She was so flexible during the week when I needed to change my order on the fly, and I appreciate her doing so. I can't wait until her food truck is ready so I can offer that fun experience to my clients. Thank you, Kayla,
Moving away from the food side of things, I want to give a quick note of thanks to my other supplier partners:
Rapid Press Printing & Copy Center, Inc. I worked with Chandler who took my rough examples of signage and created beautiful signs that can be used again and again in the future.
Prism Design and Embroidery worked with our tight budget and timelines and produced a couple of giveaways that we will distribute at upcoming fall County events.
Thank you, Alex Hurtley! Alex worked as my onsite staff person and did all the running and heavy lifting all week. He got up early and delivered the morning coffee and snacks, he delivered and helped setup the different lunches each day. Kept the coolers stocked and helped with clean up. Then, he worked at his night job at the pizza shop. He hadn't worked with me before this event, but he did a great job, was organized, and proactive. Great job, Alex, thank you!
I've saved the best for last. Our event was held at Maranatha Church Forest Lake. We used two of their kid's church rooms and five smaller classrooms. They were so easy to work with and allowed us to set and use their facilities in the formats we needed. They allowed us space in their walk-in coolers, helped out with ice when needed, they let me take over one of their storage rooms for the week so I could use it as a home-base to store all my equipment and supplies. They graciously allowed me to come in on Sunday night to preset my meeting room, registration desk, and storage room so we could be ready for our early morning arrivals; and all this after working their largest event of the year when I'm sure they just wanted to go home and sleep!
Special call-out to Jaime who made everything easy and welcoming. She made us feel at home! Pastor Mike, she deserves all the kudos - you have a rock star in Jaime!!
Thank you for being such a great partner!
All in all, it was a great week and I'm thankful to my client for entrusting me to facilitate all the moving parts for them.
Linwood Group Meetings specializes in the planning and management of corporate and association events
