Xcel Energy Center Gears Up To Host We Day Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – About 18,000 students are expected to fill Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Wednesday to see some big name celebrities and celebrate local and global charities as part of We Day Minnesota.

It's the second annual event, and among the expected celebrities are Martin Sheen and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Among many musical performers is The Band Perry. Also helping promote the event are WCCO-TV's Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santaniello.

Students from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota who are attending Wednesday's event had to earn their way to get to Xcel Energy Center. One organizer calls it the "Super Bowl of Doing Good." Over the course of the last year, students have done one local and one global action of service to earn their ticket to We Day Minnesota.

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Minnesota students raised and donated more than $370,000 this year to local and global services, which is what the We Day Minnesota celebration centers around. It's all about today's youth deciding to make a difference.

One group of students that earned their way to the festivities is from Minnetonka Middle School East. Forty students there did various service projects to qualify. They participated in "We Scare Hunger," donating canned to local food shelves they got on Halloween instead of going trick-or-treating for candy. They collected nearly 4,000 pounds of food.

It's the second year the school has participated in the campaign, and they're continuing to add projects to give more students opportunities for local and global service.

Minnetonka Middle School East Students Excited For We Day Minnesota