President Ed James’ Quote of the Day: “The most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.” – Sir Robert Baden-Powell
Our guests today were Mary Jo McGuire and Samuel Zayzay.
Important Rotary dates can be found in your email or downloaded by clicking here.
Our next Face to Face meeting will be on October 13th at Silver View Park on County Rd. I, just east of Silver Lake Rd. The meeting will also be available on ZOOM.
John Ordway reported that our No-Plate Dinner fundraiser will net $20,223 provided that the State Farm Foundation grant and Bell Lumber and Pole challenge grant are received.
Jed Hamoud is in communication with the Beirut Cedars North Rotary Club and expects to hear from them regarding the situation in Beirut and where we should send our donation. Jed is also interested in finding out if there are other U.S. clubs with which we could collaborate, perhaps on a Global Grant.
Geoff Hollimon said that the Suburban Ramsey Emergency Coalition’s ’73 Mustang raffle ticket sales are going well. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, but tickets are still available and you can get yours from Geoff Hollimon by mailing your check for $25 (made out to Climb Theatre) to:
Mustang Raffle
c/o Geoff Hollimon
2749 13th Terrace NW
New Brighton, MN 55112
The Coalition invites you to take part in a biking/walking/driving tour of twenty examples of rose art in the Roseville in Bloom art exhibit. Bike routes of 9.7 and 7.6 miles are suggested, or you can visit them in your car. Register here for a chance to win a prize and, hopefully, make a donation to the coalition to support its work to provide food and housing support for those with greatest need resulting from Covid-19.
Geoff also reported that Community Partners with Youth (CPY) will be a distance learning center for kids on weekdays when hybrid scheduling would have them learning from home. CPY has already received a $150,000 grant for this initiative and expects to receive more funding.
Nyle Zikmund introduced Susie Brown, President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF). The Minnesota Council on Foundations got its start in 1970 as a response to changes brought on by the 1969 Tax Reform Act. Fifty years later the MCF is a membership association of philanthropic grant making organizations. It strives to be a philanthropic community collectively advancing prosperity and equity. The goals of advancing prosperity and equity are achieved through three strategies. The first strategy is to create connections within the Minnesota philanthropic community by providing learning opportunities and facilitating knowledge sharing among its membership. The second strategy is to strengthen its membership by providing tools and skills to be more effective and providing recognition for achievements. The third strategy is to mobilize its membership through collective action to create public policy that enhances philanthropy while promoting equity and integrity in grant making.
Suzie identified three issues that present challenges for philanthropic foundations. The first challenge is changing community needs. Covid-19 and increasing racial and socioeconomic inequity are two examples Suzie cited. The second challenge is diversity, equity and inclusion in grant application and awarding. This challenge is made more difficult by the fact that a majority of foundation boards are composed of white, upper class men. The third challenge is that traditional grant application and reporting processes are too complicated, causing frustration among potential grantees. If you’d like to learn more about the Minnesota Council on Foundations, click here.