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OCTOBER 2021 / UOMLVE 8 @nwmnfoundation

NMF Celebrates COVID Community Heroes

@NMF_1986

www.nwmf.org

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

HEBERTS MOVE PRIVATE FAMILY FOUNDATION TO NMF 06

BEMIDJI HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI PRESERVE ORIGINAL HIGH SCHOOL ARCHWAY Do you want to change your mailing preferences? Please contact Bethany, Communications Director, at bethanyw@ nwmf.org so we can update your information in our database. Thanks!

Northwest Minnesota Foundation R E S O U R C E

/ VO LU M E 88 /

O C TO B E R

20 1

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. This quote, from Mother Teresa, is a perfect introduction to this issue of our Resource newsletter, which contains numerous stories of everyday people who are making long-lasting impacts in their communities. Some contribute their time and energies, such as the Bemidji High School alumni who fought for more than a dozen years to preserve local history, raising funds and community support to save the entryway from their old high school.

OUR MISSION The Northwest Minnesota Foundation invests resources, facilitates collaboration and promotes philanthropy to make the region a better place to live and work.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristin Eggerling, Chair Steve Anderson, Vice Chair Cathy Forgit, Secretary Todd Beckel, Treasurer Jason Carlson

Some are able to put their passions into action through financial giving, such as Dick Hebert, whose business success enables philanthropic giving to positively impact his community. Others step beyond the day-to-day duties of their professions to lift up their communities during incredibly difficult times. This issue of our newsletter highlights COVID Community Heroes, people who have been shining lights of goodness. These individuals have done extraordinary work and displayed kindness and compassion to positively impact their neighbors and community throughout the pandemic. We are proud to support and celebrate these efforts as examples of the great work that is happening throughout our region. I, along with the entire Northwest Minnesota Foundation team, know that building stronger communities starts with you, our local residents, businesses, and nonprofits. It is only through our partnership, mutual trust, and a shared commitment to good that we are able to build better lives throughout the region. With gratitude,

Kaitlyn Grenier Cheri Gunvalson Mike LaRoque Michelle Paquin Leah Pigatti Kristi Thorfinnson Deb Zak

@nwmnfoundation @NMF_1986 www.nwmf.org

Karen White President and CEO

STAFF PROMOTIONS Dawn Ganje: Dawn, who has been with NMF for 12 years, has been promoted to Director for Community Philanthropy. In her new role, she will lead the Foundation’s efforts to impact the region through community philanthropy. She will lead a team of philanthropy officers and specialists to promote philanthropy in the 12-county region served by NMF.

Chloe Keprios: Chloe, who first joined NMF in April as the Administrative Assistant/Receptionist, has been promoted to Program Assistant. She now works with the Vice President for Operations and the entire Programs team to ensure efficient administration and management of internal and external funding sources, as well as managing the NMF grant web portal and grant processes.

VOLUME 88 / OCTOBER 2021 / Northwest Minnesota Foundation RESOURCE

3 LONGTIME BOARD MEMBERS REFLECT ON THEIR TENURES

‘This is an organization that really walks the talk and I’m very proud of that.’ – Leah Pigatti

As three members of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors prepare to step down from the board, they gathered virtually to reflect back on their time together. They are the longestserving board members in NMF’s history, having completed not only two four-year terms but also an unprecedented ninth year, as the bylaws were amended to allow for such during extraordinary times of disaster, such as a global pandemic. The following are excerpts of this virtual gathering, moderated by Bethany Wesley, Communications Director. Please note that responses are edited for length and clarity, where appropriate.

BETHANY: There has been a lot of change for the Foundation during your time on the board: a new office location, new strategic framework, and a new president. What sticks out to you the most? LEAH: I’m proud of the building we’re in now. I was on the board when the planning started and not everyone was supportive of renovating this dumpy, rundown building in downtown Bemidji. But Nancy (retired president Nancy Vyskocil) could see the beauty and the possibilities and really understood what this would do for downtown Bemidji. The Board has also become more organized, more sophisticated, more formalized in their processes, especially since Karen became president (Karen White, former Chief Strategy Officer became president in July 2019). I’m proud of the staff that the Foundation has, my goodness, they are just young and intelligent people. This is an organization that really walks the talk and I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of the grassroots work that is done in communities and the voter and election education that was done last year because we need that in our region. KRISTIN: I chaired the search committee for the new president. I know all of the hard work that went into making sure we picked the right person. That has gone so well. I’m really, really pleased with that, and seeing how the Foundation continues to grow with Karen as the president. I also feel good about the nimbleness of the organization. Given the way the world goes, there are so many things that come up that we have to deal with, and we’ve been able to turn on a dime and deal with those things. I’m really proud of that. CATHY: I am proud of the strategic framework and that it’s actually being used. I remember that we sat in a room in Thief River Falls for two days and we really came up with the direction that the Foundation was going to go for the next seven years or so. Looking back, it worked! The staff is so good at listening to us, and I think the board has been pretty good about listening to the staff, keeping up with the staff, what it can do, and working on pushing that forward.

Kristin Eggerling

Cathy Forgit

Leah Pigatti

BETHANY: I’d like to speak specifically to philanthropy and hear about what you’ve seen in your own communities and from your positions on the board about the impact of philanthropy. CATHY: I have seen people realize, and grow in their realization, that they can make a difference. It doesn’t matter if they give $10 or $1,000, it all helps. Specifically, I can see that in our Friends of the Fair, when they built that huge new barn out at the (Polk County) Fairgrounds. People are happy to have a place that they can give money to and know that it’s going to go to something in our community. People are more generous than I could ever believe, and it’s been so rewarding to see our community fund just blossom. LEAH: I have seen so many good things come out of it. The Foundation has been so visionary and creative in how community funds are set up. It seems like if it makes sense for the community or for that individual, then they can do what they need to do. KRISTIN: Our community fund (in Hallock) is fairly new, but we’ve had a lot of participation. We had a large donor come through and donate money through a match situation. Some projects have included painting the library book drop, putting a new roof on the gazebo downtown, helping at the hockey rink or with a practice area for golf, and fire safety equipment. We’re trying to raise money for a new pool. We haven’t done that yet, so we’re fixing the baby pool and adjusting the pool so it continues to work, which is really important for our community. That’s been a priority for sure.

Scan this QR code to view the full video interview with our outgoing board members.

To view the full video interview with our outgoing board members, please visit our blog at nwmf.org/blog

Northwest Minnesota Foundation RESOURCE / VOLUME 88 / OCTOBER 2021

‘WE’RE FROM HERE SO THAT’S WHERE WE WANT TO HELP’ DICK AND AUDREY HEBERT MOVE ASSETS FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATION TO NMF As the oldest of seven kids in a farming family outside Argyle, Richard “Dick” Hebert didn’t grow up with excesses. Still, he was raised by parents in a community that shared a giving spirit. “Some people give time; some people give money. It’s just giving in different ways,” said Dick, reflecting back on rural life in the years following the Depression. “If you gave your neighbor a cup of sugar, that was a big deal because you didn’t have a cup of sugar to give in the first place. If you gave the shirt off your back, that was a big deal.” Decades later, Dick’s giving has evolved into impactful philanthropy locally and in the region. In 1987, he co-founded D&D Commodities Ltd., which packages caged and outdoor pet food. The success of his business, which Dick sold this past summer, enabled the funding of several university scholarship endowments as well as the establishment of a family foundation in 2011 at a North Dakota-based bank. In recent years, as his estate-planning continued, Dick began to wonder how that bank was going to ensure his goals and priorities for the foundation would be followed. “They’re not the bank they were 30 years ago; they’re a $3 billion or $4 billion bank, not the $100 million bank like they used to be, and the people I know, they’re all getting to be old like me so they’re not going to be around,” said Dick, who wondered whether future hires would be able to fulfill his wishes if they hadn’t ever met or conversed with him. This year, Dick and his wife, Audrey, made the decision to move the his family foundation to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. He was not unfamiliar with NMF: D&D obtained a $100,000 loan from NMF in the late 1980s, paid it back, and then obtained a $200,000 loan a few years later when the business was poised to expand. Because of these business deals, Dick received NMF’s Resource newsletter

regularly over the years and took an increasing interest in stories highlighting donors who made lasting impacts through giving in their communities. “The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is committed to this 12-county region that I’m interested in – specifically maybe two or three of those counties – and that is why I’m moving everything here,” Dick said.

‘I was never interested in giving money to anywhere else, and we’re still kind of like that. … It’s all local.’ – Richard “Dick” Herbert Richard “Dick” Hebert and his wife Audrey We’re from here so that’s where we want to help. It’s not that we don’t care about other places, but we’ve lived here all our lives. We’re fourth-generation farmers.” The farming days are long past – Dick’s father sold what remained of their land in 1987 – but agriculture is the foundation upon which Dick’s success was built. (See sidebar on Page 5) Dawn Ganje, Director for Community Philanthropy, said the residents of Marshall and Kittson counties have long been strong supporters of community philanthropy and the Heberts’s gifts will further that local impact in long-lasting, meaningful ways. “The legacy the Heberts are leaving, through their gifting, and for their grandchildren, it’s very inspiring,” said Dawn, who has been working with Dick and Audrey toward accomplishing this step the last two years. “Their gifts will provide lasting support for future generations yet to come in our local communities.” For years, Dick and his late wife, Carole, donated to various causes and efforts anonymously until they were encouraged by their advisers to be more open and

public about their support. “My accountant said, ‘You have to open up now because you’re giving more, and people need to know that. Your donations will encourage other people to donate,’” Dick recalled. Audrey shared a story illustrating this. Not only does the couple make large-scale contributions to a variety of educational and community efforts, but they also embrace smaller actions that can make a personal impact, such as leaving generous tips at restaurants and anonymously paying for veterans’ meals. A veteran friend had joined them for lunch one afternoon when they did the latter and he was struck by their generosity. Later, he called them and proclaimed, “I pulled a Dick and Audrey!” He had encountered a veteran friend and took him for a ride and bought him lunch. “Just doing something, and letting someone see it can spark that interest. All of a sudden, it snowballs,” Audrey said. “It doesn’t have to be huge, it can just be a random act of kindness.”

“I pulled a Dick and Audrey!”

If you would like information on how you can leave a lasting impact in your community, please contact the Dawn Ganje, Director for Community Philanthropy, at dawng@nwmf.org or Ashley Johnson, Senior Development Officer, at ashleyj@nwmf.org

VOLUME 88 / OCTOBER 2021 / Northwest Minnesota Foundation RESOURCE

‘THE BEST OF THE BEST’ Innovation was the key to success Don’t call it bird seed. In 1987, Dick Hebert co-founded D&D Commodities Ltd., which made its mark by packaging caged and outdoor bird food. Whereas the rest of the industry was selling bird seed, D&D offered premium bird food for caged pets and wild birds.

“That’s what made us the best of the best,” Dick said.

Innovation was key. The accompanying graphics illustrate, with Dick’s reflections, how his company took a different approach to find a unique – and successful – niche in a long-standing industry.

“We sell caged bird food, small animal food and outdoor pet food versus the wild bird seed that everybody else sells. The caged bird food industry, we kind of started that. We were selling caged bird food, parrot food, parakeet food, finch food.”

“We were the first company to

use jars.

You never saw a jar until you saw our bird food.”

“We were the first ones to use to use color in our food.” Using a mix of blue, green, yellow, and red, the colors helped differentiate the seeds, breaking up the monotony of the mix. As Dick explained, “Birds only like so many different seeds,” so the formulas of the bird food themselves couldn’t vary too much. The colors helped produce different products for different labels.

“We were the first to use scents.” Playing with different fragrance options, D&D Commodities eventually settled on the use of cherry to bring a different aroma to its products. “It was the only fragrance that everybody liked and that everybody didn’t get sick and tired of sniffing every day or every three, four hours,” Dick said. “It’s not overpowering, just a hint of it.” Another layer that added to the success of the business was that Dick was always open to hearing critiques. “I would take all the complaints myself at D&D in the early days,” he said. In many cases, these responses helped Dick and his company tweak their products for further success. For example, after color proved to be a great addition for caged bird food products, they began adding blue to their outdoor bird food. “This girl called me one day and said, ‘I put out your beautiful bird food and got all kinds of birds – and then it rained, my feeder got wet, and it dripped your blue on my beautiful deck, so I’m thinking maybe you should buy me a new deck,’” Dick recalled. He didn’t remember buying her a new deck but they did try to rectify the situation – and they quit putting color in the outdoor bird food.

North we st Minnesota Found a tion RESOURCE

The archway at the old Bemidji High School welcomed students into the building for classes each day.

BEMIDJI HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI CELEBRATE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC ARCHWAY “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” This Confucius quote will be emblazoned on a plaque in recognition of the countless hours that select Bemidji High School alums have put in working toward the preservation of the original archway at the old Bemidji High School. The quote could not be more fitting. For 13 years, ever since the plans were formalized to demolish the old Bemidji High School, this core group of passionate BHS alumni have worked to save, preserve, store, rebuild, and ultimately relocate the old BHS archway that welcomed students into the hallways of Bemidji High. “That school served Bemidji for 78 years, which is about two-thirds the lifetime of the City of Bemidji,” said Sharon Fruetel, a 1964 BHS alumna. “A school is a major part of the community … It’s the one thing that everybody has some connection to, and, so, (the school) helped build Bemidji. It educated almost every child at one time or another, and it was a source of pride for sports and achievements.” Today, the original archway has been reconstructed and re-erected on the grounds of the new Bemidji High School. It is a popular location for graduation and senior pictures.

The archway has now been rebuilt and stands aside the drive welcoming staff, students, and visitors into the grounds of the Bemidji High School campus. While finishing touches remain, such as the installation of benches and the baluster, the arch has already proved a popular location for graduation pictures and senior portraits.

“It’s remembering and honoring the past.” ~ Linda Lemmer “It’s remembering and honoring the past,” said Linda Lemmer, a 1965 BHS graduate who in addition to leading the committee in recent years also stored all the pieces of the arch in an old pole barn. The committee faced several hurdles – some that seemed probably as high as the arch itself – as they raised funds to support its preservation for more than a decade. Four times, they thought they had a site on which it would once again stand tall; four times, those agreements crumbled. It wasn’t until the new principal at the high school spoke up and said, “I want it here,” that plans came together to allow the arch itself to be put back together. “Finally seeing the hole in the ground for the footings, it was like, ‘Ok, the pieces are here, there’s a hole in the ground, it’s really going to happen,’” Linda said. This was a true community project. While there were two $25,000 grants from the George W. Neilson Foundation – the second was a matching grant to encourage additional donations – the bulk of grants came from an array of Bemidji High School grads.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION PLANNED While finishing touches are still ongoing – the baluster is not yet in place and benches have yet to be installed – the committee is planning for a community celebration to be held in July, in tandem with the Bemidji All School Reunion. Details will be announced, but all are encouraged to attend.

ACTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Sharon Fruetel, BHS Class of 1964 Sharon Hirt-Taschner, Class of 1964 Susanne Liapis, BHS Class of 1966 Linda Lemmer, BHS Class of 1965 Normal Malterud, BHS Class of 1964 Jerry Phillips, BHS Class of 1964

“We had small amounts from lots of people,” Lemmer said. More than $155,000 was raised since the committee established the Old Bemidji High School Remembered Fund at the Northwest Minnesota Foundation; they figure another $14,000 in cash and in-kind donations had been raised previously, in earlier stages of demolition preservation. Committee members said they appreciated the availability of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation to serve as the fiscal agent and offering donors tax deductibility for their gifts.

Northwest Minnesota Foundation RESOU R CE

NMF CELEBRATES COVID COMMUNITY HEROES

This past spring, the Northwest Minnesota launched the COVID Community Heroes campaign to celebrate those individuals and nonprofits who have made significant, positive impacts on their communities during the extraordinarily difficult times of COVID-19. The pandemic, while spurring steep challenges and deep divides, also presented unique ways to support our communities and lift up our neighbors. By sharing these uplifting acts of kindness and recognizing these COVID Community Heroes, we hope to emphasize what unites us, rather than divides us. Ashley Fredrickson — Warren, Marshall County Ashley, a nurse with North Valley Public Health, has served as the emergency preparedness coordinator throughout the pandemic. Nominated by a client for going above and beyond to ensure that seniors and health care workers received vaccinations, Ashley went to “meet people where they were at” to ensure they could access the vaccines. “I remember giving my very first vaccination to an elderly lady who was tearing up because she was so happy to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Ashley told us this past summer, during what turned out to be a brief lull in COVID-19 numbers. “That’s how it felt for me too. Even though we aren’t at the end yet, it feels good to be in the place we are after some very long dark months.” Lisa Liden — Fertile, Polk County Lisa, the city administrator, coordinated several efforts to help her community. She secured two food box events for the Fertile-Beltrami area, using items from the food shelf to create the boxes that were distributed to 200 essential workers in Fertile. She distributed safety supplies and helped the city council “navigate the minefield” of distributing COVID-19 relief funds, all while keeping the city offices open for business and staying on top of changing safety guidance and protocol. Lisa always kept the senior citizens of the community on her radar, and also ensured that the graduating high school seniors were celebrated with banners installed along downtown. Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf — Thief River Falls, Pennington County The Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf, led by director Alecia Hunt, worked tirelessly during the pandemic to keep its shelves well-stocked and open. The food shelf remained open twice a week, even during the worst of the pandemic when deliveries were conducted via drive-through services. In 2020, the food shelf served 9,848 individuals, providing 591,853 pounds of food, hygiene, and household items.

Sarah Wieland — Crookston, Polk County Sarah works in the lab at Riverview Health, where she is among the team of workers who work tirelessly to run tests for COVID to help keep the community as healthy as possible. Riverview was among the first businesses to implement mask and safety protocols at the onset of the pandemic. Sarah has picked up extra shifts in the lab and has gone above and beyond expectations to keep her community and family safe, arranging for food to be delivered to COVID patients unable to visit the store and sewing masks for her family and friends. Dawn Rehm — Hallock, Kittson County Dawn was nominated by her teenage son, Benjamin, who applauded her efforts in developing a food drop with farmers, handing out more than 32,000 pounds of food. “My mom has been working and volunteering the whole time. She brings meals to senior citizens and tries to make them smile. She has even dressed up for Halloween in my T-Rex costume for her senior citizens,” he wrote. “(No) matter how she feels, she still tries being there for the seniors of Hallock.” Cyndy Renfrow — Warroad, Roseau County Concerned about the viability of local businesses, Cyndy volunteered countless hours to assist local businesses by maintaining a database of all businesses in the area through which she shared updates and information, including a breakdown of all available relief programs, their timelines, and who to contact to apply. She built relationships with local leaders and stayed on top of the news coming from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and DEED, even attending Gov. Walz’s daily update calls. She mentored more than a dozen local businesses and helped businesses prepare for reopening, once conditions allowed for such. New Americans Integration Center — East Grand Forks, Polk County While continue to provide ongoing services such as food distribution and translation services to its community, the New Americans Integration Center also worked during COVID to distribute masks and hand sanitizers, transported people for testing, and providing testing kits.

This is our first wave of announced Heroes! Watch our website, www.nwmf.org as additional COVID Community Heroes are announced and celebrated!

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