By: Hailey Almsted
In January, the Edina Community Foundation welcomed submissions for its ‘Bold New Idea’ contest, awarding an Edina resident (or a group of residents) up to $5,000 for their idea to strengthen and celebrate our beautiful city. Five finalists took the stage in April, and the Edina Girls Sport Summit ultimately took home the prize money.
The Edina Girls Sport Summit, presented by the Junior Varsity Board of Her Next Play, will use the $5,000 to host an annual event to showcase female sports leadership in Edina and encourage girls to continue playing sports. Aimed at celebrating and inspiring Edina’s female athletes, the summit will help girls develop their leadership skills, feature a well-known female sports role model and experts in mental toughness, leadership, teamwork, risk-taking and confidence.
The ECF Founders Club Fund partially funded the runner up, the Edina Entertainers, and the Edina Community Foundation established a New Community Impact Fund for the group. The Edina Entertainers aims to bring a bit of leisure to the community. From the Edina High School Orchestra at 50th & France to a lyrical dance group at the bandshell at Centennial Lakes, the goal of the performances is to spread happiness and cheer to Edina residents.
A third New Community Impact Fund, the Step to It Challenge, was established and funded by Edina Parks and Recreation and the Edina Senior Center. This community-wide challenge motivates people of all ages to become more physically active from May 1–28 and will run annually, with 2019 as the inaugural year.
Other finalists included the Edina Mural Project and Seed to Feed: School Farm to Table.
The goal of the Edina Mural Project was to create a series of murals for permanent display in Edina. The project aims to include the community, from sparking conversations to developing ideas to creating the design.
The Wellness Committee at Concord Elementary School wants to focus on a “farm to table” aspect for students and the community of Edina. The project aims to provide extended season and water conservation practices, and will enable vegetables and herbs to be grown by students and be used in their school lunch program.
The Edina Girls Sport Summit will take place on Sept. 30, 2019. Be sure to check out upcoming issues of Edina Magazine for updates or additional coverage.
