Photo: Chris Emeott
Local nonprofit aims to send message to students: You’re growing up in a community that cares.
When the Skoolie Too bus comes around, a party is sure to follow.
The beloved bus is part of South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo) Community Education and SoWashCo Community Action Reaching Every Student (CARES). Equipped with music, lights and the desire to fill a need, the bus is a staple of doing good.
“It is really a symbol of the partnership between the school district and the community,” says Cheryl Jogger, community engagement coordinator of SoWashCo Schools and founder of SoWashCo CARES, a community-led nonprofit organization that supports the school district.
The Skoolie Too Bus is owned and operated by SoWashCo Community Education and is a symbol of the partnership between the school district and the community. It allows community education to make programming more accessible for District 833. The bus and its presence create a space that welcomes everyone and gives people a place to belong without barriers.
After its colorful predecessor, the original Skoolie Bus, semi-retired in 2024, Skoolie Too was brought in as a revival. However, the program itself has been active since 2017. “We started the Skoolie program about six years ago as a partnership with the school district, No Kid Hungry and Second Harvest Heartland to provide summer meals to kids in the community,” Jogger says.
Running Monday through Thursday from the beginning of June to the middle of August, Skoolie Too travels to the four corners of the district, landing in parking lots to distribute food, resources and fun. “We work with local businesses, churches and other organizations to sponsor a free dinner and free activities,” Jogger says. “It really creates a lot of fun and excitement.”
When the program started, the intention was to address hunger needs in the community. Now, however, the efforts of the Skoolie program extends to anyone and everyone. “We found people felt like they couldn’t participate in Skoolie events if they didn’t need help,” Jogger says. “We really rebranded it and reworked it to make it a family fun event. Everyone is welcome.”
Skoolie Family Fun Nights include free food and activities for Woodbury and its surrounding communities of Cottage Grove, Newport and St. Paul Park. Photos: SoWashCo CARES
Because the Skoolie Too is newer, Jogger says she’s hopeful it will accommodate more programming beyond the summer months.
Community Helping Community
While Jogger jokes that the Skoolie program is like her third child, the entire SoWashCo CARES program is near and dear to her heart. She created the idea for the organization after attending a 2015 event that aimed to address global hunger.
“There was an event [with] Feed My Starving Children that had a goal of packing five million meals to send to kids overseas,” Jogger says. The turnout for the event was incredible. Organizations, church groups, businesses and individuals all came together for the greater good. Jogger says the outpouring of support sparked an idea to create a local initiative with a similar goal.
“That inspired me to think about doing something similar and engage our community to meet the needs of our local [residents] right here at home,” she says. SoWashCo CARES was born the following year in 2016.
To understand the extent of local needs, Jogger, who was already on the Community Education Advisory Council, and others visited with district staff to determine how the effort could make the most impact. Jogger says the reoccurring theme was teachers and staff were helping kids who didn’t have snacks, winter clothing and school supplies. In addition, those teachers and staff members were funding the needs from their own pockets.
“Our own staff were paying to meet those needs for the kids, which is incredible, but we needed to do something about that,” Jogger says. “We felt that if the community knew about these needs that people would absolutely step up to help get the kids what they needed.”
Cheryl Jogger and Sue McKeown, who is integral to the Skoolie program and often drives the bus.
To meet needs in real-time, the group created a Facebook page that features requests directly from district staff to SoWashCo CARES volunteers. Community partners see the posts, respond to the need and district staff take it from there. Jogger says the model works so well that, since 2016, “We have been able to meet all the needs with the help of our generous community!
“It’s amazing to see the generosity when people know exactly what the need is,” she says. “We make it easy for people to help, and that really resonates with our community.”
Clothing, Supplies and Snacks
As a well-established organization in the district, Jogger says SoWashCo CARES is best known for meeting basic needs, including school supplies, snacks and winter clothing. She says the school supply drives kicks off in the summer followed by the winter clothing effort in the fall.
“We have such generous support from the community,” she says, noting that last year more than 500 backpacks full of supplies were given away to children at the beginning of the school year.
The winter clothing effort is just as successful. Annually, different individuals and organizations come together to make sure children have what they need to stay warm during Minnesota winters.
Jogger says the space is set up as a pop-up winter clothing shop that is open to people by invitation only. “We always work through school staff to ensure we’re serving those in need,” Jogger says of why the invitation-only format is used. “It is so much fun to see these kids try on a new pair of boots or a warm jacket. They’re always so happy.”
In previous years, SoWashCo CARES worked with a Girl Scout troop to start a snack program that helps supplement schools with snacks. Jogger reiterated appreciation for people who help make that effort successful, noting the donation of a box of granola bars goes a long way.
Classroom Grants
As SoWashCo CARES continues to grow, Jogger says it has also taken on a role as an education foundation, enabling thousands of dollars in grants be awarded to district classrooms and projects. She says while the primary focus of SoWashCo CARES is on students, supporting school staff is also important. “We know when teachers and staff feel supported, they’ll be able to better care for students,” she says.
SoWashCo CARES provides funding for classroom needs, as well as activities that recognize the hard work of teachers and other district staff. A newer classroom grant program allows all district staff an opportunity to apply for up to $2,500 for a project or needs twice per year. Last year, more than $10,000 was awarded through the effort. “We really see this growing and becoming something that makes a big impact,” Jogger says. “We support our schools staff, which ultimately helps support our students!”
Building a Community That Cares
Jogger says SoWashCo CARES continues to serve the purpose she originally intended for the organization, which is creating a community that cares. The slogan, “Our community helping our community,” resonates with everyone involved, Jogger notes.
“We have a wonderful SoWashCo CARES community,” she says. “We want our kids to know they’re growing up in a community that cares.”
SoWashCo CARES
651.425.6600
Facebook: SoWashCo CARES
Instagram: @sowashcocares
South Washington County Schools Community Education
8400 E. Point Douglas Road S., Cottage Grove; 651.425.6600
Facebook: South Washington County Schools Community Education
Instagram: @sowashcoce
