mspmag.com | M P L S . S T .

P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 89
This years honorees do everything from teaching preschoolers their
colors to fostering peace among enemies. What they share is a
commitment to helping others that deserves a big round of applause.
LIVING TO GIVE
PORTRAITS BY
RANDALL NELSON
2013
VOLUNTEER HALL OF FAME
BY
AMANDA
LEPINSKI
OCTOBER 2013 | M P L S . S T . P A U L | mspmag.com 90
LEADI NG BY
EXAMPLE
The bank president makes giving a
priority for himself and his employees.
He makes it sound so simple: I like to
be involved with things I care about
and like, RICHARD DAVIS says.
But encouraging others to donate
t hei r t i me and money i s a
challenge, even when youre the
top executive at US Bancorp, a
company that supports com-
munity involvement, matches
employee donations, and encour-
ages employees to spend some work
hours volunteering.
There are a fair percentage of
people who still dont give here at all yet
because they havent figured out how.
They dont know how to break the ice
or what to do about it," he says. Davis
worked hard to change that when he
ran the Greater Twin Cities United Way
Annual Fund. "I did well more than 75
corporate meetings to talk about the
campaignencourage people to think
differently, volunteer, follow with money,
give to United Way, all of that, he says.
Daviss commitment to United Way
extends beyond his work life. He and his
wife, Theresa Davis, co-chaired United
Ways Annual Campaign in 2010 and
raised more than $88 million to sup-
port efforts to help people overcome
poverty. He also co-chairs a program
called Step-Up, which connects kids
in public schools with professionals as
they move from high school to college.
Theres something about intersecting
with young people at a certain point in
their life[they] get a chance to change
their view of whats possible in our com-
munity, Davis says.
With people like Davis working to
strengthen our community, end poverty,
and connect young people with business
leaders, the possibilities for success
seem endless.
Day job: Chairman,
president, and
CEO of US Bancorp
Volunteerism: United
Way, Minnesota
Business Partnership,
YMCA of Minneapolis,
Guthrie Theater,
Minneapolis Institute
of Arts, Minnesota
Orchestra
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
RICHARD
DAVIS
NORTHSIDE
ACHIEVEMENT ZONE
SONDRA SAMUELS was fed up with the problems in her
north Minneapolis neighborhood. A successful diversity
consultant, she also had ideas on how to remedy them. We
knew that violence wasnt the problem, she says. It was
a symptom of a greater problem. She banded with other
community leaders to form Northside Achievement Zone in
2010 to tackle the core issuemultigenerational poverty
from all sides. Samuels became president and CEO.
If poverty is a disease that affects the entire community
in the form of unemployment, violence, broken homes, and
failing schools, she says, then we cant just address the
symptoms in isolation. NAZ employs volunteersprimarily
fellow northside residentswho help people connect with
career counselors, implement improvement plans for their
families, and nd academic support. The ultimate
hope is that those who grow up beneting from
these services will nish college, return to
the neighborhood, and give back, creating
a cycle of multigenerational success.
Its off to a strong start. We have a
255-block area now, Samuels says.
Good news spreads.
SMILE NETWORK
INTERNATIONAL
As she approached a midlife crossroads, KIM VALENTINI
did some soul-searching. I made a list of what I wanted to
accomplish in the next 50 years, and one of those was a ve-
hour-per-week project. That little endeavor was Smile Network
International. Those ve hours quickly turned into 55, and in
2003 Valentini left her corporate job behind to work full-time
running the nonprot organization she created.
Valentini has 162 passport stamps, each one representing
dozens of children who have been saved through a simple
surgery to repair a cleft palate and lips. Many cultures see facial
deformities as a bad omen. Parents of children with deformities
are pressured to abandon them rather than bring devastation
into an already impoverished village. Even if families opt to
hide or protect children with cleft palates and lips, its hard
for them to eat, socialize, and build relationships. A simple,
inexpensive surgery can change all of that.
Valentini coordinates about eight mission trips each year
to perform the 45-minute, $500 procedure. Sergio Garca
Dominguez is one of the 2,500 kids who has been given a new
life by the Smile Network. He was just 8 years old when he
traveled 15 miles on foot with friends from his mountain village in
Mexico to have the surgery. That was 10 years ago. Now he goes
to school, loves to sing and play guitar, and has a viable future.
mspmag.com | M P L S . S T . P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 91
MAKING
THE LEAP
SOMETIMES A GOOD
CAUSE BECOMES
A FULL-ON
CAREER.
OCTOBER 2013 | M P L S . S T . P A U L | mspmag.com 92
LEONARD GLOEB hated hospitals. He
avoided doctors. He didnt want to relive
the scary tonsillectomy experience he
had undergone as a kid. But he didnt
want anyone else to suffer the way
he had either, so the master gardener
did something brave: He went to the
hospital.
Gloeb walked into Childrens Hospital
with the idea that plants could help
kids struggling with life-threatening
illnesses adapt to hospital surround-
ings and procedures. That was 27 years
ago. Since then hes racked up more
than 15,000 volunteer hours through a
program he co-founded called My Little
Green Friends.
The program works like this: When
kids are admitted to the hospital, they
are given their choice of a plant to take
care of in their room, if they want one.
No pressure. The kids then use hospital
cups as pots, tongue depressors to dig
soil, and syringes to water their plant. As
they do, they become more comfortable
with the tools doctors and nurses use on
them daily. They also start to relax.
Gloeb recalls one little girl who ini-
tially didnt join the program. She even-
tually changed her mind, so I brought
three plants in for her to choose from,
he says. As she was watering her plant
she started talking to me, and by the time
she was done, she was grinning from ear
to ear. Her mother started crying.
Another one of Gloebs favorite My
Little Green Friends moments involved
a quiet little boy who watched intently
as Gloeb talked about plants, explained
how to care for them, and demon-
strated how to pot a plant. When he
finished potting his plant, the boy
turned to his mother and said, Look,
mom. My plant! His nurses jaw liter-
ally dropped, and I didnt know why,
Gloeb says.
I found out later that it was because
the boy had been at the hospital for ve
days and those were the rst words he
spoke to anyone, including his parents.
Its moments like these that remind
Gloeb of why he does what he does,
and why he intends to continue. I said
I would keep volunteering as long as I
can get around, and God lets me do it.
A HELPI NG HAND
WI TH A GREEN THUMB
This master gardener can grow anything, but his favorite thing to see
blossom is the smile on a sick childs face.
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
LEONARD
GLOEB
Day job: Ramsey
County master gardener
Volunteerism: Childrens
Hospitals and Clinics
mspmag.com | M P L S . S T . P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 93
MONEY TALKS
Accountant John Kelly makes sure
ARC has the funding it needs to
support those with special needs.
When JOHN KELLY's son was diag-
nosed with autism in the 1990s, he and
his wife Paula werent even sure what
autism was, let alone how to navigate
life with it. Then they discovered The
ARC Greater Twin Cities, which sup-
ports people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities and their
families. It became a lifeline, and Kelly,
a tax and nancial expert, gave back by
giving money.
These days, he encourages others to
do the same as a member of the board.
Kelly lobbies for donations, works on
activities and fundraisers, and serves as
nancial counsel. In 2011, he secured a
$250,000 donation from UnitedHealth
Group, his employer, the largest
corporate grant he believes ARC has
ever received.
Kelly is proud of UnitedHealth
Groups commitment to volunteerism.
Ive become quite an outspoken spon-
sor and supporter, he says. The com-
pany encourages new hires to work
together on a volunteer project. One
of these was a Fund-A-Need gala to
help young people with developmen-
tal disabilities make the transition
from school to adulthood. At the 2009
event, Kelly appealed to the guests
by sharing his sons story. Donations
increased 25 percent that year and
have continued to grow ever since to
a whopping $364,000 in 2013.
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
JOHN
KELLY
Day job: Senior vice president of tax,
UnitedHealth Group Volunteerism: The ARC
Greater Twin Cities, Wakota Life Care Center,
Catholic Charities of St.Paul and Minneapolis
OCTOBER 2013 | M P L S . S T . P A U L | mspmag.com 94
Day job: Novelist, and retired former president
of Words at Work marketing communications
rm Volunteerism: People Serving People,
The Playwrights Center
TWO WAYS
TO PLAY
He used to be in
marketing.
Now he is playing
with kids and
helps get plays
made.
ELISE LINEHAN is goal-oriented.
Thats what drew her to Project
SUCCESS nine years ago. The local
organization puts facilitators in mid-
dle and high schools to connect with
students, hold workshops, and set
clear objectives for their future. Its
a great program because it gets kids
to start thinking about their future
in sixth gradeand then start goal-
setting, and then think about how
theyll achieve their goals, Linehan
expl ai ns. And then when they
graduate, they really have a plan for
their future.
Li nehan serves on the board,
where she has had several different
behind-the-scenes roles. I felt like
the skills I could bring were orga-
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
CHARLIE
QUIMBY
THE FUTURE S
SO BRI GHT
She helps kids learn how to set
goals and dream big.
mspmag.com | M P L S . S T . P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 95
CHARLIE QUIMBY spends his days
reading books, painting, and teaching
kids ages 3 to 5 the things they need
to know to be ready for kindergarten
and eventually to vote.
Im working with kids because
someday theyre going to be the vot-
ers, work force, and homeowners or
renters. Or theyre going to be the
problem, he says. The kids he works
with are in crisis because of poverty
and homelessness. If we dont work
with the kids who are in a crisis, were
looking at a lifetime of challenges for
them and their families.
At People Serving People in down-
town Minneapolis, the goal is to give
these stressed families a leg up by
providing apartments, classrooms,
and a daycare centerall onsite, mak-
ing it easy for parents to look for jobs,
learn skills, and get the time they need
to create a stable environment for their
families.
Instability is a strain on kids, and
when parents are worried about nd-
ing food and housing, pre-K learning
moves down on the long list of priori-
ties they have for their kids. At PSP,
teachers and volunteers help ll that
gap, making sure kids recognize their
letters, colors, and numbers so theyre
on track when they enter kindergarten.
We also work on things like how to
wash your hands, stand in a line, and
resolve conicts, Quimby says. These
kids come from stressful environments
and dont have a permanent place to
live. Its a real critical development
time for them, and its really impor-
tant to give them as much support
as possible.
When hes not sitting on child-sized
chairs helping youngsters identify the
color yellow, Quimby chairs the devel-
opment committee of The Playwrights
Center, a volunteer position that serves
a completely different need. For seven
years now, hes helped raise funds to
support serious playwrights in various
stages of their careers. These plays
relate to the world today, he says.
The center helps artists do impor-
tant work that moves society forward
in a different way. Thats what its
all about.
nization, leadership, moti-
vation, marketing, and
events. That s how I
really got involved with
vol unteeri ng, I l ove
working with people
and projects.
Project SUCCESS also
expands kids horizons. The
kids and their families get to experi-
ence theater, Linehan says. Project
SUCCESS partners with 30-plus local
theaters and offers complimentary
tickets to students at schools to attend
performances with their families. If
necessary, Project SUCCESS will pro-
vide daycare or transportation. When
parents are active with their children
in a creative environment, dreams are
born, Linehan says. They start see-
ing new possibilities that shape their
goals. A brighter future becomes
within reach.
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
ELISE
LINEHAN
Day job: Vice president of product
development for Julia Knight Inc.
Volunteerism: Project SUCCESS
OCTOBER 2013 | M P L S . S T . P A U L | mspmag.com 96
GROWI NG
STRONG
His plan of attack: give kids tools
and a purpose.
Weve got to give the next generation
the freedom to lead and change the
world, because they will, says MIKE
FITERMAN, father of three, grandfa-
ther to six, and president of a successful
family-run business solutions company.
I am passionate about making sure kids
have a good start in life and that parents
are not deprived of providing for their
kids and giving them a good education.
He puts that passion into action,
devoting his time, talents, and money
to a long list of organizations that sup-
port kids from birth through adulthood:
Childrens Crisis Nursery, Childrens
Hospitals and Clinics, the University of
Minnesota Foundation, the Minnesota
Early Learning Foundation, and Greater
Twin Cities United Way.
I love childrens causes. I love help-
ing to develop kids because theres so
much potential that can be wasted if
not directed early, he says. I was on
the board of directors at MELF, and a
bunch of corporate CEOs raised more
than $20 million to determine the best
way to get kids ready for kindergar-
mspmag.com | M P L S . S T . P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 97
ten. We knew that 80 percent of brain
development happens before age 6. If
you dont prepare the child, they wont
know how to read or recognize colors
or letters, and then theyre a teenager
who hates school. Theyll have been in
the lowest reading group, and theyll get
bullied or bully someone else. If we dont
do something early, those kids will fall
through the cracks without help.
One antidote to bullying, Fiterman
says, is giving kids a safe environment
where they can help others, feel empow-
ered, and gain a sense of purpose. For
those kids who are bullied, the greatest
escape could be volunteering someplace
where they are really appreciated and
where people like them for who they
are and what theyre doing, Fiterman
says. Volunteering is a great equalizer.
Nonprot organizations need volunteers;
they welcome them with open arms.
Volunteering is also addictive, he
says. Once you do it you feel so
good that you want to keep doing
it. Fiterman touts events like We
Day, where kids are rewarded for
their volunteerism with a ticket to
an arena concert (see story on page 36).
We Day is great because it shows high
school and junior high kids they can
make a difference by volunteering or
raising just $25. Its so important to learn
that giving is a responsibility we all have
to make a difference or change.
Ever the family man, Fiterman insists
that his wife, Linda, is even more gener-
ous with her time than he is. Their chil-
dren and grandchildren have followed
in their footsteps, too. Theres nothing
more gratifying for a parent or a grand-
parent than to see that your values have
rubbed off.
YOUTH VOLUNTEER
MADELINE TITUS, a junior at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, is excited about We
Day coming to Minnesota. Last year was my second time at We Day, the 16-year-old
says of the event that honors youth volunteers. Its hard to describe the day. Ive never
experienced anything like it. Its like 18,000 teenagers screaming, not
for Justin Bieber, but for something that actually matters. Its one
of those times you get goose bumps all over your arms.
Titus earned her ticket to We Day this year by doing a
couple of things. She traveled to Arizona with kids from
other local high schools for a social justice conference that
led to the creation of an anti-bullying workshop. When
it comes to bullying, no matter how many times teachers
or parents say something, it comes down to the students
and how they interact with each other, she says. She also
volunteers at a nursing home. Helping at the nursing home
puts my faith into action and shows me what it means to be
human: Its respecting others and their human dignity, she says.
NEXT
GENERATION
Day job: Chairman,
president, and CEO of Liberty
Diversied International
Volunteerism: Greater Twin Cities
United Way, Childrens Hospitals and
Clinics, Greater Minneapolis Childrens Crisis
Nursery, University of Minnesota Foundation,
Minnesota Early Learning Foundation
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
MIKE
FITERMAN
OCTOBER 2013 | M P L S . S T . P A U L | mspmag.com 98
When people think about volunteerism,
the image that comes to mind is of some-
one slipping on a hair net and grabbing a
ladle at a soup kitchen. But what if no
one knew about the soup kitchen? Enter
public relations exec LYNN CASEY.
People in my business are trained to
help organizations build relationships
with people who are important to their
success, she says. We have a tremen-
dous opportunity to volunteer because
every nonprofit organization needs
people on their committees to help
build relationships.
Casey devotes time to local boards
and committees for organizations,
such as the Minneapolis Foundation
and Greater Twin Cities United Way,
that support all kinds of nonprots. She
encourages her employees at PadillaCRT
to do the same. To be a well-rounded
citizen of the community I live in, I really
believe Im obligated to give back, she
says. I believe in the give where you live
philosophy.
That philosophy is a driving force
behind the way her company operates.
We encourage our employees to get out
as much as possible into the community
to use their skills for good, she says.
Volunteers can really energize an orga-
nization, especially in the social service
sectors where the issues seem intractable
and theres never enough money to do the
work. The staff is in the trenches every
day and can lose their heart. Volunteers
take some of that burden and help the
organization be the best it can be.
Thanks to their work, those in need of
help know where they can get it, and those
who want to help know how they can chip
inwhether thats with a ladle or not.
Day job: Chair and CEO
of PadillaCRT public
relations and marketing
rm Volunteerism: The
Minneapolis Foundation,
Meet Minneapolis,
Greater Twin Cities United
Way, University of Minnesota
Foundation, Minnesota Womens
Economic Roundtable, Itasca Project
TAKI NG CARE OF BUSI NESS
A communicator, connector, and business leader gives where she lives.
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
LYNN
CASEY
Imagine a starving family traveling miles
on foot, losing loved ones along the way
to exhaustion and famine, all in search of
nourishment and a better life. Now imag-
ine two enemies sitting a few feet from one
another praying for forgiveness and peace.
ARTHUR ROUNER has witnessed
both of these situations. Rouner was
a minister when he and 17 other peo-
ple from five local churches founded
Christian Volunteers of Minnesota in
the 1990s, after traveling to Africa in
1982 to provide food and care to starving
Ethiopians. We helped with the famine
for 12 years, Rouner says. In 1994, the
focus moved to Rwanda, where a differ-
ent kind of aid was in order. With the
genocide, the work shifted to the great
lakes of Africa, where we worked exclu-
sively with healing work: reconciliation
and peacemaking.
Rouner is retired now, but hes still
committed to the organization, the
cause, and the mission trips that
help soothe the deepest hurts
imaginable by gathering lead-
ers of feuding tribes together.
People affected by genocide
live with that trauma. It affects
their whole life. The priests and
leaders who are affected are collected
and sent to us for three days, Rouner
says. Groups of as many as 30 people sit
in a circle, tell their stories, discuss for-
giveness, and pray. Its quite an experi-
ence when your enemy comes and joins
in a prayer for you, he says. At the end,
they wash one anothers feet, cleansing
past sins to create a new start.
Rouners work has inspired others.
Christian Volunteers of Minnesota has
spawned a number of other organiza-
tions, including the Childrens Center
that offers support to African orphanages
and schools, he says.
The healing is happening here, too.
Minnesota has become a new home for
African refugees," Rouner says. "Weve
already had 14 three-day healing retreats
with people who have come to Minnesota
from Ethiopia and South Sudan.
mspmag.com | M P L S . S T . P A U L | OCTOBER 2013 99
MI RACLE MAN
A former minister does the impossible: teaching bitter enemies to forgive each other.
2013
VOLUNTEER
HALL OF FAME
ARTHUR
ROUNER
Day job: Reverend doctor, and retired head
minister at the Colonial Church of Edina
Volunteerism: Christian Volunteers of Minnesota