Resource Winter 2012

Northwest Minnesota Foundation ~ Developing Community Assets ~ Serving 12 Counties

Winter 2012 ~ Number 55

BOARD OFDIRECTORS

Gary PurathChair

Red Lake Falls

Bob HagerVice-Chair

Roseau

Laurie WilsonSecretaryCrookston

Judy RoyTreasurer

Redby

Tom AndersonDirector

Clearbrook

Faye AuchenpaughDirector

Thief River Falls

Eric BergesonDirectorFertile

Pete HaddelandDirector

Mahnomen

Jody HorntvedtDirectorBaudette

Jon LinnellDirectorWarren

Leah PigattiDirector

Park Rapids

Jon QuistgaardDirectorBemidji

The Northwest MinnesotaFoundation invests resources, creates

opportunities and promotes philanthropy to make the region a better place to live and work.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation’s STAR (Students Teaching At-titudes of Respect) program will be presented at the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, being held on the campuses of Augs-burg College and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Peacemaker Resources staff has been invited to conduct a STAR workshop at the Forum on Education Day, March 2nd, 2012.

The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is a premier international event designed to inspire peacemaking. As the Norwegian Nobel In-stitute’s only affiliation outside Norway, the Forum has probed the deep questions of peace and conflict for more than 23 years. It is not a “sit and listen” conference. In the physical presence of a Peace Prize winner, attendees are uplifted by hearing firsthand of the Laureate’s work, struggles, and triumphs, and they have opportunities to ask questions and interact with the Laureate in a dynamic setting.

The Peacemaker Resources workshop is entitled: And The Chil-dren Will Lead Us--Youth as Teachers of Peace Skills. It will fea-ture a presentation by a team of students from the Bemidji area’s Schoolcraft Learning Community STAR program. Other pre-

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Schoolcraft STAR Team (left to right): Abigail Bakke, Anna Ingalls, Eli Straw, Hannah Pearson,

Hank Bellefy and Nikki Anderson-Weir

STAR Teams to Present at Nobel Peace Prize Forum

senters include Peacemaker Resources staff members Sue Liedl, Brooke Wich-mann and Barb Houg.

The workshop is based on the STAR concept that creating a culture of peace requires that individuals develop the skills to make healthy choices, relate compassionately to others, and non-vio-lently resolve conflicts. Participants will learn how the STAR program is creat-ing positive change by teaching middle school students conflict resolution skills and providing them with opportunities to teach these skills in their schools and communities.

NMF’s STAR program continues to grow and flourish. From a humble be-ginning in 1995 as a University of Min-nesota “Respect” workshop, STAR has grown into a year-round program uti-lized in over 27 schools throughout the NMF 12-county region.

Students, school staff and parents con-tinue to rate the program, the training and the impact of the STAR teams as one that is positive and meaningful. In a recent (July 2011) evaluation:

• 96% of student participants indicated that the program is meaningful.

• 97% of parents report that the program has had an impact on their child.

• Schools enthusiastically support the peer-to-peer interactions of STAR teams teaching skills to other students.

Learn more at http://nobelpeaceprizeforum.org/the-event/

Message from the Chair Gary Purath

Greetings!

This is the final year of my service with the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. It has been a privilege to travel around the 12-county region and learn about great projects being conducted by talented peo-ple contributing to the quality of life in Northwest Minnesota.

During this period, I’ve been fortunate to see the foundation grow and flourish, de-spite some difficult economic downturns

and change that continues at a very rapid pace.

This past year we celebrated our 25th birth-day as an organization. These are exciting times at the foundation. Strategic planning by staff, board members and stakeholders is well underway to ensure we are charting the most effective course possible heading into the next 25 years of support through-out our region.

Thank you.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

Tom Anderson, from Clearbrook, is a lifelong farmer in Clearwater Coun-ty and farms in partnership with his son. He recently served eight years as a County Commissioner. Tom serves on the Clearwater Health Services Board, the Clearwater County FSA Com-mittee, and is an active member of his church.

Tom Anderson, Pete Haddeland and Jon Linnell have been elected to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors for terms of four years.

Pete Haddeland, from Mahnomen, is President/CEO of the First National Bank in Mahnomen. He serves on the Northern Lights Council Advisory Board for the Boy Scouts of America, as a board member of Independent Bank-ers Association of America (ICBA) Na-tional Board of Directors, is Chair of the Agriculture/Rural Committee for ICBA and a member of the NMF busi-ness finance loan committee.

Jon Linnell, from Warren, is the CEO/Executive Director of North Region Health Alliance and former North Val-ley hospital administrator. Jon was in-volved in the region for 30 years as a vol-unteer EMT and previously served on the Governor’s Emergency Medical Ser-vices Regulatory Board. He is currently involved with the Warren Economic Development Authority and broadband initiatives for Blandin Foundation, the Greater Minnesota Telehealth Broad-band Initiative and IMPACT 20/20 Task Force for Broadband.

Gary Purath was elected as Chair of the NMF Board of Directors in October, 2011. Gary and his wife Pat, own a four generation farm south of Red Lake Falls. They raise corn, soybeans and wheat. Registered Angus cattle have also been a part of their family farm for over 95 years.

Gary is an active community member serving his church and local Lions club. He currently is on the board of Unity Bank North and also is active on the alumni association board of Jamestown College. They have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.

2 Northwest Minnesota Foundation

Message from the President Nancy Vyskocil

Greetings and Happy 2012!

There is an exciting project now un-derway that has been developing at the foundation for over two years. We are about to rehabilitate a historic down-town Bemidji building on the corner of Third and Beltrami Avenues and adapt it to meet the needs of our organization. Known now as the Wells Fargo build-ing, and originally built as the Lumber-man Bank, it is located in the heart of the city, two blocks from the lakefront and the Paul and Babe statues.

Our need to relocate may surprise some of you who have visited our beautiful office building, constructed in 1999, on the west side of Bemidji. We have quite simply outgrown the space. It could be expanded, but we learned that a redesign and remodel was very costly and would not necessarily adapt well to meet our needs. It would be even more difficult and expensive to expand fur-ther for unknown future growth, once changes were made.

The board of directors agreed that change was necessary, and we began looking for a space to build or an ex-isting structure to purchase. We rear-ranged some of our office space and tucked our items in need of storage into every possible nook and cranny; our newest employees are working out of their homes, and our trainings and

meetings are being held in rented or borrowed space.

After a long search and deliberative process involving the board and staff, we arrived at consensus that the Wells Fargo building was our best option and worthy of further consideration. It has the space needed for our current office staff, for storage, for future expansion, and there is a spacious area with easy access in which to incorporate a com-fortable, efficient meeting and training space.

Several regional architecture firms ex-perienced with renovation projects were sent requests for proposals to do a feasibility study. The firm of Mutchler Bartram was selected. Based upon their findings, the decision was made to pro-

ceed. Not only will we have the kind of office we require to conduct business, we are adding vitality to downtown. We are conscientiously repurposing a historic, vacant structure. We are adding value for nonprofits and other partners in the area who are in need of a versatile, convenient meeting place. Most impor-tantly, the new location will make NMF more visible and accessible to the entire region.

Much of the interior will be preserved and reused. Some areas will need reno-vation, others a simple refreshing of the décor and furnishings. We hope to restore the exterior to more closely resemble its original façade. Watch for updates on our website, Northwest Blog and Facebook as we embark on this new phase in the life of NMF.

The building as it looked in the late 1940s.

3Developing Community Assets - Serving 12 Counties

Grants

Caring Communities Total: ...... $49,540Children, Family & Elderly Naytahwaush Community Charter School .....$25,000 For Mahnomen/Naytahwaush 6th-7th Transition Initiative

Thief River Falls Public Schools .......................$22,540 For TRF Career and College Readiness Initiative

White Earth Nation ............................................$2,000 For Mahnomen County Teacher Child Interaction Training Project

Community Connections Total: $24,000Community ConnectionsCommunity Resource Connections .....................$24,000 For Beyond the Senior Annual Check Up

Community Planning Total: $37,500Community Development Beltrami County Housing & Redevelopment ..$10,000 For Housing Study and Action Plan for Beltrami County

Headwaters Regional Development ................$15,000 For Active Hubbard County

Northwest Regional Development Commission ..$8,250 For 2011 Housing Study and Plan Update

Growth Management Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board .....$1,000 For Land Use Management Analysis for the Greater Bemidji Area

Economic & Community Development Joint Economic Development Commission .......$3,250 For JEDC Strategic Economic Development and Transition Planning

Natural Resources Total: ........ $35,050Healthy Lakes & Rivers Partnership Program Beltrami County SWCD ....................................$1,500 For Program Mentor

Hubbard County Soil & Water Conservation ...$3,300 For Spider and Boulder Lake Associations

New Technologies AURI ..................................................................$3,750 For Dewatering Technologies for Wet Biomass Feedstocks

The Nature Conservancy, Minnesota Chapter ..$25,000 For Northwest Minnesota Renewable Energy Project

Promotion & Preservation MN Government Training Services ....................$1,500 For Legacy Act Workship

Sustaining Community Success Initiative Technical Assistance Total: ........ $1,000 Villa St Vincent .......................................................$1,000 For Website Design and Update

Training Total: .......................... $5,400Individual Effectiveness Bemidji Community Arts Council, Inc. .............$3,000 For Business Plan, Financial Forecasting, and Capital Campaign Feasibility Study

Kinship of Park Rapids ........................................ $2,000 For Strategic Planning and Fund Development Planning

STAR Bemidji Area Schools, Nevis Schools and Red Lake County Central School for STAR ......$7,300

Component funds are established with the Northwest Minnesota Foundation for a specific purpose. A donor or group of donors helps to build a permanent endowment from which interest earnings are used to fund projects, programs or activities and/or scholarships that support the mission of the fund. A local fund advisory committee recommends distributions based on specific purposes and criteria. The NMF board, for purposes of IRS regulation, approves the advisory recommendations for grants, but the component funds are the source of the grant dollars.

Component Fund Total: $518,102Akeley Area Community Fund (2 grants) ..............$7,500Backstrom Family Charitable Fund .........................$500 Badger Area Community Fund Badger Veteran’s Memorial Fund (3 grants) ...............$6,164 Baer Fund (2 grants) ..............................................$9,000 Bagley Area Community Fund Bagley Community Playground Fund (3 grants) .......$25,388Bagley Early Childhood Initiative Fund Bagley Early Childhood Initiative Fund .....................$1,000Bemidji Area Arts Endowment & Project Fund Sandy Kaul Fund for the Arts ......................................$400Bemidji Area Community Fund Bemidji Community Food Shelf Fund .......................$1,000 Rosselet-Hickey Charitable Fund (2 grants) ...................$300Bemidji Area Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) .......................................$3,012Bemidji Lumberjack Foundation Fund Rick Lee Memorial Fund ............................................$355 Tom Gardner Memorial Fund .....................................$355 First National Bank Bonspiel Fund ..........................$10,486 Security Bank USA Lumberjack Scramble ...............$20,972

Grants Totaling $721,567 Were Awarded from July 2011 – January 2012


Clearwater County Humane Society Fund .................$1,500Clearwater Health Care Fund Clearwater Hospice Fund ........................................$2,700 Clearwater Senior Care Fund ......................................$300Courage Center Programs and Camps Fund ..........$9,000Crookston Area Community Fund (3 grants) ........$5,000Crookston Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) ......................................$2,250Fertile-Beltrami Area Community Fund (3 grants) .................................$8,700 Fertile-Beltrami Area Community Fund

Fertile-Beltrami Early Childhood Initiative Fund (3 grants) ......................................$1,739Fisher Area Community Fund (2 grants) ...............$5,000 Fisher Area Community Fund

Fosston Area Community Fund Fosston 21st Century Fund ....................................$40,953 Fosston Education Foundation Fund (2 grants) ..........$1,180Fourth & Robbins Fund (8 grants) ......................$20,000Heartland Christian Academy Fund ......................$2,600HRDC Leadership Fund (3 grants) .....................$14,800HRDC Successful Communities Challenge Fund (2 grants) ....................................$13,100Hubbard County COLA Charitable Fund ................$250John and Eloise Ostrem Charitable Fund (4 grants) .......................................$650Kelliher Area Health Care Fund ................................$500Kittson Memorial Healthcare Center Foundation Fund ........................................$1,652Lake of the Woods Area Industrial Development Fund ...............................................$47,000 LOW- Industrial Development Education Fund .............$500Lake of the Woods Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) ....................................$10,500LifeCare Health Care Fund (5 grants) ....................$4,020 LifeCare Greenbush Manor Fund ...........................$30,865 LifeCare Roseau Manor Fund ...................................$3,200 Maggie Adams Medical Equipment Fund (5 grants) ..$11,043 Think Pink Breast Cancer Fund ...................................$700LOW- Industrial Park Development Fund .............$4,273Marshall County Early Childhood Initiative Fund (5 grants) ......................................$6,610Matthew Spangler Hockey Fund ...............................$500Norman County East Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) ....................................$11,045Park Rapids Area Community Fund (2 grants) .................................$8,775

Park Rapids M State Fund .......................................$8,634Park Rapids Early Childhood Initiative Fund (3 grants) ......................................$1,450Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians Community Fund Red Lake Youth Initiative Fund ..............................$20,000Roseau Area Community Fund .................................$500Ruth Edevold Awards for Excellence (3 grants) ......$3,000Stephen Area Endowment Fund (4 grants) ...........$5,750Thief River Falls Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) .........................................$860Thrive Initiative Fund (2 grants) ...........................$6,100Tonia Johannsen Memorial Fund .............................$645Union Lake Free Lutheran Cemetery Charitable Fund .....................................................$3,825Warren Area Community Fund (9 grants) .............$5,000Warren Senior Center Endowment Fund ...............$8,500Warroad Area Community Fund (7 grants) .........$15,000 Gaylord A. Gunderson Education & Scholarship Fund (4 grants) ...............................$11,000 Margaret Ann and Paul Samuel Johnson Family Charitable Fund (9 grants) ..........................$18,000 Warroad Early Childhood Initiative Fund (2 grants) ..$20,000 Warroad Education Endowment and Project Fund ......$5,000 Warroad Memorial Arena Fund ................................$5,000 Warroad Point Area Restoration and Community Recovery Fund ..............................$4,300Wetlands Pines & Prairie Audubon Sanctuary Fund (2 grants) ....................................$19,000

Scholarship Fund Total: $50,975Bagley Education Endowment and Project Fund Bagley General Scholarship Fund (6 grants) ................$3,900 Nola Ellis Memorial Fund...........................................$100Bemidji Lumberjack Foundation Fund Des Sagedahl Scholarship Fund ...................................$500 General Scholarship Fund (7 grants) ..........................$4,750 K.E. “Red” and Ruth Shannon Wilson ........................$500 Pat Campbell String Fund...........................................$300 John F. Breen Scholarship Fund (2 grants) ..................$3,000 Ray F. Breen Scholarship (3 grants) ...........................$4,500 Fosston Area Community Fund Dean and Joyce McNelly Family Vocational Scholarship Fund .......................................$750 Dean Clementson Scholarship Fund.............................$150 Fosston Education Foundation Endowment and Project Fund ..................................$1,500 LuVerne Trogstad Scholarship Fund (3 grants) ............$6,000

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(Continued from page 1)STAR Teams

Bemidji Middle School STAR students presenting to 5th graders at Horace May Elementary

NMF’s investment in STAR continues to bring an excellent return. Peacemaker Resources staff continue to grow, adapt and change to meet the social/emotional needs of the region’s youth and families. The STAR program plants the seeds of respect that have a positive impact on the individual students, their peers, their families, their schools and communities – growing into a more peaceful and safe environment for all.

What parents and teachers are saying:

“ ”“ ”

Terry Stout Memorial Scholarship Fund .....................$1,000 Vikan Scholarship Fund .............................................$150 Greenbush Area Community Fund Keith and Ellen Kapphahn Family Scholarship Fund (2 grants) ........................................$600 Laporte Education Endowment and Project Fund (4 grants) ....................................$2,000 Laporte-Benedict VFW Scholarship Fund .....................$250 Leonard J. Kucera Memorial Scholarship Fund ........$250 Luther Younggren Memorial Scholarship Fund .....$1,500 Mahnomen Education Endowment and Project Fund (3 grants) .......................................$800 General Ike Isaacson and Major Bruce Isaacson Scholarship Fund (2 grants) ...................$500 Night Riders Sno-Club Scholarship Fund ......................$300 Major Robert Olson Fund ......................................$1,000 Merle and Mildred Rundell Education Fund ............$250 Northwest Minnesota Women’s Fund (5 grants) ....$2,250 Red Lake Falls Education Endowment and Project Fund Kris Fontaine Memorial Scholarship Fund (3 grants) ....$1,500 Kyle A. Myhre Memorial Fund ....................................$500

Roseau Area Community Fund Joseph Schneider Scholarship Fund ..............................$125 Malung PTO Scholarship Fund (4 grants) ..................$1,000 Marian Foley Memorial Fund (2 grants) .....................$2,000 Marvin LaRue Memorial Fund ....................................$400 Roseau Lions Club Scholarship Fund ...........................$400 Wannaska PTO Scholarship Fund (3 grants) ..................$750 Tonia Johannsen Memorial Fund (2 grants) ..........$1,000 Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Education Foundation Endowment and Project Fund ...................................$800 Lyle H Engelstad Scholarship Fund (2 grants) .............$2,000 Myron and Margaret Carlson Education Scholarship Fund ......................................................$400 Warroad Area Community Fund Bruce and Ellen Atwater Education Fund ......................$250 Edward and Agnes Brandli Scholarship Fund .................$150 Gaylord A. Gunderson Education and Scholarship Fund (2) .........................................$2,000 Jennifer Grove Memorial Scholarship Fund ...................$300 Lee Hafdahl Memorial Scholarship Fund ......................$100 Patrick O’Donnell Memorial Scholarship Fund ..............$500

(Continued from page 5)Grants

“ ”These are skills that would be good for anybody. I wish I had learned these skills at their age. My son is benefiting from the STAR team a great deal.

- Father of a STAR student

The STAR program gives kids the opportunity to explore their inner strengths and improve leadership skills, while changing their perspectives on common issues children face daily. I even learn from what my kids have been learning.

- Mom of STAR student

I think STAR students are kids that my 3rd graders look up to and they are kids that they know they could turn to on the bus or at recess for help if they needed it.

- Teacher at Schoolcraft Learning Community


Microloans Business counseling and loans are available to help entrepreneurs develop small business and self-employment opportunities. Eight loans were recently made totaling $123,606

Business Development Program

Elkhorn Outfitters, Inc., Baudette For the purchase and revitalization of a distressed resort in the Baudette area.

Armory Square Management Corp., Park Rapids For Phase II of the Park Rapids Armory restoration project.

Ideal Aerosmith, Inc., East Grand Forks For expansion of a high technology business, manufacturing testing equipment for aerospace and other industries.

Business Loans Three loans totaling $390,000 were recently made from the Revolving Loan Fund:

M. D. Stittsworth Co., Bemidji For expansion of an existing retail meat business to a second location Corey Westrum, Leonard For start up of the Insect Inferno, a bedbug eliminator Kleinsasser Brothers, Inc. For startup of new manufacturer of the EquipAll/GrappleHoeLionel Labarre, Hallock For startup of a commercial floor cleaning businessGrand Steer, Inc., Thief River Falls For working capital to manufacturer of the Turn@about pallet jack Nancy L. Fisher, Warroad For inventory purchases of child’s toy, Highway My Way The Dive Depot, Bemidji Refinance of an existing loan to a retail scuba dive shop Leann M. Dorr, Bemidji For start up of a new payee service business

Technical AssistanceSixteen businesses from Bagley, Ada, Laporte, Baudette, Warroad, Kelliher, Crookston, and Bemidji received a total of $21,253 in outside consulting for management and technical assistance.

An Innovative Business Idea Comes to Life

How does an idea become a reality? It often takes the vision of a small business owner who is closest to the market to find solutions that consumers are looking for. The EquipAll Grap-pleHoe® is an example of an entrepreneurial venture and IDEA competition winner. Skid steer loaders (sometimes referred to as Bobcats) were first invented in the 1960s. The popularity of the skid steer steadily grew as designs and functionality improved, maneuvering where larger equipment can’t manage. The skid steer has become an indispensable piece of equipment for the contractor, farmer, rancher and property owner. The demand for skid steer attachments has emerged along with the growth of the skid steer.

In 2005, Jeff Sullivan, owner of Northern Industrial Distributing, Inc. used his 12 years of sales, development and manufacturing experience to design and introduce the EquipAll GrappleHoe® skid steer attachment by combining the two most common at-tachments into one. The EquipAll GrappleHoe® is one unique tool that can do the task of many different attachments. It can be

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The GrappleHoe® attached to a

skid steer

L to R: Arnold Kleinsasser, Kenneth Kleinsasser, Rick Petters


Ideas with the potential to be profitable business ventures are currently compet-ing in round two of the IDEA Competi-tion. The first round of the competition closed November 30 and judges selected round one winners in early December.

Winners were chosen from a wide geo-graphic area. “We received applications from all over the region – Mentor, War-road, Park Rapids, Shevlin, Crookston, Bemidji, Puposky, Fisher, and East Grand Forks,” said Michelle Landsverk, project coordinator. “We were extreme-ly pleased with the quality of all the applications that we saw this year. The spirit of innovation is alive and well in Northwest Minnesota.”

Round one winners are now competing in the second round, for which they will have to submit a more detailed plan, due February 15. From there, a panel of judges will select the finalists who will compete in the last round. Up to five winners will each receive $10,000 to ad-vance their innovative idea.

According to Jeff Sullivan, Bemidji-based entrepreneur, and 2011 winner, “The $10,000 cash award is important, but the business coaching and access to resources that are provided to winners is just as, if not more important,” he said. Sullivan is back in the competition with another idea, trying for a second win.

The date of the IDEA banquet has been set. It will be held on April 25th at the Sanford Center in Bemidji and promis-es to be another exciting event where the winners are announced and presented with awards. William S. “Bill” Marvin of Marvin Windows and Doors, War-road, will be inducted posthumously into the IDEA Hall of Fame. His son Jake Marvin, President and CEO of The

Round Two of IDEA Competition Underway

Marvin Cedar and Lumber Company, will accept the award. Details and reg-istration will soon be available at www.ideacompetition.org.

The main goal of the IDEA competi-tion is to assist the most promising lo-cal entrepreneurs in the commercializa-tion of innovative products, processes and deliveries by connecting them to the best resources available, along with access to the capital it takes to launch a successful venture.

The IDEA Competition is a project of Ingenuity Frontier, a collaboration of partners joined by a common purpose — to grow the economy of North-west Minnesota by outfitting the next generation of homegrown innovators for success in the global marketplace. IDEA sponsors are 360º Center for Manufacturing and Applied Engi-neering Center of Excellence, Bremer Banks of Crookston and Warren, the Northwest Minnesota Foundation,

University of Minnesota, Crookston, and the Northwest Regional Small Busi-ness Development Center. IDEA was made possible through a generous grant from the Blandin Foundation.

Innovators who missed this year’s entry deadline are encouraged to continue re-fining their business ideas and enter the next competition in September. For more information, visit the IDEA web-site: www.ideacompetition.org.

IDEA Banquet Set for April 25th in Bemidji

Photos are from the IDEA competition boot camp


February 23 Board Leadership Transitions – The Overlooked Challenge, Sanford Center, BemidjiThis workshop will explore how to plan for ongoing board leadership development and transition to help buffer the impact of a change of leadership. We will also examine ideas on how to “institutionalize” knowledge at the board level so valuable information is transferred between different generations of board leadership.

March 6 Business Resource Fair, Sanford Center, BemidjiRepresentatives from NMF, business owners, business development experts, bankers and investors will be presenting current ideas, tools and best practices in this day-long session for current business owners and people interested in starting a business.

March 8 Planning for Executive Success and Transition, Sanford Center, BemidjiThis workshop will explore the strategic succession planning process, the emergency succession process and transition management and how they differ and complement each other. We will examine how you can best prepare your organization for these expected and unexpected transitions and suggest ways to begin creating plans and preparing your organization.

March 17 Women’s History Month Celebration and NW MN Women’s Hall of Fame InductionMarch is nationally recognized as Women’s History Month and it will be celebrated this year with a brunch reception and induction ceremony at Bemidji State University’s Beaux Arts Ballroom at 11:00 a.m. and will include a breakfast buffet and short program. This year’s theme is Women’s Education - Women’s Empowerment.

March 20 FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities, University of Minnesota, CrookstonClarify, focus on, and execute your highest priorities -- personally and professionally. This one-day course teaches productivity skills integrated with a powerful planning system. The course is the anchor of the FranklinCovey Focus Solutions.

April 14 United For Children Conference, Century School, Park Rapids11th Annual Conference on Early Care and Education, this event will feature expert keynote speakers and three breakout sessions with 18 options, including an infant/toddler track, sessions on preschool, business development, behavioral strategies, literacy, and more.

April 17 Nonprofit Board Basics, Beltrami Electric Community Room, BemidjiFor first time board members and people considering nonprofit board service, we will provide you with the tools you need to serve as a constructive member of any nonprofit board. There is no charge for the workshop and a light meal will be served.

April 25 IDEA Banquet Sanford Center, BemidjiThe 2012 IDEA competition winners will be announced at the banquet and receive their awards. Another regional entrepreneur will also be announced and inducted into the IDEA Hall of Fame.

Upcoming Events

Learn more about these events on our website and pre-register at www.nwmf.org (required for all)

or call 218-759-2057, toll-free 800-659-7859


May 17, 2012 ~ University of Minnesota, Crookston8:30 am Registration ~ 9:00 – 4:30 pm Program

Register at www.beyondtheclassroom.net

Education is defined as teaching, learning, schooling, tutoring, instruction, edification, cul-ture….and more! The NMF summit on the topic of education in the region will focus on areas that have significant meaning to all communities and that relate to quality of place.

The summit has been planned in cooperation with IMPACT 20/20, a group of regional lead-ers seeking to promote closer ties between schools and the people and places they serve.

The agenda for the summit is framed by the future of education and how to prepare for it, and on national best practices in the school/community partnership’s role for enhancing education, student achievement and development. It will highlight examples of regional best practices for creating a culture of learning in communities. To conclude, participants will join a café- style dialogue around the topic.

Anyone involved in education, a school, a business, or a community is encouraged to attend. The cost is $75 (for May 3rd early bird rate; then $100 until May 14th). Meals are included and 6 hours of CEUs are available. For more information visit www.beyondtheclassroom.net, call 218-759-2057, toll free in Minnesota 800-659-7859, e-mail [email protected].

AGENDA

Keynote - Dr. Joyce EpsteinThen and Now: New Directions for Programs of Family and Community Involvement for Student Success

This presentation presents key con-cepts, structures, and expected re-sults of research-based programs

of family and community involvement. Studies show that it is imperative to change from the “old way” of thinking about parental involvement to a “new way” of organizing district leadership and school-based programs of school, family, and community partnerships. The ses-sion will prepare attendees to take steps in their own preschools, elementary, middle, and high schools and at the district level to strengthen plans and practices of fam-ily and community involvement linked to school goals for student learning and de-velopment.

The session will help leaders at all levels learn a common vocabulary, build knowl-edge of research on partnership program

development, learn about resources from the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Epstein will address questions about the steps needed to organize, implement, and evaluate programs and practices of partnerships.

Joyce Epstein, Ph.D. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University is Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the Na-tional Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), Principal Research Scientist, and Research Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. In 1995, she established the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), which provides professional development that enables school, district, and state leaders to develop research-based programs of family and community involvement.

Dr. Epstein has over one hundred pub-lications on family and community in-

volvement including School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Hand-book for Action, Third Edition (Corwin Press, 2009), which guides partnership program development, and a textbook for college courses for future teachers and administrators called School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Edu-cators and Improving Schools, Second Edition (Westview Press, 2011). Among recent awards, she was named a Fellow of the American Educational Research As-sociation (AERA) in 2009 and received the 2009 Elizabeth Cohen Award for Ap-plied Research from AERA’s Sociology of Education Special Interest Group. Her current research focuses on how district and school leadership affects the quality of schools’ programs of family and commu-nity involvement and results for students. In all of her work, she is interested in the connections of research, policy, and prac-tice.


Keynote - Dr. Linda BaerAs the Future Catches You

The best way to predict the future is to in-vent it. Join this exciting “travel-ogue” into the

future of education by exploring the key challenges in the coming decade. Powerful

trends to watch for on the horizon and what you can do to better prepare for the journey will wrap up this whirlwind tour that features a glimpse into the future.

Linda Baer is principal senior consultant for i4Solutions focusing on inspiring leaders to new levels of innovation, inte-

Keynote - Dr. Anton TreuerEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask

Native Ameri-cans underper-form on state mandated tests in many areas and have poor

rates of graduation and matriculation to colleges and universities. But what appears to be an “achievement gap” is really an “op-portunity gap” that can be remedied. This insightful and informative presentation will describe how we got to where we are in Indian education and how to find real-istic solutions to provide opportunity for

Native Americans to excel in school and ways for everyone to learn more about the first Americans so all of our children can get along, succeed, and learn.

Anton Treuer is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. He has a B.A. from Princeton University, M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minne-sota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis (pronounced o-shkaah-baywis) Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language and author of eight books. Dr. Treuer has received presti-

gious awards and fellowships from the American Philosophical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Na-tional Science Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota Humanities Com-mission, the Experienced Faculty Devel-opment Program, the Institute for the Study of World Politics, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the Grotto Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the John Si-mon Guggenheim Foundation.

IMPACT 20/20 Regional School Community Partnership Pilot Projects

IMPACT 20/20 is an influential group of Northwest Minnesota leaders representing diverse interests and work-ing together for the region’s economic success.

The IMPACT 20/20 Education Taskforce is seeking to accomplish two goals: (1) improve four-year on-time graduation rates in high schools of Northwest Minne-sota; and (2) increase the number of local college stu-dents obtaining two- and four-year degrees.

As a step toward achieving the first objective, commu-nities in the region were chosen to serve as demonstra-tion sites for school-community partnerships designed to boost student performance. Selection criteria for the pilot communities included geographic diversity, diverse populations, school size/community size, and likelihood of impact, with one of the most important factors being the presence of good leadership. Each ef-fort is a community effort, not solely a school project.

Break-Out Sessions – Participants will select projects and attend two 45 minute sessions.

gration, and implementation of solutions that improve student success and trans-form institutions for the future. Baer was a Senior Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Postsecond-ary Success working on improving student engagement and success and establishing a national platform for analytics in higher education.

The Bemidji community project’s goal is that each Bemidji-area high school freshman will have developed a success plan to help guide their learning through 12th grade, and will have access to a community adult leader/coach to guide them with their success plan.

The Park Rapids community project’s goal is increasing the number of students graduating on time by focusing on middle-school at-risk students, developing a student success plan for each of them, hiring a student success coordinator, and monitoring the progress of each student.

The Naytahwaush community initiative addresses the transition from 6th grade in Naytahwaush (and other schools) to 7th Grade in Mahnomen. It includes co-curricular activities between Naytahwaush and Mahnomen; a transition focus during the first thirty days of school; student mentors for each student; peer tutors matched with each student; parental involvement.

The Thief River Falls community project is an initiative to deepen the school/business partnerships at Lincoln High School. Inspired by a recent partnership with Digi-Key, the school district created a “corporate/community council.” The goal of the initiative is to ensure that all students in the district create a success plan, including work, education and life skill elements.

Closing Dialogue In a café type discussion, everyone will return to the Bede Ballroom to share the answers: What did you see or hear that you want to occur in your school? In your community? In your family, among your circle of friends and colleagues? How does it fit with the future vision? With national best practices? What steps do you think you can take?


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Resource Winter 2012