Message From the Executive Director

Pam Kramer, Executive Director

Dear Friends,

What a busy summer this has been! We have great news to share about the resiliency of our community and its commitment to ensuring that all of our neighborhoods are places of choice and opportunity. I’m incredibly proud of how our entire community has pulled together, offering time, expertise, and resources to assist residents and businesses impacted by this summer’s massive flood. This includes our national organization, Duluth LISC staff, At Home in Duluth collaborative members, and local, state, and federal partners from public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. Now, more than ever, it is important to address critical needs in our neighborhoods and to ensure that resources are available to help individuals, families, and businesses stabilize and move forward. Progress is occurring on many fronts, and we are proud to be part of this effort.

Read below about renewed funding for Financial Opportunity Centers, the Fair Food Access campaign in Lincoln Park, and our marvelous AmeriCorps members who have done so much for Duluth. On the sidebar to the left, you will see links to the long-awaited, updated At Home in Duluth Neighborhood Revitalization Plans.

As we move into the final stretch of 2012, please help us meet our fourth quarter goal of raising $30,000. Every dollar secured locally allows Duluth LISC to invest approximately $7 in LISC resources directly into the community to help people and places prosper—more than $73 million total since 1997!  We rely on you, our local donors, to fund our annual operating budget so we can continue to invest in Duluth. Please click here or on the blue "Donate Now" button in the header above and help us meet this important milestone.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Have a wonderful autumn and let’s continue working together to build sustainable communities.

Duluth LISC Flood Response

Duluth-area residents, businesses, nonprofits, and local governments continue to struggle with flood-related damage caused by this summer’s historic rainfalls. Duluth LISC is partnering with numerous organizations to bring in resources and advance flood recovery efforts. This has included a $5,000 program grant for a regional flood recovery coordinator, $40,000 through national LISC to assist At Home in Duluth partner agencies, and leadership in developing a coordinated regional strategy for long-term recovery.

READ MORE

Fair Food Access Campaign in Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park Residents Create Their Vision

Fresh, affordable food is something many folks take for granted. That is not the case in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, an area with 6,000 residents but no grocery store. Buoyed by a $25,000 Cause an Effect grant from State Farm Insurance, a movement is underway to ensure “Fair Food Access in Lincoln Park.” Volunteers recently canvassed the neighborhood and surveyed residents about food access challenges. Follow-up meetings and a recent Food Access Summit are mobilizing stakeholders to discuss results and engage in potential short- and long-term solutions. READ MORE

Thank you AmeriCorps!

Some of the 2012 AmeriCorps Members and Supervisors

It has been an exciting ride for 10 young men and women who served local agencies as LISC AmeriCorps members in 2012. The group celebrated accomplishments and enjoyed the Timber Twister and other Spirit Mountain attractions, Sept. 5, during a special recognition event. “I really appreciated my LISC AmeriCorps experience because I had the opportunity to work with an amazing, smart, and dedicated group of people,” said Wanda Lundeen, a LISC AmeriCorps member who served as a program assistant for Ecolibrium3. The work she and others accomplished through LISC AmeriCorps offers remarkable testimony to a program that engages civic-minded individuals in hands-on community service.   READ MORE

Update on Community Safety Initiative

Duluth Police and Community Celebrate Community Safety Initiative Award

Community safety and crime prevention are critical to neighborhood revitalization. The award-winning Duluth Community Safety Initiative is building on its past success to make core neighborhoods safer and more secure for the people who live and work there.  READ MORE

Social Innovation Funding Renewed

One-on-One Relationships Yield Success

Good news for people who depend upon Duluth’s Financial Opportunity Center. The federal government’s Social Innovation Fund has awarded $8.4 million to LISC to continue its nationwide network of Financial Opportunity Centers, which help residents with low incomes find jobs, stabilize their finances and access public benefits.

“This renewal for the next two years will help us reach more struggling families and counter debilitating distress that hurts whole communities,” noted Kevin Jordan, LISC vice president of national programs. National Funding for the network also comes from major corporations and foundations, including U. S. Bank (see “Donor Spotlight”). READ MORE

West Duluth - It's Happening!

Spirit Valley Days Parade

“South Duluth” Teens Help West Duluth

Young people from Duluth, Georgia, made it their mission to help residents of Duluth, Minnesota, after this summer’s flood. A group of teens and adults, organized through the group World Changers, spent time in July, helping low-income residents of West Duluth repair flood damage and make home improvements. The young missionaries stripped and painted siding, replaced porches, cleaned yards, and spread a gospel of hope. West Duluth Community Development Corporation identified areas of greatest need and plugged the volunteers into the community. The Georgia “Duluthians” also donated more than 675 pairs of work gloves for Duluth’s flood cleanup efforts.

That’s the Spirit! (Spirit Valley Days)

Flood damage didn’t dampen spirits during this year’s Spirit Valley Days, Aug. 1-5, in West Duluth. Residents and friends celebrated the community with a parade, street dance, fashion show, beauty pageant, family-friendly games and activities, food vendors, business specials, street performances, an amazing fireworks display, and much more. This annual neighborhood get-together is a highlight of the year, showcasing West Duluth and all it offers residents and the broader community!

Partner Highlight: United Way of Greater Duluth

The United Way of Greater Duluth has taken its “Live United” motto to a new level with leadership of the Regional Flood Fund and other coordinated flood recovery efforts. This core member of the At Home in Duluth collaborative stepped up in the flood’s wake, mobilizing foundations, businesses, organizations, lawmakers, families, and individuals to contribute toward long term flood relief. It did this without compromising its traditional work of raising funds for nonprofits and programs that advance education, build income, improve health, and provide basic human needs. READ MORE

Donor Highlight: U.S. Bank

At U.S. Bank, developing communities means investing in people and their hopes and dreams for the future. By providing products and services that meet the diverse needs of its communities – such as an innovative mortgage program for first-time home buyers – U.S. Bank is helping to provide a social and economic foundation for achieving affordable housing, productive small businesses, and culturally vibrant communities.

U.S. Bank works with community partners, including Duluth LISC, who understand the needs of individuals, families and organizations, and can match bank resources with those community needs. Through these collaborations, families can find affordable places to call home, people can gain job skills, kids from diverse backgrounds can achieve in school, and the wealth of the arts can become more accessible to everyone. Working together, U.S. Bank and community partners develop creative solutions that maximize human and financial potential. READ MORE