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This is the ninth year Maura Howard and her family are sponsoring gifts for a family at The Family Partnership. We asked Maura to share how they connected with our work and why gift giving brings value.  

Maura Howard and family

Q – What impact has gift giving to another family had on your children?

It builds empathy and awareness. My kids are now in fifth and ninth grade but when we started 9 years ago, they were like “why is Santa not helping them with gifts?” Now, my kids get more pleasure out of helping other kids. One gift request from a child is for a blanket, not toys with batteries that will end up in a landfill, but imagine a kid needing a blanket to be warm in the winter.

We want our kids to know – part of our family value system is helping others.

Maura Howard

Q – How did you become involved with The Family Partnership?

My son worked with a therapist at The Family Partnership when he was younger and we had a great experience. I also served on the Board. I love the work the organization does in mental health and in the preschools for kids to graduate kindergarten-ready.

Q – Your son experienced anxiety that one of our therapists helped with. Can you talk about that?

When my son was in the second grade the school contacted us. He was having issues with anxiety and had chewed all the erasers off the pencils in the classroom.  I am not a mom that says I can do it all. I know when to outsource to people smarter than me.  

I will never forget his amazing counselor at The Family Partnership – Barbara. She helped him in the second and fourth grades and we did some family therapy as well to support him as a team.

It was life changing for him.

I felt weird about taking up resources for my child, as an upper middle class white family. But, The Family Partnership assured me at the time it would not take away resources from other families.

Q – How has the therapy training continued to make a difference for your son?

The coping skills he learned have helped him navigate COVID and starting a new high school. He is the classic oldest child putting pressure on himself. Recently he used the breathing techniques he learned in therapy to calm himself down when there was a misunderstanding about a deadline for a school assignment.

I believe that if you can learn to downhill ski as a kid, you can use that muscle memory the rest of your life.

Maura Howard is Senior Business Development Director at Salo, a talent staffing and recruiting firm.  

Interested in supporting The Family Partnership – visit our Ways to Give and Volunteer pages.

Photo by Monika Stawowy on Unsplash

Over 35 years Greenman has led transformative changes at The Family Partnership. She will continue to lead the organization until June 30, 2022.

The Family Partnership announced today the retirement of President and CEO Molly Greenman in 2022 after 35 years at the organization. Greenman will continue to lead the organization until June 30, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition with her successor.

Greenman joined The Family Partnership in 1986, and became CEO in 2004. Under her leadership, The Family Partnership has deepened its work with families and communities impacted by multigenerational inequity and trauma, and transformed its programs and services to clear the path for family success.

Transformational Leadership

Highlights of Greenman’s tenure include, in part:

Nonprofit Leadership

Greenman co-founded the Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) CommonWealth in 2007, an innovative model of shared administrative services that serves over 50 partner community-based organizations in Minnesota. It is the only administrative services provider in the Twin Cities run by and for nonprofits.

A national nonprofit sector leader, Greenman served from 2018-2021 as chair of the National Alliance for Strong Families and Communities Board of Directors, a national network of more than 400 human-serving organizations. Her term ended by helping steward the merger of The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA), into a new organization Social Current.    

Securing the Organization’s Future

Greenman’s strategic and persistent leadership resulted in a successful $23 million Building for Better Futures capital campaign and the construction of a new headquarters and resource center. Earlier this year, The Family Partnership relocated to 1527 E. Lake Street, at the intersection of Bloomington Ave.

The Family Partnership has intentionally located where families the organization serves reside in south and north Minneapolis. The new resource center is part of revitalizing the Lake Street corridor and has a flexible design that can adapt to changing community and program needs in the future.

 “The organization is well positioned for the future, with strong board and staff leadership. I can’t wait to see the next chapter unfold, as The Family Partnership continues to support vulnerable children and families and advocate for systemic changes to create a better more equitable future for all Minnesotans. ”

Molly Greenman

Tommy Hillman, Chair of The Family Partnership Board of Directors said, “Molly’s visionary leadership has provided inspiration and set a standard of excellence at The Family Partnership for over 35 years. Most recently, her steady spirit and commitment has stabilized and energized the organization during the transition into our new building and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Molly, The Family Partnership is on a path to continue building better futures for families in need, as it has done since 1878.”

Concert for a Cause October 25 benefits The Family Partnership

Concert for a Cause
October 25, 2021 — 7 p.m.
Edina High School Fick Auditorium
Masks required, social distancing observed
GET TICKETS HERE

Paul Grangaard’s passion for the trumpet led to a charitable partnership that benefits musicians and community mental health services. The concert on October 25th will benefit mental health services at The Family Partnership. We asked Paul about paying it forward with CircleRock Concerts for Community.

How did your love of the trumpet begin?

I remember Saturday mornings watching and hearing the wailing horn in The Jetsons cartoons. I loved the sound of it. I picked up the trumpet in the fifth grade, and now, playing the horn is as natural as breathing to me.

What is the purpose of CircleRock?

CircleRock Concerts for Community is a charitable partnership I formed as Producer/Donor with my friend Charles Lazarus as Music Director. It is especially fitting that our first event is with the Edina High School Concert Band as I attribute much of my career and life trajectory, including my friendship with Chuck, to the many benefits of my high school band experience in the mid-1970’s. The partnership’s goal is to raise funds for non-profit community mental health counseling, to program great music and to support the amazing musicians who perform it.

How did you choose the name CircleRock?

The circle in the brand stands for community coming together and the rock stands for what holds us in peace and harmony as we rally around it. I grew up on a street that had a grass circle in the middle that was the epicenter of our neighborhood and in one quadrant of the circle was a big red rock.

Why did you choose Mental Health as a cause?

My daughter had a mental health crisis her freshman year of college and it scared us something awful.  Fortunately, she could get the help she needed. Today she’s a doctor of psychology, counseling law students at Georgetown University and other young people in her private practice  

Mental illness is an epidemic today and many people who need help the most do not have the financial capacity to pay for it – The Family Partnership serves them.  

You have had a very successful business career – what advice would you give to young people?

Take your education seriously and develop both your analytical/logical left brain and your creative/fun right brain. Invest in your personal relationships to keep them strong. Make a difference in the world. Care about people.  

Paul Grangaard joins Charles Lazarus at around 1:51 in this CircleRock performance of “Honeydew”

It is back to school for students and our School Linked Mental Health therapists. We asked Nina Murray MSW, LGSW to share about our in-school therapy services for students from early childhood to age 21.   

Why is it important to have Mental Health therapists in schools?

Our program increases access to therapy services by having therapists in schools. We are able to meet students where they are, taking out barriers like needing transportation. There are also no out-of-pocket costs for families. We do not collect co-payments and directly bill insurance. However, if students are uninsured, we are able to provide free services.

What services does the School Linked Mental Health program provide?

Teachers and school counselors refer students. Many student issues present as behavioral difficulties adjusting to life changes, such as family structure or moves; academic struggles or a lack of motivation; and, peer-related issues such as bullying or establishing positive social skills. Our services include diagnostic assessments and treatment plans for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, PTSD, and Autism.

What motivates you in this work?

I became a therapist because I felt like so much of the work I was doing with clients and students was helping to alleviate the symptoms rather than getting to the root of the actual issue. I did my first-year internship in an elementary school and fell in love with working with students, but I was getting frustrated with how little time I had to dedicate to individual students.

Being a school linked therapist means I have extended individual time with my students and we are able to do deeper trauma work. This type of work helps to resolve a lot of the emotional and behavioral distress that students may be struggling with.

Nina Murray MSW, LGSW

What have family members, teachers and counselors said about the program’s impact? 

A lot of the feedback we get is positive, especially from parents and caregivers noticing that their child seems calmer and more up for talking about their feelings. I have had parents and caregivers tell me that they have seen positive behavioral and emotional changes. So much of what is affecting student’s lives is out of their control. By having someone to talk to and building trust, we can provide ways for them to cope with any family issues and succeed in school.

What schools does the program serve and is there demand to be in more locations? 

We serve students from preschool through transition or GED, so, ages 2-21. The need for School Linked Mental Health to expand to more locations is there – but more funding support is needed. The Family Partnership School Linked Mental Health program currently partners with Brooklyn Center Secondary, Brooklyn Center Early College Academy, Richfield STEM school, Richfield Centennial Elementary, Longfellow Alternative High School in Minneapolis, Hennepin County PICA Headstarts, Anthony Middle School, and Windom Elementary. 

Learn more about our School Linked Mental Health.

Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash

Back row left to right: Joy Spika, Thomasina TopBear, Holly Miskitoos Henning, Charles Garcia, Rony Lopez
Front row left to right:  Simone Tincher and Achak Garcia

The Family Partnership commissioned the BIPOC artist collective City Mischief Murals to create a large-scale mural as a welcoming presence for the agency’s new Building for Better Futures resource center at 1527 E. Lake Street. The mural was installed July 2-6, 2021 on the building’s east facing exterior wall. 

“The mural brightens the space and reflects the diversity and strengths of all the different cultures of the neighborhood. The images are especially powerful for children to identify with, including those attending The Family Partnership’s Four Directions Family Center.”   

City Mischief Artist Statement

Mural by Number Description  

To honor the first nations’ people, upon whose traditional land Minneapolis resides:  

  1. Jingle dress dancer, honoring Ojibwe medicine and space. 
  1. Native American men’s traditional dancer, honoring our warriors, this style of dance that originated with Lakota warriors who were returning from war.  
  1. Lakota morning star, based on star teachings. 

To honor Latino culture: 

  1. Latina’s skirt are the colors of flag of Mexico. 
  1. Marigolds (yellow/orange flowers) represent traditional offerings in Mexican culture. 

To honor the Somali and East African immigrant population in South Minneapolis: 

  1. King Protea (pink flowers) are the national flower in Somali and common throughout East Africa. 
  1. Butterfly has the colors of the flag of Somalia.  
  1. East African/Somali mother reads to a child. 
  1. African drummer represents the roots of African-Americans in the U.S. 
  1. Black Lives Matter fist logo represents the social movement against systemic racism and protests over George Floyd’s murder in 2020 in Minneapolis. 
  1. The logo of The Family Partnership represents outreach, unity, and partnership. 

About City Mischief Murals – The collective’s name was created to represent “the spirit of mischief” of street art, and how cities are often an artist’s landscape. The Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Pacific Islander artist collective produces murals and creative projects with a mission focused on creating opportunities for youth and promoting healing through art. It also creates a safe atmosphere for communities of color in the Twin Cities to practice their art forms.  

Learn more About The Family Partnership.

When high profile athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka withdrew from competition for mental health reasons, it set a powerful example. Our therapist Rachel Collins, MSW shares how this is a cultural change for Black athletes to prioritize themselves above institutions and the gaze of whiteness.

In 2021, both the greatest gymnast of all time and a major tennis star set boundaries around their mental health. First Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, and this week, USA gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the finals of the Olympic games.

It has become clear in recent conversations involving Osaka, Biles, and other Black athletes, that many people (who are both a part of the athletic world and those who are spectators) are scared to see this generation of Black people prioritize themselves above institutions and the gaze of whiteness. There are many Black and indigenous POC folks who cannot fathom what it means to simply say “No” – to walk away from all you have worked hard for to take care of their own mental health. However, Black folks have been saying “no” to the violence of grind culture, and have been subversive by finding spaces of rest and joy in order to thrive in places that want to kill us – physically and emotionally.

“To have the power to simply say ‘no’, to prioritize your peace of mind, to say these ‘things’ don’t matter more than myself – is something a lot of Black people have never had the opportunity or privilege or confidence to do.”

Rachel Collins, Outpatient Therapist

What we are witnessing now is a generation of Black people who have seen their parents and others give their all and still not be enough. How many BIPOC LGBTQ+ people stayed in the closet only to end up lonely and disposable in the end? How many Black athletes “never gave up” and are now broke – financially physically, and emotionally drained from cultures that lifted them up when they were winning and at the top of their game only to discard them when they voiced their opinions?

Black millennials and Gen Z are saying this needs to change – now. Black people don’t owe anybody – And will and should continue to refuse to donate their body to these violent systems – and resist by radically resting and caring for themselves.

Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are asserting the significance of their mental health in a world that has always privileged the physicality and athleticism of black bodies above the welfare of our minds and emotions. The gravity of these two incredible individuals’ actions is huge and can’t be understated.

Let’s applaud this level of self-care, and denounce this idolization of pushing through despite our pain. Just because you need to step back doesn’t make you any less of a champion.

What brave choice will you make today to prioritize your mental health?

Learn more about our Outpatient Mental Health Therapy services.

Photo Credit: Matt Lee on Unsplash

Catherine (Cat) Holl is serving as an Americorp VISTA volunteer at The Family Partnership for a second year. We asked Cat to talk about her mission to design a sustainable volunteer program and promote long-term volunteer relationships.  

What is the Americorps VISTA program? 

Americorps Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, is a national service program designed to alleviate poverty. The program focuses on education, public safety, health, and the environment to address unmet community needs.  

Why did you volunteer for The Family Partnership? 

I was looking for jobs in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and The Family Partnership’s work and approach to solving systemic and institutional issues matched my interest in a position that would be impactful and create lasting social justice change. 

What are you doing for The Family Partnership? 

Because there is no staff Volunteer Coordinator position, my goal is to develop a sustainable volunteer program that supports The Family Partnership’s programs and offers enrichment opportunities for clients and families. I work with program staff to identify their needs and then I create systems for volunteer identification, recruitment, and management.  

What examples of volunteer projects have you managed?    

I oversaw a new pilot program with undergraduate business students from the University of St. Thomas to create a community resource newsletter for current and prospective families. I sustained The Family Partnership’s relationship with Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority (University of Minnesota) for our preschool Halloween events, and, facilitated holiday gifts from Donaldson Companies and winter clothes donations from Rotary clubs.  

Why have you extended your service?   

I really enjoy the work! I hope to create greater impact in developing volunteer relationships and structure for activities. I also feel like I am a valued member of the organization, and I especially like The Family Partnership’s Mobility Mentoring program and Ojibwe and Dakota language immersion program at Four Directions preschool.  

What are your career plans? 

I graduated from the University of Minnesota 2019 with a degree in biology. Being a VISTA was part of taking a break from school before I pursue my Masters of Education to become a secondary science teacher.  

You can find out more about volunteering with The Family Partnership (scroll to Volunteer in the drop down menu).

Follow the Mural Progress and Share Your Photos

The Family Partnership commissioned the BIPOC artist collective City Mischief Murals to create a large-scale mural for the east facing exterior wall of the agency’s new Building for Better Futures resource center at 1527 E. Lake Street.

City Mischief’s name was chosen to represent “the spirit of mischief” of street art, and how cities are often an artist’s landscape. The Black, Indigenous, Latinix and Pacific Islander artist collective produces murals and creative projects with a mission focused on creating opportunities for youth and promoting healing through art. It also creates a safe atmosphere for communities of color in the Twin Cities to practice their art forms.

The vision for the mural is to reflect and celebrate the diversity and strengths of families in the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods, and provide a welcoming presence for families and individuals accessing services at The Family Partnership.

“This mural will connect all the different cultures in the neighborhood with the younger generation, and will be especially powerful for the children attending Four Directions preschool at The Family Partnership building.”


Thomasina TopBear, a lead artist and co-organizer

Mural Installation Timing

The 54’ wide by nearly 16’ high mural will come to life by artists from City Mischief Murals using gallons of multi-colored bright paint. The artists will primarily use spray paint and a scissor lift for higher areas of the wall.

(July 6 after 4:30 pm if necessary or if thunderstorms delay painting)

City Mischief Artists on Project 

Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Pacific Islander artists from City Mischief Murals:

Follow the Mural Progress and Share Your photos – Stop by to see the progress, take photos, and tag @thefamilypartnership and @citymischief on Instagram.