Apple Valley Becomes Yellow Ribbon City

The city of Apple Valley on Monday received its Yellow Ribbon status to assist returning military personnel and their families, according to an article from Sun Thisweek newspapers.

Apple Valley Patch .

Yellow Ribbon cities are part of the Yellow Ribbon Community Campaign, which is part of the Minnesota National Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The community campaign brings a local community together to gather resources and provide support for Minnesotans in the military and their families during and after deployment.

Surrounding communities, such as Lakeville, Farmington and Eagan, already had become Yellow Ribbon cities when Apple Valley started the process. Bruce Folken, a member of the Dakota County Human Services Advisory Committee who led the Apple Valley Yellow Ribbon initiative, that the goal in coming years is to have all of Dakota County’s communities become Yellow Ribbon communities.

Many efforts already were happening in the Apple Valley community to help military members and their families, but Folken told the Yellow Ribbon campaign aims to put those efforts under one roof.

“You’ve got so many different groups doing something on their own,” Folken said. “But this gives us the ability to interconnect in one collaborative effort.”

A committee of volunteers from many different parts of the city, including city administration, faith-based organizations, the business community, safety services and others complete a 16-step process to become a Yellow Ribbon city, Folken said.

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Read about Apple Valley earning its Yellow Ribbon status the Sun Thisweek newspapers article.