As mentioned in the July 23 blog entry, there are many great stories to share from our recent 25th Anniversary Staff Tour. I’ve asked other staff to share some of their experiences and favorite moments firsthand from our two days of traveling through southwest Minnesota. Enjoy!
Community Pride
Nancy Fasching
Grants Officer
Commnity Pride
I’ve had the privilege of working with the Southwest Initiative Foundation for nearly 10 years. Through that time, one of the things that I love the most about the work that I do is seeing the pride people have in our small, rural communities. This year, we are doing something that we haven’t done before – touring the 18 counties of southwest Minnesota – experiencing first-hand life on the prairie.
The first leg of our trip took us through the central and southern part of our region. We were able to see many different vignettes of life in our region – coffee shops, genetic profiles, war memorials – but stop after stop on our journey showed me how proud people are to share pieces of their lives with those just passing through.
It would simply take a phone call to bring someone out to give us travelers a glimpse of the dignity the girls took in their horses through the Suntunka Youth Program, or how proud it made Kathy Schwarz that Wabasso would rally to their rescue after a devastating fire. Vince Robinson simply had to make a phone call to ask for a tour of the Lake Benton Opera House and then just had to take a few minutes to show us all a breathtaking view from the hilltop. I could go on and on…
We were always received with the warmest hospitality and the greatest sense of pride for the place we call home.
It is this sense of pride that I keep as my souvenir.
