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OUR COMMUNITY /

About St. Cloud Shines

St. Cloud Shines is a placemaking initiative local to the Central MN region. Our efforts are dedicated to sharing the positive stories happening in the Greater St. Cloud communities – those within a 30-mile radius of the City of St. Cloud. Our mission is to shine a light on the people, places, faces, organizations, opportunities, events, and businesses in our neighborhoods. It’s easy to see the things we don’t like, so let’s shine a light on all the things we love!

Placemaking is an economic development strategy that works to shift the mindset of the area you live in to focus on the positive, rather than the negative. Placemaking seizes the opportunity to share community assets, opportunities, and potential to promote growth, happiness, and overall well-being.

St. Cloud Shines was started in 2018 by St. Cloud, MN locals Katie Virnig & Lacey Schirmers, after learning more about placemaking and realizing its potential for our community. The idea was shared with the Greater St. Cloud Development Corp., and with their support – and the support of many investors in our communities – the St. Cloud Shines initiative was launched in 2019.

St. Cloud Shines has grown into a social movement harnessing the collective good that our neighbors surround us with. The #StCloudShines hashtag and brand serve as both a call to action and a reminder to look for (and share) the positive things happening in Greater St. Cloud. The goal of St. Cloud Shines is to continually inspire and encourage the Central MN communities to change the narrative of how we feel, talk, and look at this beautiful place we call home. After all, together, we shine brighter.