Northwest Minnesota Foundation
RESOURCE
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation invests resources, facilitates collaboration and promotes philanthropy to make the region a better place to live and work.
WINTER 2016 | Number 71
Board of Directors Pete Haddeland, Chair Tom Anderson, Vice Chair Faye Auchenpaugh, Secretary Leah Pigatti, Treasurer Judy Roy Jody Horntvedt Jon Quistgaard Jon Linnell Cathy Forgit Kristin Eggerling Edie Ramstad Steven Anderson
Developing Community Assets Serving 12 Counties
PHILANTHROPIC PREPAREDNESS, RESILIENCY, AND EMERGENCY PARTNERSHIP by Dawn Ganje Natural disasters happen. It’s a fact of life on planet Earth. Often, they occur all too unexpectedly. The power and force can leave behind a path of destruction requiring both human and financial resources to achieve recovery. Our Northwest Minnesota region has not been spared from natural and manmade disasters. The floods of 1997 up and down the Red River Valley impacted Ada, East Grand Forks, Warren, Alvarado, Oslo, and St. Vincent; the summer floods in 2002 hit the Roseau and Wild Rice River Watersheds; a severe wildfire raged in October of 2012 near Karlstad; and, the school shooting tragedy in 2004 shocked the Red Lake Reservation. All have left indelible marks.
Unfortunately – or fortunately – however you look at it – NMF has experience in responding to these often life-shattering events. “The assistance provided by the Northwest Minnesota Foundation in the Karlstad fire was used to meet essential needs (food, clothing, shelter) for those who were impacted,” said Randy Nordin executive director, Northwest Community Action, Inc. “Funds were also used to help homeowners with cleanup costs when insurance was not sufficient. Being a local organization, the foundation has an excellent understanding of the needs facing our area communities and Continued on page 7