AchieveMpls Honors 2017 Community Partners

We're proud to introduce our 2017 AchieveMpls Community Partners, 60 Twin Cities businesses, foundations, public agencies and nonprofits that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to Minneapolis students during the 2016-17 fiscal year. These Community Partners include three level of recognition, with three Champions - Accenture, Best Buy and U.S. Bank - 10 Allies and 47 Advocates who have provided varying levels of financial gifts and volunteer service, as well as strategic leadership, expertise and collaboration in our career and college readiness programs with Minneapolis students.

“Our 2017 AchieveMpls Community Partner Champions, Advocates and Allies understand that their success and the success of our young people go hand in hand,” says Danielle Grant, AchieveMpls President and CEO. “Strong community partnerships lead to increased student achievement, enhanced social capital and a greater likelihood of graduation and career success. It’s inspiring to collaborate with community partners that are so passionate about our young people and so committed to offering their gifts of time, talent and treasure for the benefit of our entire community.”

AchieveMpls Champions

Our three 2017 Champions have demonstrated extraordinary commitment through financial or pro bono contributions of over $50,000 as well as programmatic involvement at the very highest levels.

Accenture
Our new Champion Accenture has made several outstanding contributions to the STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program since 2013. In addition to hiring and mentoring high school interns, Accenture has designed the core work readiness training curriculum for advanced STEP-UP Achieve interns, and provides a team of work readiness trainers each year to help students prepare for their summer jobs. Leveraging the same tools and strategies it deploys for its Fortune Global 500 clients, Accenture staff also delivered nine weeks of pro bono consulting to our staff on cultivating and strengthening key relationships with employers and expanding internship opportunities. Accenture Program Director Scott Cummings also provides strong leadership on the AchieveMpls Board of Directors.

Best Buy
Our new Champion Best Buy has been the Presenting Sponsor for our AchieveMpls Education Partners Luncheon for over a decade, as well as Presenting Sponsor for our 15th Anniversary Dinner Celebration. In addition to event support, Best Buy also provides generous grants for AchieveMpls career and college readiness programs. The company returned as a STEP-UP Achieve employer in 2017, providing challenging internships and professional mentoring for five Minneapolis high school interns at its corporate headquarters. Best Buy Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer Mat Watson, who serves on the AchieveMpls board, is one of the many Best Buy team members who mentor Minneapolis students as AchieveMpls Graduation Coaches or career exploration volunteers.

U.S. Bank
Now in its third year as an AchieveMpls Champion, U.S. Bank has provided extraordinary program and financial support for AchieveMpls. U.S. Bank has participated in the STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program since it was founded in 2004, and has hired 398 interns, more than other private sector employer. It has also developed a cadre of highly-experienced STEP-UP Achieve supervisors with great heart and skill for helping Minneapolis youth advance their professional development and career exploration. U.S. Bank Executive Chairman Richard Davis, one of the co-founders of STEP-UP, has served as the program’s co-chair and one of its most passionate ambassadors in the local business community. U.S. Bank Senior Vice President and Chief Litigation Counsel Kristina Carlson also offers her expertise on the AchieveMpls board.

AchieveMpls Advocates

Our ten Advocates made substantial gifts of $25,000-$49,999 during the past fiscal year or were highly engaged in multiple AchieveMpls programs, including STEP-UP Achieve, Graduation Coaches, mock interviews and career exploration events. Some also served as major project partners or had representatives on the AchieveMpls board. These Advocates include:

• Otto Bremer Trust
• Cargill Foundation
• General Mills, Inc.
• David B. Gold Foundation
• Pat and Tom Grossman Family Fund of the Minnesota Community Foundation
• Pohlad Family Foundation
• Target
• University of Minnesota
• Wells Fargo
• Xcel Energy

AchieveMpls Allies

These 47 organizations made financial gifts of $10,000-$24,999, devoted significant time and expertise for our programs with Minneapolis students or had a representative on the AchieveMpls board. See the full list of our 2017 Allies.

To learn how your organization can become an AchieveMpls Community Partner, contact Jane Austin at 612-455-1564.