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REBUILDING LIVES, RESTORING HOPE

Cornerstone's continuum of service helps to create communities where individuals and families are safe and children thrive. We advocate, educate and lead the way to social change. Learn more

This luncheon fundraiser event will feature speakers and presentations honoring Cornerstone's 40 years of building hopeful futures.

When

October 27th, 2023 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CT

Where

Minnesota Valley Country Club - Bloomington, Minnesota

Costs

General Admission -$40.00 plus fees
Full Table (10 General Admission Tickets) - $400.00 plus fees
Donation - If you will be unable to attend but would like to make a contribution, you can do so through Eventbrite.

Space is limited, so secure your spot today!

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Questions? Please contact Andrew N, Communications and Events Coordinator, with any questions about the 40th Anniversary Luncheon Fundraiser at andrewn@cornerstonemn.org.

Cornerstone's New

Executive Director

Letter from Loren Thacker, Cornerstone Board Chair

Dear Friends,

As the Chair of Cornerstone's Board of Directors, I am excited to announce that Artika Roller will be joining Cornerstone as the new Executive Director on October 23rd, 2023.

Artika is currently the Executive Director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA), a statewide coalition driving transformative culture change to address sexual violence through advocacy, prevention, racial justice, and systems change. Artika has been a leader in the field of domestic and sexual violence services for over twenty years. She brings both a wealth of experience and a spirit of innovation to our organization. Artika has held direct service roles and leadership positions at The Family Partnership, Women's Advocates, and Hennepin County.

As we begin this new chapter for Cornerstone, we want to thank Meg Schnabel for her tenure as Executive Director, who will be retiring at the end of October. Over the past 9 years, Meg has been instrumental in the growth of Cornerstone through the establishment of the MN Day One Call Center, general crime services, and our expanded housing and economic stability services. She will stay on for a limited period to help with creating a smooth leadership transition.

Cornerstone has been highly successful in retaining strong leaders that have contributed to moving Cornerstone forward and achieving that next level of impact for our participants. Our Board and leadership team are committed to building upon the significant progress that has been made and know that Artika will be carrying forward many of our core strategic objectives. Some of these include increasing our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; enhancing employee wellness and development; strengthening our infrastructure to support our overall mission; and deepening our revenue streams.

We all are excited to welcome Artika to Cornerstone and see what can be accomplished under her leadership. Many of you will have an opportunity to meet her at our 40th anniversary fundraising event in October. You can learn more about the event here.

Thank you for all that you do to support our mission.

In Gratitude,

Loren Thacker

Board Chair

Current Needs, Volunteer Opportunities, and How You Can Help?

Gift Cards - Cornerstone's families are often in need of basic—but important—items on a short timeline. $25 to $50 Gift card donations to stores like Target and Walmart allow the families we work with to meet those needs quickly.

One example comes from Mia and her six-year-old son. Mia's son was growing quickly and last year, as winter was approaching, she asked her son to try on his winter boots to see if he could still fit in them.

His feet had clearly gotten too big and he needed a new pair of boots so he could safely wait for the school bus. But money was very tight for their family. Mia connected with her Cornerstone advocate and was able to get a gift card to buy a new pair of much-needed boots in her son's size right away—before the snow fell.

Amazon Wishlist - Other items needed this month include anything currently listed on our Amazon Wishlist which we update regularly to reflect our programs' and participants' needs.

Movie Night Baskets - With the cold, cozy weather on its way, we are looking for individuals or a volunteer group interested in purchasing and assembling fun movie night baskets/kits for our participants. These could include anything like candy, snacks, popcorn, blankets, as well as Amazon Gift Cards to allow participants to rent or purchase a movie.

Tuesday Night Community Meals - We are looking for volunteer groups to host Tuesday night community meal for Cornerstone participants on October 24th. Volunteer groups will shop and prepare a meal for 15-25 people, serve the meal to Cornerstone families and then clean up. Groups are here from 4:30pm to 7:00pm including set up and cleaning. Group size is usually 5-7 volunteers. In addition to a group to support the meal that evening, we are looking for volunteers to staff our Halloween party for families. If you have a great costume and love Halloween, please join us on 10/24!

Childcare Assistance - Cornerstone is looking for volunteers to assist with childcare while our participants attend meetings, go to appointments, or run errands. Shifts are weekly on Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Marketing Experience - We are also looking for volunteers with marketing experience to help get the word out about Cornerstone's services for sexually exploited youth.

Research Volunteer - Are you looking for a way to contribute to Cornerstone on your own schedule and from home? We are looking for volunteers to help with research projects to support our Development team.

Interested in Donating or Volunteering?

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Courtney P, Director of Advancement, at courtneyp@cornerstonemn.org.

Donations may be dropped off at our Bloomington location Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Please email Courtney once you’ve dropped off a donation so that we may record your gift and properly thank you.

Thank You To Our Supporters!

Thank you so much to our friends at SFM for taking time earlier this month to come and volunteer at Cornerstone! We are filled with gratitude for SFM's kindness and hard work, who did all sorts of outside projects including painting and gardening. Thank you!

We are also grateful for our longstanding partnership with WIPFLI. WIPFLI staff have been board members for Cornerstone for many years and are sponsoring Cornerstone's 40th Anniversary. This month, over 20 WIPFLI employees came to Cornerstone on their annual Community Day for a day of volunteering, which included fence painting, gardening, yard cleanup, and inside cleaning projects. Thank you for all you do, WIPFLI!

Cornerstone is so grateful to the Mainstreet Village Retirement Community for their generous donation of school supplies to help our families get the school year off to a great start!

We are also grateful to Pohlad Companies for their donation of personal care items and a very generous financial contribution in support of Cornerstone's full continuum of services.

We are so grateful for our partnership with Bank of the West for your grant in support of Cornerstone’s Community and Economic Empowerment Services (CEES) Program. Thank you for investing in services designed to promote long-term safety and stability for survivors.

Thank you to the C.H. Robinson Foundation for your multi-year grant award to support Cornerstone’s Emergency Services Program, providing critical safe shelter and all basic needs for adults and families in crisis.