Journey towards a New North

Community Celebration Nov. 10 from 3-5pm

The Northside Marketing Task Force (NMTF) invites you to celebrate the positive side of North Minneapolis! On Saturday, Nov. 10, the new campaign, including image and marketing plan, will be unveiled at the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Headquarters, 2117 W. River Road. The celebration and election of new board members takes place from 3-5pm. For more information, contact Jim Wentzell (651-329-6883) or Allan Malkis (612-521-4500).

Grant to help Task Force continue efforts

The Northside Marketing Task Force has received a $17,000 grant from the Family Housing Fund on behalf of the Northside Home Fund to support NMTF activities. The funds will be used to pay for the Nov. 10 community celebration, hire a part-time staff person and continue the work of the Task Force. NorthWay Community Trust will act as the fiscal agent for the NMTF. The Task Force will continue raising funds for its operations and for the implementation of the marketing campaign.

Evaluating results are part of the plan

The Evaluation Advisory Group has reviewed NorthWay’s Evaluation Plan, which will be submitted to Northwest Area Foundation in early November. Group members have also recommended methods for evaluating Northway’s collaborations and overall impact on the community. Joan Othieno and Chingwell Mutombu have been hired as consultants to review the evaluation process and provide assistance.

NorthWay Wealth Creation Strategy Group begins work

NorthWay Community Trust has begun to assess the viability of current wealth creation initiatives on the Northside. NorthWay invited community stakeholders and experts to participate in a series of discussions on how NorthWay can begin to define both personal and community wealth creation. From that definition, the group will begin to explore the priorities NorthWay should consider in cultivating partnerships that will implement comprehensive wealth creation strategies. Attending the meetings were: Jonathan Palmer, MPLS Empowerment Zone; John Helgeland, NorthWay Board Chair; Grover Jones, Northside Economic Opportunity Network; Matt Halley, Cookie Cart; Bonnie Esposito, Accountability Minnesota; Deb Bahr-Helgen, Minneapolis Employment and Training (METP); Catherine Christian, METP; Ken Olson, City County Credit Union; Shawna Faith Thompson, WomanVenture; Mike Wynne, Emerge; Sherrie Pugh Sullivan, Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC); and Girma Roba, US Bank.

The third of four initial meetings will take place Wednesday November 28, 2-4pm at Northway Community Trust. The group will continue to discuss priorities, benchmarks and criteria for successful strategies. For more information, contact Wesley Walker at NorthWay.

Collaborative Partnership Engagement

On Wednesday, November 28, NorthWay will hold a Collaborative Partnership Engagement session from 5:30-7:30pm. This will be an excellent way for interested community members and organizations to learn how NorthWay’s investments fit into our strategy for reducing poverty and increasing prosperity in North Minneapolis. A light dinner will be served. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lance Knuckles, Outreach Program Manager at 612-521-4500.

Increasing financial literacy

NorthWay Community Trust and its partners, WomenVenture and Shiloh International Ministries, are proud to announce that the first class of nine North Minneapolis residents graduated from the Financial Literacy Training series – Debts to Assets – on October 13. The training series will continue in January 2008 and with an informational session on December 5 at 6pm at NorthWay Community Trust. For more information, contact Lance Knuckles, Outreach Program Manager, at 612-521-4500.

First-hand look at opportunity

The Replication Collaborative ventured to Pittsburgh on September 24-25 for a second site visit at the Manchester Bidwell Corporation. The trip provided an additional 18 participants the opportunity to observe Manchester Bidwell’s training model in action. Site visit attendees included representatives from Juxtaposition Arts, Asian Media Access, SubZero Collective, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Twin Cities RISE!, McKnight Foundation, Summit Academy OIC, Minneapolis Park and Recreation, Plymouth Youth Christian Center, University of Minnesota, Emerge, ABM Janitorial Services, Ezell Jones (independent consultant) and NorthWay Community Trust.

The next step in this exploration will be to convene participants and other interested investment partners to assess and evaluate possible replication here in the North Minneapolis. Check NorthWay’s website or watch The Beam for more information. If you have questions, email Lance Knuckles, Outreach Program Manager, or call 612-521-4500.