Member News

Initiative Foundation Hosts Growing Home Luncheon

To celebrate regional successes, the Initiative Foundation is hosting a series of three October luncheons (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) with a Growing Home theme:

At each location, the luncheon series will focus on the powerful partnerships that are driving local and regional change. Hear from top-notch keynote guest speakers:

Braham: Hear from Heidi Braun, director of training at Pine Technical and Community College, and a graduate of the school’s Women Who Weld program. The program is a great example of creative solutions that boost worker skills and raise their pay while helping local manufacturers meet output demands.

St. Joseph: Learn about the Initiators Fellowship from Rick Bauerly, founder and managing partner at Granite Equity Partners. Rick will be joined by one of four fellows in the program, who will share how the two-year fellowship has impacted their business and their life.

Brainerd: Discover the Key Recruitment Program, an initiative of the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation, and successful efforts to attract and retain key employees who come to the region for quality jobs and stay to live the good life.

Through a video series you’ll learn about …

  • Hilltop Kitchen, an Initiative Foundation-supported volunteer program in Todd and Wadena counties where more than 100,000 meals are being delivered annually to seniors and shut-ins
  • the inspiration for a local couple and the impactful grants they’re able to award throughout the region through their Initiative Foundation-hosted donor-advised fund
  • a Pine County business and Initiative Foundation loan client that employs work-release inmates to meet workforce demands while teaching valuable skills to a vulnerable population.

To cap it off, we’ll select the name of one guest-submitted recommendation at each location for a qualifying Central Minnesota 501(c)(3) organization to receive a $1,000 grant award.

To register, click your desired location above, call (877) 632-9255 or send an email to [email protected].

We hope to see you at a Growing Home luncheon in October!