Power to the People

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance
> PINE RIVER

Jason Edens  |  RREAL Director

One of only two organizations in the United States to offer solar heat to lowincome families, Rural Renewable Energy Alliance’s (RREAL) Solar Assistance program is in a league of its own. “Our intention is to provide a long-term, clean, domestic source of energy assistance that also empowers the families who are receiving it,” said director Jason Edens.

An Initiative Foundation grantee and nonprofit award winner, the program not only helps the environment, it also makes it possible for families to not have to choose heating over eating. Solar Assistance also saves the state’s energy assistance program money—an enormous plus considering the state spends nearly 80 million dollars every year to serve less than a quarter of the 800,000 Minnesotans who are eligible.

Breaking through what Edens calls, “the renewable divide,” RREAL seeks to provide solar power to a segment of the population that has historically been shut out of the movement. “Those in the upper echelons of society have been the only ones who could afford this technology,” said Edens. “But the folks who can benefit the most from renewable energy are low income communities.” While solar energy isn’t the solution for every low-income family—homes need to be able to receive direct sunlight to be fitted with solar panels— RREAL’s work is a true ray of sunshine.

Unthinking the Senior Center

Whitney WithOut Walls
> ST. CLOUD

Steve Hennes  |  Whitney Senior Center

When St. Cloud’s Whitney Senior Center started to outgrow its rental space, it was time to get resourceful. And a dose of out-of-the-box thinking by the advisory board gave way to the perfect solution: bring programming to clients at offsite locations. Not only would the nonprofit solve its real estate woes, but it would also reach a whole new population of seniors.

Whitney WithOut Walls (WWOW) started in 2006 at Benet Place South and Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud. Since then it has offered a host of programs, including driver improvement training, acupuncture, card clubs, bingo and exercise classes. “We need to keep seniors exercising, socializing, and having good nutritious meals to keep them healthy and out of nursing homes,” said Steve Hennes, the program’s director.

That’s not an understatement when you consider that the cost of funding five people in a nursing home is equivalent to running Whitney Senior Center programs for an entire year. Today, the award-winning organization has provided programming to over 20,000 seniors and is garnering accolades from across the country for its truly unique approach to senior care.

A Virtual Reality

The Cyber Cafe
> WADENA

Randy Jahnke  |  Cyber Cafe Director

Open since 2002, this hip hangout’s mission is to provide a positive, chemical-free environment for youth to socialize and learn about technology. But in the wake of last summer’s tornados, which left many families without computers or access to the Internet, The Cyber Café has also provided local teenagers a digital lifeline to the very technologies that help young people succeed. “We want to help our youth stay up to date with the technology world, as well as give them a place to do homework,” said director Randy Jahnke.

Staffed primarily by teenagers, the center sells the usual lattes and pastries. But it also provides access to computers, pool, foosball and pingpong. The Cyber Café organizes teen dances, theme parties and even a comedy night, which build a stronger sense of community and raise funds for the venture.

Once a flipchart idea hatched during the Initiative Foundation’s Healthy Communities Partnership program, today it’s a dynamic and appealing place for local teens to learn and grow. “We help them prepare to be better adults in the future by keeping them up to date with bigger cities,” said Jahnke, referencing how the center helps teens stay on top of the latest and greatest trends in the tech world. “The Café really helps to bridge that gap.”

The Wheel Deal

Communities Investing in Families
> MORA

Matt Mathiasen  |  CIF Executive Director

For those of us who complain about the hassles of our daily commute, it can be hard to remember that we’re the lucky ones. “If you have a vehicle, you can keep your job,” said Matt Mathiasen, the executive director of Communities Investing in Families (CIF), an office-less nonprofit that provides emergency transportation assistance and financial literacy classes to families in crisis.With few commuter options, transportation is still the number one barrier to getting and keeping employment in rural areas.

An Initiative Foundation grantee, CIF offers a guaranteed loan program to buy vehicles and also helps with insurance payments. The organization also assists with emergency repairs, and has a car donation program where cars are overhauled for free by inmates at Sandstone Federal Prison who are learning car repair techniques.

Families in the program are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. That’s why CIF also instructs its clients on the ins and outs of financial basics, such as building a credit score and creating a family budget. “The whole financial world has changed so much in the last five years, people are having a hard time keeping up,” said Mathiasen.

Just as important, CIF helps the local economy by bringing work to its vast network of local partners, including 50 car repair shops, 20 insurance companies and 15 banks and credit unions. “We’re giving people a hand up, not a hand out,” said Mathiasen.

America 101

Hands Across the World
> ST. CLOUD

Brianda Cediel  |  HAW cofounder

Hands Across theWorld (HAW) is the first program in centralMinnesota to help immigrants and refugees learn English, navigate the contradictions ofWestern culture, and understand the American school system. The organization also provides parenting classes, career counseling and technology training.

Most important, HAWhelps clients capitalize on the expertise they already obtained in their countries of origin.With the belief that knowledge is power, HAWprepares refugees and immigrants for continued education, whether it’s a GED or a Ph.D. “The refugees coming here just need good guidance, good leaders and good role models,” said cofounder Brianda Cediel. “If they have those things, they are going to be able to make it.”

Artistic Renovations

Franklin Arts Center
> BRAINERD

Andrew Commers  |  Artspace Project Manager

Brainerd’s Franklin Junior High School was a local landmark for more than seven decades.When it was closed in 2005 to make way for a more modern facility across town, locals worried that the neighborhood would fall into disrepair.

To ensure that wouldn’t happen the school district hired Artspace—a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer—to renovate the building into an arts center that combines studios and arts-related enterprises with 25 live/work units for artists. “Making sure the space is affordable is an important step in cultivating the arts within the community,” said Andrew Commers, the Artspace project manager.

The Franklin project meets three main objectives, according to Commers. It provides a space for local artists to create their work, supports historic renovation and preservation, and assists in economic revitalization in the area.

Changemaker U

Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship
> COLLEGEVILLE

Terri Barreiro  |  Donald McNeely Center Director

Located on the campuses of St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, The Donald McNeely Center mentors future nonprofit leaders to become social entrepreneurs—people who address a social problem or community need with an entrepreneurial approach.

Opened in 2004, the center works with students, faculty, alumni and community members to help start these much-needed nonprofit ventures. In addition to offering a select number of startup loans for student entrepreneurial ventures, the center also helps alumni, faculty and community members create strategic plans for nonprofits.

Startups have ranged from microloan coaching for Hispanic women in Cold Spring to a campus fair-trade store that sells products from the countries represented in the colleges’ study abroad programs. “Many people see the word ‘entrepreneurship’ and equate it with business rather than being able to make a significant difference in the world,” said center director Terri Barreiro. “But social causes are also entrepreneurial ideas.”

A Little Horse Sense

Mounted Eagles
> BRAINERD

Aggie Stroot (right) |  Mounted Eagles Executive Director