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!
In Our Differences, We are the Same
Greg Jodzio
Microenterprise Technical Assistance Provider
You might label traveling and making calls to microloan clients with SWIF Super Woman Berny Berger (aka Microenterprise Program Coordinator) an under-the-radar tour. Unofficially, when we travel together Berny refers to it as the “senior tour” but that’s another story, for another time.
While recently driving and partially retracing the anniversary bus tour, Berny mentioned that 56 languages are spoken in Worthington (which probably includes some dialects). That was my “ah-ha” moment – my brain congealed the 25th anniversary bus tour into one word…diversity.
From Olivia’s fields of corn to Lake Benton’s “hole in the mountain,” the landscape differs dramatically across Minnesota’s Great Southwest. Consider the variety of businesses from large to small, hands-on to tech, large scale manufacturing to rural theaters that manufacture “make believe,” wind turbines contrasting bio-fuel plants.
And how about the diversity of the people? Beautiful Native American teens—some saddled, some bareback—on their magnificent horses. Business owners, operators, managers—young and old, short and tall—Latinos, Ethiopians, Hmong, Caucasians and more.
If they ever bring back the game show Password, and I’m a contestant, and the clue is “diversity,” my answer will be “Southwest Minnesota.”
Berny would point out that there’s a sameness too…smiles, pride and the prairie work ethic.
