At Thoresen Diaby Helle Condon & Dodge, we are committed to giving back to our community with our “Little Gifts that Give” program. Below are the stories from each gift.
At our recent Firm Retreat, we partnered with @Impact 4 Good on an exciting and competitive event, where we donated to The Birthday Party Project, whose mission is bringing joy to children experiencing homelessness through the magic of a birthday celebration. Once a month, The Birthday Party Project celebrates children with a birthday that month at various homeless shelters throughout the country. Locally, they celebrate every month at People Serving People in Minneapolis.
The firm worked with Haven Housing’s volunteer coordinator to provide needed hygiene products, playground toys, storage bins, and pull-ups to their emergency shelter for women and children, St. Anne’s Place. St. Anne’s Place is located in Minneapolis, and provides private bedrooms and shared bathrooms for up to 16 families at a time; the average stay is about 3 months. They also provide personal care items, clothing, basic necessities, meals and snacks. Haven Housing assesses family needs and coordinates resources and services for the families, including housing, employment searches, skills training, chemical health support, legal support, mental health support, and overall health and wellness.
The firm purchased plantable pencils from Gifts for Good in support of eco-friendly and sustainable efforts. Once the pencils are too short to use, they can be planted and will grow! Gifts for Good works to support over 64 nonprofits and social enterprises in 50 states and 72 countries with a mission to empower the world to help people and the planet through gift-giving.
The firm purchased a Truffles Gift Box from Seattle Chocolate for each of our employees. Seattle Chocolate’s mission is to empower girls and women by donating 10% of their net profits to Girls, Inc. Girls, Inc. was founded in 1864 and has aimed to inspire young women to be strong, smart and bold. Girls, Inc. has partnered with schools all across the United States and Canada and focuses on providing mentorship, safe spaces and programs to help develop inherent strengths.
PHOTO: Zoey and Pumpkin; pets of Kat Croft,
who inspired the firm to donate to Safe Hands Rescue.
On Saturday, October 8th, the firm sponsored the First Annual MN100 Oktoberfest event. The MN100 club supports families of firefighters, peace officers, correctional officers, and EMS who live in Minnesota and have been injured or killed in the line of duty. The event featured family fun, live music, trade booths, beer garden, and more!
The firm purchased 12 backpacks and filled them with school supplies for Kids In Need Foundation (KINF). KINF believes that every child in America should have equal opportunity and access to a quality education. Their mission is to provide the support needed for teachers to teach, and learners to learn. The partners and staff are happy we were able to help the Foundation to reach their goal!
The firm raised funds to support the MN State Fair Foundation. A State Fair themed picnic and raffle were held to raise donation funds totaling $345. The funds will be earmarked for the Heritage & History Program Area, which funds the preservation, programs and traditions of the State Fair. This includes improvements to historic buildings, access to the State Fair Archives, and the development of the History & Heritage Center.
On Saturday, April 30th our Walk for Animals team showed up with some of their furry friends to raise money for the Animal Humane Society. A temporary lull in the rain and wind at the MN State Fair Grounds while the walk took place was an unexpected surprise enjoyed by all! THANK YOU to all our donors! With matching funds from the firm, the team raised a total of $1,254.
PHOTO left to right: Jacob Rietveld, Sheila Harms, Rachel Peters, and Heather Olson. Front: Diego and Casper. Not Pictured: Teammates Patricia Lugo and her dog, Link.
The firm invites employees, clients, and the general public to join us in supporting The Food Group – the firm will match $1 for each pound of food collected (up to 500 pounds)! Food and cash donations will be collected contact-free at our offices from 8am to 4pm Monday-Friday, 1/11/21 – 2-12/21. To participate virtually and help us achieve our cash drive goal visit www.givemn.org/story/TDHCD. Contact us if you or your organization is interested in offering a matching contribution! kblack@tdhcd.com or (763)398-4504
The firm packed meals at Feed My Starving Children. Feed My Starving Children works to provide meals for those all over the world who do not have the resources in order to provide food for themselves and their children. As a result of the efforts of our group as well as the other groups that volunteered during the session, we were able to pack 33,048 meals which will feed 91 kids for a year.
Partner Steve Helle participated in Shoot for Hope in support of TreeHouse, a Minnesota based organization dedicated to helping teens realize their true value since 1979. In addition to an afternoon target shoot competition, supporters participated in a silent auction and raffle at the annual fund raiser.
The firm made sandwiches that benefited The Sandwich Project. The Sandwich Project is a Minneapolis based charity committed to feeding the less fortunate in Minneapolis and the surrounding area. Through generous donations and the help of volunteers, they deliver sandwiches to individuals or organizations that need assistance.
Partner Mike Condon participated in the 23rd annual LifeSource Golf Classic Tournament and Silent Auction. We are proud to be a part of this event, which brought together almost 230 golfers and 50 volunteers, and raised over $150,000! This will benefit our community by educating and developing support for organ, eye and tissue donations.
This month, Partner Steve Helle participated in the annual GEN Children’s Charity Open Golf Tournament and Silent Auction. GEN Financial Management Inc. and Banyan Community partnered up for this event, which provides funding and support for youth, family, and community development in the Phillips neighborhood.
The firm made a generous donation to the Habitat for Humanity organization. Habitat for Humanity partners with people in communities all over the world to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Habitat homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and for their families.
Partner Kathy Diaby attended the annual Healing Haiti Sweetheart Ball, a Valentine’s Event benefiting the Healing Haiti Organization. The sold-out event was held at The Depot in Minneapolis this year. In addition to attending the annual Sweetheart Ball, the firm donates to Healing Haiti in support of their mission work throughout the year.
The firm made a generous donation benefiting Healing Haiti, a faith-centered organization devoted to supporting the people of Haiti. This organization offers life-changing experiences for those who want to make a difference in this world. Through their mission, they seek to build relationships and improve the lives of all Haitians through programs consisting of job creation, caring for the elderly, creating a positive environment for the orphans of Haiti, and so much more.
A group of the firm team members cooked and served a meal for the Ronald McDonald House “Cooks for Kids” program.
The Ronald McDonald House strives to provide a supportive environment for children and their families. They exist to create a world where all children have access to medical care and their families are supported and actively involved in their children’s care. The “Cooks for Kids” program helps lessen the burden on families by volunteers purchasing, preparing and serving meals to the families.
Partner Steve Helle supported the Shoot for Hope for the TreeHouse foundation. TreeHouse was founded in 1979 to reach every at-risk teen so they are loved, feel hope and transform their lives. TreeHouse works to provide one-on-one mentoring, support groups, mediations, retreats, and service projects for teens to help them realize their full potential.
The firm had a sandwich race to support The Sandwich Project. The Sandwich Project was established with a goal of eliminating hunger in Minneapolis. Originally, the organization started out as a few people trying to make a difference and provide 150 homeless people meals as many times of the week as possible. Through the help of their volunteers and partners, it has turned in to a grassroots movement to eradicate hunger. They currently feed 4,500 people a week. As a group, we were able to provide 250 sandwiches to those in need.
The firm is proud to sponsor The Autism 5K Walk/Run again this year. The Autism 5k averages approximately 1500 participants annually, evenly split between walkers and runners. Many groups participate in support of a particular family member, a cause, org or workplace. Others participate to compete in a certified 5K or just to enjoy a nice run or walk around Lake Calhoun. 2017 Autism 5K race proceeds will benefit local families affected by autism as well as research and is to be distributed through the nonprofit which runs this event, Children with Autism Deserve Education (C.A.D.E.) via grants.
Partner Rachel Peters and Manager Joe Berndt attended the 5th Annual Healing Haiti Sweetheart Ball, a Valentine’s event in memory of Alyn Shannon, co-founder of Healing Haiti, benefiting Healing Haiti. Healing Haiti is a Christian mission organization offering short-term mission work opportunities in Haiti. They offer life-changing experiences for those who want to make a difference in this world. They believe the world is a better place when families are strengthened. They seek to share their faith with those they meet in Haiti. This year’s Sweetheart Ball was a huge success with over 500 people in attendance! Watch the video below to see a recap of this amazing event.
Our managing partner, Kathy Diaby, went with 18 other donors with her children’s charity “Share a Care for Africa” to the village of Medina Wandifa in Senegal, West Africa for the inauguration of the school the charity recently built there. They also delivered school supplies donated by Target Corporation™ and distributed used sports uniforms, collected through Edina High School and Edina Basketball Association, to 32 elementary schools, 16 middle schools and 4 high schools, whose representatives came to Medina Wandifa from other villages in the region to collect them.
After a trip to Africa in 2011, Nia, Mariam and Sirah Diaby were surprised to learn that the village school children had to walk clear across the village to get a drink of water at lunchtime. So they decided to raise the money to build a well on the school grounds. From that, their charity, “Share a Care for Africa”, was born. Each year since, they complete a project which helps village children concentrate on learning rather than worrying about the basic necessities that children in the United States take for granted. How big a project depends on how many donations they are able to secure.
If you would like to further the efforts of Share a Care for Africa, a charity with currently no website (on 11-year old Sirah’s girl scout project list) but zero overhead, you can send your tax deductible donations to:
Share A Care For Africa
4515 Sedum Lane
Edina, MN 55435
Partner Steve Thoresen’s Mother (Averyl Thoresen) died of Leukemia, in honor of her we have made a generous donation to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.The Leukemia and Lumphoma Society (LLS) is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. The mission of LLS is: Cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS exists to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients. We are the voice for all blood cancer patients and we work to ensure access to treatments for all blood cancer patients.
As a group, the firm attended Cooks for kids (CFK) in November at the Ronald McDonald house to provide “a home-away-from-home” cooked meal for families. Cooks for Kids groups who plan, purchase, prepare and serve meals at each of our locations every day of the year, helping serve over 5,000 families a year. The Cooks for Kids volunteer opportunity is available at all of our locations, every day of the year.
The firm supported The Sandwich Project. The Sandwich Project was established with a goal of eliminating hunger in Minneapolis. Originally, the organization started out as a few people trying to make a difference and provide 150 homeless people meals as many times of the week as possible. Through the help of their volunteers and partners, it has turned in to a grassroots movement to eradicate hunger. They currently feed 4,500 people a week.
Partner Mike Condon supported the LifeSource Golf Classic. The golf classic is held in memory of Terri Opp, who was a young woman who died while waiting for a heart transplant. The event was started by the friends and family of Terri Opp, and has raised $1.72 million since 1995 to support education about donation and transplantation in her memory.
Partner Steve Helle supported the Shoot for Hope for the TreeHouse foundation. The vision of TreeHouse is to reach every at-risk teen so they are loved, feel hope and realize life transformation. To accomplish this vision, they seek to fulfill their mission to bring living hope to hurting youth and families leading to life transformation.
Partner Steve Helle supported the group BestPrep at Gen Children’s Charity Open. This year, BestPrep celebrates 40 years of connecting students and educators with business resources. Over the course of four decades, 1.5 million students have been impacted by BestPrep’s educational programs, gaining tools for success in school and life. The GEN Children’s Charity Open will raise money to provide an opportunity for low income youth to attend BestPrep’s Minnesota Business Venture.
Partner Mike Condon supported the group The Miracle League of Minnesota at their Annual Cigars and Baseball charitable event. All profits from this event benefit The Miracle League of Minnesota which provides opportunities for children between the ages of 4-19 with disabilities, to play Miracle League baseball, regardless of ability. All they need, is an opportunity to be believed in, to create joy for this great game, and a moment for a kid to be a player, when most often, never given the chance.
Partner Rachel Peters supported Liam’s Lighthouse Foundation through Team Pat’s Posse, whose mission is to raise awareness and money for research and finding a cure for Histiocytosis. Rachel became aware of this organization when a friend’s husband was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH is a disorder of the immune system in which too many infection-fighting cells are produced and activated, causing damage to organs. While rare, HLH is rapidly fatal. However, with prompt and accurate diagnosis and timely treatment, a cure is possible. Please visit the following sites to learn more about Pat’s Posse and Histiocytosis.
Partner Kathy Diaby supported the group Multiple Connections of Golden Valley at their Annual Benefit Raffle. The money raised this year went to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an organization near and dear to Kathy’s heart, as her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1999, before any major research headway was made toward the detection and cure of this silent killer.