January 22, 2018   This Week's Lunch Program: Connected Kids Initiative   Lisa J. Welter, Founder   Connected Kids Initiative (CKI) is made up of a collaborative advisory group existing as a non-traditional team since late 2016.  Together, the group is actively striving to accomplish three key objectives: 1) Mobilize the faith community to respond to the unmet needs of kids, 2) Develop efficient ways to support families opening their homes, and 3) Remove barriers so that systemic change can occur.  CKI brings personal expertise along with the support of member agencies to help change the direction of the Minnesota child welfare crisis.    Lisa J. Welter is a founder of CKI and currently leads a non-profit called Safe Families for Children as the Minnesota State Director.  Lisa lives in St. Paul, Minn. with her husband Cary and their three teenagers.  With a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership, Lisa has spent much of her adult life teaming up with ministry and nonprofit leaders to bring hope and opportunities to those in need.  Lisa is a licensed pastor and led in Minnesota's largest church.  She oversaw and directed the efforts of community outreach, care ministries, and pastoral development - while leading the church through an entire reframing of outreach and care.  Lisa will speak to Coon Rapids Rotary on Monday, January 22nd about the group's work.  Hope you can make it.     Read more... Last Week's Highlights: January 15, 2018     While there was no formal program last week, there was time to socialize, catch up on current events and include the long-standing tradition of a classification talk.  Special thanks to Nick Bednarczyk for sharing his inspiring story to walk in your purpose and be part of solutions.  Good advice indeed.  Hope we can hear an encore presentation at some point down the road.      Snowflake Days Kicks Off This Week     This week marks the 54th annual Coon Rapids Snowflake Days.  The event started in 1964 by the Coon Rapids Jaycees and has now become part of the fabric of the community - offering a respite from the winter blues and a chance to connect with neighbors and friends around town.  It is now run by the Snow Flake Days Association.  The event starts on January 25th and runs through February 11th.    For a complete listing of events check out their website: http://www.coonrapidssnowflakedays.com/