Sheltering Arms Foundation Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The Sheltering Arms Foundation in Minneapolis is officially celebrating its 20th anniversary of supporting Minnesota children on Thursday, June 17. The milestone is the latest chapter in Sheltering Arms' unique 121-year history, which has always been focused on addressing the most pressing needs of Minnesota's children.

The foundation's beginnings go back to 1883, when Minnesota's first Episcopal sister, Deaconess Annette Relf, founded Sheltering Arms Orphanage and set forth on a mission to create a safe haven for abandoned or homeless children to be loved and cared for. The orphanage became a hospital caring primarily for young polio victims. After World War II, the hospital was transformed into a school focused on meeting the needs of children with developmental disabilities.

In 1983, Sheltering Arms realized that Minnesota children's need for assistance remained constant, yet their specific needs were evolving along with societal change, and reincorporated as The Sheltering Arms Foundation to allow it to adapt with the times. Today, the foundation supports programs that serve children as well as advocacy efforts to improve the systems that impact those programs.

"We look for opportunities to direct our funding and efforts where they are most needed," said Denise Mayotte, the foundation's executive director. "As you look across Minnesota, from the inner city to rural communities, children and families are desperately in need of many critical resources in order to achieve success."

Looking ahead, one area where the foundation is placing a greater emphasis is after-school funding. The foundation cites a recent report on Minnesota's youth development funding by the Minnesota Council on Foundations which noted that "After-school funding is the most critically underfunded youth development program area, grantmakers and nonprofits agree, with dire long-term costs and consequences for the state."

"In our most recent grant round, the foundation's board of directors approved almost $200,000 in funding for after-school programs across the state, giving a boost to programs struggling in a difficult climate," said Mayotte. The foundation plans to officially announce its 2004-2005 grants in July.

The Sheltering Arms Foundation's official 20th anniversary celebration will take place on June 17 at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. The evening's keynote speaker is Arthur J. Rolnick, an early childhood advocate and senior vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. For questions about the event, call the foundation office at 612/871-9210.

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