In 2012, the Mesabi East School Board began the conversation about a school foundation. The following year, three School Board members, along with Superintendent Gregg Allen, traveled to Chicago to attend the National School Foundation Conference. They discussed how to create a Foundation and how to make it operational. During the 2014-15 school year, the Duluth Area Foundation gave a presentation at a School Board meeting. Around that time, Alumni Denny Reagan, Lee Storbeck, and Dave Setniker got involved to begin the inception of the Mesabi East Foundation. Work began under their direction to register the Mesabi East Foundation as a 501(c)(3) and produce the beginning by-laws.
In 2015, Paul Winkelaar shared an idea with Tom Gillach and Bobby Jo Mineheine, about creating a perpetual endowment to provide scholarships to all graduating seniors from Mesabi East. In 2016, they joined the MEF. After numerous organizational, logo, and by-law producing meetings and discussions the Foundation Board developed a goal to set up an endowment large enough and sustainable enough to provide a scholarship for every graduate from Mesabi East that will be pursuing post-secondary education.
The Foundation has also developed into a source of contact and support for various generous individuals who have designated scholarships for Mesabi East students pursuing specific career or specific educational studies. Examples include the Mike Krulc scholarship for STEM students, the Moscatelli Scholarship for education and health career majors, the Mrs. Cindy Kotila Scholarship for diverse learners, and the Marvin Lamppa Scholarship donated by Leroy Storbeck for track and cross country running athletes.
In order to help with the organization and the realization of these goals and dreams, the MEF chose to partner with the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. The St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation worked with us to create an arm that accepts individual donations that have specific designated scholarship criteria associated with them, (i.e., The Mike Krulc scholarship) and this arm has a 25,000-dollar minimum to set up. The other collaborative arm, that is the main goal of the MEF, is the sustainable endowment arm, and that arm will be officially instituted once we reach a 25,000-dollar required minimum. We have a significant portion of that funding thanks to the All Class Reunion donation of approximately $11,000. This endowment arm is the one MEF wants to emphasize and build in its fundraising efforts.
The third arm of this multi-limbed creature is the Foundation’s own depository fund at The First National Bank of Gilbert, set up through the generosity of Board member Matt Uhan. Through this account, the Foundation can hold and use funds for operating and fundraising expenses along with other scholarship donations to MEF for students of Mesabi East. This arm also holds and disperses individual donor scholarship funds that have not reached the 25,000-dollar amount yet and thus are not eligible for the Minnesota Foundation designated scholarship arm.
The MEF will continue to collaborate with the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation and the Mesabi East School District to evolve as needed and push forward our dreams and vision.
In 2015, Paul Winkelaar shared an idea with Tom Gillach and Bobby Jo Mineheine, about creating a perpetual endowment to provide scholarships to all graduating seniors from Mesabi East. In 2016, they joined the MEF. After numerous organizational, logo, and by-law producing meetings and discussions the Foundation Board developed a goal to set up an endowment large enough and sustainable enough to provide a scholarship for every graduate from Mesabi East that will be pursuing post-secondary education.
The Foundation has also developed into a source of contact and support for various generous individuals who have designated scholarships for Mesabi East students pursuing specific career or specific educational studies. Examples include the Mike Krulc scholarship for STEM students, the Moscatelli Scholarship for education and health career majors, the Mrs. Cindy Kotila Scholarship for diverse learners, and the Marvin Lamppa Scholarship donated by Leroy Storbeck for track and cross country running athletes.
In order to help with the organization and the realization of these goals and dreams, the MEF chose to partner with the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. The St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation worked with us to create an arm that accepts individual donations that have specific designated scholarship criteria associated with them, (i.e., The Mike Krulc scholarship) and this arm has a 25,000-dollar minimum to set up. The other collaborative arm, that is the main goal of the MEF, is the sustainable endowment arm, and that arm will be officially instituted once we reach a 25,000-dollar required minimum. We have a significant portion of that funding thanks to the All Class Reunion donation of approximately $11,000. This endowment arm is the one MEF wants to emphasize and build in its fundraising efforts.
The third arm of this multi-limbed creature is the Foundation’s own depository fund at The First National Bank of Gilbert, set up through the generosity of Board member Matt Uhan. Through this account, the Foundation can hold and use funds for operating and fundraising expenses along with other scholarship donations to MEF for students of Mesabi East. This arm also holds and disperses individual donor scholarship funds that have not reached the 25,000-dollar amount yet and thus are not eligible for the Minnesota Foundation designated scholarship arm.
The MEF will continue to collaborate with the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation and the Mesabi East School District to evolve as needed and push forward our dreams and vision.