Rachel
Limon wins 2013 Minnesota Consular Corps Award
Rachel
Limon, International Trade Representative of the State of Minnesota’s
Minnesota Trade Office, has been awarded the Minnesota Consular Corps
prestigious Business Leadership Award 2013. The Minnesota Consular
Corps recognizes individuals, community groups, non-profit
organizations, and business establishments located in the states of
jurisdiction that have demonstrated sustained commitment and
outstanding achievements
in
the pursuit of cultural diversity through human rights advocacy and
protection, outstanding community service and excellence in business
leadership.
Limon
is the State of Minnesota’s Minnesota Trade Office (MTO)
International Trade Representative for Latin America & the
Caribbean. She assists Minnesota companies identify and develop
export strategies and opportunities in the international marketplace.
She has created a successful program called the Latin America Seminar
Series, which has served to assist Minnesota companies to increase
their exports to Latin America. Through her work with the Consulate
of Ecuador, they jointly created the very successful Annual South
America Trade Forum.
Limon
graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Master’s Degree
in International Management and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish
and Psychology. She speaks fluent Spanish. She is nationally
recognized award winning Artist, a tour guide of the Native Americas
Galleries at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Art Instructor at the
White Bear Lake Center for the Arts.
IHB Mpls receives funding from Notah Begay III Foundation
The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis
was recently selected to receive a Native Strong: Health Kids,
Healthy Futures Capacity Building Grant from the Notah Begay III
Foundation in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. The $20,000 award supports an
initiative to partner with Native American youth and youth program
staff in Minneapolis to develop community-specific strategies for
preventing childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Native American communities have the
inherent knowledge, assets and values to address health issues within
their communities but may need some additional resources and support.
In recognition of this, NB3F awarded funding to 10 projects that
demonstrated strong community engagement and readiness to develop key
strategies for preventing childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The funds, which total nearly
$190,000, will be used to assist Native American tribes and
organizations in determining the needs within their individual
communities and next steps for the creation of community-driven
action plans to address childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Information on the Notah Begay III
Foundation will be updated at www.nb3foundation.org. Additional
information on the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis initiative can
also be found at indianhealthboard.com .
SMSC gives 870,000 in propane grants
In the wake of widespread propane shortages
and excessive costs this winter, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community announced on Feb. 7 three grants to the Standing Rock,
Yankton and Santee Sioux Tribes to help them purchase propane for
tribal citizens. The price of propane rose dramatically since last
year, leaving many tribal families struggling to pay for their heat
during this extra-cold winter.
Standing Rock Chairman Dave
Archambault, II recently declared a state of emergency. “The
current propane shortage and the resultant increase in propane prices
– as well as the extreme winter weather – threaten our members’
ability to keep their homes warm and their families safe,” he
wrote.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which
straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border, received $500,000 for
propane. The tribe has 8,500 citizens living on the sixth-largest
reservation in the United States, at 2.3 million acres.
The Yankton Sioux Tribe of South
Dakota received $300,000 for propane. The Yankton Sioux Tribe has
lands along the Missouri River in Charles Mix County, just across the
river from central Nebraska. Of the 12,246 tribal members, about a
third of them live on the 43,000-acre reservation.
The Santee Sioux Nation of Niobrara,
Nebraska, received $70,000 for propane. The Santee Sioux Reservation
encompasses 110,080 acres and is home to about one-third of the
tribal population of 2,662.
Volunteers needed to monitor wetlands
The Hennepin County Wetland Health
Evaluation Program announced on Feb. 26 that it will offer community
members the opportunity to explore and monitor wetlands through a
unique volunteer opportunity.
Partnering cities use the data that
are collected to determine the health of water resources and assist
with natural resource management.
Adult volunteers do not need a
science background or previous experience – just an interest in
wetlands, insects and/or plants. Hennepin County will provide
training, equipment and leadership. Teams will be formed in
Minneapolis, Maple Grove, Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka.
Community members in these cities and neighboring communities are
welcome to join a team.
The total time commitment is 15
hours a month from May to September 2014. Volunteer applications will
be accepted through June 15. For more information or to become a
volunteer, call Mary Karius at 612-596-9129 or visit
www.hennepin.us/volunteer.
