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Living In Carver County MinnesotaAuthor: Greg Anderson
An insider's guide to the people and places that make Carver County Minnesota a fantastic place to live and work and raise a family. We visit with dedicated people who through their jobs, volunteer actives or their businesses, make an important difference in our local communities. The cities of Chaska, Chanhassen, Victoria, Waconia, Cologne, Norwwood Young America, Mayer, Watertown, New Germany and Hamburg as well as in the townships area are places we will be featuring and we'll be talking to behind the scenes people who are stepping up, doing their best every day to make things better. Language: en Genres: Daily News, News Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Molly Koivumaki- Executive Director of Beyond New Beginnings-Beyond New Beginnings: How Carver County Rallied Around Its Young Moms
Episode 14
Friday, 13 March, 2026
What does it actually take to keep a community's most vulnerable families from falling through the cracks? In this episode, Greg sits down with Molly Koivumaki, the first Executive Director of Beyond New Beginnings — a supportive housing program in Chaska that provides safe, stable homes for young moms and their children as they work toward independence.Molly brings nearly 25 years of Chaska roots, a background in municipal government and affordable housing, and a front-row seat to one of Carver County's best grassroots stories. It started with a Rotary meeting in 2019, when local businessman Russ St. John heard a presentation by New Beginnings High School teacher Sue Schmidt about the housing struggles facing young moms after graduation — and decided to do something about it. A few years later, that conversation has become a thriving program serving families in a beautifully rehabbed historic building in downtown Chaska, with a brand new fourplex on the way thanks to developer Dave Pokorney and Community Asset Group.Greg and Molly talk about what it actually looks like when a young mom walks through the door at BNB, why this program earns support across every political line, and what the community's response has revealed about the character of Carver County. Spoiler: it's not what Molly expected — and her answer might surprise you too.If you caught Greg's earlier episode with Sue Schmidt about the New Beginnings High School program, this is the next chapter. And if you haven't, this one stands completely on its own.Beyond New Beginnings is community-funded, volunteer-supported, and always looking for people who want to get involved — whether that's teaching a class, bringing a Monday night meal, or making a financial contribution.Learn more at beyondnewbeginnings.org
