Mount Olivet Rolling Acres Is Serving Minnesotans with Developmental Disabilities during COVID-19, and You Can Help

Minnesotans are stepping up and making a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I want to make sure people know about all the organizations out there doing great work and helping during this crisis and beyond. I’m profiling a different nonprofit each day to share their information and their story.

Today’s entry is Mount Olivet Rolling Acres, led by my good friend Tracy Murphy. Started in 1953, Mount Olivet was originally a parcel of land a group of parents purchased to provide a summer camp and group home for their children with developmental disabilities. Twelve years later, growth in the project led to Mount Olivet Lutheran Church launching a nonprofit, nondenominational corporation to take things over at the parents’ request and develop a larger effort. In 1968 construction began on a main campus which is what Mount Olivet is today, providing residential services, community homes, specialized services, respite, case management, and day services for both children and adults.

In 1996, Mount Olivet started its Metro Crisis Coordination Program (MCCP), a collaborative effort between Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties that provides a range of crisis safety-net services for persons with developmental and related conditions. Its original location still stands today, offering residential houses for long-term care. In addition, it has more than 30 community homes serving almost 100 clients in four- and six-person, single-family, and double bungalows. It also has an in-home program that provides customized plans to support clients and families, and other additional programming and services.

Mount Olivet

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mount Olivet is continuing to operate all of its programs with the exception of its adult day program to ensure the needs of the clients it serves are met. In addition, it is providing in-home virtual activities through its recreation department, and its staff from the day programs have been repurposed into the homes with the people they support. Mount Olivet Rolling Acres is also hiring! This is another nonprofit on the front lines, continuing to serve those most in need during this challenging time. Head over to its website and check them out.