Drive Wellbeing Work that Impacts Lives by Giving
Certification is just the start! We have more work to do together and it starts right now.
Over the last three years, each of you has come together and made it so that North Grand Forks became the very first Blue Zones Project Certified Community in North Dakota. You’ve proven that when thousands of people prioritize wellbeing leadership at the highest level, truly amazing connections form…
When Mary, a teacher and a parent of a student at a Winship Elementary School, reached out to us with the hope of starting a community garden where students and their families, as well as teachers and their families, could grow culturally-relevant foods together all summer long, we knew we needed to take action so that her vision could come to life in the community.
After raising funds to pay for the plot rental space, after several hours of planning meetings with new and beginner gardeners, and after Mary’s own passionate pursuit of grant funds to secure supplies for the project, we were so moved to see 30+ volunteers come out on the last day of May to help us get everything started. In the months that followed, more volunteers (including some of you!) came multiple days per week every week to weed, water, and learn together.
Through this project, one little girl discovered that she loves fresh leeks, while a local father learned he does not like serrano peppers. One of the school staff volunteers recognized another gardener at the plots from neighborhood events, which led to greater involvement in an autumn Bike-Walk-Roll to School event.
Families involved learned about ways they can donate fresh produce to area pantries, like the Northlands Rescue Mission.
All of us, including volunteers from the GF Air Base and area Girl Scout troops, regardless of past growing experience, learned something new about one another, about the Grand Forks community, about global gardening practices and local soil conditions, about traditional indigenous medicinal plant knowledge, about what our community can do when we gather to grow food for one another, and about what the environment can do for us in return. Together, we demonstrated the potential for what happens when a group of people share their time and labor with one another in an educational, charitable garden plot.
Over the last three years, each of you has come together and made it so that North Grand Forks became the very first Blue Zones Project Certified Community in North Dakota. You’ve proven that when thousands of people prioritize wellbeing leadership at the highest level, truly amazing connections form…
When Mary, a teacher and a parent of a student at a Winship Elementary School, reached out to us with the hope of starting a community garden where students and their families, as well as teachers and their families, could grow culturally-relevant foods together all summer long, we knew we needed to take action so that her vision could come to life in the community.
After raising funds to pay for the plot rental space, after several hours of planning meetings with new and beginner gardeners, and after Mary’s own passionate pursuit of grant funds to secure supplies for the project, we were so moved to see 30+ volunteers come out on the last day of May to help us get everything started. In the months that followed, more volunteers (including some of you!) came multiple days per week every week to weed, water, and learn together.
Through this project, one little girl discovered that she loves fresh leeks, while a local father learned he does not like serrano peppers. One of the school staff volunteers recognized another gardener at the plots from neighborhood events, which led to greater involvement in an autumn Bike-Walk-Roll to School event.
Families involved learned about ways they can donate fresh produce to area pantries, like the Northlands Rescue Mission.
All of us, including volunteers from the GF Air Base and area Girl Scout troops, regardless of past growing experience, learned something new about one another, about the Grand Forks community, about global gardening practices and local soil conditions, about traditional indigenous medicinal plant knowledge, about what our community can do when we gather to grow food for one another, and about what the environment can do for us in return. Together, we demonstrated the potential for what happens when a group of people share their time and labor with one another in an educational, charitable garden plot.
Energy was high at our celebration event in November, where 200 of our community supporters gathered together for a night of reflection and vision to explore the Career Impact Academy, which you helped us fill with literal hundreds of posters, photos, signs, and interactive exhibits showcasing all that Grand Forks has done to prioritize wellbeing.
|
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the time, energy, and support of more than 4,245 people, including teachers, construction workers, caregivers, seniors, youth, hospital system employees, university staff and faculty, volunteers, students, grocery store and restaurant workers and managers, government leaders, sponsors, and everyone else – including you. But Certification is just the start! According to the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, there’s important work to do around food access, healthy food skills, safe and quality housing, and more. It is urgent that we quickly transition our programs and all that you have achieved together in north Grand Forks over the last three years with the Blue Zones Project back into a local nonprofit that can serve as the local wellbeing leader our region needs now and in the future so that you can know there is always going to be an organization for community members like Mary to turn to for support seeing their ideas through to success. When Live Well Grand Cities first came together in 2006, the organization relied entirely on volunteers. The results of the last three years, during which three full-time staff members worked to push wellbeing forward through the Blue Zones Project are something that cannot be sustained without continued commitment from each of us. So, what comes next? |
In 2026 and beyond, your support will allow us to bring our wellbeing work back under the Live Well Grand Cities brand. This local coalition is perfectly positioned to pick up the momentum of the previous three years and, well, run with it: we’re expanding to East Grand Forks and the rest of the Grand Forks community!
We’re proud to say that since we first shared this news, many individuals and organizations have reached out to connect with us. After conversations with local employers, schools, and other organizations, our team is excited to get started. Over the next several weeks, we’re set to give presentations to businesses and community leaders across counties on both sides of the river. Schools are calling and asking us to support even more experiential learning garden projects, like the one volunteers helped grow last year for Winship Elementary families. Pantries are emailing to ask about scheduling more cooking classes. And, as shilo shared in the closing speech during our celebration event last month, many neighbors still dream of a third phase to the Skidmore Park revitalization project. We have an unusual problem: we’re facing so many opportunities! That’s why we need your support now.
Our team is currently waiting to hear back from various foundations on multiple transformational grant opportunities that would sustain our work, so we are busy every day completing all of the tasks associated with getting Live Well up and running, including filing for nonprofit status. You probably already know that 2025 has been a challenging year for nonprofits, but Live Well is only just getting started. Although we’ve secured a fiscal sponsor, we are facing a major funding gap.
We’re proud to say that since we first shared this news, many individuals and organizations have reached out to connect with us. After conversations with local employers, schools, and other organizations, our team is excited to get started. Over the next several weeks, we’re set to give presentations to businesses and community leaders across counties on both sides of the river. Schools are calling and asking us to support even more experiential learning garden projects, like the one volunteers helped grow last year for Winship Elementary families. Pantries are emailing to ask about scheduling more cooking classes. And, as shilo shared in the closing speech during our celebration event last month, many neighbors still dream of a third phase to the Skidmore Park revitalization project. We have an unusual problem: we’re facing so many opportunities! That’s why we need your support now.
Our team is currently waiting to hear back from various foundations on multiple transformational grant opportunities that would sustain our work, so we are busy every day completing all of the tasks associated with getting Live Well up and running, including filing for nonprofit status. You probably already know that 2025 has been a challenging year for nonprofits, but Live Well is only just getting started. Although we’ve secured a fiscal sponsor, we are facing a major funding gap.
Our team is currently waiting to hear back from various foundations on multiple transformational grant opportunities that would sustain our work, so we are busy every day completing all of the tasks associated with getting Live Well up and running, including filing for nonprofit status. You probably already know that 2025 has been a challenging year for nonprofits, but Live Well is only just getting started. Although we’ve secured a fiscal sponsor, we are facing a major funding gap.
Today, we’re reaching out to you, our community, for help.
Partnering with Live Well today doesn’t only help us take care of our team. Supporting Live Well Grand Cities with a gift today also makes it so that our team can expand access to our best programs, like the intergenerational volunteer matching program that serves seniors in our community by preemptively making small changes to their homes that prevent future health risks so they can safely live independently in their homes for more years, to serve the entire community. Can you help by giving a gift before the end of the year?
Partnering with Live Well today doesn’t only help us take care of our team. Supporting Live Well Grand Cities with a gift today also makes it so that our team can expand access to our best programs, like the intergenerational volunteer matching program that serves seniors in our community by preemptively making small changes to their homes that prevent future health risks so they can safely live independently in their homes for more years, to serve the entire community. Can you help by giving a gift before the end of the year?
Champion Wellbeing
Can you make a gift today? Your support directly impacts our programs.
$50 provides seeds and equipment for a classroom garden
$75 ensures we have groceries for a community cooking class, meeting residents where they’re at and building nutritional skills
$100 guarantees that families can attend our intergenerational game night events at no charge
$200 covers the cost for one youth to attend our summer programs
Your support today, either through a one-time or a commitment to a recurring donation, doesn’t just help us raise critical funds to get us through this transitional period. It helps us fulfill our promise to one another that Certification is just the start of what we can achieve together.
$50 provides seeds and equipment for a classroom garden
$75 ensures we have groceries for a community cooking class, meeting residents where they’re at and building nutritional skills
$100 guarantees that families can attend our intergenerational game night events at no charge
$200 covers the cost for one youth to attend our summer programs
Your support today, either through a one-time or a commitment to a recurring donation, doesn’t just help us raise critical funds to get us through this transitional period. It helps us fulfill our promise to one another that Certification is just the start of what we can achieve together.
P.S.: Does your employer offer matching gifts? We’ll help you figure it out! Reach out to us to discuss how you can deepen your impact.
