Executive Director's Summary

Milestone. The dictionary defines the word as "an important event in the development or history of something". We all know the word as the end result of planning, implementing and achieving a long sought after goal. A key moment or accomplishment to look back on with pride and to celebrate.

As I review 2017, I think of the many milestones that were reached by the nonprofits in our service area and the students who received Foundation scholarships. As a Foundation we believe in partnership and in assisting others to reach their goals. It is therefore with great joy that we celebrate milestones for the nonprofits highlighted in the Annual Report and others that received grant awards and scholarships in 2017.

We celebrate with WTIP North Shore Radio for the expansion on their news team that provides opportunity to further tell the stories of the area and respond to community need. We celebrate with William Kelly High School in their goal of refurbishing the auditorium, a key gathering space for the community. We celebrate with YWCA Duluth Girl Power! Program as they reach a 20 year milestone of supporting young girls to become strong, confident leaders in the community. We celebrate with the American Indian Community Housing Organization as a solar array and roof top garden beds are developed to produce food and traditional medicines for residents. We celebrate with the Scottish Rite Clinic as they settled into their new facility with a variety of parent education classes for children with special needs. We celebrate with Community Action Duluth as the Family Freedom School entered a second year of operation and they dreamed about what their future could be. And we celebrate with Minnesota Council of Nonprofits as they initiated new e-Learning workshops to strengthen skills for the nonprofits in our service area and around the State.

As a Foundation we too saw milestones with a long-awaited online application system becoming a reality. This new system makes it easier for nonprofits and students seeking funding to apply and increases our internal efficiency. We celebrated ten students receiving new, renewal or second renewal scholarships to Lake Superior College and we wished our staff Sarah Goldberg well as she departed for new adventures and welcomed our new Administrative Support and Scholarship Assistant Rachel Forsyth as she joined our team.

Milestones. We plan, we implement, we celebrate and we then turn our eyes to the future looking for that next important goal.

Joan Gardner-Goodno
Executive Director
Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation