“SOCIAL JUSTICE, ECONOMIC JUSTICE AND RACIAL JUSTICE ARE PART OF THE DNA OF THE PAGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION.” – ALAN PAGE ANNUAL REPORT 2018 and 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 2018 and 2019 The following photographer has shared her Letter from Co-founder and images of the Page Education Foundation program Highlights and Milestones participants, staff, and leadership for use in this 04 Executive Director 30 publication. We are grateful for her support. Photographer, Kayla Hammell, Copyright 2020, Intermixed Arts (Page 5, 6, 7, 9­­, 11, 12, 15, 19, 20, In Memory of Diane Sims Page Financial Information 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31) 05 33 Staff, Board and Advisory Board Our Beginning 08 35 Members 2018 and 2019 Event Sponsors Our Present 11 37 07/01/2017 – 06/30/2019 List of Donors Page Grant Program 13 41 07/01/2017 – 06/30/2018 List of Donors Service to Children Program 17 53 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2019 22 Page Connections Program 27 Page Scholar Alumna 3 Letter from Co-founder Dear Friends, and Executive Director Since our last community report, the world has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed even our most ordinary interactions—and has affected people of color disproportionately. The killing of George Floyd illustrated painfully and clearly the systemic racism in our society. To confront the racial disparities that have long plagued our state and our nation requires hard, focused work. At the Page Education Foundation, we remain hopeful. We have seen our efforts to close the racial achievement gap in education make a real difference. The current and former Page Scholars featured in this annual report illustrate the talent, resilience and integrity of the 7,500 young people we have helped and supported since 1988. The strength they’ve shown as they overcome challenges and barriers to their success offers us reason for optimism. If these students are our future, then the future is bright. Thank you for your continued support of the Page Education Foundation and your commitment to creating hope through education and service. Your generosity is an essential investment in our community. We can’t do the important work we do without you. Sincerely, Alan Page Amanda Moua Co-founder Executive Director 4 IN MEMORY OF DIANE SIMS PAGE Diane grew up in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and attended Robbinsdale High School and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. After graduation, Diane worked with Pillsbury for five years, then as an account executive for BBDO Advertising for a year. She transitioned to focus group moderation and became an expert in qualitative market research. Focus group moderation was in its infancy at the time, and Diane was a leader in developing many of the procedures used in focus group moderation today. She created her own company, Leapfrog Associates, to generate product ideas for large companies, including Pillsbury and General Mills. 5 Diane and Alan first met in huge heart and her warmth the lobby of General Mills, a made everyone around her chance few moments that feel better than they might led to a lifetime partnership. otherwise have. She made She had been doing volunteer personal connections with work with the Boys’ Club; donors, staff, volunteers and, when she was introduced to most importantly, with Page the well-known Minnesota Scholars past and present. Viking, she asked if he would Lomumba Ismail, is just one of be willing to help. many former Page Scholars who credits his passion for Diane and Alan married teaching and helping others in 1973. Their marriage with the positive relationship reflected not only their deep he and Diane shared over the and enduring love for each years. Perpendicular Pinky.” The In 2020, the Page Education other, but also a shared project was a success—and Foundation’s board members commitment to social justice. Diane was a visionary 100 percent of the book sale agreed to rename the Together, during Alan’s 1988 who led the growth of the proceeds went to the Page organization “The Page induction into the NFL Hall organization’s annual gala Education Foundation. Alan Education Foundation of Fame, Diane and Alan from a small and humble and Kamie have collaborated founded by Diane and Alan created the Page Education gathering in a local restaurant on three more award-winning Page,” doing business as the, Foundation. to an event with nearly 1,000 children’s books since then. Page Education Foundation, guests each year that raises For 30 years, Diane served in order to more directly a quarter of the organization’s Diane Sims Page died as the volunteer Executive recognize Diane’s crucial role annual budget. In 2012, September 29, 2018 after Director and worked in starting and growing the in celebration of the Page a lengthy battle with cancer. tirelessly to expand the foundation. The name change Education Foundation’s 25th The Diane Page Legacy organization’s mission and will occur later this year. anniversary, she encouraged Fund was established in reach. If Alan was the face Alan and their daughter, her memory; to date, over of the Page Education Kamie Page, to write a $300,000 has been raised in Foundation, Diane was its children’s book, “Alan and His the DPLF to continue Diane’s heart and soul. Diane’s Perfectly Pointy Impossibly work and legacy. 6 “When we met, it didn’t occur to me that 47 years later, we would have an organization of people volunteering, serving others, making life better—or, I should say, creating hope for those who maybe don’t have any hope. I couldn’t have dreamed of it then but, in retrospect, I should have expected nothing less. She was an incredible woman, an incredible mother and an incredible wife. She is no longer with us, but her spirit lives on.” – Alan Page 7 OUR BEGINNING 8 In 1988, Diane and Alan Page created the Page Education Foundation to encourage Minnesota students of color to pursue post-secondary education. Recognizing a need for our education system to reach more young people of color, the Pages used Alan’s induction into the NFL Hall of Fame to launch the organization. From its inception, the Page Education Foundation has offered financial assistance to students of color facing barriers to attaining their educational dreams. In turn, these young leaders return to their communities to serve as tutors and role models for elementary and junior high school students. 9 In its first year, the Foundation awarded Page Grants for post-secondary education to 10 Page Scholars. Thirty- three years later, almost $16 million in Page Grants has been awarded to more than 7,700 Page Scholars. Our Page Scholars have given nearly 500,000 hours of volunteer service to communities across Minnesota, impacting the lives of over 50,000 children. Alan, with a public and successful career as a professional football player and then as a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, was and is the face of the Page Education Foundation, but Diane was its heart and soul. She made the important personal connections with donors, staff and volunteers and, most of all, with Page Scholars past and present. She and Alan were always completely in sync about the goals and activities of the foundation (he once said, “We were so close that sometimes it was hard to Diane died of cancer on September Today, guided and inspired by know where I stopped and she began.”) 29, 2018. As was typical of her Diane’s vision and commitment to but it was her warmth, commitment personality and her commitment to the creating opportunities—and hope— and attention to detail that made those mission of the Foundation, she worked for Minnesota students of color, Alan goals come to life. If she wasn’t on the tirelessly on Foundation efforts until and the Page Education Foundation phone with a potential donor, she was the day of her death. continue her work. organizing a group of volunteers to read applications or helping a Page Scholar connect with a possible job opportunity. 10 OUR PRESENT Social justice, economic justice and racial justice are part of the DNA of the Page Education Foundation. Recent events have dramatically shown that Minnesota is still struggling to confront the racial disparities that have long plagued our state. We acknowledge that although the Page Education Foundation has been providing access to educational opportunities for over 30 years, there is still much work to be done. 11 The lack of educational Minnesota high school opportunties for students of students of color continue to color is a national problem, graduate at a lower rate than but the gap is particularly their white peers and, for glaring in Minnesota. African the 25 percent of Minnesota American, Hispanic, South students of color who pursue East Asian and American post-secondary education, Indian students are not fewer than half will graduate performing at the same with a bachelor’s degree after academic level as their six years. affluent white peers. The “2019 State of Our Students” Providing educational report from the Minnesota opportunities for Minnesota Department of Education students of color beyond showed that only 34 percent high school not only helps of African American students students to achieve their are reading at grade level, career goals, it helps address compared with 67 percent of systemic inequities that have white students. Similarly, 34 lasted for too many decades percent of African American and that adversely impact students are doing math at the economic growth and grade level, compared with prosperity of our state for all 63 percent of white students. residents. 12 PAGE GRANT PROGRAM Page Grants provide educational opportunities for all students.