 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09/11/2014
Contact: Christina Schmitt, Environmental Services: 612-596-7740
Meg Knodl, Public Affairs: 612-348-3735
News release
Nearly 10,000 pounds diverted from the waste stream by Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics, while creating community and
teaching basic repair skills.
This September, Hennepin County’s popular
Fix-It Clinic program will celebrate its second anniversary. At Fix-It Clinics,
residents can bring in small household appliances, clothing, electronics,
mobile devices and more – then receive free guided assistance from volunteers
with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix their items.
One success
story features resident Mark Kreidler. He brought an old radio to a Fix-It
Clinic. It was a radio his girlfriend loved, but had dropped. Several
volunteers worked with Kreidler to repair the radio and also taught him skills
to make future repairs himself. The radio worked again, just in time for her
birthday. “When I gave it to her, she was thrilled, and she has been listening
to it non-stop,” said Kreidler. “I just want to thank the fix-it crew for all
their help!”
Since Sept
2012, the program has helped 1,419 attendees fix 1,529 items – with an average
fix rate of 76 percent. Fix-It Clinics teach valuable troubleshooting and
basic repair skills, build community connections, and reduce the number of
repairable objects that are thrown in the trash. To date, 9,885 pounds have been diverted from the waste stream, and volunteers
have donated more than 2,400 hours.
Upcoming Fix-It Clinics
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Saturday, Sept. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mississippi
Watershed Management Organization, 2522 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis
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Saturday, October 11, noon to 4 p.m., Hennepin County Library – North Regional, 1315 Lowry Ave. N, Minneapolis
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Saturday, November 8, noon to 4 p.m., Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center, 5600 85th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park
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Sunday, December 14, noon to 4 p.m., Brookview Community Center, 200 Brookview Pkwy., Golden Valley
For more information
about Fix-It Clinics or to volunteer, call 612-348-3777 or visit www.hennepin.us/fixitclinic.
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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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