About Resilient Moorhead

HISTORY

Hear from Ken Foster about Resilient Moorhead's beginnings

Resilient Moorhead was formed at the initiative of Concordia College. As Concordia was preparing to develop a Climate Action Plan, with a section on climate resilience, Ken Foster and Tim Hiller reached out to stakeholders in Moorhead to gauge interest in starting a community resilience task force. After receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback, the new network was launched in March 2019. At the end of 2019, Concordia received a Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant to fund the work of the task force.

In 2022, the task force became Resilient Moorhead, a durable and adaptable network focused on advancing community resilience in Moorhead by facilitating collaborative initiatives. A diverse set of stakeholders work together to find new ways to address issues of common concern, building on strengths to create a Resilient Moorhead.

Who We Are

Resilient Moorhead is a network of organizations. We are not a formal nonprofit, but rather a vehicle for communication and collaboration among organizations. A steering committee facilitates network activities.

Steering Committee members as of January 2023:

Dawn Bacon, Director of Moorhead Public Housing
Ken Foster, Professor and Director of Community Engagement, Concordia College
Noelle Harden, Extension Educator, Health and Nutrition, University of Minnesota
Bree Langemo, Director of Entrepreneurship, Concordia College
Steve Lindaas, Professor, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and City Council member
Crystal Rayamajhi, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Moorhead

See the Full Member Directory

How We Work

Resilient Moorhead is a network of organizations committed to working together to address issues and to ensure that the Moorhead community can thrive in the future regardless of what challenges arise. As a network, we value openness, flexibility, and inclusiveness. Each organization, large or small, has representatives who participate in Resilient Moorhead meetings and activities. When we come together, there is no hierarchy - we all interact as equals, committed to working together for the good of our community. The RM Steering Committee helps to guide the network and provide continuity in its work. The full group meets every other month, while working groups and the steering committee meet more frequently.

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Steve Lindaas,

MN State Univ. Moorhead & MHD City Council

"Resilient Moorhead is helping create connections, identify stakeholders, and seed ideas, doing important and effective work on climate justice. Working together, the community has created two focus areas that have led to meaningful projects such as Inclusive Moorhead and the Food Forest."

Noelle Harden,

UM Extension/Cass Clay Food Partners

"Resilient Moorhead has helped me realize the power of personal relationships in driving community change. I’ve learned to be humble, appreciate perspectives different than my own, and recognize that we all have a shared hope for a stronger and more just community."

Successes

To date, Resilient Moorhead has supported the following projects:

MB Johnson Edible Forest Project
Moorhead Community Gardening Initiative
Neighborhood-based pollinator gardens
New American COVID Response Teams
Moorhead Network Mapping Research
Moorhead’s Comprehensive Planning process
Inclusive Moorhead project to promote social equity
Participatory grantmaking pilot project

Current Areas of Focus

Resilient Moorhead is currently focusing on the following areas:

SOCIAL EQUITY

...with a current focus on civic engagement and inclusive decision-making. Our vision is that people in Moorhead experience equity across race, generation, socioeconomic status, and ability.

ECOLOGICAL HEALTH

... with a current focus on eco-friendly land use and water quality. Our vision is that Moorhead has an ecologically healthy and diverse landscape that supports the well-being of residents.

Awards

Recipient of the MoorHeart Award, August 2022.

The MoorHeart award is an opportunity to recognize individuals who go above and beyond to demonstrate community within the city by their actions and service. A team of volunteers from city boards and commissions selects award recipients. The MoorHeart award is commemorated with a piece of art commissioned from Moorhead-based artist Karman Rheault especially for this purpose.

The award was presented “For all Resilient Moorhead does for Moorhead – and especially for the way the group has emphasized strong collaboration tactics for common areas of concern – the MoorHeart selection committee chose Resilient Moorhead to receive the MoorHeart Award. Resilient Moorhead is a great example of the MoorHeart spirit.”