Minnesota
Initiative Foundation Awards $750,000 to Address Critical Needs in Central Minnesota
(KNSI) — The Initiative Foundation has awarded 19 grants totaling $750,000 to nonprofits in Central Minnesota.
The grants range from $10,000 to $75,000 and are part of a partnership with the Otto Bremer Trust and its Community Responsive Fund. They aim to address basic needs, community asset-building, health and wellbeing, and restorative and responsive services.
Some of the grant funding includes:
Oasis Central Minnesota of Little Falls: $60,000 to help those experiencing homelessness by providing emergency shelter, a pathway to permanent housing, and housing support for those on the verge of homelessness in Morrison County.
Recovery Community Network of St. Cloud: $60,000 to provide peer support, education, advocacy, and prevention strategies to reduce substance use disorder impact and improve health and wellbeing in Benton, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Feeding Area Children Together of St. Cloud: $50,000 to support a weekend food gap program for students facing food insecurity in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.
YES Network of St. Cloud: $50,000 to respond to the youth mental health crisis by providing community-based afterschool and summer health and wellness programming in Benton and Sherburne counties.
Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity of St. Cloud: $45,000 to help low-income families achieve homeownership, focusing on those with generational barriers in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.
Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network of St. Cloud: $41,000 to support dementia-informed counseling for patients, families, and caregivers in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wadena counties.
Wright County Community Action of Maple Lake: $40,000 to expand services supporting independent living for low-income older adults in Wright County.
Too Much Talent of St. Cloud: $25,000 to reduce disparities experienced by children and families of color, providing tutoring and community programming in Benton and Stearns counties.
“We are so excited to give these Central Minnesota nonprofits a big boost,” said Nicole Clements, nonprofit development program officer at the Initiative Foundation. “We couldn’t have done this without our partnership with the Otto Bremer Trust. Through this collaboration, organizations are receiving transformative support for their important work.”
The Initiative Foundation serves as the administrative hub for all six Minnesota Initiative Foundations and distributes $3 million in OBT grants across rural Minnesota.
“The Trust’s mission has always been to provide funding to organizations and programs that effectively address challenges and opportunities,” said Frank Miley, OBT co-CEO and trustee. “Working with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, which are fully integrated into the communities and regions we serve, allows us to have a deeper understanding of these challenges. We look forward to working closely together to increase our impact.”
The Initiative Foundation received nearly 90 applications for this funding opportunity.
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On a hot summer day, about 250 people decided that a sprint through the mud was the best way to spend time.
That’s how many registered for the annual Minnewashta Mud Run on Saturday. Racers of all ages jumped in tubs of mud, made their way through various obstacles, and fired down a massive slip and slide powered by the Chanhassen Fire Department.
Micah Ostergard, the Recreational Specialist with Carver County Parks, said it’s an event he looks forward to each year.
“I think one of the great parts of being in this line of work for me is to see the joy that people have when they come out to an event like this,” Ostergard said.
The Mud Run, for now, helps to raise money for both Carver County Parks and the Minnetonka school system. Ostergard said that there are conversations in the works to transform it into a formal fundraiser to help underprivileged children access programs that may otherwise be too costly.
Either way, the focus was on fun and getting muddy on Saturday morning. That was 14-year-old Ingrid Boldischar’s goal when she convinced her family, including two younger brothers, to ender the Mud Run.
“Everyone really likes getting dirty so, it’s just a fun thing!” Boldischar said.
While she partook in the full course, which amounts to a 5-k for runners that go around twice, younger children enjoyed a smaller version of the run. That included Margot Bennett and Gus Youngstedt, two four-year-old best friends who arrived at the Mud Run on Saturday morning after throwing their first slumber-party together.
Their parents, Annie Fagerlee and Dani Youngstedt, said they had a wonderful time on Saturday morning.
“It’s a designated spot for our kids to get as muddy and wet as possible that’s not in our house,” Fagerlee said.
David Brandt, a Chanhassen firefighter, was happy to play his part manning the firehouse. He estimated they used up to three thousand gallons to keep the slip and slide going, providing relief from the heat.
“We come out every summer, cool off the kids, give them some water,” Brandt said.
While temperatures going above 90 on Saturday afternoon, parents and organizers alike were grateful that the outdoor Mud Run kicked off by about 8:30 in the morning.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Expect a sunny Saturday with heat expected to build up this weekend before an even hotter work week.
Saturday forecast
Local perspective:
Winds stay light out of the south with plenty of sunshine today.
There are hints of an extremely isolated thundershower, but the chance of that happening over any given area is extremely small.
Expect highs to peak in the upper 80s with dew points in the mid to upper 60s this afternoon.
Extended forecast
What’s next:
This forecast is hot.
Highs will peak in the 90s every day this upcoming week for the Twin Cities and a large portion of the area as well.
Dew points really don’t look to surge into the 70s but mainly stay in the lower to upper 60s depending on the day of the week.
Little to no precipitation forecast this upcoming week. Expect dry and sunny days.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
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