Roseville, Other Cities Looking to Support Military Families

Community leaders and citizens from Roseville and neighboring communities plan tonight to resume their work on developing an area-wide program that supports military service members and their families.

Tuesday’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Fireside Room of the Roseville Skating Center.

The initiative, known as Beyond The Yellow Ribbon, is aimed at connecting service members and their families with community support, training, services and resources, according to First Lieutenant Kathryn Helland, a Yellow Ribbon Outreach Coordinator with the Minnesota National Guard.

“We know there are military families out there that are not getting public support,” said Annette Kuyper, director of military outreach at the Minnesota National Guard.

Kuyper made her comment at a Yellow Ribbon organizing meeting in Roseville earlier this month that was attended by about 25 people.  The attendees included local elected officials, police representatives, church leaders and citizens from Roseville, Maplwood, Shoreview and North St. Paul.

Currently, there some 50 communities across Minnesota that are seeking designation for Beyond The Yellow Ribbon support programs, Kuyper said.