Gruber shares what this means, not only for her but, for children and families throughout Sourcewell's service area.

Q: What exactly is the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care?

A: This group was initially called the Early Learning Council and developed by former Gov. Mark Dayton to ensure all children were school ready by 2020. Renamed to the Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, this group is charged with providing counsel to the Governor's cabinets regarding children and fulfilling the duties required by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007.

Q: How were you selected to this Council?

A: The process involved an online application to the Advisory Council. From there, the Children's Cabinet processed, interviewed, and selected finalists from across the state of Minnesota.

Q: What will you do as part of this group?

A: As a part of this group, I will be active in improving the lives of children in Minnesota through supporting engagement that improves outcomes, promotes equity, and bridges the opportunity gap for our next generation of leaders. We know that this work is not only incredibly important to the future of our state, but also cannot be accomplished by any one person or agency. I look forward to working together with a group of statewide leaders committed to serving our children.

Q: How does this align with what you – and your team – have done with early childhood initiatives?

A: At Sourcewell, our Community Solutions team has actively engaged in serving children through our Regional Family Child Care Licensing Model, which promotes the success of children from infant to school age in family, in-home childcare settings.

Our Education Solutions team is also actively involved in the engagement of children through a variety of early childhood and school-age programs and services. Both teams will provide incredible perspective and knowledge. Also, as a mother of three small children – two of which are early childhood aged – I'll have the ability to bring a personal lens to the table.

Q: What unique attributes or perspective do you hope to bring to the Council?

A: I hope to join other leaders throughout the state in bringing a perspective of not only professional experiences and connections, but personal – whether we are parents, family members, friends, or mentors; we all interact with children and have an interest in serving our youngest leaders.

Gruber's term runs Nov. 18, 2019 to Jan. 2, 2023. In addition to the nine appointments made by the Governor, four members of the Minnesota Legislature, two from the House of Representatives and two from the Senate, sit on the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, along with the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health and the State Head Start Director, appointed by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Click here for the official press release issued by the Office of Gov. Tim Walz, including a full list of appointees.

Four projects came before a group of nonprofit organizations and community leaders, all vying for financial support from Sourcewell's Nonprofit Innovation Funding program. Three projects will move on for board review. Two were recommended for the full request amount, and one for partial funding. This was the first Nonprofit Innovation Funding Review Day since the division was added to Sourcewell late last year.

Project champions shared their projects with a group of peers and Sourcewell representatives and answered questions regarding each respective project. A funding decision will be made when Sourcewell's board of directors review the recommendations on July 16.

Following a group vote, the two highest rated programs were selected to move on for full funding and a third for partial funding pending board approval:

Reducing Mental Health Stigma for Youth: Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Foundation and the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation - $100,000 to plan and implement a youth mental health stigma reduction program, as well as expand the focus of the existing Make It OK program to target parents. This project, involving participant organizations, will pilot in Crow Wing County; however, there is anticipated expansion throughout Region 5.

Emergency Housing and Sober Living in Morrison County: Oasis Central Minnesota Inc. and Catholic Health Initiatives St. Gabriel's Health -$75,000 to provide emergency housing and sober living in Morrison County, as well as case management services and care coordination for beneficiaries of emergency shelter and sober living. Furthermore, a task force will form to ensure community collaboration around issues surrounding mental health, addiction, and housing insecurity, as well as to discuss, pilot, and assess emergency housing and sober living in Morrison County.

Breaking Down Mental Health Barriers in Agriculture­­-An Educational Approach to Suicide Awareness for Supporting Relationships in the Farming Community: Northern Pines Mental Health Center and CentraCare Hospitals and Clinics in Long Prairie - $75,000 ($100,000 requested) to create a program using strong relationships and educating partners in farming communities to recognize mental health crisis, normalize the process of receiving help, and refer individuals to professionals. The program targets the counties of Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Todd, and Wadena, beginning with a pilot in Todd County.

Tammy Filippi, nonprofit membership specialist at Sourcewell, said she was pleased with the diversity of organizations represented at the Review Day.

“We chose unmet mental health needs as our funding focus,” Filippi said. “Our hope was that we would receive applications that were collaborative, innovative, and action oriented - we were not disappointed.”

To learn more about Sourcewell Innovation Funding, visit www.sourcewell-mn.gov.

Five projects came before a group of regional leaders, all vying for financial support from Sourcewell's Cities and Counties Innovation Funding process. The Wednesday, May 22 review day in Staples allowed each project champion an opportunity to share their funding request and answer questions regarding each respective project. Official approval for funding the projects is dependent upon Sourcewell board approval.

Following a group vote, three programs were selected to move on for Sourcewell Board approval at its June 18 meeting:

Crow Wing County/Region 5+ Comprehensive Re-Entry Project - $278,000 to further integrate this existing project to cover all Region 5+ counties. The Region 5+ Adult Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) has developed and implemented the Comprehensive Re-Entry Program regionally through Sourcewell funding received in 2018. The program addresses coordination of services between law enforcement, jails, courts, hospitals, counties, and tribes in the region to provide a continuum of care to individuals with acute or chronic mental or chemical health issues who become involved with law enforcement.

Morrison County Public Health Enhanced Family Home Visiting - $48,811 to support a program targeting expectant mothers and young families in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties. Funding would allow public health nursing staff to become trained in a variety of programs to provide services and resources to expectant and new mothers in areas including mental health, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, positive interactions between caregiver and child, and self-care.

Cass County/Region Five Development Commission Regional Yellow Ribbon Program - $45,700 to create a comprehensive network that connects and coordinates agencies, organizations, resources, and employers throughout Region 5 to proactively support service members and military families. This is completed by setting strategic direction, ensuring participation with community members, service delivery, specialty project completion, evaluation structure, and providing leadership to new and existing yellow ribbon programs.

Additional projects seeking funding included the Crow Wing County Sonar Drowning Victim Locator for $55,327 and the City of Pillager Dewatering Equipment for $74,041.

Since 2014-2015, cities, counties, and schools across Region 5 have received more than $10 million through Sourcewell's Innovation Funding program.

“It is a privilege to empower our region to innovate, collaborate, and select projects together that have the greatest impact, says Sourcewell Manager of City and County Solutions Anna Gruber. ”This process and these applications speak to the level of creativity and teamwork taking place in our region, and we look forward to supporting them on their initiatives."

Innovation Funding Review Day for nonprofit organizations is scheduled for June 19 at Sourcewell. To attend, register at sourcewell.co/Nonprofits.