Jade Foundation

I have been a volunteer with the Jade Foundation for exactly 10 years this month, and what an amazing, fulfilling, joyful experience it continues to be! The Jade Foundation was created in 1999 by MN's then-First Lady Terry Ventura, named for her and Gov. Jesse Ventura's daughter Jade. Its mission is to provide funding to other small nonprofits in Minnesota that help children with disabilities and/or in other difficult life circumstances. I signed up as a volunteer because I was very eager to join with Terry, the Board members, and other volunteers to help raise money and visibility for kids in our state with special needs, and it has truly been one of the very best jobs I have ever had -- paid or volunteer! In the course of talking with grant recipients, I have heard so many profoundly wonderful and heartwarming reports about how their Jade Foundation grant has made a positive difference for the young people they serve. As just a few examples: several therapeutic horseback riding organizations have been able to open their facilities to more kids who need the services; a middle school in Stewartville was able to get a wheelchair-accessible restroom and lounge area built for their students; a clinic that serves the American Indian community in Minneapolis could buy a new vision-screening machine for very young children; an arts organization for people with disabilities could help kids with disabilities throughout the state participate in the arts; a mental health organization could start a support program for its clients; five high school students in tough circumstances got college scholarships, and a therapeutic preschool for kids with behavior disorders was able to keep providing necessary services! I can never say enough about how wonderful it is to have a role in helping to make these grants possible by raising money: I led a team for the Jade Foundation in the Headwaters Foundation's Walk for Justice from 2002-2007, and for the past 2 years, my spouse and I have used our run in the Twin Cities Marathon to raise money for the Jade Foundation; I also helped organize a couple of fundraising concerts in 2008 and 2009. And, of course I love sharing the news of how our grants have helped on our website! You should also know that the Jade Foundation is a volunteer-only organization. We have no paid staff at all, and very few other expenses. That means when you donate to us, your whole donation will go toward helping MN's kids with special needs through future grants!