THE START
In the school year of 2016-17, middle school students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School were participating in the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) competition with the theme of Animal Allies.
Now, you might wonder what Legos have to do with bees. The simple answer is pretty much nothing...
OUR PROJECT
Spearheaded by our Founder, Nikolas, our FLL project was based on education of native bees and building of habitat. Our group connected with companies and organizations such as Target Center, University of MN, and 3M early on. Winning the Research Project Award at the Regional FLL Tournament, and helping our team advance to the MN State Championship, the start of Bee Kind MN was born.
After the competition was over, Nikolas realized his passion for bees, took the idea of Bee Kind MN, and ran with it. Soon incorporating and registering as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2017, Bee Kind MN, Inc. has outgrown the hopes and dreams of what the team could've imagined.
Nikolas is extremely honored to have received the 2017 Pollinator Advocate Award for the United States of America (left) from the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. This award "recognizes individuals or organizations that have contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation and to public education, resulting in increased awareness of the importance of pollination" (Pollinator Partnership).
Though it all started as a school project, it is now a completely separate organization because we realized that we wanted to take it further than just our school community – we wanted to make a bigger impact.
Moving Forward
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Officially a nonprofit, we strive to help save and maintain the native bee populations through education, hands-on activities, and habitat revival. Plus, we're still kid-run!
If you have a a request for a speaking engagement, workshop, or just want to reach out, please contact us!
Please consider supporting our efforts by making a tax-deductible donation or building a bee house!
