Contacts:
Sean McDonnell, Cargill, 952-742-6245
Harold Mezile, YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis, 612-371-8713
Cargill Donates $2.5 Million to YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis to Expand North Community YMCA
MINNEAPOLIS – Cargill today announced it is contributing $2.5 million to the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis to help double the capacity of the North Community YMCA to serve children and families in North Minneapolis.
Cargill’s gift as part of the YMCA’s $50 million Commitment to Community capital campaign will help the YMCA create a new network of facilities, youth services and school success programs at its 1711 W. Broadway facility, which will be renamed the North Community YMCA Youth and Family Enrichment Center. It also will allow the YMCA to partner with NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, 1313 Penn Ave. N., to provide an expanded center serving adults and families.
Home to approximately 18 percent of the city’s population, North Minneapolis is one of the city’s most ethnically diverse communities – and most rapidly changing. Over the past decade, the number of youth ages 5 to 19 in North Minneapolis increased by 40 percent, straining the ability of the current North Community YMCA to meet local needs. There are 18,000 children under the age of 18 living within one mile of the North Community YMCA.
“We are committed to the YMCA’s stated mission to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities,” said David Raisbeck, vice chairman, Cargill, and board member, YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. “Cargill’s gift to the YMCA aligns with our own company’s desire to nourish the people and possibilities in the communities where we do business. We’re thrilled that this gift will enable the YMCA to serve significantly more children and families in North Minneapolis and increase its programming around important issues such as school success, health and wellness.”
Specifically, Cargill’s gift will help the YMCA:
• Completely redesign, remodel and expand the current North Community YMCA.
• Add additional space for children’s programming, including after-school and summer youth services programs.
• Add space for an additional YMCA Beacons site, a community-based collaborative for low-income youth to improve student academic, social and lifework development though “extended-day” learning activities.
• Expand the facility’s health and wellness capabilities, including the Fit Families program, which promotes swim lessons, exercise, and shared healthy meals prepared under the guidance of a certified dietician, and expand the NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center to provide a full array of cardiovascular and strength equipment and aerobics studios.
“We are sincerely grateful for this gift to our YMCA Commitment to Community Capital Campaign and our partnership with Cargill,” said Harold Mezile, president and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. “It truly is a leadership gift that we hope will be a catalyst to the entire corporate community. The true beneficiaries of Cargill’s gift will be the youth and families that we serve.”
Funded through the Cargill Foundation, Cargill’s gift to the YMCA is the largest corporate contribution ever received by the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. It will be distributed over five years.
Cargill’s gift continues a decades-long partnership between the company and the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. In the 1970s, Cargill helped construct the North Community YMCA, the Southdale YMCA and the Northwest YMCA. In the 1980s, Cargill helped build the University YMCA and the Emma B. Howe YMCA in Coon Rapids, as well as expand the capacity of several local YMCA camps. And for the past four years, Cargill has supported the YMCA Beacons program at Nellie Stone Johnson School in North Minneapolis.
About Cargill:
Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 142,000 employees in 61 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. Cargill contributes more than $30 million a year globally to enrich the communities where its employees live and work.