The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation works under a guiding principal that collaboration is a necessary component in creating communities that propel growth. During the last year, the foundation celebrated three decades, besides launching a new brand. So, the foundation decided to switch things up, by upping the monies available through its annual 'One Big Thing' grant, which rewards a single deserving entity, or regional project, that the foundation deems as having a positive impact on the social and business fabric of the community.
This year, the foundation made awards available to two deserving entities, culled from the foundation's 23 Early Childhood initiatives and its 26 community foundations. These entities were tasked with explaining how their projects would improve their overall community. They also had to explain how their work exemplified the foundation's mission of fostering collaborative efforts.
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When Hannah Davis traveled to China to teach English, she noticed how Chinese workers and farmers were often sporting olive green army-style shoes. Those shoes served as her inspiration to create her own social enterprise, Bangs Shoes.