Regional Highlights
“We greatly appreciate the Thriving Communities Initiative program. Our community benefited very much from being involved in the program – from the new welcome signs, to a Shop Local campaign, to a new playground structure, to name a few.”
– Amy Jo Mell, Rush City City Administrator
MORRISON COUNTY | Little Falls Videos Provide Well-Rounded View of City
Little Falls is featuring 360-degree, virtual reality videos on its website to attract visitors and potential residents. The project, spearheaded by Golden Shovel Agency in partnership with the city of Little Falls and the Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, received grant support from the Initiative Foundation. The videos allow viewers to control viewing direction and get a real-life view
of the city, businesses and attractions.
TODD COUNTY | Staples Area Men’s Choir Carries on Music Tradition
The Real Men Sing Choral Festival for young men carried on thanks to a grant from the Staples-Motley Area Community Foundation (SMACF). An Initiative Foundation Partner Fund, SMACF sponsored this festival to encourage young men to experience the “joy and richness that singing brings to life.” In its 15th year, the fall festival attracts more than 200 young men from across the region for an afternoon of practice with a guest conductor. The day is capped with a concert.
WADENA COUNTY | Access to High-Speed Internet Coming to Underserved Area
High-speed internet is essential for everything from education to business expansion. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) recently announced a grant to bring broadband to areas of Wadena County, helping more than 180 homes and 13 businesses. A longtime supporter of broadband access, the Initiative Foundation sponsored the Blandin Foundation’s
October Border to Border Broadband Conference at Madden’s Resort.
CASS COUNTY | Hackensack Paving the Way for the Future
Hackensack is known as the “heart of the lakes,” and the local Thriving Communities Initiative team
is working hard to advance community-led improvements. During a community-wide “Be the Game Changer” meeting attended by nearly 60 people in February, the team gathered ideas as they march toward a goal of being awarded a Foundation challenge match to fund hometown quality-of-life initiatives.
CROW WING COUNTY | Program Equips Students for Hospitality Careers
Here’s a stark fact: 26 percent of the region’s job vacancies are in two industries—food service and retail trade. Schools throughout the area are responding by aligning with ProStart, a Bridges Career Academies & Workplace Connections program funded in part by an Initiative Foundation grant. The program focuses on hands-on kitchen skills and customer service with the opportunity for students to participate in a regional cooking competition.
MILLE LACS COUNTY | Big Grins Win With Preventative Dental Services
Princeton students have healthier teeth thanks to the community’s early childhood dental preventative services program. Supported by an Initiative Foundation grant, Princeton’s team is providing fluoride varnish and dental education at early childhood screenings, family night and the community’s early childhood fair. The all-day preschool program has started daily tooth brushing and provides students with dental books in English and Spanish.
BENTON COUNTY | Keeping Manufactured Home Communities Affordable, Accessible
An effort to organize on behalf of income-eligible families living in manufactured housing communities is taking shape in Central Minnesota, where there are 345 park communities in 86 cities that provide affordable housing for more than 12,000 families. The effort is supported by several Initiative Foundation grants to the All Parks Alliance for Change, the most recent of which is helping to establish five coalitions to advance and protect homeowners’ rights.
SHERBURNE COUNTY | Summer Camp Fun For All Children
Acceptance and friendship are inherent human needs. Thanks to an Initiative Foundation grant, adults and children with disabilities in the Elk River area are able to attend True Friends Camp. With four Minnesota locations, children like Ben are able to form life-changing friendships and build self-esteem while enjoying swimming, canoeing and fishing—the kind of summer fun that makes memories for so many Minnesotans.
STEARNS COUNTY | St. Joseph Makes a Splash With Community-driven Park Plan
A favorite Minnesota pastime—canoeing—is about to get easier in St. Joseph. A makeover is being planned for the city’s East Park and picnic area thanks to a community-driven project that is being funded, in part, by an Initiative Foundation grant. Park board members will hold community meetings to create a shared vision to enhance recreational activities, including a picnic area, canoe access and boat landing at the undeveloped park.
WRIGHT COUNTY | A Helping Hand for Monticello Help Center
Annie Deckert, a member of the Foundation’s first Initiators Fellows cohort and co-owner of the Decklan Group, shared her expertise with the Monticello Help Center. Supported by a 2017 Initiative Foundation grant, Deckert and her team helped the food shelf and clothing center amend a city ordinance so that it can use a new church-donated site. Without Deckert’s support, staff said, the project would not have come to fruition.
CHISAGO COUNTY | Up North Starts Here: Welcome to Rush City
Rush City visitors are feeling a little more welcome thanks to the hard work of the Thriving Communities Initiative team and a grant from the Initiative Foundation. Visitors from Interstate 35 and residents now enjoy a new welcome sign on the west end of town. Signs are also being installed on the north and south ends of town. Team-sponsored Casino Night fundraisers have helped to build community camaraderie while raising funds to purchase the new signs.
ISANTI COUNTY | Powering Possible for Cambridge/Isanti Students
Navigating the waters of college decisions, whether a four-year or technical degree, can be a complicated endeavor. College Possible, supported by an Initiative Foundation grant, helps high school juniors and seniors learn to how to prepare and apply for college. With lessons in everything from financial planning and ACT test-taking strategies to college visits and post-secondary transition guidance, students in the Cambridge/Isanti district are getting a head start on important skills.
KANABEC COUNTY | GPS 45:93 Executive Committee Dives into Operational Planning
Nonprofit GPS 45:93 exists to attract businesses with quality jobs to the five-county region of East Central Minnesota. The executive committee recently participated in planning sessions, funded by an Initiative Foundation grant, which led to positive organizational changes. Administrative support is now a contracted position, allowing the executive committee more time to focus on their mission. Check out their new Twitter page at @GPS4593MN.
PINE COUNTY | St. Mary’s Early Learning Academy Meets a Need
Child care is a barrier to entering the workforce for parents across the region. St. Mary’s Early Learning Academy in Pine City went through a recent preschool and child care program expansion, thanks in part to an Initiative Foundation grant. When the Catholic school closed in 2016, the preschool program continued to thrive and, with community support, the child care center is up and running!