MiracleKids Triathlon race officials forecast record numbers of

participants at the Chanhassen race scheduled for Aug. 21 at Lake Ann

Park and registration may need to be limited due to space restrictions.

As of Tuesday, about 750 people had signed up to participate and the

maximum number of participants is about 900, according to race director

Tony Schiller.

Schiller encouraged people to register online — at www.mikidstri.com —

if they want to participate. Same-day registration is not guaranteed.

“It’s so exciting to see this overwhelming response, but Lake Ann

Park can only hold so many people, so we're encouraging kids to

register online before the event,” Schiller said.

In addition to increased registration numbers, donations earned

to-date are thousands of dollars ahead of last year’s fundraising

numbers.

Founded in 2004, the MiracleKids Triathlon works in conjunction with

the Miracles of Mitch Foundation, an organization founded in memory of

Mitch Chepokas. Before his death at the age of 9, Mitch worked with his

father to distribute his own financial gifts to other cancer kids’

families who were struggling with treatment costs and daily

life-expenses.

Busing provided to State Fair

SouthWest Transit will be bringing local residents to and from the

Minnesota State Fair, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 26 to Labor Day,

Monday, Sept. 6.

“This service is one of the great ways for people to find out more

about the service that SouthWest Transit provides,” stated Len Simich,

president and CEO of transit agency, in a press release. “Each year we

hear from people that have taken the bus about how clean and

comfortable the buses are and how kind and courteous the drivers are to

the passengers.”

On weekdays SouthWest Transit is providing rides to the Fair from

Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. On weekends and Labor Day, service

will be from SouthWest Station in Eden Prairie and SouthWest Village in

Chanhassen.

During the Fair, SouthWest Transit will transport some 60,000 people

to and from the Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights. The cost for this

service is $5 per person and there is a special Family Rate available

as well.

SouthWest Transit provides transit services for Chanhassen, Chaska

and Eden Prairie. The transit agency has park and ride ramps in place

in Eden Prairie and on Highway 212 in Chanhassen. Chaska has a transit

park and ride facility which is also located on Highway 212.

Each year SouthWest Transit provides more than one million rides, with

the bulk of these being commuters going to and from downtown

Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota.

CAP Agency appoints new director

The CAP Agency Board of Directors has appointed Carolina Bradpiece as

CAP Agency executive director, effective Aug. 2, according to a press

release.

Bradpiece replaces Mary Sullivan, who is leaving the agency after

serving as its executive director for nearly 40 years. An open house

honoring Mary’s contributions to the agency is being planned for Sept.

1, a release stated.

Bradpiece has more than 20 years of experience in organizational leadership and development with nonprofit organizations.

She comes to the CAP Agency from The Saint Paul Foundation. As a

Director, Bradpiece was the chief fundraising and donor stewardship

strategist, leading and managing development and grant making for the

five endowment funds of SpectrumTrust.

Previously she was vice president of Netzel Associates in Los Angeles,

the West Coast's largest nonprofit and fundraising management company,

President and CEO with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Vice President with

the YMCA and served in leadership roles with the Girl Scouts.

Bradpiece holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Macalester

College in Saint Paul. She is a Rotarian, a member of the Association

of Fundraising Professionals, and devotes her time to many volunteer

efforts including mentoring and Board development.

A welcoming reception for Bradpiece will be held in October in

conjunction with the “CAP 45” event celebrating the 45 years of CAP

Agency service to the community.

Carver County Day at Arb

Chanhassen and Carver County Day at the Minnesota Landscape

Arboretum is Friday, Aug. 6. On this day, residents of Chanhassen

and/or Carver County will be admitted free of charge to the Arboretum

(with proof of residency).

Local government and Arboretum officials will speak at a public

welcoming ceremony, with complimentary refreshments, at 10 a.m. in the

Oswald Visitor Center.

Immediately following, free gift bags will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Host a student from Estonia

Tom Allmere, 18, from Tallinn, Estonia, has been selected as this

year’s Chaska Rotary Youth Exchange Student at Chaska High School.

Allmere enjoys sports, especially soccer in the summer and skiing in

the winter. He is planning to try out for the high school soccer team

later this month. His school course work has been rigorous taking 17

required subjects this past year. So he is excited about being able to

choose his own subjects at Chaska. Already a world traveler, Allmere is

fluent in English, according to a Rotary press release.

Incoming Rotary exchange students spend the whole academic year in

the United States, staying with three volunteer host families in the

community for about three months each. This allows the student to

experience three different family cultures providing a more broadening

experience.

“For the families, the three month hosting experience is a great

opportunity to build a close relationship with the student and

basically make a ‘new friend for life’ while learning about a different

culture and language,” stated Ken Hiller, Chaska Rotary Youth Exchange

Officer.

For more information on hosting this year’s Rotary Exchange Student,

contact Hiller at (952) 361-6944 or [email protected].