Regional Highlights
“Without Dan Bullert’s advocacy and the Initiative Foundation’s services, I wouldn’t be in business.”
– Loan client Jeremy Voss, The Fish House Coffee Shop, Mora
MORRISON COUNTY | Wine, Beer and Food for a Cause at Cheers to Morrison County
More than $22,300 was raised on Sept. 16 to grow the Morrison County Area Foundation (MCAF) endowment and support its grantmaking efforts during Cheers to Morrison County, a wine, beer and food-sampling event at Camp Ripley. An Initiative Foundation Partner Fund, MCAF drew a crowd of 600-plus for its annual fundraiser. Proceeds help MCAF award grants each year to enhance the quality of life in Morrison County.
TODD COUNTY | Community Dives Into Staples-area Housing Shortage
An increase in jobs and a lack of rental housing will be addressed by the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership (CMHP) and members of the Staples area Resilient Region group. With support from an Initiative Foundation grant, the group will lead community meetings and surveys to gather information from potential renters to address a housing shortage, especially for those with mental health disorders.
WADENA COUNTY | Training At-Risk Students for High-Demand Field
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development projects a high demand for computer programmers over the next decade. With help from an Initiative Foundation grant, the Cloverleaf Youth Partnership in Wadena is working to help meet the demand by providing programming classes at the local Cyber Café. The classes serve at-risk and underprivileged youth.
CASS COUNTY | Clients, Volunteers Up at Faith in Action
Faith in Action is reaching a larger audience of clients and volunteers, thanks to Initiative Foundation grant support that has helped create clear, concise information on the nonprofit’s website and brochures. Since implementing the changes, Faith in Action has helped 46 new individuals and trained nearly two dozen new volunteers. Visit faithinactioncass.com to learn more.
CROW WING COUNTY | Breakfast Serves as Bridge to Manufacturing Celebration
Manufacturing was celebrated and money was raised at the Oct. 5 “Good Morning, Manufacturing!” breakfast in Brainerd. The Bridges Manufacturing Workforce Development Fund, an Initiative Foundation Partner Fund, supports post-secondary education scholarships to attract students to manufacturing careers primarily in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties.
MILLE LACS COUNTY | Grant Helps Boaters Stop the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species
Clean, Drain, Dry and Dispose (CD3) Cleaning Stations, produced in Princeton, have been installed throughout Minnesota this summer: four stations are in the metro area and another is on Pike Lake near Duluth. Supported by an Initiative Foundation grant as part of the Aquatic Invasive Species pilot program, and in partnership with the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the solar-powered, user-operated machines are designed to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species. Watch a
video to learn more: cd3station.com.
BENTON COUNTY | Compass Program Makes Inroads With At-Risk Youth
Now in its second year, the Compass Program to help at-risk youth in the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district is making positive inroads. Nearly 30 students participated in the program last year, where they met with a mentor, visited St. Cloud Community and Technical College and received guidance to help them stay in school. The effort is supported by a three-year Youthprise and Social Innovation Fund grant administered by the Initiative Foundation.
SHERBURNE COUNTY | Grant Energizes Transition Assistance in Sherburne County
A $200,000 grant from The McKnight Foundation will ease the transition as Xcel Energy retires two Sherco coal-fired generators during the next decade. The move could eliminate up to 200 jobs and undercut the local tax base. The McKnight grant will support a Thriving Communities Initiative program to unite voices and identify ways forward. Plans already are in place to expand an industrial park and upgrade a rail spur to support new businesses.
STEARNS COUNTY | Your Friendly Neighborhood COP House Opens in St. Cloud
The Richard C. Wilson Community OutPost, or COP House, had its grand opening in August on St. Cloud’s south side. The site is modeled after the first COP House in Racine, Wis., and serves as a home base where community-oriented policing can be used to improve troubled neighborhoods. The initial effort was supported by an Initiative Foundation grant.
WRIGHT COUNTY | Community Action VISTAs Help Serve More People, More Food
The number of clients served and the quantity of food distributed is soaring at Wright County Community Action (WCA) in Maple Lake, thanks to the efforts of Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) service member Amy Kortisses and her team. WCA clients have increased by 67 percent, and food distribution is up by more than 30,000 pounds since the Initiative Foundation-supported project got under way a year ago.
CHISAGO COUNTY | Grant Helps Deliver High-Speed Internet to Underserved Area
High-speed internet is coming to part of Sunrise Township, east of North Branch, thanks to a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) broadband grant. Township and local government officials partnered with DEED and CenturyLink to bring broadband to nearly 600 homes and a major manufacturing business. A longtime supporter of broadband access, the Initiative Foundation sponsored the Blandin Foundation’s October Border to Border Broadband Conference
at Madden’s Resort.
ISANTI COUNTY | New Partner Fund to Support Braham Students
Braham community members are rallying around a new cause: a fund that will support local students and broaden educational opportunities. Members of the Braham Area Education Foundation, a new Initiative Foundation Partner Fund, are working to create a permanent source of support for local students. All donations up to a total of $5,000 have been matched by Aurelis Manufacturing in Braham.
KANABEC COUNTY | Nonprofit Gets Branding Boost to Continue Good Works
Pine Habilitation and Supported Employment, Inc., a recent graduate of the Foundation’s Financial Resiliency through Social Enterprise 2.0 program, is streamlining branding and operations for three for-profit ventures: a furniture store, a handcrafted barnwood accessories store and the Good Works Thrift Store in Mora. These mission-supported ventures provide employment opportunities for adults with disabilities while generating organizational income.
PINE COUNTY | Mental Health Forum Helps Break the Stigma
An October mental health forum at Grand Casino, Hinckley, helped attendees learn where and how to access resources, which is often cited as a barrier to community growth and well-being. The forum, supported by an Initiative Foundation grant in partnership with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Pine County Health and Human Services and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, included speakers and resources on mental health issues.