Every year, I give
my staff a book for Christmas. I try to choose something that
will be enjoyable to read, as well as something that will
help us all in our professional and personal lives. Because
of our work around early childhood care and education and
my recent experience of witnessing the presentation of the
"1st Annual Fred Rogers Leadership Award in Philanthropy
for Children, Youth, & Families," this year I chose
?The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to
Remember.? You might laugh ? we've all joked about Mister
Rogers and his precise, methodical demeanor ? but, Fred Rogers
was a brilliant man who touched the hearts and minds of countless
children. I found that Fred Rogers had many pearls of wisdom
that apply to the work of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation.
Here's one of them:
?All of
us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving
or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to
bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects
us as neighbors ? in our own way, each one of us is a giver
and a receiver.?
Those
words capture the essence of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation.
We're here to be the mechanism that allows each person to,
at different points in his/her life, be both the giver and
the receiver. The Foundation is also the giver and receiver
at various points in time. We receive gifts from individuals
and organizations that make it possible for us to give back
to the people and communities of southwest Minnesota.
I learned
a lot about who Fred Rogers was by reading his book. I
hope you will learn more about the Southwest Minnesota Foundation
by reading our ?book', this on-line annual report. I
hope that once you see the difference the Foundation is making,
you will want to get involved! We need support from
people like you to ?grow home? and make our neighborhood the
kind of place Mr. Rogers envisioned.
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