2018-2019 Minneapolis Parks Foundation Annual Report
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The Promise of Parks 2018-2019 Minneapolis Parks Foundation Annual Report The Minneapolis Parks Foundation transforms human lives through parks and public spaces by aligning philanthropic investment and community vision. Board of Directors Mark Heithoff Staff Stuart Ackerberg Mark Heithoff Photography Paul Bauknight Chief Executive Officer, Ackerberg Pahoua Yang Hoffman Project Implementation Director Nima Ahmadi Executive Director, Citizens League Bruce Chamberlain Senior Director of Strategic Ventures Steve King Minneapolis Parks Fellow and Platforms, Cardiovascular Systems Chairman, Landscape Structures, Inc. Jennifer Downham Dan Avchen Mary McCarthy Chief Development Officer Executive Director of Strategic Growth, Community Leader HGA Architects & Engineers Tom Evers Tom Paul Executive Director Sara Barrow* President, Medicare, Bright Health External Affairs & Minneapolis Community Matt Karl Business & Administration Manager Relations Manager, Xcel Energy Paul Reyelts CFO (retired), Valspar Corporation Paul Bauknight* Madeleine Koski Fundraising Communications President/CEO, The Urban Design Lab Jasmine Russell Founder & CEO, Monicat Data Assistant Barbara Bencini Senior Vice President (retired), Heidi Schmidt Janette Law Director of Communication & Wealth Management Senior Consultant, Director of Marketing, NTH, Inc. Strategic Partnerships Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management Peter Thrane Dorothy Bridges Partner, Stinson Leonard Street Christine Moir Annual Fund & Events Manager Senior Vice President (retired), Rich Varda* Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Senior Advisor of Store Design John Crosby* (retired), Target Community Leader Frank Wilkinson Sarah Duniway Community Leader Attorney, Gray Plant Mooty Riff Yeager* Dayna Frank Partner, ERM EVP/Co-Owner, First Avenue Jacob Frey Ex Officio Mayor, City of Minneapolis Al Bangoura Martha Gabbert Superintendent, Minneapolis Managing Director of Room & Board Park and Recreation Board Properties (retired), Room & Board Brad Bourn* Joe Gibbons President, Minneapolis Park Senior Vice President-Wealth Manage- Board of Commissioners ment, Boyd, Gibbons & Associates, a global wealth management team with Meg Forney Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Commissioner At Large, Minneapolis Park Board of Commissioners Jocelyn Hale Partner, MillerHale Associates Mary Merrill* Interim Superintendent, Minneapolis Sarah Harris Park and Recreation Board Managing Director, University of Minnesota Foundation – Real Estate Advisors * completed term in 2018 2 Annual Report 2018-19 SPRING 2019 Dear Friends, In 2018, the board of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation effective as the people charged with executing it; fortunately, came together to create a new strategic plan — a working the diverse voices and forward vision of our board has document designed to capture both the practical blueprint always been a strength of our organization. While the of projects we must deliver to achieve our mission and the community leaders who guide the Parks Foundation are blue sky thinking that’s inspiring our vision for the future. familiar to many, what’s less well known is how deeply our hard-working board is truly committed to our mission of As you can see from the guiding principles that appear transforming human life through parks and public spaces. on this page, the Parks Foundation is committed to far more than parks. We’re about fulfilling the almost We believe the true promise of the parks is met through limitless potential that great parks and inspiring public people, which is why we invite you to be part of the spaces have in building stronger connections between conversation through our Next Generation of Parks neighbors, fostering better outcomes for kids, driving series — soon celebrating its 10th anniversary season — economic opportunity for all, and even helping cities find or at any of the dozens of community gatherings and new solutions to our most challenging problems, from engagements we host throughout the year. Whether you inequality to climate change. connect with us at our popular “Sunrise on the Mississippi” annual fundraising event, or for one of our curated Walk & In short, we believe in the promise of parks. Talk park experiences, your thoughtful support is helping us to foster a Minneapolis parks system that can meet the We’re pleased to report the promise of parks is a vision needs of our next generation. we share with a growing number of parks lovers and supporters, who made 2018 an outstanding year for the Thank you for the trust you’ve place in us and we look Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s fundraising efforts. forward to seeing you in the parks! Thanks to your generous contributions, we now have the resources needed to begin construction in this year on Sincerely, two of the RiverFirst Initiative’s signature projects — Water Works, the transformative destination park along the city’s historic Mill Ruins, and the Great Northern Greenway River Link, which will soon connect the north side of the city to Tom Evers Tom Paul the Mississippi River in a whole new way. Executive Director Board Chair As we complete the first phase of the RiverFirst Capital Campaign this year, we’ll be relying on our strategic plan to point us to new ways to leverage the power of community vision and private philanthropy. A strategic plan is only as Strategic Plan Highlights • Equity and cultural inclusion: When • Connections to the natural world: In our all people have access to valued increasingly urbanized world, maintaining Developed by the Minneapolis parks and public space, feel welcome, places of natural beauty, respite, and awe Parks Foundation’s board of and see themselves reflected in those helps us maintain our humanity. directors, these guiding themes spaces, a community is healthier, • Resiliency to climate change: Cities must will inform the Parks Foundation’s safer, and happier. adapt and develop new methods to protect future investments. To learn more • Community health and well-being: and restore natural systems, clean water, about our strategic plan for the Parks provide healthy air, water, and and mitigate the economic impact of climate change. future of Minneapolis parks, visit us soil, and places to play and exercise, on both the individual and community online at mplsparksfoundation.org/ • Economic vitality: Thriving parks and public level. Parks also provide places where spaces can attract investment and bring 2019strategicplan. we can learn about our neighbors and prosperity to the broader community. form new and deeper connections. mplsparksfoundation.org 3 Through powerful programs and generous community gifts in 2018, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation helped fulfill The Promise of Parks Big Ideas and Small Details The Minneapolis Parks Foundation contributed $2.8 million in 2018 toward the grand vision behind RiverFirst, without overlooking the smaller details that make our neighborhood parks system so vibrant. Your contributions made it possible to invest an additional $209,000 in a variety of Minneapolis parks projects, from opening a new three-season restroom and wash station at Cedar South Beach, to filling 53 Little Free Libraries® in the parks with 5,500 books. Your support also helps the Parks Foundation to be an active partner in our cultural community, by supporting the Get Outdoors Day Minneapolis Art Lending Library, and contributing to such Walk & Talks community events as These curated small-group explorations Slow Roll, Earth Day of little-known Minneapolis parks Clean-Up, Get Outdoors and practices invited guests to hike Day, and Open Streets. the Winchell trail, dip their toes in the Webber Natural Swimming Pool, and learn more about how the Minneapolis parks system protects bees, butterflies and other pollinators. An overnight sensation with Minneapolis Parks Foundation supporters, who sold-out each of our walk-abouts in 2018, the events will be the inspiration for Walk and Talks even more behind-the-scenes parks experiences in the years ahead. 4 Annual Report 2018-19 Still Making a Splash Northeast Park’s new recreation center opened in March, thanks in part to a $100,000 gift that the Lupient family, longtime supporters of the Minneapolis park system, made through the Parks Foundation. Next up, the Lupient family is underwriting design exploration for a bathhouse to replace the aging structure at the Jim Lupient Water Park. RiverFirst Campaign Crests The Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s community of supporters surged by almost 20 percent in 2018, many of them drawn to the vision of the RiverFirst Initiative which secured more than $16.4 million in gifts and commitments toward the $17.9 million goal. A pivotal $1 million gift from Bank of America in November 2018 positioned the Parks Foundation to meet the fundraising goal needed to break ground on both Water Works and the Great Northern Greenway Northeast Recreation Center River Link later this year. © MPRB Water Works Reimagining the Civic Commons Sunrise Speaker Lynn Ross Fast becoming a “can’t miss” event with Parks Foundation supporters, this year’s annual fundraiser “Sunrise on the Mississippi” brought in a record $100,000 and featured keynote speaker Lynn Ross. The former Obama administration urban planner explored how a robust civic commons — parks included — can help divided communities find common ground. mplsparksfoundation.org 5 Ground Breaking With Water Works and the Great Northern Greenway Overlook set to start construction, the north side of Minneapolis is about to see the Mississippi in a