Resilient communities need people willing to step forward, test new ideas, and bring others together. That’s a perfect way to describe Marcella Prokop and John Salgado Maldonado.
These local changemakers are representing Southwest Minnesota as Initiators Fellows. We caught up with them at the recent Initiators Fellowship Brain Trust, a day of collaborative problem-solving designed to help social entrepreneurs work through challenges and uncover new opportunities.
Marcella and John shared some reflections on the Brain Trust, the fellowship, and their work in Southwest Minnesota.
Meet Marcella Prokop
Marcella is a farmer, beekeeper and an award-winning writer and educator. She grew up in rural Nebraska and now makes her home in Beaver Creek. As an Initiators Fellow, she’s creating opportunities for neighbors of all ages and backgrounds to come together through storytelling, creativity, and shared experiences.
What challenge are you trying to address?
Growing up, I felt very isolated by distance and by difference. My mom and I were the only Latine people in the community of 600 people that we lived 20 minutes away from, and that experience continues to shape the work I do today. Fieldstones Creative is a social enterprise dedicated to addressing the issues of isolation and loneliness in rural Minnesota through story work.
Tell us about your work and what you’re building.
Much like we use the fieldstones in our landscape in southwest Minnesota to build bridges, roads, structures and third spaces for gathering and connecting, I want folks around me to come together through activities so that we have shared experiences, and from that shared experience we can make meaning.
Everything is grounded in belonging.
Why is this work important to you?
When I went to school for journalism and graduated in 2004, I thought I was going to be a big journalist in Washington DC where I was living. I came home at Christmas and I had a stroke. Writing as I was recovering really helped me make sense of what happened to me and what it was like to now be a person living with visual impairment. I know that there is meaning making when we tell stories and when we share stories. I think in our rural spaces, there are so many opportunities for us to do that, but we maybe don’t have the place to gather or we don’t know how to start telling those stories and coming together.
How did the Brain Trust help you?
I came away feeling really validated. I’ve been struggling with how to talk about Fieldstones Creative. The conversation helped me see that the goal isn’t to explain story work, it’s to create experiences that foster connection and belonging. I also gained confidence that this stage is about experimenting, learning, and discovering what works for my community.
I’m so grateful for the team I was seated with because of the wonderful discussions, laughs and encouragement we shared. From when we started in January to today, everyone in the cohort has come so far in thinking about their social enterprise and how they want to grow it moving forward. Being a builder isn’t always easy, but it’s made easier with support like this.
Meet John Salgado Maldonado
John is an ARTivist, percussionist, and photographer based in Willmar. John uses art as a tool for social reflection, community engagement, and awareness. He’s a graduate of our first Growing Local: Emerging Leaders cohort. John’s Initiators Fellowship is dedicated to collective wellness through art, culture, and community connection.
Tell us about your work and what you’re building.
My social enterprise is called Kankunapa, a Quechua word that means “for everyone.”
But it’s important to understand what I mean by that. It’s not “for everyone” because I’m giving it to people. It’s for everyone because it belongs to everyone from the beginning.
The tagline is collective wellness. When I say collective, I’m bringing all the power of the community. That’s really important to me.
Why is this work important to you?
I was raised in Chile during a dictatorship, and that experience forged my commitment to social justice and community. That’s in me.
Coming to Minnesota in 2017, I started volunteering with Head Start programs, teaching kids how to dance, how to do drumming. In 2022, I co-founded Purpose Artisans, which is a nonprofit. And thanks to the fellowship I could generate Kankunapa, which is like a branch today from this nonprofit.
With my immigrant experience, I’ve been very involved in the Willmar area where I live. My work has focused on improving quality of life, particularly among Indigenous communities and marginalized populations, across diverse roles and organizations.
What challenge are you trying to address?
When people gather, learn from one another and share experiences, community becomes stronger. That’s what collective wellness means to me. It’s not about one person. It’s about creating something together.
How did the Brain Trust help you?
There was one line that I would like to highlight from the whole process: It’s art, culture, and wellness. I already knew those words were at the center of my work, but having people reflect that back to me was powerful. It gave me confidence.
I left full of ideas, like my mind was busy, but in a good way. People who have been doing this work for years were asking questions, offering suggestions, and helping me think about partnerships, marketing and next steps. Now it’s about taking all those notes taking steps toward the marketing plan and possible partners.
About the Initiators Fellowship
The Initiators Fellowship helps social entrepreneurs accelerate their leadership skills while building connections with peers across Greater Minnesota. Throughout the program, fellows participate in leadership development, strategy sessions, and collaborative experiences like Brain Trusts, where they can workshop challenges and gain insight from fellow entrepreneurs, community leaders, and subject-matter experts. Meet some of our fellowship alumni
Why invest in leaders?
Marcella and John are addressing different challenges, but they’re taking a similar approach: bringing people together and building something new. Through the Initiators Fellowship, SWIF supports entrepreneurs, innovators, and community builders as they develop the confidence, skills, and networks needed to turn local ideas into local impact.