Community Leaders Honored by Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation

Notable community leaders and community efforts in southeast and south central Minnesota were honored in October by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation in Owatonna. The foundation presented awards at its Regional Recognition Luncheon to three individuals for their outstanding community service and leadership and to three community projects that have demonstrated outstanding collaboration.

The foundation's annual Ground Breaker Service Awards went to Bonnie Thompson of Owatonna and Dave Foreman of Rochester. The award is presented to individuals who have broken new ground in making significant contributions to the fulfillment of the foundation's philanthropic mission of building stronger communities and businesses. Thompson was a founding member of the foundation's board of trustees in 1986 and provided six years of service to the board, and was instrumental in developing an effective grant review process for the organization. Foreman also served on the foundation's board for six years, including one year as board chair. He continues to be an active supporter of regional philanthropy and is an advisor to the foundation's High Potential Business Program.

Lynn Spainhower was this year's recipient of the foundation's annual Vanguard Award to recognize an outstanding local leader who furthers the principles of community and helps improve the quality of life for people living in southern Minnesota. This year's award focused on individuals who demonstrated exemplary commitment and leadership in caring for our youngest children. Spainhower is director of Catherwood Home Child Care and a leader in statewide child advocacy efforts. In addition to the award, a $1,000 grant was awarded to Parenting Resources and Children Defense Fund in Spainhower's name.

The foundation also presented its annual Outstanding Collaboration Awards to recognize three successful community efforts to identify and mobilize local assets through collaboration, providing opportunities far beyond what any single organization could realize by itself. Each recipient received a $500 award to support current or future collaborative projects. This year's Outstanding Collaboration Award recipients are:

• Kids Making Music. Recognizing the important role music plays in the life of a child, the owner of Music Mart connected with the Mankato Area United Way and the South Central Children's Project to create a collaborative project to place musical instruments in the hands of children who cannot afford them. Through this program, any eligible student interested in band can receive an instrument at no charge for as long as they remain in the band. In the first five months, the project donated more than 25 instruments to children, giving students the opportunities to participate in a music program and develop higher self-esteem, self-discipline, and better academic performance.
     
• Saint Peter Family Literacy Project, which was created last year as a number of agencies working in the Saint Peter area realized that while each was working with troubled families, no one agency was able to provide the full support they needed to succeed. In early 2004, these agencies - Early Childhood Family Education, Area Adult Learning Consortium, Minnesota Valley Action Council, Nicollet County Social Services, University of Minnesota Extension Office, Life Work Planning Center and Sioux Trails Mental Health Center - began the Saint Peter Family Literacy Project. Their goal is to increase the literacy skills of adults, provide quality learning opportunities for children, assist parents in their role as their child's first teacher, and increase economic self-sufficiency for adults. While still new, the project has already successfully served nine families. In these families, two adults have received their GED, another has made progress toward the GED and all adults have increased their math and literacy skills.
     
• Tomando Pasos Para Mejor Salud/Taking Steps to Better Health, a collaborative effort that provided more than 600 children in underserved populations with dental screenings last year through a dental clinic in Madelia. The College of Allied Health and Nursing at Minnesota State at Mankato was seeking a way to introduce students to rural communities and give them experience in underserved, often culturally diverse, populations. This was accomplished through a successful collaboration with Saludando Salud, Madelia Community Hospital, Madeila Clinic/Mayo Health Systems, Dr. Victoria Davis, Madelia Elementary School, Head Start and Apple Tree Dental.
     

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