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 …
Two new staff members joined Blandin Foundation in September. We sat down with each of them to learn more about their work, and asked them a couple questions to get to know them better. Liz Carlson – Payroll/Finance Assistant As a member of the Foundation’s finance team, Liz processes payroll, assures compliance with Foundation …
In a region that was settled almost exclusively by Norwegian immigrants, integration was not a topic of conversation in the small west central Minnesota town of Pelican Rapids. From the grocery store to the classroom, differences were scarce. In fact, as recently as two decades ago, the people of Pelican Rapids still largely came from …
“It’s like trying to teach a kid to play the clarinet without a reed,” said Aaron Wenger, engineering instructor at Itasca Community College (ICC). “We’ve got to give them the tools they need to succeed.” ICC engineering attracts students from around the state with their nationally acclaimed program, but how many of those students actually …
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 …
Today’s youth are eager to contribute to the vibrancy of their rural community. They are positive about the future and ready to act. But are they being asked to? This summer’s Center for Rural Affairs poll found that youth are more positive than their elder counterparts when it comes to the future of their community. …
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 …