Jeff Boike Named Winner of 2025 Changemakers Award
St. Cloud Financial Credit Union and St. Cloud LIVE are proud to announce that Jeff Boike of St. Augusta has been named the winner of the 2025 Changemakers Award.
Changemakers is an annual program created by SCFCU that seeks to highlight individuals who are making positive change and are doing great things within the community while recognizing the well-known or unsung heroes in our surrounding communities. Since its inception over a decade ago, Changemakers has recognized hundreds of people who have made a meaningful difference in St. Cloud and the surrounding areas.
“As a credit union, we focus on human connection. We want to recognize all the good in our community, because we know there is so much good happening from all over,” SCFCU President and CEO Jed Meyer said. “Changemakers is a celebration of all that is right in our surrounding communities and this program helps us find the hidden gems and accelerate that goodness.”
Boike was initially selected as one of three finalists — alongside Adrian Washington of St. Cloud and Julie Leikvoll of Little Falls — by the Changemakers selection committee in July following a strong response of nominations.
During the Changemakers Awards Ceremony on Aug. 26 at the Riverside Terrance in Sauk Rapids, Boike was announced as the winner while taking home trophy and a $3,000 cash prize due to his work in giving back to the community.
“It’s a big honor. The stuff that I do, it’s the community that gives me the opportunity to do it. … It’s the community having trust in me to use their funds or good will to give back,” Boike said. “I think it’s pretty cool that (SCFCU and St. Cloud LIVE) put on an event like this that honors folks in our community that are giving some of their time and energy back to the community.”
The other two finalists, Washington and Leikvoll, also received trophies and $1,000 cash prizes as an appreciation for their generosity and commitment to giving back to the community. During the ceremony, each person who was nominated was recognized and received a trophy for their work in making a positive impact.
View videos of each of the three finalists here.
Changemakers Finalists
Jeff Boike
2025 Winner
A dedicated hockey coach, business owner and father, Jeff Boike, his wife Erika and their family experienced an unimaginable tragedy in 2022 when their son Charlie - a student and hockey player - passed away in a car accident at the age of 17. The Boikes turned that personal tragedy into keeping Charlie’s legacy alive, becoming involved in the community in many aspects and making a positive impact through giving back. Boike started “Skate Free Charlie” as a way to raise funds to give scholarships students at St. Cloud Tech and Apollo students in their educational pursuits. Most recently, Boike designed a new facility in Waite Park, “Charlie’s Corner Community Sport Court”, intended for youth in the community featuring a pickleball court, a wall ball area for lacrosse players and a hockey target shooting area. Boike also gives back to the elderly in the area, fulfilling wish lists of senior memory care residents around the holidays.
Adrian Washington
2025 Finalist
Adrian Washington is well-known for his comedy career in Minnesota and beyond, having toured the country as a stand-up comedian but never forgetting where he comes from in his hometown of St. Cloud. Though he loves to crack jokes on stage and make people laugh, Washington also gives back to the community, notably area youth. A graduate of St. Cloud Apollo High School, Washington gives back to the community in numerous ways. He created a “Suits for Seniors” program in 2022, which sponsors 10 seniors from St. Cloud to provide them with a fully tailored suit and other items in an attempt to help set them up for success. Washington also started "Avengers for Autism” in honor of his son Masyn, who has high-functioning autism. Avengers for Autism raises money and uses a portion of Washington’s earnings from comedy shows to rent out a movie theater and invite about 50 children in the area with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders to a sensory-friendly environment.
Julie Leikvoll
2025 Finalist
In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, Julie Leikvoll left her job to help give back to others when she started Labor of Love MN in Little Falls. Through Labor of Love, Leikvoll created a space where antique shoppers, thrift shoppers and people in need can come for clothes, essentials and much more. Labor of Love collects items through donations, which Leikvoll turns around to offer for free or at a reduced price for those in need - and sometimes takes on the cost of items herself to help someone else. Over the last five-plus years, Leikvoll and Labor of Love has helped more than 1,000 individuals and families by giving back and supporting them in any way she can.