Mission & Vision
We are a place to connect with people and the community in an environment that fosters friendships and celebrates individual abilities and talents. We are about expanding horizons through activities and events that appeal to children, teens and adults using art, music, community service and much more!
The Mission of the Valley Friendship Club is to promote and provide safe, accessible social opportunities while fostering friendships. To this end, we aim to enhance community connections, empower club participants to strengthen important life skills, and create greater social independence.
The Vision of the Valley Friendship Club is to create the opportunity for every person with a developmental and/or intellectual disability to build enduring friendships and embrace community connections while enhancing the lives of all individuals involved: members, families, and volunteers!
Valley Friendship Club Hub is located at 6201 N Osgood Ave, Stillwater MN 55082.
Our VFC Entrance is on the 62nd St side of the building, near the end of the drop-off driveway.
VFC Team
Karen Keenan, Valley Friendship Club Executive Director. Karen is a graduate of The University of MN with a BS in engineering. Karen is the former chair of ConnectWC and a 2013 Mahtomedi Ted X Speaker “What if we created a Community of Belonging”. She is also a graduate of the MN Partners in Policymaking leadership program created by the MN Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. Karen and her husband have one daughter with Down Syndrome.
Lisa Kothe, Valley Friendship Club’s Program Director. Lisa graduated from University of Illinois with a BS in engineering. She was employed as an optimization engineer before becoming a stay-at-home Mom who continued to have many leadership roles for local PTO, sports clubs, and school organizations. Lisa has 4 children, one of whom has a developmental disability.
Angelina Corbett, Valley Friendship Club’s Event Coordinator. Angelina comes to VFC as a former local business owner and as such she brings to Valley Friendship Club and this program excellent organization skills, extensive community connections along with many years of working with children, teens & young adults.
Jen Johnson, Valley Friendship Club’s Event Lead and Social Media Specialist. Jen graduated from Bethel University with a degree in Psychology. After graduation she followed her passion for helping others with a career as a Para in the NE Metro 916 School District, volunteered with AmeriCorps, was involved in Young Life Capernaum and is also a PCA.
Deb Wyss, Valley Friendship Club’s Event Lead and Volunteer Coordinator . Deb is a graduate from Bethany Global University (Bloomington, MN) with a degree in Cross-Cultural Studies and spent 7 years working for a non-profit in Asia, which included research, study, and teaching. Deb is the mother of 2, one of whom was born with Coffin-Siris Syndrome.
Annie Fenner, Valley Friendship Club’s Event Lead. Annie is currently a senior at Bethel University where she is studying Community Health. Annie has been a Housing Mentor, Assistant Resident Supervisor, and Study Group Mentor for the BUILD program at Bethel, assisting students with special needs. She also loves serving others which lead to working in a Assisted Living Facility as well as being a PCA.
Heather Ritzer, Valley Friendship Club’s Event Lead. Heather is currently the building Health Aide and a classroom Paraprofessional at the Mahtomedi Passages Transition Program. She has worked in the Mahtomedi school district for 14 years. When Heather is not working, she loves to spend time with her family and her pets. She enjoys anything crafty and was a cake decorator for 15 years.
Board of Directors
Tara King, Chair (VFC Co-founder) Stillwater, MN. Tara serves as a VFC program advisor and facilitator. She is also a founding board member of ArtSpoke, a local non-profit for children focused on embracing vulnerability and building resiliency. She has been involved with family ministry at FPC- Stillwater and has served as both a Deacon and an Elder. She is a US Army veteran and parent of four children, one of whom has down syndrome.
Jennie Soine, Vice-Chair, Former Licensed Acupuncturist and owner of Valley Holistic Healing, Stillwater, MN. She is a stay at home parent to two young children, one of whom has developmental disabilities.
Aimee Stanton, Licensed Social Worker, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation St. Croix, Bayport, MN. Aimee serves as our Board Treasurer and volunteers as a VFC program advisor and facilitator and is parent of two.
Joyce Enright, Joyce is a Minnesota transplant, wife, and mom to two children, one who has special needs. Joyce is active in the St. Croix Valley community and has volunteered in the areas of event planning and fundraising for Family Means, Partnership Plan, Valley Outreach, and Stillwater Schools.
Jon Matel, Jon is a graduate of UW-Stout and Bethel Universities with degrees in Special Education. He has been a special education teacher for 8 years. His passion is helping students become as independent as they possibly can be. Jon grew up in Stillwater and enjoys giving back to the community that gave him so much. He is the parent of two daughters.
Mellissa Dahl, Mellissa has an extensive background in marketing, video production, and communications. She has co-founded, organized, and volunteered for a number of charity events. She has two children – one of whom has special needs. Mellissa, her husband, and her daughter live in Hudson, WI.
Amy Karlstad, Amy is a North Dakota native who now resides in Stillwater, MN with her husband, Ryan, and twin daughters, Ava and Elise. Amy has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in management and was a Human Resources Specialist and Team Trainer for Dayton’s/Marshall Fields. Amy has led “Living Your Strengths” classes, volunteered in the schools, and is actively involved at Trinity LC on various committees.
Richard Stuart, Rich is a lifelong Stillwater resident. He has been with First State Bank and Trust in Bayport for over 31 years and currently is the Vice President of Operations and Security. Rich has a B.S. in finance from Metropolitan State University and is an active member of United Way and the local community with countless friends and family!
Jennifer Gillespie, Jennifer is a member of First Presbyterian Church and is currently serving on the Session (Church Board) and Chairing the Finance Committee. She is also a retired Healthcare Actuary with 19 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield, a past President of the Society of Actuaries and a former Board Chair for Family Means. In her free time, Jennifer is a volunteer judge and chief referee for US Figure Skating.
Once upon a time…
Valley Friendship Club (VFC) was the brainchild of a group of Washington County Parents who saw a need for fun social opportunities for their children with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, as well an opportunity to create an inclusive partnership with the community at large.
In 2010, our startup grant application was approved by the CCP Foundation of Stillwater and VFC was officially launched. Within one month of launch, our first event drew 20 attendees solely through word of mouth promotion. In our first year we hosted over 55 events and served over 300 individuals, culminating with a first anniversary party where we celebrated with 100 of VFC members. The vision of our founders, Susan Kane, Tara King and Sara Hayden, was now a vibrant and growing community.
In 2012, we were thrilled to be selected to receive a new website through the Nerdery’s Overnight Website Challenge.
Valley Friendship Club moved in to new space we call The Hub in September 2017 located at 5620 Memorial Ave No., Suite C, Stillwater MN 55082. VFC has continued to grow and thrive. We moved again in May of 2023 to a larger space at 6201 N Osgood Ave, also in Stillwater.
