Give16 Honors

Award Recipients Announced
GIVE16 Honors recognizes sixteen individuals, organizations, and nonprofits for outstanding work and community impact. We want to hear about who you think has made a difference and why they should be a GIVE16 Honors recipient. Selected nominees will receive a $1,000 award provided by title sponsor Ernst & Young.

Minnesota Special Hockey
Recognized Nominees: Jane Cashin and Cassie Merrick. Minnesota Special Hockey exists for the enrichment of the athlete with a developmental disability.

Hendrickson Foundation
Recognized Nominee: Danny Hendrickson. The Hendrickson Foundation began organically in 2011 through discussions between Larry and friend, US Hockey Coach-In-Chief, Mike “Mac” MacMillan, about an extreme lack of participation within disabled hockey programs in Minnesota.

ACES For Kids
Recognized Nominee: Christina Saunders. ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students) is an innovative out-of-school time program that sparks math and social-emotional learning through the exciting, universal lens of sports.

Be The Change Golf Tournament
Recognized Nominees: Houston White and John Baker. Be The Change Golf tournament is a charitable event intended to bring people together who might not otherwise cross paths for a round of golf as a way to spark a conversation and get to know each other. We believe this is a crucial step on the journey to building strong relationships with members of the Black community.

MiCreate
Recognized Nominee: Davina Ugochukwu. MiCreate is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works across the country to support entrepreneurs who are survivors of human trafficking.

Chad Smith Ride for Life
In Memory of Chad Smith. Chad Smith Ride for Life started in 2008 as a bike run to benefit Chad Smith, who was fighting Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Abbeys Hope
Recognized Nominee: Katey Taylor. In 2008, six-year-old Abbey Taylor died from injuries she received from an improperly maintained wading pool drain.

The North Stands
Recognized Nominee: David Fhima. The North Stands is a fundraising initiative created by Northbound Creative and Fhima’s Minneapolis to provide financial relief to hospitality industry professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Warriors Next Adventure
Recognized Nominee: Nick Rahn. Warrior’s Next Adventure is a charity aimed at preventing veteran suicide and helping veterans who are struggling with PTSD and other mental health issues.

Change Starts With Me
Recognized Nominee: Justin Hall. The mission of #ChangeStartsWithMe is to rebuild our community physically and emotionally by assisting fellow Minnesotans who have been negatively impacted by the recent social, health, and economic crisis. Our goal is to listen and better understand racial inequality that exists in our state and beyond, then take action to drive long-term positive change.

Team Brax (TB1 Fund)
Recognized Nominees: The Battaglia Family. TB1F and Brax are dedicated to making a difference. Being able to provide positive experiences or ‘day brighteners’ that can immediately affect patients and families is critical to Brax’s mission.

Hammer
Recognized Nominee: John Estrem. Alvina Hammer’s mission remains true, even after 95 years: to provide adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to live life to its fullest. When our dedicated staff, donors, advocates, and volunteers come together to ensure the health and well-being of all people with developmental disabilities, and for the greater good of this organization, amazing things happen.

Eden Prairie Scheels
Recognized Nominee: Austin Link. SCHEELS knows the value of giving back to causes and organizations that support our communities. That’s why we donate between 8 and 10% of our profits annually to organizations in our local communities and ask that they use the money wisely to create lasting change.

Avenues for Youth
Recognized Nominee: Katherine Meerse. For 25 years, Avenues has supported youth ages 16-24 in Hennepin County. Whether a young person needs someplace to stay for just one night, or a year and a half, Avenues empowers youth to find their path out of homelessness. We do that by providing a stable home, building trusting relationships, and navigating the youth’s education, career, health and wellness and housing goals.

NEON
Recognized Nominee: Warren McLean. Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON) began working to advance the efforts of underserved entrepreneurs in the community a decade ago. Launched in 2006 with grant from NorthWay Community Trust, NEON used its talents and offerings to build and support Northside businesses owned by lower-income Northside residents.

MATTER
Recognized Nominee: Joe Newhouse. MATTER is a Minnesota-based global health nonprofit organization on a mission to expand access to health next door and around the world. Internationally, MATTER addresses these barriers by giving hospitals the tools they need to care for the sick and injured in dignified ways, and by designing solutions to create diversified and resilient farms. Locally, MATTER activates healthy eating for kids and families with the MATTERbox program, an innovative solution to healthy food access and nutrition education.
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