Andersen Corporation has announced a $15,000 donation to the YMCA Equity Innovation Center to help foster a collaborative engine of equity innovation in the Twin Cities and beyond. This donation was announced at the company's recent annual shareholder meeting and will be made on behalf of Andersen shareholders.
"We are committed to increasing Andersen's diversity and fostering a culture where everyone is welcomed, valued and respected," said Jay Lund, Andersen chairman and CEO. "We are proud to support the YMCA in their mission to foster civic engagement and leadership development among community organizations and youth participants."
The YMCA Equity Innovation Center serves as a national center of excellence that seeks innovative ways to solve real life problems around inequity, intolerance and exclusion. The Equity Innovation Center began as way to expand the work of the Mission Impact Council which was created more than five years ago, in partnership with Youthprise and the Greater Twin Cities United Way, to address the disparities facing thousands of Twin Cities urban and undeserved youth.
"The YMCA Equity Innovation Center provides a customized learning process that creates transformative experiences for all," said Dr. Hedy Lemar Walls, YMCA Chief Social Responsibility Officer. "These experiences are inclusive of dialogue that ultimately leads to collective impact actions addressing real community needs."
The goal of the YMCA Equity Innovation Center is to foster communities where young people and families are thriving, organizations are performing and systems are working for the people most impacted by inequities. This donation will be used to provide equity innovation experiences for racially and culturally diverse communities served by the YMCA. For more information on the programs and services offered at the YMCA Equity Innovation Center, visit www.ymcamn.org/eic.
Andersen is a proud advocate for advancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace and a signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion initiative.
About the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities
The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 162 years ago, the Ys provide life-strengthening services across the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin communities. The 29 Y locations and program sites, eight overnight camps, 10 day camps, and more than 90 child care sites engage more than 370,000 men, women and children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. To learn more about the Y's mission and work, visit www.ymcamn.org.
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