On Wednesday evening, Cloquet Middle School was packed with middle schoolers, high schoolers, and community members who were all there for a good cause. Cloquet School District IDS 94 teamed up with United Way of Carlton and Pine County area to raise funds for health, education, and financial stability.

Teachers from Cloquet High School, cheered on by students in neon, played a game of volleyball against teachers from Cloquet Middle School, whose students wore red, white, and blue. Tickets were $5, with all proceeds going to United Way of Carlton and Pine County.

“It’s super fun to see all the kids come out and support. It’s also really awesome to see our staff get into this as well. They are really on board with doing this event and I think they want to continue to do this each year,” said Cloquet High School Head Secretary and Student Council Advisor Nicole Sandman.

United Way of Carlton and Pine County has a variety of programs that help the community. Executive Director Sarah Buhs says that a lot of their funds come from fundraising, workplace campaigns, and donations.

“We have a homeless youth program that supports kids that are in school that are maybe coach hopping, unhoused. We have a resource space, and we connect them with host homes and resources,” said Buhs. “We also have an early childhood literacy program. A lot of people know it as Imagination Library, that Dolly Parton program. That’s free books for kids from birth to age five, and there is no cost to that program because of the fundraising and funds that we do. Then we have a food program that offers food bags for kids on weekends in the summertime.”

The next fundraising event for United Way of Carlton and Pine County will be on April 12, from 4-8 pm at Fond du Lac Community College. This “Power of the Purse” event will raise money for the organization’s resource program for homeless youth.