The year 2008 marks a quarter century since the founding of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. It hardly seems possible that so much time has passed since our establishment in 1983. In those years we've grown from a tiny startup, wondering whether we could make it, to a $50 million organization with the trust and confidence of a community. It's been a long but exciting road.

To celebrate this milestone, the Board of Trustees and Staff of the DSACF have been busy preparing for a year of festivities. One of the first things they did was choose a theme for the year's celebration. That theme is "From Vision to Vibrance. Celebrating a Quarter Century of Dreams Achieved." This theme is perfect because it really captures what we've accomplished in the past 25 years. The Community Foundation was started with an idea, a 'vision' to help make the Duluth-Superior area a better place, and from there we've grown into a 'vibrant' and vital part of the community.

More than simply choosing a theme for the anniversary year, we have organized our work around three main 25th Anniversary Committees. Each committee has been given a job in making this a memorable year in the history of the Community Foundation. Those committees have been given the working names of "Giving", "Gathering" and "Growing".

The "Giving" committee has had the task to plan gifts back to the area. It goes without saying that, without the support of all members of the local community, the Foundation wouldn't be where we are today. In appreciation of all the generosity and help we've received, the "Giving" committee is planning a series of 'gifts' back to the area. Watch this space and attend our annual events to learn more about these special gifts.

The "Gathering" committee has been charged with the fun task of organizing the year's celebratory gatherings. This will include three main events; the Annual Meeting in May, the Scholarship Recipient's Barbecue in July, and the Touchstone Awards luncheon in October. With the exception of the Scholarship Barbecue, these get-togethers have all been fixtures on the Community Foundation calendar, but this year expect them all to be bigger and better than ever.

Finally, the "Growing" committee has been planning the future of the Community Foundation. Part of any anniversary celebration involves looking backward, but just as importantly, the Board felt the need to look ahead, to see where the next 25 years will take us. Thus the "Growing" committee has been working to establish new goals for the DSACF which will allow us to make even greater contributions in the years to come.

It's true then that time flies when you're having fun. And it's fair to say that our work here in the community has been fun and rewarding. The fun comes from meeting and interacting with a wide segment of the population of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. The reward comes from seeing the contributions that we've made result in a better community for everyone.

The first event of the Anniversary Celebration Year was the Annual Meeting, held at 4PM on Wednesday, May 21st. We used the term 'annual meeting', but the 'business' part of the meeting was taken care of elsewhere, so this was 100% celebration. The event included a look back at the Foundation's establishment; the announcement of several special grants; an exciting keynote speech by Kathy Tunheim; and the awarding of the first annual Firecracker Award to Mary Van Evera. Check out the news section of the website for photos and more details of the Annual Meeting.

The second event of the 25th Anniversary Celebration is the Scholarship Winners' Dinner held on July 2nd at the Park Point Beach House in Duluth. This event was a fun evening of food networking, and camaraderie while enjoying a beautiful summertime evening on the shores of Lake Superior. With nearly 200 people in attendance, the event was a great success. Participants were a combination of scholarship winners (and proud parents), selection committee members, donors and invited businessmen and women. At the event the Community Foundation also announced the creation of the "Pay It Forward Scholarship Fund" an endowment to funded from the gifts of past scholarship recipients. For more details about the event, check out this page.

In October, the third and final 25th Anniversary Celebration will take place at the DECC. As part of our annual Touchstone Awards, we will honor three non-profits with $25,000 grants each. The Touchstone Awards were created to recognize and celebrate programs or projects for their leadership in transforming problems into opportunities and service into action.

“As a Community Foundation, we are reminded daily of the incredible contributions non-profits make to the region,” said Holly C. Sampson, president of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. “This annual celebration is our way of honoring and sharing some of the stories about the life changing work non-profits do every day in this region.”

The luncheon program will include a video looking back at former Touchstone recipients, music, great food, an opportunity to meet other non-profits in the region and will be hosted by News Director at FOX, Julie Moravchik.