Wade Haapajoki Receives 2024 Brainerd Citizen of the Year Award

Emotions were flowing at Brainerd High School earlier this week, as the community gathered to surprise and celebrate longtime city staple Wade Haapajoki being named Brainerd’s 2024 Citizen Of The Year.

Haapajoki is the lead special education teacher at the Lincoln Education Center and an assistant coach for Warrior football. He also coaches youth sports and helps out with the Walleye Alliance, a group dedicated to maintaining the walleye population in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Haapajoki says he looks for any way to give back to his community, and he implores others to do the same.

“It’s tough to sit on the sidelines and say something versus, ‘Let’s get involved and try to have good solutions, do great things for kids,'” he said. “I love our community and I just challenge people to get involved in any way they can and find their passion and go get it, and go Warriors!”

Wade is the third Haapajoki to receive Brainerd Citizen of the Year, joining his brother Eryk in 2018 and his father John in 1994.