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MINNESOTA- Region Nine Development Commission’s (RNDC) nonprofit Region Nine Area, Inc. was awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from New York Life which will help support the online migration of the Surge Youth Leadership program. The program fosters self-awareness and leadership concepts in youth ages 12 to 18.

The funding has facilitated the development of the Surge Youth Leadership Program online training for social workers, school counselors, and other administration that will replace in-person train-the-trainer certification courses enabling districts to more easily adapt the program to their students’ needs.

“We are grateful for New York Life’s investment in Surge, which will change many lives for the better,” said Sara Sinnard, Surge program founder. “Without the support from New York Life, we wouldn’t be able to develop an online train-the-trainer program to expand regionally, especially during these challenging times.”

“I’m proud to work for a company that encourages its agents and employees to devote their time, energy and talents to support the needs and priorities of their local community,” said Judy Ringler-Mountain, an agent associated with New York Life’s Minnesota General Office “We are pleased that our partnership will have a long-lasting impact on Surge and the population they serve.”

Over the last nine years the program has primarily focused on female youth. However, with this new backing, the program is aiming to become more gender neutral. Surge is designed to help youth understand their own ability to control their future through their strengths, positive thinking, goal setting, and planning. Program modules include self-awareness, stress management, financial literacy, and other core leadership skills.

Phase one of the migration included producing the online training videos was recently completed. Phase two will focus on the online delivery system. Lastly, phase three will incorporate a new district to implement the program and benefit from the grant, free of cost, for one year. While the grant is now entering the phase two, the Surge Program is already looking to expand into a new district and encourages anyone interested in this program to reach out to Sara Sinnard at sara@fushionlifeandleadership.com for more information.

The Community Impact Grant program awards grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations, which are championed by New York Life agents and employees. Since the program’s inception in 2008, more than 600 grants totaling nearly $8 million have been awarded to nonprofits across the county.

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Region Nine Development Commission takes great pride in working with and on behalf of counties, cities, townships, and schools throughout South Central Minnesota. Since 1972, being a partner for progress has led to the development of programs and identification of solutions in the areas of community development, economic development, transportation, healthy communities, business development, and leveraging regional resources.

Region Nine Area Inc. (RNAI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to support Region Nine’s efforts to increase social and economic opportunities for local community groups, non-profits, and government entities in the nine-county region.

The killing of George Floyd on Tuesday and ensuing unrest have ripped open the festering wound of racism that pervades our state and nation. This atrocity reminds us of both the deep inequities in our society and the privileged status many of us hold.

I write today because my heart aches for Mr. Floyd, his family, friends, and colleagues. My heart aches for the soul of Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota. My heart aches for the millions of Black Minnesotans and Americans who so often live in fear and suspicion of the very institutions that are supposed to serve and protect them.

But this isn’t about me. This is about George Floyd and the millions of people who are denied the same rights and freedoms I enjoy. I write today because what happened to Mr. Floyd was not only horrifying and unjust, it was preventable.

He died because those police officers placed less value on his life as a black man than they would on mine as a white woman. Mr. Floyd’s death was preventable because our communities could have and should have been conducting the work necessary to dismantle institutional racism and challenge our own biases.

While we have a long way to go, Region Nine Development Commission has taken steps to address some of these issues through a program called Welcoming Communities, which aims to both restore economic justice by facilitating minority entrepreneurship and improve quality of life by encouraging communities to engage positively with residents of color.

We started this work several years ago, treating it as an economic development issue, just like the need for roads, bridges, and childcare providers. Over time, Welcoming Communities has evolved into a forum to confront biases and learn to cherish the contributions and humanity of all Minnesotans.

This week, we have yet again been reminded why we and our partners must work harder than ever. We must search ourselves, our families, and our communities with the renewed conviction that oppression is the status quo and we are the agents responsible for change.

Ultimately, the goal of this work is to sew justice, dignity, and love. We must support our neighbors now more than ever. The Welcoming Communities’ work is no longer just a regional economic development need. It is, as this week’s events remind us, a moral imperative. 

Sincerely,

Nicole Griensewic

The killing of George Floyd on Tuesday and ensuing unrest have ripped open the festering wound of racism that pervades our state and nation. This atrocity reminds us of both the deep inequities in our society and the privileged status many of us hold.

I write today because my heart aches for Mr. Floyd, his family, friends, and colleagues. My heart aches for the soul of Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota. My heart aches for the millions of Black Minnesotans and Americans who so often live in fear and suspicion of the very institutions that are supposed to serve and protect them.

But this isn’t about me. This is about George Floyd and the millions of people who are denied the same rights and freedoms I enjoy. I write today because what happened to Mr. Floyd was not only horrifying and unjust, it was preventable.

He died because those police officers placed less value on his life as a black man than they would on mine as a white woman. Mr. Floyd’s death was preventable because our communities could have and should have been conducting the work necessary to dismantle institutional racism and challenge our own biases.

While we have a long way to go, Region Nine Development Commission has taken steps to address some of these issues through a program called Welcoming Communities, which aims to both restore economic justice by facilitating minority entrepreneurship and improve quality of life by encouraging communities to engage positively with residents of color.

We started this work several years ago, treating it as an economic development issue, just like the need for roads, bridges, and childcare providers. Over time, Welcoming Communities has evolved into a forum to confront biases and learn to cherish the contributions and humanity of all Minnesotans.

This week, we have yet again been reminded why we and our partners must work harder than ever. We must search ourselves, our families, and our communities with the renewed conviction that oppression is the status quo and we are the agents responsible for change.

Ultimately, the goal of this work is to sew justice, dignity, and love. We must support our neighbors now more than ever. The Welcoming Communities’ work is no longer just a regional economic development need. It is, as this week’s events remind us, a moral imperative.

-KTOE article.