2010 Grant Recipients
St. Stephen's Human Services
St. Stephen’s Human Services is a non-profit who carries out their mission to end homelessness by serving over 6200 people yearly through such services as homelessness prevention, street outreach, shelter, transitional and permanent housing and employment programming. These programs, aided further by working with local police, business and other non profits, help people grow increasingly self-sufficient in order to not return to homelessness. The FINNEGANS Community Fund supports the Street Outreach program, which assists long-term homeless people in order to help them off the streets and give them access to safe, secure housing.
The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans
The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans has been serving veterans in St Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth and Mankato for 18 years through homes for transitional housing, permanent housing for disabled veterans and rental and mortgage assistance to prevent homelessness. Their mission is to “positively motivate veterans and their families who are homeless or experiencing other life crises.” The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports job training and skill development so that at-risk veterans can become self-reliant, economically independent, thriving members of the community.
Employment Action Center
Employment Action Center is a Twin Cities based nonprofit whose mission is to empower people to achieve greater personal, social and economic success through comprehensive education, employment and family support services to low-income youth, adults and families. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports the WAND program, Women Achieving New Directions, a program that provides employment and personal development services to low-income women in the metro area. WAND works with single mothers on the brink of poverty to help them secure higher wage employment, advance in their current careers and improve their financial stability.
Boys and Girls Club of Rochester
Boys and Girls Club of Rochester strives to empower all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring community members. They are known as “the positive place for kids” as they provide a broad range of programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership development, Education and Career development, Health and Life skills, Sports, Fitness and Recreation and The Arts. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports the services at the Northwest site, which otherwise would have lost its primary source of funding.
Plymouth Foundation
The Plymouth Foundation is a non-profit housing organization which creates homes for those in need, building community for all by collaborating with congregations and social service agencies to transform the lives of those who have been homeless. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports Creekside Commons, a 30 unit workforce housing building in SW Minneapolis, providing a computer resource lab and a playground, which will be volunteer built and operated.
Lutheran Social Service of MN
Lutheran Social Service of MN is a non-profit corporation that responds to human needs across the state including but not limited to mental health counseling, strength based truancy and delinquency programs, therapeutic foster care, refugee and employment services and personal support for those with disabilities. They believe in the worth of each person and pursue social and economic justice through service and advocacy. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports the Parent Tip Line, which seeks to improve the quality of family life, increase access to services and maximize the potential of families, children and community.
Emerge
Emerge Community Development is a non profit seeking to create jobs for hard to employ adults through their mission of “investing in people through social enterprise.” Their current goals include eliminating chronic homelessness, promoting self-sufficiency and creating jobs as they serve 3500 inner-city residents in St. Paul and Minneapolis. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports the Emerge Link Program’s Summer Adventure Day camps that offer a highly structured week day camp experience at each supportive housing facility, engaging a total of 48 youth.
Conservation Corps Minnesota
Conservation Corps Minnesota provides hands-on environmental stewardship and service-learning opportunities to youth and young adults. Their goal is to help young people from diverse backgrounds become involved in the community and prepared for future employment. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports the Youth Outdoors program, which engages high school students from low-income St. Paul neighborhoods to focus on neighborhood revitalization, leadership and job training which demonstrates to students how to create and sustain long-term change.
Admission Possible
Admission Possible is a non-profit organization “helping to make college admission possible for promising, low-income students” which they accomplish by providing ACT and SAT test preparation services and admissions and financial aid counseling, all at no cost for students or their families as all participating students perform at least 8 hours of community service yearly. Over 98% of the students they assist have been admitted to college. The FINNEGANS Community Fund grant supports college access programming for low-income students in the Greater Twin Cities area.