Our Board of Directors met in Tyler this week and was so impressed at the community attitude and assets. In 2011, there was substantial damage from a tornado but they’ve built the community back up, including adding a new water tower, replanting trees and replacing homes and city buildings.
This community is also very caring. They support local projects like the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton “We Care for Kids” backpack program to send food home on weekends for children who otherwise go hungry outside of the school day. And, the Tyler Area Community Foundation, a Southwest Initiative Foundation affiliate, has supported many projects, like building a new clubhouse on the 18-hole golf course and adding a slide and patio furniture to the swimming pool.
The community also very generously supported the new Avera Cancer Center in Marshall. I was so impressed by their commitment to both local and regional philanthropy, which is aligned so well with what we do in southwest Minnesota.
Tyler is home to another “hidden gem” in our region. Our meeting was hosted at the Danebod Village, the area that was originally founded in the late 1880s by Danish immigrants. They built a school, church, community building and gym space and promoted education, art and culture—lifelong learning for everyone. Today, whole families can attend weekly camps to learn and practice their heritage. A holiday festival is held Dec. 6.
This is an active part of the Tyler community—and something definitely unique to southwest Minnesota.
