In honor of National Volunteer Week (April 16-22), we are highlighting a few of our dedicated fund advisors who volunteer their time to champion community. We greatly appreciate their partnership in building better lives throughout our region.
Today, we are featuring Deb Zak, a fund advisor for the Middle River Legacy Center Fund who also serves as the vice chair of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation Board of Directors.
Volunteers like Deb make it happen! By contributing their energy and expertise, volunteers make a sustainable impact on the lives of those who call our community home. Thank you, Deb, for all you do to lead and support our region in meaningful ways.
How did you first become familiar with the work of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation?
I was employed by the University of Minnesota Extension when the McKnight Foundation introduced the idea of expanding their presence in rural Minnesota through the creation of Initiative Funds. I attended those informational meetings to learn more about this resource in Northwest Minnesota.
When the NMF Women’s Fund was established, I served on that board for a number of years.
In the 1980s, the University of Minnesota Extension created the Red River Valley Emerging Leadership Program. I was involved in the design of that program from its inception. In the 1990s, as we began to raise funds to continue the program, we needed a way to administer those funds. At that time, Extension did not have a separate foundation to manage funds. I contacted the NMF to establish a fund for the Red River Valley Emerging Leadership Program. That fund continues today.
In 2018, when the Greenbush/Middle River School Board voted to close the Middle River School, I was appointed by the Middle River City Council to serve on a committee that would raise funds to maintain the facility. As fundraising was going to be an important component of that committee’s work, I contacted the NMF to establish the Middle River Legacy Center Fund in 2019. I have served as a fund advisor since its inception in May 2019.
During your time on the NMF Board of Directors, what have you seen in terms of its impact on our region and/or your community?
I joined the board shortly before COVID restrictions prevented the board from meeting in person. I attended one in-person meeting prior to COVID which made it challenging to get to know other board members other than through monthly Zoom meetings. What I learned during that time was how nimble the NMF staff members were in redirecting their efforts to provide financial resources for Northwest Minnesota businesses to deal with the challenges during COVID shut downs or reduced staffing. Child care providers were helped through those funding opportunities and small businesses were offered support.
The work with the homeless population is also impressive, along with addressing mental health issues in rural areas.
What are your hopes for the future on NMF?
I would like to see an opportunity for fund advisors to meet and share ideas for fundraising in our communities. As an NMF board member, I see the donations that are made each month to the various funds, but I know very little about the focus of those funds, or how funds are generated to support the local projects.
My own interest is in working with communities that have experienced school closures. I think that we could learn a lot from each other about ways that we can use these facilities as an asset instead of a liability.
