European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 6, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Giveaway town / mrgaret Matalamaki member of the Board of trustees at the $ 100 million Blandin foundation in grand rapids Minn. Values based sex education program $40.000 Over two years to the Itasca crr Estial sos Ely in grand rapids $150.000 to help Start up the mus c theatre in is Paul to an ind an firewood busiess1.025.0co to the la Ca development corporation to he p Osier expansion of sea l businesses in grand rap is and $124.goo Over years to help develop a fungus in roots that stir tvs docs tree growth. The Grants go com Over $1 noon to $600 for the City of Northome to he a Cut the senior citizens Center. Homo grown and Herr a a nested. The foundation while professional staffed remains a bureaucratic. We re not like the Federal government says Kathyn Jensen a staff member. If you Are missing a figure we Don t mail it Back we just Call up and ask for still there Are stricter standards now of How and Why Money is spent. In the old Days it was an attitude of you be known me 20 years you can Trust me. It s a Good today there Are Challenge Grants. Grand rapids people were asked to raise $300,000 to get $3 i i on from the foundation the Community raised $600.coo to be Iho deadline. Nobody in grand rapids keeps a c o or e e on the foundation than sex trustee Aure. To worked at the paper null 43 years and at one time r the Ticac no Dock. Th9 foundation says Akre War it i red of age he s 73 new while Akre cays he was red. They no ? a Silver bowl and i cure n " t a by of use Lor the pc a k it on Headquarters that o on by m Here. Akre s looks a Opler Ora led and outspoken. Akre is credited with Corridon sense however outrageously expressed l be the time he asked a researcher who had spent $20,000 in foundation Money to study wild Rice production if he d Ever heard of de Ano g bus. The researcher said no. Delano is Only the biggest wild Rice producer in the United slates Akre said. How could anyone spend $20.000 to study wild Rice production and never come across that name a current leadership project for which the found lion has budgeted $400.000 also draws a meagre of scorn from Akre. Leaders Are born not made he says but at least they re spending it in grand rap id some of it. a number of found it on people and trustees few of Greensboro. to i e a Veek Long course hollered by the Center Lor creative leaders p Cal. Now Cal people Are Corn to grand rapids Offe ing the course to Corr a leaders from surround a Small towns cell Usua Lydea s with top and Middle level management. Just big e we re a Rural area t mean we have to go cd eap says Blandin stapler Jensen. We want the , to Start sharing Success stories. We re try no to end years and years of ethnic and even sports by " Akre despite his readiness to criticize projects has nothing but Praise for the foundation s work in general. The Blandin foundation done a lot for a lot of he says. Hardly anyone in grand rapids would disagree i Central h h sch i wot retort a with fund from tha Blandin foundation tit abolished to Benefit the people of the area and not to fight world problems. The stars and stripes Page 15
