BUILDING STABLE HOMES, STRONG FUTURES, AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES SINCE 1971

S U M M E R E D I T I O N

OUR MISSION... OUR STORIES

FROM STUDENT TO MENTORCEO LETTER A Note From the President

SUMMER 2016

Michu Dabala first knew Seward Tower as his home. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia and eventually settled in the Seward neighborhood in Minneapolis where his father ran the nonprofit PEACE African Community and his mother was a nurse. At Seward Tower, Michu participated in CommonBond’s Study Buddies program.

One of the most important things he remembers about his mentor was his consistency and his encouragement to try new things. After high school, Michu went

STABLE, STRONG & VIBRANT

It only takes a few minutes of chatting with 28-year-old Isabella to know that she is a busy woman. Holding her one-year-old in her lap, she smiles as she talks about the strides she has made in her career, education and financial situation since she started receiving services five years ago as a new resident of CommonBond.

Isabella immigrated to the United States from Somalia in 2004, and moved into CommonBond housing in 2011. When she first came to see the on-site Employment Coach at her housing community, she had recently been laid off from her job and was struggling to move forward. Isabella received one-on-one services ranging from resume and cover letter help to budgeting and credit coaching. She started by focusing on employment and getting connected with key public benefits to support her during her job search. Then Isabella took her first step toward her goal of pursuing a healthcare career by beginning employment as a Personal Care Assistant. In the meantime, she got started with classes to continue to improve her English and study skills, with

a long-term goal of completing a college degree program and graduating as a Registered Nurse.

Isabella enrolled in a nursing assistant training course at a nearby community college, and within the month she had completed the 160-hour course and passed the State Board Exam. She has been employed for over a year and talks animatedly about her positive relationships with the patients she serves. When asked what she feels is the biggest change in her life since she started receiving services from her Employment Coach at CommonBond, Isabella says, “Now I have the ability to take care of my family without depending on welfare.”

Finally, as a personal goal, Isabella hopes to complete the visa process to bring her husband to the United States and reunite their family. Now that she has a steady income and a regular work schedule, she is even better prepared to navigate that transition. “I’m so thankful for the support and opportunity I got from CommonBond Communities,” Isabella says. “I am so lucky.”

on to attend the University of Minnesota and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While a student there, a friend encouraged Michu to become a Study Buddy mentor himself. He liked the idea of offering the kind of consistent support he experienced. He has been a Study Buddy for three years. Michu currently works for the nonprofit Model Cities as a Children’s Mental Health Case Manager for St. Paul Ramsey County and was recently accepted into the University to pursue a Master of Social Work. He wants to be part of contributing to social and economic change.

“I like challenging myself. I learn so much when I try things that are scary, and even when I make mistakes. That’s something I learned from my mentor that I hope I model to my Study Buddy.”

At CommonBond, we know that when residents receive the support they need, they can define and achieve their own success.

For the past five years, Ellie Kunkel has opened the Teen Room at Skyline Tower with “free time”, where teens can relax, claim their space and spend some unstructured time with their peers. The Teen Program focuses on homework, filling out employment and college applications, and exploring plans and goals for after graduation. But sometimes it’s what happens during free time that makes all the difference. One story in particular is what inspires Ellie, the Teen Room staff, and volunteers to stay the course when the job feels challenging.

There was a young high school man who showed up daily to homework center. He was viewed as a leader in the group, but never stayed to complete his homework once free time was over. In fact, he was often disruptive and occasionally had to be

HARD EARNED SUCCESS IN THE TEEN PROGRAM

asked to leave because of his language or behavior.

Ellie hung in there and continued to make him feel welcome. One afternoon, several months into the school year, he asked Ellie if he could talk to her privately in the hallway. When he asked her for help with homework, Ellie knew she needed to proceed with care. In describing this encounter, she laughed and explained “I was shocked, yet overjoyed, when he asked for help. However, I worked hard to remain calm and engaged, because I didn’t want to make any sudden movement and scare him off!”

What happened next is why this particular student had such an impact on Ellie. She discovered he was reading at the level of a second grader. He didn’t want his peers to know. Ellie began to work with him, and she remarked, “Success can be a messy process. It doesn’t always look a certain way. This young man graduated a bit later than friends his own age, but what he had to overcome to graduate made it even more meaningful for him and for me. Success looks different for every single student in our programs.” CommonBond staff, volunteers, and our supporters make success stories like this one, and many more possible.

This year’s GrandeGala was our largest and most successful event to date. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, sponsored, attended, and donated generously. The proceeds from the evening will go directly and exclusively to support our Advantage Services programs, which are tailored to the needs of families and individuals living in our communities.

The most basic of these services are focused on supporting residents’ stability and independence. We assist folks when they are facing a crisis that might normally endanger their ability to maintain housing. For our seniors, this might include help navigating a change in benefits. For families, it might be at the point of job loss or family disruption, where emergency

assistance can be obtained to keep families in their housing. We use the term advantage quite deliberately because we seek to support residents’ success and ability to thrive.

Examples of this work include:• Career Advantage; where we assist

residents in finding and retaining employment and then helps them maximize this income through increased financial literacy

• Homework Centers; where schoolkids can get academic help where they live

• Study Buddies; a long-term mentoring/tutoring program that matches children and youth with a caring adult from the community

• Health and Wellness programs; like the popular senior tai chi classes which increase flexibility and stability, reduce falls and extend independent living

CommonBond provides a supportive environment where residents can define their own success and achieve their goals. And, as our theme from the Gala “Be The Star” suggested, many of our residents go on to be stars in their communities; giving back in significant ways.

Non

-pro

fit O

rg.

U.S

. Pos

tage

PAID

Per

mit

No.

671

Twin

Citi

es, M

N

An E

qual

Opp

ortu

nity

/Affi

rmat

ive A

ction

Org

aniz

atio

n10

80 M

ontre

al A

venu

e, S

t. Pa

ul, M

N 5

5116

651.

291.

1750

OUR MISSION... OUR STORIES

CH

AN

GE

SER

VIC

E R

EQU

ESTE

D

Don

ate,

Part

icipa

te, A

dvoc

ate!

Ther

e ar

e m

any

way

s to

sup

port

Com

mon

Bon

das

we

striv

e to

adv

ance

our

mis

sion

to b

uild

stab

le h

omes

, stro

ng fu

ture

s, a

nd v

ibra

ntco

mm

uniti

es. W

heth

er y

ou d

onat

e, p

artic

ipat

e,or

adv

ocat

e, w

e as

k th

at y

ou c

ontin

ue to

lend

yo

ur s

uppo

rt. L

earn

mor

e at

com

mon

bond

.org

.Fo

llow

us

on F

aceb

ook

@ C

omm

onB

ond

Com

mun

ities

or

on T

witt

er @

Com

mon

Bon

dCom

m.

MORE THAN A VENDOR

Many of CommonBond’s vendors become believers in the value of our work. ARS General Cleaning Service and the Ramos family got hooked on CommonBond when they became the cleaning service for some of CommonBond’s properties.

Antonio moved from Mexico to the United States when he was fifteen years old. He and his wife Isabelle started their business five years ago with their nephew, Freddie, as the only staff member. ARS cleaning now employs twenty staff, 60% of which consist of family members. Antonio and Isabelle always lead by example for their four children, two of whom will begin

COMMONBOND STAFF WHOINSPIRE – MANGALA SHARMA

Born a citizen of Bhutan, as a young mother, Mangala Sharma was forced to flee with her family to a Nepalese refugee camp because of political unrest. As an English speaker, she was quickly hired by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees where she played a vital role as a voice for refugees. Her efforts to bring attention to human trafficking and exploitation in the camps eventually forced her to seek political asylum in the U.S. For four long years she was separated from her family.Mangala sees the hardships she has endured differently than you might expect. As the Advantage Services Manager for Skyline Tower, she brings deep compassion for new immigrants living there. And as a mother, she empathizes with the struggles families experience as their children assimilate. “We’re still learning how to help our children honor the history and heritage of their birthplace while becoming beautiful American young men and women.”

college in the fall.

The Ramos family began supporting CommonBond because they believe in helping others and they respect CommonBond’s mission. They incorporate these values into their business and home life. ARS now cleans twelve CommonBond properties.Antonio remarks on how beautiful Bii Di Gain Dash Anwebi and West Broadway Crescent are and how excited he is about the preservation work that is happening at Seward Towers and Skyline Tower, and the work CommonBond is doing for veterans at the Upper Post Veterans Community.

The Ramos family gives back in other ways, too. They like to provide fun and food by planning potluck meals so the ARS and CommonBond staff can take a break during the day. Isabelle sometimes makes tamales, Mexican tacos, and Tinga to share. CommonBond values this family’s strong work ethic and is grateful for their partnership with ARS General Cleaning Service

SPECIAL EVENTS AT COMMONBOND COMMUNITIES

CommonBond Communities recently held the largest and most successful GrandeGala to date. Thanks to generous sponsors and guests we raised more than $785,000 including $20,000 in endowment, to support Advantage Service programming. A special thanks to our Title Sponsor Wells Fargo.

We are excited to announce the 7th Annual Birdies for Hope event with a new format. Birdies for Hope will host participants on two separate dates giving you double the opportunity to get involved! The golf event will be held at Minneapolis Golf Club on Monday, September 19th. The hunt will be on Friday, September 23rd at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club in Prior Lake, MN. Both events will have great giveaways, fun games, raffles, dinner, and feature live & silent auctions.

Proceeds go directly to services that meet the most critical needs of our youngest residents to promote academic success, including pre-k literacy programs, Study Buddies, homework center and teen programs, as well as support for families in navigating the school system. Visit commonbond.org to learn more!

A small but mighty group of volunteers has been making life a bit easier for the residents of Lexington Commons, a converted low-rise building that 48 formerly long-term homeless individuals now call home. Since 2010, these volunteers have been supplementing the basic apartment furnishings by providing tableware and cookware, plus bed and bath linens.

This project evolved into a twice-yearly Shopping Spree where residents are invited

WE ALL BENEFIT FROM LENDING A HAND

to shop for necessities as well as niceties. Volunteers purchase, gather and display goods ranging from cleaning supplies and personal care products to new linens, lamps, throw pillows, wall art and other décor to help residents make a comfortable home. Supermarket gift cards, small appliance raffles and take-home food treats round out the offering.

The Shopping Spree has become so popular that nearly 85% of residents now participate. Volunteers greet the residents and help them shop. Said one volunteer, “We view this as a gift to the residents who are our special guests, but we have as much fun at the event as they do.”

We are now seeking another volunteer group to lead this fun community-building event at Lexington Commons. For more information, please contact Julia Dangerfield at 651-288-8693 or Julia.Dangerfield@commonbond.org.