06/04/2026
ENA is with the Zumbro Valley ENA Chapter in Rochester, Minnesota, for its work turning discards into dollars. In May, chapter members brought back Garagapalooza, a now biennial event to give back to organizations that help others in their community.
Chapter President Rebecca Kellner, BSN, RN, CEN, said Garagapalooza began about 15 years ago, but it fell by the wayside after a few years.
“In 2023, we were talking about what could we do to try to support our community?” Kellner said. The chapter brought back the sale, held another in 2024 and took off a year before the May 2026 event, having realized that it’s a sizeable undertaking to do every year.
“It’s so much fun. It’s exhausting, but fun,” said Kellner, a flight nurse for Mayo Clinic Ambulance, Mankato.
This year’s sale raised funds for three organizations with missions that dovetail with emergency care. Salt & Light Partners is a chaplain service for EMS and other first responders. The Elder Network provides resources for elderly patients and their caregivers. Recovery Is Happening provides support peers to sit and talk with patients with substance use issues who indicate they’re ready to start addiction recovery. When the patients are discharged, Recovery Is Happening follows up and connects them with resources.
This year’s Garagapalooza filled 55 tables, walls and floor space in an Olmsted County Fairgrounds building. Volunteers spent two days accepting and organizing the donated items, then two days for the sale and take down. Leftovers were donated to a local resale shop benefitting Disabled American Veterans.
“People came with carloads of stuff,” Kellner said, from quirky to costly, including antiques, furniture and a high-end mountain bicycle. The event raised approximately $6,000, and the chapter plans to bring it back in 2028.
