EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference

The 4th annual Engaged Philanthropy Conference is almost here! Seeking to bring together the state's most innovative social entrepreneurs with social investors to create solutions to our pressing social problems, this year's theme of "Better Together," will ring loud and clear. Come together with other thought leaders and changemakers to make Minnesota better yet!

EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference June 16, 2011

BETTER TOGETHER: WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU? FOR MINNESOTA? Social Venture Partners Minnesota cordially invites you to attend EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference on June 16th as we collaborate on what Better Together means for Minnesota. Register today! REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Social Venture Partners Minnesota is pleased to announce the 4th Annual EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference will take place June 16, 2011 at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency. Register today! EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference has a simple, yet powerful formula - to accelerate the pace of social innovation in Minnesota by bringing together our most innovative social entrepreneurs with social investors to create solutions to our pressing social problems. There is no other event in Minnesota that bring together a unique cross-sector crowd of changemakers comprised of individual philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, government policy makers, foundation executives around the work of social innovation and community building. About Social Venture Partners Minnesota Social Venture Partners Minnesota is a venture philanthropy organization made up of business entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and professionals that invest their financial, intellectual, and social capital in the people and organizations that are creating solutions to Minnesota's social problems. 2011 is the fourth year that Social Venture Partners Minnesota has hosted the conference as part of its mission of advancing social innovation and social entrepreneurship in Minnesota. For more information about Social VenturePartnersMinnesota orEPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference, please contact Hanni at hwenker@svpmn.org or visit our web site www.svpmn.org.

The answers come

Photo Credit: WildMind

"As long as one keeps searching, the answers come."

-Joan Baez

TedxTC Event: Food: Only If, If Only.

It's spring in Minnesota. We are tending to our rural fields and community gardens, shopping the farmers markets in the cities and suburbs, and eating while the eating's fresh! Thus the timing for the next TedxTC event, Food: Only If, If Only, which poses the question, "What are your thoughts on the future of food?" More details follow on the three local thought leaders on this topic below, but consider this a heads up that you, too, can be a part of this conversation. After all, the time is ripe for us to engage in this kind of discussion! (Pun, what pun?)

TEDxTC Food: Only if. If Only.

New to TEDxTC; Two showings! 5 PM and 7:30 PM, Tuesday, June 7th, 2011.

Reception opens at 7 PM for 5 PM Attendees, and opens at 9 PM for 7:30 PM Attendees.

Our speakers:

LaDonna Redmond:

LaDonna is a long-time community activist who successfully worked to get Chicago Public Schools to evaluate junk food, launched urban agriculture projects, started a community grocery store and worked on federal farm policy to expand access to healthy food in low-income communities. In 2009, Redmond was one of 25 citizen and business leaders named a Responsibility Pioneer by Time Magazine. Redmond is a former Food and Society Policy Fellow. She is currently leading efforts at Minneapolis based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to identify research gaps related to health in the food system, and connect researchers with those facing inequities in the food chain, including farmers, farm and food workers, and consumers.

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe)

Winona is an internationally renowned activist working on issues of sustainable development, renewable
energy and food systems. She lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota. As Program Director of Honor the Earth, she works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice with Indigenous communities. In her own community, she is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, where she works to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, LaDuke has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. She is the author of five books, including Recovering the Sacred, All our Relations and a novel, Last Standing Woman.

Kevin Ryan

Kevin is a Manager in the Strategy and Innovation group within General Mills. He holds a master's degree and a PhD from the University of Illinois as well as a graduate degree in gastronomy from the University of Adelaide in a program sponsored by Le Cordon Bleu. Using a mixture of anthropology, sociology and years of experience in the "fuzzy front end" of innovation, Kevin explores the strange and fascinating world of predicting the future of food.

Please note: TEDxTC will open registration / badge pick-up at 4:15pm for the 5 pm Showing and 6:30 pm for the 7:30 showing to allow for a smooth registration process. The event begins promptly. Seating is on a first come, first served basis, so arrive early for best seating options. Both show times offer a reception post show.

Christian Elder Memorial 900 to support Kids 'n Kinship

Every day marks a new beginning. Today is no different. The Christian Elder Memorial 900-mile bike ride sets off today, kicking off a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness and funds for Kids 'n Kinship, a mentoring organization in the south metro of the Twin Cities! Check out the Riders' Bios and be sure to get updates from the 2011 Road Diary as the riders log their daily travels and travails. Then, you can help thank them and recognize their efforts on Saturday, June 11 at the CEM Welcome Back Celebration at Merchants Bank! Come along for any part of this incredible ride - today's the day!

2011 Christian Elder Memorial 900 Charity Ride for Kids 'n Kinship Begins May 26th

Last year the 900-mile Christian Elder Memorial 900 bicycle ride raised over $26,000 for Kids ‘n Kinship, a local non-profit organization that matches kids ages 5-16 with volunteer mentors.

“Children are such a valuable asset for our future. During hard economic times, it’s critical that we don’t lose sight of how important causes such as this are,” says Elder. All donations go straight to Kids ‘n Kinship, serving children in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount for 38 years. Currently, 68 youth are on the organization’s waiting list for mentors.

In addition to Elder, this year’s riders are:

• Dennis Hill, Bloomington, MN (fifth year)
• Kathy Kelly, Chaska, MN (second year)
• Bob Benda, Ft. Worth, TX (third year)
• Jay Saterbak, Prior Lake, MN (forth year)

Elder, who has mentored 17-year-old Dante for seven years, says “You don’t need a lot of experience to have a significant impact on a young person’s life.” It is this impact that fuels Elder’s passion for the bike riding fundraiser, which is named in memory of John and wife Sherry’s son who died unexpectedly in 2007. “It’s amazing what a mentor can do in a young person’s life and, in turn, what the young person can do for you.”

At age 64, Elder hopes to continue riding for many more years but adds, “I like to think that we’ve reached a point where this ride will survive me and will continue to benefit Kids ‘n Kinship far into the future.”

Accepting Applications: Catalyst Youth Board

The first full class of the Catalyst Youth Board is graduating from high school this year and takes with them lifelong memories, best friendships, and having made a difference on tobacco and obesity prevention work in Minnesota. Kudos! We're on the lookout now for the next group of young changemakers on these critical health issues; please help recruit by sharing the information below, including the awesome Catalyst Summit video!

Apply for the Catalyst Youth Board! So what is the Catalyst Youth Board? The Catalyst Youth Board is leading this movement! Youth Board members help plan the Catalyst summit, other fun events, and travel the state with Catalyst staff to help present workshops and trainings. Awesome, right? Bottom line, the Youth Board is a big deal! It's a great opportunity, but ladies and gentlemen it is also a commitment. We're not looking for people who are just applying because it sounds fun. This a solid time commitment, and we hold you to it. Here's an idea of some of the roles and responsibilities - read through, and if it sounds rockin', APPLY! Click this link for all the application details! Check out the NEW Summit Highlight Video! We made a short video of the 2011 Catalyst Summit. It has all the behind the scenes, sessions, dancing, and FUN! Check it out here!

You're Invited: Great Plains Young Professional Summit

Even as we gear up for the second annual Minnesota Rising Un/Conference (save the date for October 2011), our neighbors to the northwest are gathering young professionals from across the Midwest to enhance their skill sets, instill community engagement values, and diversify their networks during a two-day conference in June. Learn more about the Great Plains Young Professionals Summit taking place in North Dakota next month!

Great Plains YP Summit - Breakout Sessions Released Fargo will host the 2011 GPYP Summit, June 15-17. The summit begins Wednesday with an evening networking social followed by a two-day conference. Hundreds of young professionals from across five states will be in attendance. The goal of the summit is to help young professionals enhance their professional skill set, instill community engagement and diversify their networks. Visit the GPYP website at www.gpypsummit.com/registration/ to register.

What it enables

Photo Credit: FotoSearch

"We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others."

-Thomas Merton

Happy Hour with NOSH for Open Arms of Minnesota

If you missed last night's Moveable Feast to benefit Open Arms of Minnesota, don't fret. You'll have another chance next week to dine out for the cause. Join NOSH, the young professionals of Open Arms of Minnesota, for happy hour at Moto-I, and you, too, can be a Problem Solver!

Please join NOSH for a night of networking, socializing and good ole fashion fun. NOSH will be hosting a happy hour on Thursday May 26th from 6-8pm. We will be located in the Ramen Alley on the 1st floor.

Moto-I has been kind enough to run a deal on a drink called “The Problem Solver.” This lovely cocktail costs $8 and for each "Problem Solver" purchased a dollar comes back to Open Arms, so they can help solve the problem of providing people in our community who are ill with the nutritious (and delicious) food they need.

Join us - and bring a friend!

Give & Take: Seward Neighborhood

At the last Give & Take, I shared that I know how to drive a stick shift and I want to learn how to play Hearts. What do you know and what do you want to know? Bare it all, and find someone to help or help you out at the upcoming Give & Take! This next event in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis kicks off a pilot program taking the event into neighborhoods around the Twin Cities and highlighting community members from each location. Happy hour meets show and tell next week and you can be there to give and take!

An Introduction to Give & Take from Works Progress on Vimeo.

Give & Take is a new kind of public program that uncovers hidden connections in our community with a mix of eclectic presentations, games, and socializing.

The concept is simple: when we come together to share what we know, and what we want to know in a fun, supportive environment, great things will happen. The presentations at Give & Take are drawn from the public, and the topics are based largely on what people submit on this site.

Check out our complete list of past presenters and presentation topics to get an idea of what people have already talked about at Give & Take. You can also watch a few FLASH Presentations here.

Give & Take is developed by Works Progress in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Pillsbury United Communities Interpreting Agency (PUCIA) Open House

¿Hablas espanol? Parlez-vous français? Ông có biết nói tiếng Anh không? If you don't, Pillsbury United Communities Interpreting Agency (PUCIA) does! A translation and interpreting agency for more than 20 languages, PUCIA is excited to announce its Open House next week. You're invited to mix and mingle with PUCIA interpreters and staff at this free event showcasing the agency and its services. Stop in to hear all about their offerings, likely in English, and perhaps in another tongue!

PILLSBURY UNITED COMMUNITIES INTERPRETING AGENCY TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE

Pillsbury United Communities Interpreting Agency (PUCIA) is excited to announce its Open House to be held Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at Oak Park Center in Minneapolis.

PUCIA is a translation and interpreting agency for more than 20 languages. PUCIA can translate any document – including websites, manuals, emails, letters, birth certificates, brochures and more. PUCIA combines professional staff with personalized attention to provide clients with a superior product that responds to their language needs.

Once located in NorthPoint Health and Wellness, a health care facility in north Minneapolis, PUCIA recently relocated to Oak Park Center to improve and expand its interpreting and translation services to other health care facilities, automotive dealers, salons, spas, and organizations such as HCMC, small clinics, schools, community events and immigration services.

On Wednesday, May 25, guests will mingle and mix with the PUCIA Interpreters and staff while learning more about the Agency and services provided by PUCIA.

When: Wednesday, May 25, 2011
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Where: Oak Park Center
1701 Oak Park Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

Cost: FREE

For more information contact Juan C. Peraza, Interpreting Agency Coordinator at 612-787-3713 or perazaj@puc-mn.org.

About Pillsbury United Communities

Pillsbury United Communities is a nonprofit organization working to create choice, change and connection for people from all walk of life. With multiple locations in Minneapolis' inner city neighborhoods – including four neighborhood centers, a professional live theatre, and the Urban Institute for Service and Learning – Pillsbury United Communities is positioned to address the complicated issues and concerns faced by the more than 35,000 people who walk through our doors each year.

You're Invited: The "My Corps Values" Project Showcase and Discussion

From Alana Stimes and the ICC of MN's Communications Committee, you're invited to attend the "My Corps Values" Project Showcase and Discussion! The My Corps Values event concludes festivities for AmeriCorps Week 2011 in Minnesota and is open to both AmeriCorps members and the general public! Following the event, you're also invited to attend a social gathering at the Herkimer Pub in Uptown. Drop by to learn about and celebrate the great work taking place throughout our communities thanks to the dedication and service of AmeriCorps members!

Toward the sun

Photo Credit: criscris1

"Our way is not soft grass, it's a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upwards, forward, toward the sun."

-Ruth Westheimer

Be A Part Of The Twin Cities’ First All Night Arts Festival! Northern Spark

When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter? Was it to finish a paper, because you had to help out a friend or family member at the hospital, or some other challenging circumstance? Northern Spark is giving you the opportunity to make the all-nighter fun again by inviting you to be a part of the Twin Cities’ first all night arts festival!

Modeled on a nuit blanche or “white night” festival, Northern Spark will be a dusk to dawn participatory art event along the Mississippi and surrounding areas. It will take place the evening of June 4 (sunset 8:55 pm) till the morning of June 5, 2011 (sunrise 5:28 am). Check out the call for volunteers below or mark it on your calendar to make some good memories of staying out until the wee hours of the morning!

Be A Part Of The Twin Cities’ First All Night Arts Festival! Northern Spark Sunset to Sunrise, June 4/5

Be part of an amazing team and help make the very first Northern Spark nuit blanche a success by volunteering. Every volunteer who commits to a three-hour shift will receive a t-shirt designed by Matthew Rezac <http://matthewrezac.org/> , will have their name listed on the website, and will gain a unique and invaluable experience! Find more details and various position descriptions on our website.

http://northernspark.org/community/volunteer.html

All volunteers will be required to attend one mandatory orientation session in MCAD Auditorium 150. Orientation dates are: Wednesday, May 25th at 6:30pm; Saturday, May 28th at 11am and Tuesday, May 31st at 6:30pm. If others you know would be interested in volunteering for Northern Spark, please help spread the word!

Torch Community: Connecting with Creativity

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." Sergei Rachmaninov spoke to the enduring power of music, a universal art and gift. Next month, award-winning composer, Libby Larsen, will do the same at the Torch Community Arts event, Connecting with Creativity. Libby will talk about what it means to be creative and help identify ways to unlock the personal creator within by incorporating fresh inspiration from daily pursuits. Get the band together and register for this exciting event!

Torch Community Arts Event: Connecting with Creativity

Event Keynote Speaker Award winning composer Libby Larsen will speak about "Growing up creative in America"

Date Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Time 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Cost $10 Early Bird | $15 Regular Price | $20 at the door

Location Windows on Minnesota - Stars Room, 50th Floor of the IDS Center, Downtown Minneapolis

Parking IDS Parking Ramp - Enter off Marquette Ave between 8th and 7th Streets. $3 Parking Vouchers will be available for purchase at event check-in.

Schedule

Mix & Mingle 5:30-6:00 PM

Event Program 6:00-8:00 PM

More Mingling 8:00-8:30 PM

Light hors d’oeuvres are included at this event, and a cash bar will be provided.

This event will highlight Torch Community’s Arts Partners:

• Minnesota Orchestra Crescendo Project
• Hennepin Theater Trust The Scene
• Minnesota Opera Tempo

You're Invited: Kickball for a Cause!

Kids these days. Mixing work, life, fun, family, and friends. Who says you can't have it all, right? Case in point, the Inter-Corps Council of Minnesota (ICC) is hosting Kickball for a Cause this weekend! In effort to celebrate AmeriCorps week by saluting current members and alums, thanking the community partners who make the program possible, and lifting up the fun and community that results from service, the ICC requests donations to the CAPI foodshelf at Sabathani Community Center. Oh yeah, and that you bring your game face!

KICKBALL FOR A CAUSE

Thank you for your interest in Kickball for a Cause: InterCorps Council of Minnesota 2011 kickball tournament in celebration of AmeriCorps Week!

AmeriCorps Week is a recruitment and recognition event designed to:

• bring more Americans into service
• salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their powerful impact
• thank the community partners who make AmeriCorps possible

AmeriCorps Week provides an opportunity for AmeriCorps members, alums, grantees, program partners, and friends to shine a spotlight on the work done by members in communities across the country -- and to motivate more AmeriCorps to join AmeriCorps or volunteer in their communities.

Kickball for a Cause kicks off AmeriCorps week in Minnesota by bringing together the community, AmeriCorps members, alumni and friends and family in a fun way. Participants are also asked to donate canned food for CAPI foodshelf at Sabathani Community Center and will have a competition to see who can collect and donate the most canned food. Our goal is to collect 3+ cans per participant.

You can donate directly to the CAPI foodshelf or bring items from their donation wishlist.

When: May 14, 2-5pm
Where: McMurray Fields, Como Park
1155 Jessamine Avenue West, Saint Paul
Who: Individuals or teams from AmeriCorps programs, community groups or anyone else interested in kickball
What: Kickball tournament and canned food drive

The deadline for registration is May 11.

Bring your ideas to the table with MINN at Work!

Tucked away in the Midwest, we can too easily forget that there is a vibrant international community alive in Minnesota. All around us are people who speak different languages because they are immigrants or want to be global citizens, conduct trade and business with people overseas, or are trying to make a world of difference from where we sit inside the U.S.'s breadbasket. For a peek into the field of international development, MINN at Work provides a great forum for learning about certain organizations or programs as well as for helping each other and collectively refining our efforts. Bring your hard hat and get ready to be put to work!

MINN at Work, May 12th

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The much anticipated annual MINN event is here again! MINN at Work is a yearly peer-to-peer event designed to provide international NGO practitioners with a forum to share specific program or project-related challenges and engage in an open dialogue with other practitioners about best practices and possible solutions. It is a great way to gain valuable insights and have substantive discussions about your work and the work being done by other local organizations. Three representatives from Minnesota-based international NGOs will give brief presentations describing a specific challenge that their organization is currently facing or has recently addressed. Following the presentations, an open question and answer session promotes dialogue between attendees and presenters. Past presenters have included Children's HeartLink, Land O' Lakes International Development, Healing Hands for Haiti, Compatible Technology International, and the American Refugee Committee. Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011 Time: 5:30 – 7:00 PM (networking from 5:30 – 6:00 PM) Presenting Organizations: Books for Africa, Fifty Lanterns International, Global Citizens Network Place: Global Citizens Network, Downtown Minneapolis (North Loop) 129 North 2nd Street, Suite 102, Minneapolis, MN 55401 Parking: Metered street parking is available on nearby streets; many meters are free after 6:00 PM. Cost: Suggested fee of $5, payable at the door by cash or check. Registration: Space is limited. Please RSVP to Daniel Getahun (dgetahun@umn.edu) by Tuesday, May 10^th.

Worthy to be remembered

Photo Credit: Take Pride in Utah

"Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered."

-Daniel Webster

You're Invited: Fourth Generation First Anniversary!

Fourth Generation is celebrating their first year of community impact and engaging young professionals in philanthropy and Robyn Schein invites you to come out for the party! Special highlights include the opportunity to meet the 2011 grant recipients focused on youth homelessness, a chance to hear from Cathy ten Broeke who is the Minneapolis/Hennepin County Coordinator to End Homelessness, and a sneak peek at Engine's new offices! Come on out and see how philanthropy goes 4G with Fourth Generation!

Celebrate Our Community Impact Wednesday, May 11 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at Engine for Social Innovation Can you believe it's been a year? Join us to celebrate Fourth Generation and get a taste of what young professionals are doing in philanthropy! At this event, you'll: Meet the 2011 grant recipients! This year's focus was youth homelessness. Hear from Cathy ten Broeke, Minneapolis/Hennepin County Coordinator to End Homelessness, talk about your role in the effort to end youth homelessness. Connect with others who care about giving! For newbies and seasoned philanthropists, this is a great opportunity to learn about Fourth Generation, share giving experiences, and connect with other young professionals. Come, and bring a friend! Fourth Generation is a program of The Minneapolis Foundation

800 IDS Center | 80 South Eighth Street | Minneapolis, MN 55402 (612) 672-3878 | (866) 305-0543 email@mplsfoundation.org