News & Updates • August 2023
Keeping you connected to the little things that make a big difference in the Edina community
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Community Impact Program Welcomed Four New Funds in 2023 To Date
ECF's Community Impact Partner Program is unique in the world of community foundations. ECF serves as an incubator for Edina's nonprofit community, harboring approximately 80 independent programs run by Edina residents who start projects that directly impact our community or the world at large.
Our partners are neighborhood groups; arts, music, or sports organizations; memorial funds, social and environmental groups; and funds that are run to address the needs of children, families, and seniors.
Eighteen new programs launched in the last three years, including four to date in 2023 (listed at right).
A complete listing of active partners can be found on our website.
To learn more about the services we offer our partners, contact us!
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JULY 2023
SHAKTI INTERNATIONAL
Shakti International’s mission is to end period poverty and provide support and education to women internationally.
PARKWOOD KNOLLS ASSOCIATION
This organization’s mission is to organize community activities to connect neighbors.
MARCH 2023
EDINA ASIAN AMERICAN ALLIANCE
This organization’s mission is to make the Asian and Asian American experience more visible, present and understood to foster a more inclusive, anti-racist Edina culture.
AMKA GLOBAL LLC
This fund’s mission is to alleviate poverty, create jobs and stability in communities via skill building.
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We couldn't hold the parade, fireworks, or veterans dinner without the support of local businesses. Thank you, sponsors!
For a full listing of our 2023 sponsors, visit the parade website.
If you're interested in sponsoring any of our three signature events in 2024, email Alison Briggs or call 952-300-2378.
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ECF Has Organized the Edina 4th of July Parade and Fireworks since 2006
Few of the 20,000-25,000 people who line 50th Street in Edina on July 4th realize that the Edina Community Foundation (ECF) plays an essential role in what is perceived as a city-organized parade.
The Edina Parade began with informal community parades along Willson Road in 1989. The parade moved to 50th Street with a chairperson organizing in 1996.
Since former ECF Executive Director Dick Crockett agreed to take on organizing the parade in 2006, ECF has partnered with the City to make the annual celebration come to life.
ECF staff handles the fundraising and leads a planning team of volunteers who hire the entertainment, coordinate with community groups, and organize the veterans' dinner held the night before the parade.
You'll find photos and information about the parade on ECF's parade website.
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Become a Mentor in our Meal with a Mentor Program
Make a big impact in a small amount of time! Meet a local youth for a one-time lunch around your schedule. We are looking for adults from all backgrounds, levels of education, and fields to participate.
Are you aged 15-20 and interested in an opportunity to connect with a local mentor? Sign up using the link.
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Second Annual Lucky Duck Race in June Drew a Crowd | |
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The 2023 Lucky Duck Race was a hit, and we expanded the event this year to include a race for kids. More than 90 ducks were purchased for the two races.
The children's race was held at 5:30 with the adult race starting afterward. The owner of the fastest duck in the children's race won a season pass to the Aquatic Center while the adult winner could designate $500 to the nonprofit of their choice. Annie Meyer won and directed her donation back to the Foundation. Thank you, Meyer family!
A prize for the most "dapper" duck was also given to owners in both the children's and adult races.
Thank you to Tradition Wealth Management for being a business-level sponsor.
| Pictured above are the winners of the "Most Dapper Duck" for both the children's and adult's race. | |
Save the date for 2024's Lucky Duck Race on Thursday, June 13 | Pictured above, Annie Meyer accepts her novelty check. Alyssa Crockett's duck took second, earning her a gift certificate to Edina Liquor. | Above, entrants await the start of the children's race. | |
Twelve neighborhood book clubs serve nearly 200 Edina moms | |
Interested in joining a group in your neighborhood?
New members will be added to the program quarterly.
Sign up by filling out the form linked from the button below.
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Edina Neighborhood Reads Launched From Interest in Community Connections Through Literature
Last February, a casual post about book clubs in the Edina Moms Facebook group attracted nearly 150 replies in 24 hours. Seeing it as a natural extension of Edina Reads, the Foundation offered to harness the enthusiasm by creating Edina Neighborhood Reads.
The Foundation posted a signup form for registrants and sorted them into neighborhood-based groups. Each book club operates autonomously, but the Foundation will plan two events annually that will bring participants together city-wide.
Neighborhood groups of ten to twelve members decide on the books they read, how frequently they meet, and if they meet in a member’s home, a meeting room, or a restaurant. While literature was the original draw, participants cite connections with neighbors as their favorite part of Edina Neighborhood Reads.
Look for a story about the program in January's Edina Magazine.
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Edina Magazine and Edina Sun Current Share Our Stories | We are grateful to Edina Magazine and the Edina Sun Current for covering our events, programs, and Community Impact Partners. Below are the stories they've printed to date in 2023. | |
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This spring, the Edina Community Foundation held its annual Connecting with Kids Leadership Breakfast, honoring Edina football volunteer coach Thom Propson and students Abid Hasan, Emma Flaherty, Charlie Greene, Nick Presthus, Elsa Utoft and Molly Seidel for distinguishing themselves by serving or empowering youth in our community.
The student winners’ activities ranged from founding a “vision for all” nonprofit, organizing the 2022 TEDxYouth@Edina and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.
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This past March, a familiar presence in the Edina community turned to a new chapter in his civic life. Dick Crockett retired after 20 years as the executive director of the Edina Community Foundation. Under his leadership, he helped shape the organization into the wide-reaching, diverse nonprofit it is today, with programs like Edina Reads, the annual Edina 4th of July Parade, Community Impact Program, Connecting with Kids and more. | |
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The Edina Community Foundation hosts a trio of 4th of July events.
For over 30 years, Edina residents and those in surrounding communities have enjoyed the annual 4th of July parade, put together by the Edina Community Foundation (ECF). This year’s parade will take place on July 4 at 10 a.m. The parade route runs on 50th Street, from City Hall to Halifax Avenue, and onlookers are encouraged to set up early, as up to 20,000 people are expected to attend.
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Kids and adults alike cheered on their rubber ducks as they bobbed down Minnehaha Creek June 14 as part of the Edina Community Foundation’s second annual Lucky Duck Race fundraiser.
Leading up to the event, individuals could purchase a duck for $40 and businesses could purchase one for $200. The ducks were then raced down the creek in Arden Park. The owner of the winning duck got to designate a $500 prize to a nonprofit of their choice. There was also a “Dapper Duck” contest for the best-decorated duck, which had a $100 gift card to Edina Liquor as a prize.
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Kelly Condit-Shrestha, a member of the Edina Asian American Alliance, said it has always been the organization’s ethos to conduct its inclusion work “in a really joyful way.” In its biggest organized event to date, the EAAA wanted three things: Visibility, community and “pure celebration.”
The public is welcome to see what that looks like at the first annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Festival 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at Rosland Park, 4300 West 66th St., Edina.
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Emma Flaherty, Charlie Greene, Abid Hasan, Nick Presthus, Elsa Utoft and Molly Seidel were honored for their volunteerism in organizing TEDxYouthEdina. The event featured student speakers sharing their ideas, stories and experiences.
Thom Propson, varsity assistant football coach, was honored for his outsized impact in youth athletics.
The foundation recognizes adults and students who have dedicated their time to serve, strengthen and celebrate the community with a focus on the lives of our youth.
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