Buzz continues to build for next week’s Border to Border Broadband Conference. With Senator Matt Schmit’s Listening Tour wrapping, rural Minnesotans have broadband on the brain. On top of that, today Blandin Foundation announced their latest round of broadband grants. Projects like GIS mapping of broadband availability in Mille Lacs County, equipping a tele-work center …
Are foresters the shy, retiring types? Definitely not! At least not at the Oct. 23 “Vital Forests/Vital Communities Redux” event, hosted by Dovetail Partners with support through a Blandin Foundation grant. Foresters, economic developers, business people, forestland owners, loggers—the gamut of Minnesota’s forest stakeholders joined the conversation to review developments in Minnesota’s forests and forestry …
Today we welcome Janet Borth, Director of HR/Board Services. Janet recently attended the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits 2013 Annual Conference. Here she shares her observations on one of the sessions she attended. Stale, stagnant and stuck…three reasons to reframe the race conversation in community development work, said presenters at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits 2013 …
Calling all rural techies! Itasca County needs you. As one of the nine Blandin Broadband Communities, the Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) is bringing together Itasca technology professionals to conduct assessments of local businesses and lead a series of social media breakfasts. “Our overall goal is to expand our knowledge and culture of use of …
In many conversations about rural broadband, speed and distance take center stage: uploads, downloads, middle-mile, last-mile, how technology “deletes the distance barrier” for folks who choose rural. Today, the conversation is face-to-face on the national stage. Blandin Foundation has the privilege to bring insights about rural broadband to Congress — specifically to a hearing of …
Today we welcome guest blogger Matt Rezac, director of rural community partnerships at the Sherwood Foundation in Omaha, Neb., and former Blandin Foundation staff member. He shares comments on a recent Nebraska-Minnesota rural philanthropy learning tour. A couple years ago, my wife and I made a difficult decision to leave tremendous personal and professional circumstances …
With the gentle play of rope, guided by two veterans, a flag caught the September morning breeze and began flying proudly at the Itasca County courthouse. Its colors – red and white, black and yellow – were illuminated in the crisp sunshine, signaling to those who watched its ascent, and those who will enter the …
Hunger is intangible. You can’t see, hear or touch it, but it’s all around us. Yesterday, members of Blandin Foundation’s Board of Trustees learned how hunger can impact the health and vitality of a community while touring Second Harvest North Central Food Bank in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. During the visit, Board members learned that 40% …
Yesterday’s ICC Career Fair gave about 1,500 junior and senior high school students from Itasca area schools a chance to get up close to the tools of the trade in their favorite career choices. Professionals from various fields were available to answer questions and provide interactive and hands-on activities for participants. Students also could practice their …
Rural leaders passionate about getting, and keeping, their communities connected to the global economy via broadband gather today, not for a webinar or livestream, but for a conference. “Building our Connected Future: Minnesota’s Better with Broadband,” cosponsored with Connect Minnesota, opens in Duluth this afternoon, following on the heels of a half-day meeting of the …