On April 12, Edina Give and Go hosted its 10th Anniversary Celebration at Pinstripes. The organization, whose primary goal is to remove financial barriers for Edina Public Schools students, has provided over $1.3 million in grants and helped over two thousand students.
The event featured both the Edina pep band and a string quartet of Edina music educators.
Edina Give and Go was founded by Meg Rodriguez and Idith Almog, who saw a need in the community and wanted to make a difference. Her past work as a parent volunteer inspired her to start the organization, “ [I] saw that there was a growing number of kids that didn’t have the same opportunities because of economic barriers. Once you see that need, it’s hard to unsee it,” Rodriguez said. “I thought, ‘It would be worthwhile for our community to set up a more systemic approach to how we support kids who want to get involved in extracurricular activities and want the same sense of belonging as other students.’”
Rodriguez said that the ten years are “a true reflection on the values that Edina families, businesses, and residents hold dear.”
Caroline Pappajohn had experience working in nonprofits for about 20 years before she became Edina Give and Go’s executive director in 2022. “My favorite part is the people, because you can have a mission, but it’s the people that put their mind, heart, soul, and energy into it,” she said. “We get letters, emails, and calls from people who have benefited. Someone who wasn’t thinking about going to college was able to go to a financial literacy camp and was excited about the experience and wanted to go because of our scholarship.”
Edina Give and Go’s perseverance over ten years is especially significant given that half of all chartered nonprofits don’t last, according to Forbes. “We’re celebrating ten years, which means looking back and giving gratitude and looking forward and saying, ‘How can we continue to help as this community changes and grows?’” Pappajohn said.
Just last year, Edina Give and Go gave $253,000 in grants for the 1 in 5 Edina students facing financial barriers. Board co-chair Alex Christianson has been a part of Edina Give and Go for seven years and worked on the board for around five. “The need [for grants] is getting bigger,” she said. “We need to do more so students can do more. Each time that we’ve been able to help a student pay for an activity or rent a musical instrument or get a scholarship or buy a yearbook is significant.”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on April 18, 2024
