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REBUILDING LIVES, RESTORING HOPE

Cornerstone's continuum of service helps to create communities where individuals and families are safe and children thrive. We advocate, educate and lead the way to social change. Learn more

Cornerstone at the Capital!

On Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, many staff members of Cornerstone traveled to the State Capital and joined the six Minnesota Crime Coalitions at the Capital to connect with community members and legislators to support crime victim services.

Thank you to the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC), the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA), the Minnesota Alliance On Crime (MAC), Violence Free Minnesota, the Minnesota Children's Alliance , and Mending the Sacred Hoop for bringing everyone in the movement together to rally behind and invest in survivors and their safety!

April is Sexual Assault Month

April 2024 marks the 23rd anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) - a month dedicated to raising awareness and calling for the prevention of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. You can learn more about the history of SAAM here.

The theme for this year's SAAM is Building Connected Communities. Community is powerful. Community creates a sense of belonging and reminds us of how our beliefs, choices, and actions impact one another.

At the center of Building Connected Communities is ensuring our communities are safe, inclusive, and equitable. Racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, and other forms of oppression contribute to higher rates of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. We must address all abuses of power to prevent sexual violence -- in our relationships, communities, and society. You can access resources for this year’s theme here.

Cornerstone provides support to victims/survivors of sexual violence as part of our full continuum of services. Learn more on our website.

Cornerstone Selected As Grantee in New WCA Foundation Trust-Based Philanthropy Cohort

This month, Cornerstone was so honored and grateful to be named as a grantee in the WCA Foundation's new Trust-Based Philanthropy cohort.

As part of this cohort, Cornerstone will receive unrestricted funding for two years that will allow us the flexibility to meet the greatest needs of our organization and our participants. Trust-based philanthropy is rooted in collaboration and strong relationships between funders and grantees, and we are so excited to be working closely with the WCA Foundation and this cohort.

Read the official announcement, learn more about the cohort, and the WCA Foundation's new approach to grantmaking here.

Congrats to Our Executive Director, Artika Roller!

We here are so proud of our very own Executive Director Artika Roller for being named a runner-up in Nonprofit HR's 2024 Social Impact Women to Watch List!

Let's keep pushing boundaries and creating positive change together! Explore the full list of remarkable women here.

Cornerstone's ASPIRE Program Returning This Fall

After pausing the program during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cornerstone is pleased to announce the return of ASPIRE, our after-school program that offers kids a safe and fun place to come after the school day. The ASPIRE program will be open to school-aged children connected to Cornerstone, beginning this Fall 2024 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. here at Cornerstone.

ASPIRE is an incredible program for kids, allowing them to have a place to come after school to have fun, do crafts, receive homework help and tutoring, enjoy meals and snacks, and socialize with others. And through our trauma-informed staff, the activities at ASPIRE will foster socio-emotional health skills.

How You Can Support Cornerstone's ASPIRE Program

Volunteer Intern Opportunity - We are looking for students who want experience working with youth in a trauma-informed after-school setting. Interns will be needed 6-12 hours a week from 2:30-6:30 PM on Tuesdays-Thursdays throughout the semester. This would be an unpaid internship, but can qualify for school credit as approved by schools. No previous experience, drivers license, or car required, but interested candidates must be willing to learn trauma-informed practices. Apply here today!
Supplies Needed - While we are still months away from ASPIRE beginning, it's never too early to begin thinking about supplies. Our biggest need right now is non-perishable snack donations. Please let us know if you are interested in donating or hosting a donation drive on behalf of Cornerstone's ASPIRE program.

Questions?

If you are interested in supporting the ASPIRE program, please reach out to Cornerstone's Childcare Specialist, Ely Z, at elyz@cornerstonemn.org.

Current Needs, Volunteer Opportunities, and How You Can Help?

Ethnic Personal Care Products - We are in need of multiple different ethnic personal care products for our participants, either as individual donations or as an organization drive. We ask that personnel care items are fully sized and consist of:

All of the items above can be found on the Amazon links above, but also at stores like Walmart, Target, Sally's Beauty Supply, Ulta Beauty, Walgreens, CVS, and Sephora.

Mother's Day Event Volunteers - Cornerstone will be hosting a special Mother's Day event on May 14th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and we are looking for a group of volunteers to assist with set up, preparing and serving a meal, as well as clean up. Groups are here from 4:30pm to 7:30pm including set up and cleaning. Group size is usually 5-7 volunteers. If you are interested, please contact courtneyp@cornerstonemn.org to learn more and sign up.

Amazon Wishlist - An amazing way to support Cornerstone and our participants includes gifting any items currently listed on our Amazon Wishlist. We regularly update our Wishlist to reflect our programs' and participants' needs.

ASPIRE Program Supplies - As mentioned above, we are looking for individuals interested in donating non-perishable snacks, as well as any organizations that would be interested in holding a donation drive on behalf of Cornerstone's after-school ASPIRE program.

School Supplies - We are also in need of various school supplies, including mechanical pencils, backpacks (especially for teens), red pens, calculators (regular, scientific, and especially graphing), colored highlighters (besides yellow), Kleenex, sandwich-size Ziploc bags, Clorox wipes, paper towels,

pencil pouches (fabric and the plastic box ones), pencil sharpeners, wired headphones, college ruled notebooks, 1 inch binders, 3 inch binders, and expo markers.

Personal Care Items - A regular need for us includes multiple different personal care items for our participants. We ask that personnel care items are fully sized and consist of toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner (for both straight and curly hair), ethnic personal care products (see above), and body wash.

Group Organization and Outdoor Cleanup - Once the weather warms up, we will be in need of groups interested in coming to Cornerstone to help organize storage areas and clean up our outdoor spaces. Scheduling will be flexible.

Join Cornerstone’s Board of Directors - Want to make a difference in the lives of those who have experienced violence and trauma? We are currently seeking a diverse group of board candidates with varied backgrounds and areas of expertise to join our Board of Directors. We encourage applicants with lived experiences related to our mission and/or who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color; and people who identify as LGBTQ+. We specifically are seeking candidates with expertise in fundraising, legal matters, public policy, and/or who are employed within a small business enterprise or have local corporate affiliations.

For more information on joining Cornerstone’s Board of Directors, contact our Executive Director Artika Roller at artikar@cornerstonemn.org.

Interested in Donating or Volunteering?

If you are interested in any of these opportunities or would like any more information, please contact Courtney P, Director of Advancement, at courtneyp@cornerstonemn.org.

Donations may be dropped off at our Bloomington location Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Please email Courtney once you’ve dropped off a donation so that we may record your gift and properly thank you.

Thank You To Our Supporters!

Once again, thank you to the WCA Foundation for including Cornerstone in their Trust-Based Philanthropy cohort. We look forward to this collaborative partnership!

We are also so grateful to the Church of St. Edward community for their generous donation of cleaning supplies this spring. As part of their services during the Lenten season, the members of St. Edward collected everything from laundry detergent to Clorox wipes for Cornerstone’s families.