Ordean Foundation

08/15/2025

Back to School Prep in Action!

Neighborhood Youth Services, Inc. (NYS) had a BIG community (of all ages) turn out for their annual Backpack Drive Prep Session today. A total of 2,000 student backpacks (1,000 elementary and 1,000 middle/high school) were filled with grade appropriate school supplies.

Next Monday at Bayfront Park, NYS will distribute these backpacks to local families, as well as providing free haircuts and hair styling, a free bbq, clothes distribution from Maurice’s, and performances from local bands and students.

Such an incredible effort on behalf of, and with, our community! Thanks NYS! To support and find out more about Neighborhood Youth Services, find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Best wishes to all of our youth heading back to school.

📸: Ivy Vainio, Ordean Board of Directors Member

08/14/2025

“Lift Your Head Up”

Inspiring, and community centered, first annual “It Takes a Village” fundraiser by Family Freedom Center (FFC). Music, dinner, spotlights on the work that FFC does day in and day out with a focus on overcoming poverty with emerging and established entrepreneurs, youth programs, and community outreach. Board of Directors member Ivy Vainio, new Ordean Foundation staff member Andy Switzer (Policy & Innovation Manager) and former Ordean Foundation Director Joe Everett attended. Keep up the great work, Family Freedom Center and congrats on the success of your first community fundraiser!

To learn more about Family Freedom Center: www.familyfreedomcenter.org/

📸 Ivy Vainio

06/16/2025

06/16/2025

YWCA Duluth is creating intentional dialogue with women and gender expansive people in our community to learn what they need, and to create programming to fit. They are doing this through our Electronic Survey and our Community Conversations. Please consider taking part in this important community assessment effort.

https://www.ywcaduluth.org/collective-thought-project

Did you see that our Electronic Survey for women & gender-expansive folks has hit the public? Yup, this is one of the tools we are using for our 2025 Community Assessment to understand what needs need to be met in our community. If you are 18+ years old, identify as female or gender-expansive and live in Duluth, we ✨highly encourage✨ you to take the survey and have your voice heard! It takes about 15 minutes and we will keep your information private.

Take the survey here —> https://csscholastica.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cmr7W4EEGMkIUm or follow the 🔗 in our Instagram bio.

So many thanks to our advisory board and funders who made this entire project possible:

🧩Amber Sadowski, Executive Director —
🧩Avery Sutton, MBA Student — CSS
🧩Elena Foshay, Dir. of Workforce
🧩Halima Amiri, YWCA Duluth intern
🧩Jill Hinners, Executive Director —
🧩Joyceline Anderson, YWCA Duluth intern
🧩Liz Davis, MBA Student — CSS
🧩Liza Williamson, doula, business owner & board member 🧡
🧩Lynn Kalnbach, MBA Professor — CSS
🧩Mel Alvar, Human Trafficking Educator —
🧩Meredith Kujala, Program Coordinator —
🧩Raven Kruger, Trans Rights activist & Disability Rights activist
🧩Sarah Lyons, Executive Diversity Officer —
🧩Sean Hayes, Executive Director —
🧩Sophie Clark, Community Impact Director —
🧩
🧩.cf
🧩
🧩Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation

12/07/2024

Board of Directors members Dr. Ariuna Taivan and Ivy Vainio attended the Twin Ports Hmong New Year Celebration today. The Ordean Foundation was one of several co-sponsors. This annual intergenerational community cultural gathering features educational table displays, music, dance, presentations by city/area leaders and a traditional Hmong meal. One of the lead organizers CherPao Vang shared that this was the 25th annual celebration and relayed that it’s so important to have our youth involved in leadership roles with this event, and throughout the Twin Ports. Ordean Foundation was recognized twice during the program for our support. Thanks to Ariuna and Ivy for being there!

10/31/2024

We would like to send a big heartfelt congratulations to American Indian Community Housing Organization in the successful completion of their Dabinoo’igan Domestic Violence Shelter Expansion Project earlier in the year. This project increased their shelter capacity from 10 beds to 23 beds ensuring increased safety for community members fleeing violence. Ordean Foundation was proud to support this effort in a big way.

Yesterday, AICHO held a community celebration to thank all those who played a part in making this development project a reality. Ordean Foundation received numerous accolades and our Board of Directors Co-Chair Marsha Hystead spoke on our behalf at the ceremony! She was introduced by our newest Board of Directors member Ivy Vainio who works at AICHO. We are grateful to be in community with and in partnership with AICHO. For more info on AICHO and ways to support their good work - www.aicho.org

05/24/2024

We got to meet with Dave Schaeffer, Executive Director of Chester Bowl Improvement Club, this week. We learned more about their park programming and their chalet renovation capital campaign. Our visit and tour was enlightening!

If you’d like to find out more about them and their community programs, camps, camp scholarships, capital campaign, and music in the park concert series: www.chesterbowl.org.

12/22/2023

Tuesday was the 90th founding anniversary of the Ordean Foundation. To celebrate this milestone, the Ordean Foundation made a $90,000 gift to AICHO in support of their new domestic violence emergency shelter construction. For 90 years, Ordean has served our community through our support of our non-profit partners. It's a true honor to work for Ordean.

Also pictured here: Joe Everett - who was Ordean's program director for 33 years prior to his retirement; LeAnn Littlewolf who is doing an outstanding job as AICHO's Executive Director; and John Strange, the current Board Chair for Ordean.

I'm thankful to everyone who has had a part in supporting the Ordean Foundation over those 90 years and grateful for the generous gift and vision of Albert & Louise Ordean whose $2 million gift in 1933 has resulted in over $75 million in grants in Duluth.

12/20/2023

12/20/2023

A $90,000 grant from the Ordean Foundation has been given to help the American Indian community Housing Organization to be able to expand.

10/09/2023

Joe Everett served our community as Program Director at the Ordean Foundation for over 34 years. When Joe retired in 2021, the Ordean Foundation gave him the opportunity to give $100,000 to the organization of his choice. Joe grew up in the Hillside neighborhood and chose to support kids and families in the Central Hillside. Joe partnered with Jacob Bell and Family Freedom Center to support and exciting and ambitious vision.

Hear the captivating story of this perfect match. To learn more about the Ordean Foundation, visit us at ordean.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCIhn0sQv_g

When retiring Ordean Foundation Joe Everett was given theopportunity to give $100,000 to the organization of his choice, Jacob Bell and the youth of the Fami...

01/24/2023