- March 2013 (3)
- February 2013 (2)
- December 2012 (1)
- November 2012 (1)
- August 2012 (2)
Expanding Opportunity - Strengthening Community
OttoBlog Archives
News
With the opening of new Bremer Bank locations in La Crosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the two communities join close to 80 Bremer communities in western Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. We are proud of what our support for other Bremer communities has helped them accomplish, and we hope over time to be a partner in a number of important initiatives in La Crosse and Eau Claire.
Mankato community summit focuses on youth issues
March 19, 2013
Teens, college students, parents, community leaders and others gathered on the evening of February 11 to discuss the well-being of youth in Mankato. The evening was sponsored by Youth Voice, a YWCA project to involve youth in making Greater Mankato the very best place for youth to grow up. The Otto Bremer Foundation provided funding for Youth Voice as part of a series of grants in 2011, totaling up to $1 million, to promote positive youth development in Mankato.
Periodic visits and meetings in Bremer communities help Otto Bremer Foundation trustees and staff understand community concerns and goals. In early February, Foundation trustee Charlotte Johnson and executive director Randi Ilyse Roth visited Fergus Falls. During their visit, they met with community leaders from government, education, business, grantmaking and other institutions.
“Libraries and literacy programs are gateways to opportunity, especially in rural communities,” notes Charlotte Johnson, Otto Bremer Foundation trustee. With support from the Foundation, six libraries and six literacy organizations in Greater Minnesota are participating in a program to strengthen their ability to serve their communities. The Foundation’s support is part of its commitment to help build healthy and vibrant communities in the places that are homes and neighbors to Bremer banks.
Helping youth become agents of change
February 8, 2013
An Otto Bremer Foundation grant totaling $750,000 is helping globally recognized nonprofit Free the Children launch its programs in Minnesota. Free the Children, founded in Canada by Craig and Marc Kielburger, uses its signature programs—We Act and We Day—to inspire youth to increase their involvement in local and global issues.
Welcome, La Crosse!
December 3, 2012
We welcome La Crosse as the newest member of the Bremer family of communities. The Otto Bremer Foundation is committed to the communities that are homes and neighbors to Bremer banks—close to 80 communities across Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin that soon, with the opening of a new Bremer Bank location in 2013, include La Crosse.
Initial Foundation grantmaking in Owatonna includes three lead grants that support initiatives to strengthen the community. Grants will address disparities in income, education and health; enhance the public library; and expand access to high-quality programming for preschoolers and middle-school youth.
Grant recipients include:
Twin Cities funding to focus on helping people become financially stable and self-sufficient
August 16, 2012
A portion of our funding is devoted to support for the seven-county Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. This Twin Cities area is densely populated and is served by many other funders in addition to the Otto Bremer Foundation. To achieve the greatest impact with our resources in the Twin Cities, we focus more narrowly there.
Brian Lipschultz named a Foundation trustee
August 3, 2012
New Foundation trustee Brian Lipschultz joins existing trustees Charlotte S. Johnson and Daniel C. Reardon. He succeeds his father, William Lipschultz, who served 51 years as a trustee before retiring in July 2012. Brian Lipschultz was also elected to the board of Bremer Financial Corporation at the recent board of directors meeting.
Welcome, Owatonna!
July 27, 2012
At the Otto Bremer Foundation, we believe in community. We are rooted in and committed to the communities that are homes and neighbors to Bremer banks—79 communities across North Dakota, Minnesota and western Wisconsin that now, with the recent opening of a new Bremer Bank location, include Owatonna.