Senior Yard Sign Effort Spearheaded by Local Business Owner

ST. CLOUD -- The traditional rites of passage for high school seniors have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and one St. Cloud woman wants to help the community show them a little support.

Lezlie Carlin of Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes has arranged for the printing of lawn signs in honor of seniors. As the parent of a senior, Carlin is acutely aware of the challenges and disappointments the public health crisis has delivered.

"Their proms have been canceled," Carlin said. "Their parties have been canceled. Their graduations are now canceled. It's just really hard for them; they don't have finality."

Carlin worked with Minuteman Press in St. Cloud to design six yard sign templates. Each template is specific to one of six area schools: Tech, Apollo, Cathedral, St. Cloud Christian School, Sartell and Sauk Rapids. Miller-Carlin currently has one of each in front of their facility along Roosevelt Road in St. Cloud.

Carlin says any business or resident can contact Minuteman to order their own double-sided yard signs, which can be customized with company logos or students' names.

"Anyone can get one, and they can personalize it as much as they want," Carlin said. "The owner (of Minuteman) knows I'm working to get the word out, because we want to see a whole bunch of them out in St. Cloud.

"We're not making any money off of this," Carlin added. "I just wanted to see it happen. I thought it would be really neat for the seniors, and we've already gotten a lot of positive feedback about ours."

All design and set-up costs have been covered by Miller-Carlin, and signs are $15 each. To learn more or order, contact Minuteman Press at (320) 251-2231.