Making the Most Out of Mentoring

Ever thought about becoming a mentor? You should. Kinship Partners in Brainerd is looking to match 47 kids with area adults.

Understandably, your first thoughts might be: “What would we do, and how much does it cost?"

I'd answer with this: In my 6 years as a Kinship mentor I have simply involved my partner in doing things that I like to do anyway. And Kinship Partners is very good at matching mentors with a young person that has similar interests. When you have those common interests you don’t have to plan something special, just make room for another person to share the experience with you. The financial cost is minimal (if anything) because you'd probably be doing those same things by yourself anyway.

I look forward to my meetings with Nick. I definitely don’t think of him as a project, or a burden, but as a friend. I would recommend this to anyone who really wants to make a difference!

Read through their latest news release or Kinship's website to learn more about becoming a mentor.

A Magnificent Memorial

Today at the Foundation office, members of the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery Memorial Association along with internationally-recognized artist, Charles Kapsner, revealed five original sketches to area media and the public.

The Association commissioned Kapsner to design and paint 8x10-foot oil canvases that will be hung in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery (7 miles north of Little Falls, near Camp Ripley). The canvases "represent all who served, commemorating their sacrifices in all wars, rather than eulogizing a particular war."

I got a chance to look at them and they are truly amazing pieces of work!

If you're interested in supporting the project, you can make a donation to the Manifest Destiny Fund through the Foundation by contacting Curt Hanson or donating online through GiveMN.org.

For more information about the project and to see the sketches visit: www.buonfresco.com/veterans.

Developing Leaders for Life

“I feel like I just left church – so refreshing and encouraging!”

“I realize I am in the driver’s seat (of my life).”

“I will try to be more self aware of my frustrations or ignorance in conversation and how I can make changes to get more out of those conversations.”

These are just a few comments from the evaluations of a recent AmeriCorps*VISTA training session on communication. I think they express the general sentiments of the group that learning to be a better communicator is not only valuable... but rewarding!

I’ve found that nearly 25% of our VISTA members go on to be employed by their project sites or other nonprofits so I realized that we have a golden opportunity to not only improve our program but also build future leaders for our area nonprofits.

To this end, we’ve experimented with a series of professional development trainings that we call Developing Leaders for Life. They provide our VISTA members with opportunities to build their “core” skills, which are essential to success in most jobs - things like:

• good communication,
  
• clear awareness of personal strengths,
  
• an understanding of goal-setting & action planning,
  
• knowledge of group development &
  
• techniques for managing conflict, etc.

These workshops are hands-down one of our VISTA members’ favorite aspects of the program as they see the value both personally and professionally. And I just have to believe that, as a result of this program, our members deliver more for their VISTA sites. I think they'll go on to do better work no matter what they do for a job or in what capacity they serve their communities.

We are truly developing leaders for life who will make a splash on central Minnesota communities and service agencies!

Do you know of a nonprofit that could benefit from hosting a VISTA member? We're currently recruiting - check our website for more info!

The Nerdery's Website Challenge

Anni O'Neill at the Southern Minnesota Foundation is a good friend of mine who recently forwarded me a great resource for nonprofits and community groups.

Every year Sierra Bravo, a website company in Bloomington, holds an overnight website development challenge. Programmers from around the midwest team up to provide selected nonprofits with 24 hours of free design, development and programming in order to create a new website for them. When all's said and done, each nonprofit receives over 200 hours of service for FREE!

This year's challenge is being held on March 20-21, 2010 in St. Paul. Nonprofits can apply for the challenge on The Nerdery's website: www.overnightwebsitechallenge.com.

Anni's husband works for Sierra Bravo and she says, "I've attended the final hours of the event for the past two years, and it is an amazing experience to witness."

Four This Friday

This Friday we'll be adding four new members to our board of trustees. We are excited to welcome:

• Ismail Ali (St. Cloud)
• John E. Babcock (Elk River)
• Mayuli Bales (Big Lake)
• Larry Korf (Genola)
  

Recruited from all over central Minnesota, our trustees provide volunteer leadership that represents an wide range of experience, expertise and personal perspectives.

Learn more about our newest members, each serving a three-year term, by reading the official news release.

Will the future be brighter?

Kathy Gaalswyk, Initiative Foundation president, just told us about a website that shows how unemployment rates have evolved over the last few years. As you'll see, it's gotten darker and darker - not only in Minnesota, but nationwide.


Will the future be brighter? We sure hope so.

Our latest issue of IQ focuses on this exact topic - sharing the latest employment trends as well as inspiring stories about everyday people doing what they can to make ends meet.

And DEED just came out with the October unemployment numbers (something we weren't able to include in IQ) - rates increased from 7.4% in September to 7.6%. Central Minnesota actually saw a slight improvement though, dropping from a regional average of 7.9% to 7.8%.

But that still leaves 30,613 people in the 14 county area without jobs!

We still have a long ways to go so please read and share some IQ...

What do I do?

Ever since I started working at the Foundation I've been asked that question by family and friends. We do lots of things and since we're not a direct service organization (like a food shelf or a youth program) it can be pretty hard to explain sometimes.

Now I can show them! We put together this 3 minute video for the GiveMN.org website but it's a great piece that I can share with people - especially my kids who still don't quite get it!

So, guys, for the past ten years this is what Mom does when she goes to work everyday...



Enjoy!

$14M on GiveMN Match Day

I was so happy to see the total amount on GiveMN.org's Give to the Max Day keep climbing as the day went on. As I kept checking back it went from $3 million to $9 to $13 and after 24 hours finally stopped at $14,000,406. That's a lot of money to a lot of worthy causes. One of the top three organizations is in our neck of the woods too. The College of St. Benedict came in 2nd with 719 total donors - way to go guys!

What amazes me more is that so many folks from so many different foundations and organizations joined forces to make this all work. I really think GiveMN.org is here to stay.

Thank you to everyone who donated that day - not only to the Initiative Foundation but to any nonprofit. November 17th was truly a great example of "Minnesota Nice"!

Online Giving in MN is Changing

Have you heard the buzz? There's a new website in town and it just might change the face of online giving in Minnesota. It's www.GiveMN.org and it went live last week.

According to my coworker, Matt (who's also on GiveMN's Strategy Cabinet), "It's a visionary & exciting project!"

Here's the deal... GiveMN.org has been pre-loaded with basic information on Minnesota 501(c)3s and gives contributors information about all charitable nonprofits in Minnesota. It provides every charitable nonprofit equal access to online contributors. And, it encourages local online giving.

A couple of big things... there is no cost to a nonprofit to participate in GiveMN.org, and, at least initially, all credit card processing fees for donations will be covered by GiveMN.org funding partners.

To learn more:

• check out the Initiative Foundation's GiveMN page,
• encourage all nonprofits (there are over 20,000 in Minnesota!) to claim their page,
• or better yet... try it out! Find your favorite nonprofit and donate today.

And if you want your dollar to go a little further... next Tuesday, November 17th is Give to the Max Day. Every donation made that day will receive a portion of a $500,000 match.

(NOTE: When this same model was tried in Dallas, donors blew through an online match of $400,000. That day, they raised over $4 million!)

With GiveMN.org, the fundraising potential for Minnesota's nonprofits and the causes they support is HUGE.

Please help spread the word!

Initiative Foundations in Top 25 (again!)

Since 2001 all six of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations have ranked in the Top 25 Minnesota Community and Public Foundations.

And 2008 was no different!

The Minnesota Council on Foundations just released their results for last year and all of the MIFs were listed again. Ranked by the total amount of grants awarded, here's where we all ended up:

• 9: West Central Initiative ($3.6M)
• 13: Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation ($2M)
• 16: Northland Foundation ($1.6M)
• 17: Northwest Minnesota Foundation ($1.4M)
• 18: Initiative Foundation ($1.2M)
• 21: Southwest Initiative Foundation ($1M)

That's almost $11 million in grants to nonprofits and organizations that are dedicated to improving communities in greater Minnesota. Yowza! And none of it would have been possible without generous donations from hundreds of individuals and businesses!

> Learn more about the MIFs at www.greaterminnesota.net.

Thank You, Leah!

Leah Posterick has been working at the Foundation since 1998. As a Development Assistant and Program Assistant she has helped thousands of people in their quest to make their communities better places to live, work and play.

My first contact with Leah was when I was on the other side of the phone as a community leader in Pequot Lakes and we were going through the Healthy Communities Partnership program. She was always gracious and patient with me as a community volunteer. I now have the privilege of working at the Foundation and have been a team member with Leah for over eight years!

Now she and her husband, Dennis, are embarking on an amazing adventure. Next week Leah will be leaving the Foundation. They have sold their home of 20+ years and will be moving in with their eldest son in Pittsburg, Kansas. Their plan is to serve as missionaries, most likely in Burkina Faso.

Where's Burkina Faso you say? Oh only about 5,700 miles southeast of central Minnesota! It's a country in West Africa, about the size of Nevada and is one of the poorest in the world. Leah & Dennis will be coming back to the states every so often to visit their family, which includes four children and three grandchildren.

A couple of weeks ago we gave her some send-off gifts - a solar powered oven and a supply of "Life Straw" water purifiers. (Special thanks to John Sumption at Cass County for donating the oven!)

Leah has done some amazing work over the past eleven years. I will miss her hard work and dedication to small communities all over Central Minnesota, but I am thrilled that she will be able to follow her heart into a great new adventure!

Pomp and Circumstance...

This afternoon we just graduated our 14th group of nonprofits from the Healthy Organizations Partnership program. And this round of HOP was special because all of the groups were area Community Action Programs - aka. CAP/CAA agencies. It was great to have a round of training and capacity-building where everyone had similar goals, challenges and interests!

Best of luck to our recent grads:

• BiCAP, Bemidji
• Lakes and Pines CAC, Mora
• Ottertail-Wadena CAC, New York Mills
• Tri-County Action Program (TriCAP), St. Cloud
• Tri-County Community Action (TCC), Little Falls
• Wright County Community Action, Maple Lake

Take a look at all of the group photos on Facebook!

Biodiesel Facility Opens in Isanti

Back on September 28th our economic development staff attending the grand opening of an amazingly cutting edge business...

Ever Cat Fuels in Isanti produces biodiesel. But they don't use any ordinary way of making the renewable fuel... they patented a revolutionary way of producing it, calling it the "Mcgyan Process".

Through this technology the fuel is made in seconds, costs about half the price, produces basically no waste and can use almost any animal fat or vegetable oil as a feedstock. That means anything from french fry oil to algae can be used it make the biodiesel! Pretty cool, eh? The Foundation financed a portion of their start up last fall - learn more by reading the news release or visiting Ever Cat's website.

And next week look for more photos of the grand opening on Facebook!

Viva VISTA!

Right at this moment, there's a VISTA - not too far from you - working to fight poverty.

The VISTAs that we help place with central Minnesota nonprofits are doing some really amazing work. Just ask Chris Fastner, our VISTA coordinator - here are some stats he recently shared with us.

Last year VISTA members:

• assisted 43,544 households
• recruited 1,172 new volunteers
• logged 28,630 volunteer service hours
• secured more than $345,000 in resources to alleviate poverty

And it's not only the numbers that are amazing, it's the stories and projects these people are a part of that's the really cool part. From installing solar panels for low-income families to setting up a thrift store and creating special activities for at-risk youth... the projects vary just as much as the needs of the people they're helping.

For more information about what our 23 VISTA members are currently working on, download last Friday's news release or visit our website.

Thanks VISTAs, for your great work!

Thank you, Sam Nelson

A friend of the foundation recently passed away.

Sam Nelson, a Delano native, was key to the town's involvement in our community and youth programs. He was instrumental in the original creation of both Delano Dream teams and 'day-to-day' efforts of the projects developed by the teams - working on youth issues, downtown revitalization, river clean up and local libraries. His most recent contribution was working to create nearly 300 new industrial jobs in the city.

I had a chance to email his son, Jeff, a couple days ago and I shared with him that his dad was a great local leader and will be missed. The last time I saw Sam was at a September 30th training in Delano where we were organizing task forces to address downtown development and industrial job development. He deserves a lot of the credit for many good things in his community where he was a positive influence who always gave freely of his time and energy.

We would all do well to emulate Sam as we live and work in our communities. There is no doubt in my mind that Delano and our whole region are better places because Sam did more than his share.

Sam, you will be missed!

Read the Herald Journal's article about Sam.

Minnesotans struggling, ready for action

My coworker and "office neighbor", Chris Fastner, just shared a great resource with me - the Northwest Area Foundation just released the findings of their 2009 National Poll: Struggling to Make Ends Meet. I ordered the report that summarizes Minnesota's results (it's free through their website) and here are the things I found most surprising:

• 63% say they've cut back on spending,
• 44% have lent money to family or friend,
• 74% say they're worried that their local economy may get worse in the upcoming year,
• 80% say they're willing to volunteer for an organization that helps people who are struggling,
  
• 94% say local elected officials have big responsibility to attract businesses with good paying jobs.

If you'd like to learn more or get your own copy visit the NWAF website and you'll find a lot - highlights from the nation, other states, toolkits for action, the full database, etc.

It's an amazing piece of work that I think could really help decision makers, leaders and everyone in our communities understand how this tough economy is affecting people. Please share!!

Got a hankerin' for roast yak?

If so, you're in luck! The Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church in St. Cloud is hosting a Tibetan Dinner this Sunday, October 11th from 6-8p.m. Not only will you be able to enjoy organically raised roast yak but they'll also be serving chura (goat cheese), gong tuk (egg soup), tangtse (cabbage salad), snap peas and potato curry.

Feeling extra adventurous? On the menu for dessert is shortbread, de-sil (rice pudding) and pa (roasted barley flour) in po cha (butter tea).

To learn more or reserve your spot ($20 required by Wed. Oct 7th!) visit their website: www.holymyrrhbearers.org or email them at tibetandinner@holymyrrhbearers.org.

Holy Myrrhbearers is located in one of St. Cloud's core neighborhood areas. The area's citizens have participated in the foundation's HCP program and Presbytera Heidi Kroll has been actively involved in the HCP activities for this group.

Enjoy the roast!

Local Business... National Clients

As their website describes, Paul's Fireplace Wood is a far cry from a couple of local guys with a pickup truck. The thriving business has nine full time employees and commercial restaurant clients like Famous Dave's Barbeque & Red Stone American Grill and the best part... they're ready to grow.

A loan from the foundation and Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union has helped the Little Falls-based business with a recent expansion that should increase sales and potentially create six new jobs. Now Paul's is better poised to serve commercial and residential customers with their ever-growing selection of fireplace, fragrant, cooking and kindling woods.

Want more info? Check out Paul's Fireplace Wood website or read the list of the foundation's other recent grant and loan recipients.

Montrose: small city, big plans.

Located in the southeast corner of Wright County, Montrose (pop. 2,800) has become a city poised for action. Since a core group of twelve citizens participated in the foundation's Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) Program, they've been in "go mode".

"There is a turning of the tides in Montrose," commented Mary McCarty, co-chair of the Highway 12 redevelopment task force. "Volunteerism is up, and people are so much more optimistic that we can make Montrose a place we can all be proud to call home."

After graduating from HCP in 2008 and receiving a $15,000 grant, the city's priority goals revolved around increasing community pride, bringing more businesses to the area & making improvement plans for the Highway 12 corridor that runs through the city. Since then, the task forces that were created have met or exceeded all of their goals! A few of the activities and projects include:

• "movies in the park", a tree lighting ceremony, a community-wide garage sale and other community-wide events,
  
• creating a video to entice new businesses,
  
• transforming a vacant building into space for an early childhood education center and
• completing a design standards manual for remodeling or building in their commerical district.
  

To learn more about what these community sparkplugs have been up to, you can read a recent Herald-Journal article about their activities, download a copy of the presentation from their Sept 22 community meeting or visit the official (and slick-looking!) city website.

The Fight Against Meth Continues...

November 1, 2005 was supposed to be the day for a nice, "little" conference. Matt, our director of communications, was hoping that a couple hundred people would show up. Nearly 2,000 did.

It was our wake-up call that methamphetamine - a highly-addictive, highly-destructive drug - was making its way through central Minnesota and that communities were ready to put a stop to it.

The foundation worked with central Minnesota leaders to create a solution: Minnesota ICE: A Rural Response to Methamphetamine. Since then, 12 community coalitions have been formed. The results of their efforts are incredible - truly incredible. Yet the fight continues.

My friend, Joe Gibbons, from the Central Minnesota Re-Entry Project recently sent me an invitation to a presentation they're sponsoring. It's on Monday, October 12th, in Little Falls and Tuesday, October 13th, in St. Cloud. You can learn more about it (including presenter bios, ticket prices and RSVP info) on the Central Minnesota Re-Entry Project's website.

I hope you can attend what looks to be a moving and inspirational presentation. If you can't, please share this link with others. One of the hardest things we've discovered through all this is that meth crosses all boundaries - it doesn't matter your skin color, age, income or where you live. Meth shows no mercy.

Other resources and information about meth and the foundation's efforts can be found on our website.

Also, a special issue of IQ magazine was created and copies are still available (just pick up or pay for shipping). Contact Anita for more details.

They're good. Honestly, they are!

A few months back we closed on a loan to a expanding company in North Branch. Olympic Granola makes gourmet granola bars - touting them as companions to your workouts or as a healthy meal replacement.

So we just got a sample of the bars and it looks like they're made with things like rice bran, rolled oats and flax seeds. Sounds a little bland, right? Well throw in some chocolate, honey and espresso and you get a different story. I just tried the Mocha Mint Coffee House Bar and it was delicious! I might just have to buy a few to replace my latest breakfast trend of coffee, coffee and more coffee.

Check 'em out at: www.olympicgranola.com.

Cheering for Children

Hello, I’m Linda Kaufmann and I head up the foundation’s Children, Youth and Families programs. Last week I was asked to do the impossible – convince the St. Cloud School Board that dedicating already finite school and community resources to early childhood was the most important decision they could make this year. A tough task indeed. Oh, and I had a grand total of ten minutes to do it. Well, I mentioned this to my friend Candi Kraigthorpe at the MN Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and she said she knew of a video that would be perfect. Take a look… it is definitely worth four minutes of your time!



So, what did the St. Cloud School Board think about it? They cheered. Yes, literally cheered when it was shown.

I sincerely hope that you too will cheer for the lives of little kids. There’s simply no better economic investment we can make!

(And special thanks to The Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago for creating this wonderful video.)

Wind Forum: Sail Away, or Blow it Off?

Okay, you're a farmer. Or maybe you just own a sizeable piece of central Minnesota.

Either way, you have acres upon acres of windblown land in Stearns, Benton, Morrison or Todd County. One day, a letter arrives in the mailbox from a wind development company. The letter outlines a land-leasing proposal for future wind turbines, promises you a significant ROI, and urges you to act quickly.

The money sounds good. The terms sound simple. Wind energy is green energy, right? (And you do drive a John Deere tractor.) So, do you go for it?

Navigating that decision is the topic of the Initiative Foundation's Wind Energy Forum in Rice. Designed for landowners, the free forum (which even includes dinner!) will cover the considerations, rewards, risks, and best practices for wind development in Minnesota.

We're presenting this event in partnership with the Southwest Initiative Foundation and Benton County Economic Development.

Here are the details:

Wind Energy Forum
5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 24
Rice City Hall, 205 Main St.
(No charge or registration)

And here's the official news release. Pass it along!

Remembering Brothers

I refer to my brother Donn as “my kid brother.” Sure, he’s past fifty, his hair is even grayer than mine, and he’s considerably more wrinkled than just about every other kid I know. But he’s still my kid brother, and brothers are special.

Maybe that’s why Dave Wood and I became instant friends.

Dave came to our office one day a couple of years back to tell us about his older brother Mark, whose life and untimely death will always be part of the Initiative Foundation. You see, Mark had gotten to know some underprivileged kids through his work as a mentor, where he’d provided a positive role model . . . and more importantly, a friend . . . to kids who really needed one. Through his deep grief, Dave explained to us that when Mark knew he probably wouldn’t outrun the cancer that had invaded his body, he made sure his estate . . . everything he had to his name . . . would be used to support the mentoring program and disadvantaged kids he so cared for. Forever.

Once in a while you get to be a small part of something . . . or someone . . . very special. I think I’ll send this to my kid brother.


Brenden: "Mark gave me something to look forward to."

Where are you, #4?

This fall, we're looking forward to seeing "4" in action. And no, I'm not referring to the grisly, gray-haired gunslinger who retired and unretired for a Metrodome swan song.

I'm talking about another prosperous opportunity to join a winning team.

(Fine, then. No more cheesy sports metaphors...)

Your Initiative Foundation is seeking four communities to participate in a very powerful round of our Healthy Communities Partnership. HCP is our flagship leadership program that gives every citizen a voice in the future of their community.

My talented colleagues, Dan Frank and Don Hickman, train volunteer teams in leadership skills, planning and organizing efforts. Selected communities then receive up to $50,000 over five years to complete projects identified in town-hall style meetings.

We supply the big process. The community supplies the big plan.

This year, a partnership with the Bush Foundation and Minnesota Public Radio will add a new twist. MPR will report on trends and dig up stories in one or more communities, in order to give people a new perspective on who they are and where they go from here.

Applications are due November 15, with community selections announced in early January. Want more info? Take a gander at the official news release or contact Dan Frank at 877-632-9255.

If it's 4th and long for your community, let us know if you want to go deep with the Initiative Foundation. (Hey, a couple of sports metaphors never hurt anybody.)

Beverly the Philanthropist

Hello, blogging world - Curt Hanson here! I’ve only been with the Initiative Foundation a little over five years. Before coming here, I thought the word “philanthropist” referred to Bill Gates or Paul Newman (you know, the kind of folks who get mentioned for sponsoring PBS programs.) Then I met Beverly.

Well actually . . . we haven’t met in person. In fact, I had quite a few conversations and e-mail exchanges with her attorney before she and I ever corresponded. Beverly lives in Washington (the state), but she’s from central Minnesota. She has fond memories of her home town and, as she is getting along in years, wants to do something good there. So Beverly has created a scholarship at her old high school that will help kids achieve something precious . . . something Beverly wanted very much in her own life, but could not fulfill . . . a college education.

Ever thought of yourself as a “philanthropist?” I don’t think Beverly Pantzke Johnston did. But I’ll bet kids attending Little Falls High School will come to know her that way. And I hope someday they’ll “pay Beverly forward!”

Bang for Your Buck

Getting a healthy return on your investment is a big thing these days. Recently, we did some recalculations and discovered that last year our donors received a whopping 559% ROI.

So basically for every dollar that local individuals, businesses, cities and utilities gave to the foundation, we gave back an average of $5.59 through grants and business loans. What's more, every gift to our general endowment was (and still is) doubled by a matching contribution from The McKnight Foundation. Talk about bang for your buck! So take a gander... how did your county do?

3 Girls, 2 Solar Panels, 1 Minute

In between important calls on the crimson Batphone, I finally caught up to Chris Fastner regarding VISTA impact. Turns out, as expected, that our poster child for poverty reduction is the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) in Pine River.

Since 2000, RREAL has battled fuel-poverty with the power of the sun. With four Initiative Foundation VISTAs rolling up their sleeves, RREAL designed its own residential solar heating system and installed it in more than 60 low-income homes at little or no charge.

Its goal is to complete 100 more installations in 2009.

The solar panels serve as a simple sidekick to a home heating system and reduce a family's heating bills by up to 25 percent, often eliminating their need for public fuel assistance. And it's all done with clean, renewable energy.

Their current VISTA is the talented Tina Schilawski, who put together this cool video of a solar installation. She's the one in the gray stocking cap. Yo.



RREAL was also the Initiative Foundation's 2009 Outstanding Green Venture. Here's the award video shown at our big event in April, which cast a light on one family's struggle surviving a Minnesota winter.

VISTA Shocker from Chris Fastner

Just got an “All Staff” e-mail from Chris Fastner, our VISTA program manager who offices across from me and inadvertently eavesdrops on my fascinating phone conversations. (And I, his.) His e-mail, with the simple subject line, “Impact,” was a jaw-dropper.

Did you know that the Initiative Foundation is a national service site for Volunteers In Service To America? (Furthermore, did you know that it’s the capital “I” and “T” that make the catchy acronym possible?) We place 25 full-time volunteers in nonprofit organizations across central Minnesota. Their projects are all over the board, but their common goal is to increase the ability of their nonprofits to fight poverty.

And holy cow, have they ever.

According to Chris, whose job it is to track such things, our VISTAs helped recruit 4,200 other volunteers, who punched the clock to the tune of 28,000 hours. The big team helped more than 43,000 households and raised more than $250,000 in cash and in-kind gifts.

Wow.

I know that’s just a bunch of big numbers to some of you, so I’ll see if I can track Chris down for a good VISTA story or two. You’ll be impressed, I promise.

Yes, We Made it to the Blogosphere.

Welcome to KeyNotes, the Initiative Foundation’s new blog. From now until the end of time, our staff will post news clips, foundation updates, links, photos, videos and a veritable plethora of exciting stuff about the people and places we serve.

We’ll also invite you to help us get better at what we do by asking where we can make the greatest impact in your community. Heck, we might even change the course of history together. There’s just no telling.

I’m Matt Kilian, your friendly neighborhood communications guy since 1998. And don’t worry, you’ll hear from far more interesting program people, too.