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 online 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.
Click here to view the full report
