About Elder Services Network

Note from the Executive Director The programs and services offered by ESN would not be possible without the caring, dedication and tireless efforts of the volunteers. Many of the volunteers are seniors themselves. College students, homemakers and people still employed add to our pool of volunteers. The characteristics volunteers have in common are their concern for their fellow human beings and the desire to make their community a better place. I congratulate our volunteers on their many hours of service and I most gratefully thank them. In 1999 the groceries program was started in Hibbing and Virginia. The Super One markets in both communities came on board and have been extremely supportive in the ensuing years. As the program has grown to other areas on the Range more grocery stores and markets have joined with ESN. A big thank you is extended to the managers, cashiers, bookkeepers and other employees for being part of the success of the Groceries to Go program.

Over the years, budget cutbacks, welfare reform, health care reform and an exploding aging population have caused a wide gap in services to our area seniors, a gap likely to increase as our baby boomers age.

The Elder Services Network (ESN) exists to identify these gaps in services and to collaborate with local agencies, service providers, individuals and organizations to find and implement viable, quality services to fill the void in order to enhance the quality of life of the aging population in St. Louis County. Our purpose is to work with existing resources to develop services that fill identified service gaps, prevent duplication, and work within communities to develop locally supported community-based services.

To determine needs, Elder Services Network relies heavily on information gained from its membership. These agencies and individuals work directly with the area's aging population and therefore have firsthand knowledge about individual senior needs. ESN's average membership numbers between 40 and 60 and include service providers, seniors, and other individuals. As well, ESN works closely with the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging and has access to current needs assessments conducted in our service area.

Our mission is Providing Leadership in our Communities to Meet the Needs of Seniors. We do this by providing the following:

• Educational Opportunities
• Information and assistance
• Advocacy and outreach
• Program Coordination

ESN accomplishes its tasks with an Executive Director, two part-time employees and 203 dedicated volunteers.

History

AWARDS 2004 State Award for Community Collaboration given by the Minnesota Social Service Association and the Minnesota Department of Human Services as an organiation that demonstrates a high degree of successful community partnerships. 2001 Award for Excellence in Program Innovation by the Archstone Foundationfor the Groceries-to-Go Program.

ESN was conceived in 1984 by a group of people concerned about the increasing population of seniors in our communities and the lack of a support system available to them. The group was reorganized in 1993 to actively grapple with the complex issues facing the aging population in St. Louis County. This regrouping brought the Elder Services Network to a new level of active participation and service provision in the lives of seniors in our communities. ESN became a 501(c)3 non-profit agency in 1997 and received its first grant that same year.

Membership

Our membership includes a wide variety of agencies and individuals representing a vast array of services to seniors. The quarterly network meetings serve as the instrument of communication amongst the human service agencies that provide services to seniors in Northern St. Louis County. ESN is proud of the sharing of information that happens at our network meetings and the collaborations that are born there.

Network dues are $25 per agency and $15 for individual membership.

Elder Services Network Board of Directors

• Laura Petersen, LSW-ESN, President
  Eveleth Health Services Park
• Dani Raze, ESN Secretary, Treasurer
  Gilbert Business Owner
• Shannon Lustila
  Alternative Senior Living
• Bunny Husten, S.L.C.S.S.
  
• Kathleen M. McKinstra, Esq.
  Attorney at Law
  
• Brenda King
  Pastor, United Methodist Church
• Tom Berrigan
  Chair, Iron Range Veteran's Memorial
  Retired Steelworker
• Marie Samsa
  Health Line Home Care
• Tomas Hendrickson
  St. Raphael’s Health and Rehabilitation Center