Chisholm
Minnesota
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Chisholm Community Foundation
About Us
How It All Started
Ron Gornick’s sister insisted that something needed to be done to instill new life in “my hometown.” Now a California resident, she would return to Chisholm complaining that it needed more business and cultural attractions.
Tired of the complaints, Ron suggested they do something to improve life in Chisholm, a place he says suffers from “brain drain”— people moving away for better jobs.
With the financial help and leadership of a group of high school friends and the expertise of Minnesota Community Foundation, they started a Community Fund with an endowment now valued at over $1.4 million. The Fund has made grants of approximately $450,000 to a variety of community projects. It has helped the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps get new uniforms and the local high school buy much needed instruments. Main Street revitalization projects and historical and cultural institutions, such as the Iron Man Memorial and Museum of Mining, have also benefited from the Fund.
“Chisholm is a unique community. We have strong schools that teach us about respect and the value of community and volunteering,” says Gornick, board chair of the Chisholm Community Foundation Fund of Minnesota Community Foundation.
Gornick credits Minnesota Community Foundation for managing its assets and handling grantmaking, as well as giving them credibility. “I trust them and know they are good stewards of our Fund. They have to be: they represent not just Chisholm, but Funds across the state and even outside Minnesota."
How It All Started
Ron Gornick’s sister insisted that something needed to be done to instill new life in “my hometown.” Now a California resident, she would return to Chisholm complaining that it needed more business and cultural attractions.
Tired of the complaints, Ron suggested they do something to improve life in Chisholm, a place he says suffers from “brain drain”— people moving away for better jobs.
With the financial help and leadership of a group of high school friends and the expertise of Minnesota Community Foundation, they started a Community Fund with an endowment now valued at over $1.4 million. The Fund has made grants of approximately $450,000 to a variety of community projects. It has helped the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps get new uniforms and the local high school buy much needed instruments. Main Street revitalization projects and historical and cultural institutions, such as the Iron Man Memorial and Museum of Mining, have also benefited from the Fund.
“Chisholm is a unique community. We have strong schools that teach us about respect and the value of community and volunteering,” says Gornick, board chair of the Chisholm Community Foundation Fund of Minnesota Community Foundation.
Gornick credits Minnesota Community Foundation for managing its assets and handling grantmaking, as well as giving them credibility. “I trust them and know they are good stewards of our Fund. They have to be: they represent not just Chisholm, but Funds across the state and even outside Minnesota."