Meeting the Champions of Good

This September I got to meet the leaders of Manidoo Ogitigaan and Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming (Mewinzha). These organizations, both located in Bemidji, MN, are culturally specific, but universally benefit their community. Long after our meeting, I kept thinking about their work, and how nonprofits do so much to make Minnesota what it is.

Manidoo Ogitigaan (“the Spirit’s Garden” in Ojibwe) preserves and revitalizes the spiritual knowledge, language, and lifeways of the Anishinaabeg to improve the health of the Anishnaabe community and their ecological relatives.   Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming provides Anishinaabe-led maternal child health and family wellness services to community members in northern Minnesota.

Left: Henry Jiménez (Propel Nonprofits), Kaitlyn Rutledge (Manidoo Ogitigaan), Devon Northbird (Manidoo Ogitigaan), and Garrett Backes (Propel Nonprofits) display a woven cedar mat created at a Manidoo Ogitigaan event.

Right: Henry & Garrett pose with Natalie Nicholson (Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming) and Arnold Dahl-Wooley (Two Spirit Advocacy; an organization that shares a space with Mewinzha) below the tribal flags of the many different groups that work at and receive services from the organizations.

Spending just a few short hours with each group respectively, I got to learn about Snow Snake Races, plant medicines in the area, the importance of consistent culturally informed care, and how each organization can honor both what is and what was to make the present better.

It is exciting to be around others who are passionate about their work. I especially think it is important to keep traditional work alive, it’s a form of honoring and respecting our ancestors, elders, and history. I also appreciate people being able to access health care in the same way their ancestors were able to. Public health, early childhood education, and local economies are made stronger by what they do.

My meeting these leaders kicked off what was a busy fall of travel and connection. I met them the day before I attended the Greater Minnesota Summit in Walker, MN, where I recognized similar stories playing out: nonprofits across the state show up for their communities and make them great places to live.

Meeting of Champions

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits hosted a sold-out Greater Minnesota Summit this fall that I got to attend with three other members of my team. I was happy to meet so many new people and organizations from across the state. Man, you guys do so much. It is truly amazing.

This was my first in-state, in-person nonprofit conference as Propel’s President and CEO and everyone was so welcoming. I appreciated MCN’s Executive Director Nonoko Sato and her team making us feel a part of the greater nonprofit community.

I was struck by Ebony Warren’s keynote that focused on finding stability in an adapting and changing world—something we talk a lot about at Propel.  Ebony Warren is the Executive Director of Evergreen Youth & Family Services, a 40-year-old organization in Bemidi, MN, that has developed a safety net of services to strengthen youth, preserve families, and help support successful transitions to adulthood. So many of us needed to hear her message of how to prioritize time for space strategic thinking, personal wellbeing, and preparing to act and move our work forward.

On the drive home, I felt grateful for not only the work our colleagues across the state do, but the miles they travel to do it. If you drive two or three hours to put on programming, we can be showing up for you, too, when you need our support.

The excitement from the Greater Minnesota Summit prepared me for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits & Minnesota Council on Foundations joint annual conference in October.  Many folks had not seen each other in years, and it was clear everyone needed to reconnect. I sure had a handful of folks that I planned to reconnect with after not seeing them in person in years. The days flew by, and I think we can all agree we needed more time. I’ll be looking out for opportunities to connect with you at more events like this.

Scenes from the Greater MN Summit. Left: Ebony Warren & Henry. Right: Henry takes a selfie with Sonia Lindgaard and Lisa Lassen from Itasca Life Options in Grand Rapids, MN.

Revisiting Austin

During my first visit to Austin earlier in the year to meet with our Board member Gema Alvarado-Guerrero, Gema introduced me to Jayne Gibson, the Executive Director of Austin Aspires. She gave me a tour of their office and talked to me about their programing. Again, it is so easy to be inspired by a passionate nonprofit leader. At the end of the tour, she invited me to the 10-year anniversary of Austin Aspires and I agreed that I would attend.

It was an honor to be invited and attend an event full of networking, local music, and a brief presentation of the past 10 years and all their accomplishments. It ended with a raffle and between Gema, her husband, and I we may have won several gift baskets put together by local businesses. I swear it wasn’t rigged! But, if the goal was to get me to come back to their next anniversary celebration, I’ll be there.

I don’t tell you this to recount my good fortune in raffles, but instead to reflect my commitment to the nonprofit sector. Getting to connect and celebrate with nonprofits at moments like these is a reminder of the crucial role nonprofits play in serving communities.

My Hopes for 2025

I can’t believe I have been at Propel for almost a year. It is cliché to say it, but the time has flown by, and I am so lucky to have met so many nonprofit leaders both here and across the country.

In 2025, I look forward to connecting with more of you and working with my team to ensure we’re meeting you both literally and figuratively where you’re at. I’m inspired by this sector and grateful I get to lead an organization that gets to walk with you during the difficult times and celebrate with you during the great ones.