Today we're a hop, skip, and a jump across the ocean, all the way to Minnesota! We're doing the doable with one of our own, Jilla Nadimi. This year, Jilla was given the incredible honor of being Queen of the Snows of the Twin Cities! The role is held for a year’s time, and the Queen gets to lead opportunities to do good in the community. Jilla knew all about 365, and she had an idea of her own... She wanted to fund a backpack giveaway as part of a back to school extravaganza! She hosted a wonderful event in the park, and families came from all over St. Paul to pick up a new backpack to start the school year off right. "As a parent, participating in this event helped me to see not everyone has the same resources to get their children off to a great 'back to school' start. Seeing the kids’ faces light up as they picked out their backpacks and their expressions of gratitude is not something I will forget. It warms your heart," said Dani Ross, a member of Jilla's Royal … [Read more...] about Queen of the Snows

The Oromo are the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia. Since 2017, over 1 million Oromos – the majority women and children – have been displaced from their homes inside of Eastern Ethiopia due to conflict. Minnesota is home to over 40,000 members of the Oromo diaspora. One of whom, Aanne Atomssa, is ARC’s very own team member! Aanne came to the U.S. 18 years ago, but she remains connected to her community back home. Aanne and a group of other women leaders in the area were particularly moved by the recent conflict and humanitarian emergency in Ethiopia. They wanted to do something to help. So together, they formed the Siiqqee International Oromo Women. One way that they plan to achieve this goal is by building homes. “Disaster happened, and we knew we had to do something," said Aanne. "Something big. Building homes is that something big.” The Siiqqee International Oromo Women set out to fundraise to meet their goals, with events in the U.S. and around the world. … [Read more...] about Like Family

An advocate is someone who champions, supports, and fights for someone else. And at Casa de Esperanza, their 15 Advocates are champions for women and children survivors or violence. They're in great need of the support that Casa provides – things like family advocacy, shelter, community engagement, and more. The Advocates meet participants where they are, which means that they're out in the community – in their homes, at their school or workplace – helping them in a variety of ways. As you can imagine, they start to feel like family to each other. Rosario - the Community Advocacy and Partnerships Manager at Casa - describes the advocates as "the core of the organization. They’re the ones who have everyday contact with the survivors.” And sometimes, they experience vicarious trauma as a result. But their well-being is also so important – without it, they wouldn't be able to do their jobs. "In order to be there for the participants, the Advocates themselves need to be well," … [Read more...] about Advocating for All

Over the past couple of weeks, we've had our sights set on quick but high impact projects in and around Minneapolis. We've followed our partnership with The Progressive North from a boutique that doubles as a social enterprise for East African women, to a Lunar New Year Celebration with Mid ANKR, and now, to Casa de Esperanza. Casa is an organization based in St. Paul that mobilizes communities to help end domestic violence. We were drawn to Casa because they also work with people who don't feel safe at home – like us, they do this work by meeting people where they're at. One of Casa’s main programs is El Refugio, an emergency shelter for women survivors of violence. We learned from Rosario and Sarahi, two of Casa’s staff members, that women at the shelter get there in a hurry - they often come with nothing with them. This is a challenge that's all too familiar to us - so we decided to do something to help. Together with The Progressive North, we set out to put together … [Read more...] about In Transition

We're back in Minnesota working with local refugee communities to do the doable. And today is all about the Midwest Alliance for North Korean Refugees (Mid ANKR), who we know through our friends at The Progressive North. There are only 200 North Korean refugees in the United States. And Mid ANKR is a Minnesota based non-profit organization working to protect those refugees through education and advocacy.They're a small but mighty organization working all over the world to fight for their human rights. We found out that Mid ANKR was organizing and hosting a Korean Lunar New Year celebration, and we wanted to be a part of it! We decided to join in on the fun and help put on one amazing event. Mid ANKR was founded by Hyon Kim, who is from South Korea. “My personal story and history made me care about this horrible situation of North Korean refugees,” said Hyon. “I’m doing this for my mom. She perished in North Korea. I want to do this work to honor her.” We partnered … [Read more...] about A Special Tradition

The transformation of Sisterhood Boutique's space comes at a big moment for the business – they are evolving, growing and changing. And now the store looked and felt like this behind-the-scenes reality. And that calls for a celebration. After a week of “refreshing,” we decided to host a reveal party for the youth in the internship program. These young people are the future of the store – so we figured they should be the first to experience it! We got everyone together and ordered pizza (of course!), a salad, chips, soda, and chocolate – everything every great party needs. We had a pizza party and took some celebratory confetti photos outside the store. Interns and staff alike were overjoyed at the changes. "I want to work tomorrow! Like, I just want to be here!" Said Yasameen, after seeing the space come together. “Teenagers started this place, and it felt like that too. But it's more mature now so this fits what our evolution has done as well," said Alexis. … [Read more...] about The Big Reveal

We're in the home stretch of our redesign project with the ladies of Sisterhood Boutique – today is the final day! But when we first chatted with the team, they said they needed help in thinking about user experience - how could they make their mission loud and clear, but be chic at the same time? So for Day 48, we're incorporating meaningful special touches throughout the store, knowing that thoughtful details make a big difference in any retail space. And with the help of our partners in this project, The Progressive North, and a generous boost from Pillsbury United Communities and Wells Fargo, doing the doable went a very long way! photos by Rebecca Studios We purchased jewelry holders, gold frames for pricing, a letter board, books, plants, vases, lamps, light fixtures, rugs, and mirrors...and voila! The space was transformed. The little touches brought everything together – they created dimension, a comforting and chic feel, and freshened up the entire store. … [Read more...] about The Final Touches

We’re right in the middle of our collaborative redesign of Sisterhood Boutique, a woman-run social enterprise serving the East African community of Minneapolis. After painting the walls white, we knew we needed something to add some life and color – something modern and beautiful. So we decided to once again combine forces with Changemakers in the neighborhood – The Progressive North, Pillsbury United Community, and a grant from Wells Fargo – to make a small change that would add a whole lot of life to those white walls. A wall installation! The women of Sisterhood Boutique were so excited at the prospect. They had dreamed of elevating their space to something that felt more professional and modern, and this was just the ticket. We hired a carpenter named Paul – and he poured his heart and soul into the job! He even brought his own clothes to donate to the store after spending some time with the founders and learning more about their mission. The wall installation took … [Read more...] about Details Make the Difference

The ladies Sisterhood Boutique, who we first met on Day 43, are women of many talents. They own a shop in Minneapolis – where everything is $12 or less! – and they also have an internship program for high school students. Each quarter, high school girls learn business skills, get advice on career development, and are mentored by the women at the shop. So we had an idea. Why not partner with The Progressive North – our friends in Changemaking in Minneapolis – to fuel these internships? Generously backed by Pillsbury United Communities and a grant from Wells Fargo, we set out to do just that! We coordinated one-on-one sessions between everyday adults from ARC, The Progressive North, and youth in this quarter’s cohort. We brought everyone together during one of their regular meetings during the week. Then everyone partnered up – one intern to one adult – and chatted for a few minutes. The conversation was flowing! Leah from ARC chatted about career plans with a girl named … [Read more...] about Face to Face

Yesterday, we met Sisterhood Boutique, a social enterprise run by women from the East African community in Minneapolis. The boutique is a space meant especially for girls and offers stylish looks at affordable prices – everything in the store is $12 or less! Since the boutique launched a few years ago, they’ve come a long way in growing their business and serving the community. But it was time for a change - they were ready for a step forward. So we’re working with our friends at The Progressive North to help them get to the next level! On today's docket? Furniture! Many of the things the Boutique used were either donated or purchased at outlet stores. So they had a hodgepodge collection of furniture, and not always of the best quality. They wanted new ways to display the clothes and accessories for sale. Our friends at Pillsbury United Fund generously match our funds for this project, which allowed us to go further and farther for these ladies! We were able to purchase … [Read more...] about From Shabby to Chic