Thank you sponsors of the 2010 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project

Platinum Sponsor Profiles

General Mills

Every day General Mills, its foundation, employees and retirees live our mission of Nourishing Lives ™ by sharing not only our financial resources, but also our expertise and unique skills to help improve the lives of children and families around the world. General Mills partners with strategic, innovative organizations like Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity that are making a difference in our community. One of the first corporations to partner with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the General Mills Foundation has contributed nearly two-million dollars to Habitat and built or renovated 19 homes since the organization was founded in the Twin Cities. Habitat for Humanity’s impact on families and neighborhoods, and its comprehensive approach to home ownership is outstanding. The Carter Work Project dovetails with General Mills’ mission to nourish lives and with our commitment to the strength and well being of families. Our support of the Carter Work Project is an example of our long-term commitment to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and the Twin Cities community. Providing families with stable, affordable home ownership, as Habitat does, is a necessary step in moving families to self-sufficiency.

Thrivent Builds

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has a long history of strengthening and improving the quality of life in its members’ communities across the country, as well as its corporate headquarters communities in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and the Fox Cities of Wisconsin. It’s part of Thrivent’s mission statement, and it’s backed by action. Thrivent Financial was founded on the concept of security for its members, so working with Habitat for Humanity to help provide the security of owning a home is a great fit. Thrivent Builds, a four-year, $125 million alliance with Habitat for Humanity International is the organization’s largest vehicle for Habitat support. Since 2005, 2.6 million members across the country have volunteered through the Thrivent Builds program and helped more than 2,000 families build homes. Thrivent Financial’s mission statement calls us to improve the quality of life of members, their families and their communities by providing unparalleled solutions that focus on financial security, wellness and caring for others. This ties into the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, and Thrivent Financial is excited to work with 26 local families as they reach for stability, security and a home of their own. Through their support of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, our employees and members embody the kind of passion, willingness to serve and partnership that makes Thrivent Financial special.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is a proud long-term supporter of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. At Wells Fargo, our vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. We know that affordable homeownership provides a solid foundation for a family’s financial success. That’s why we’re committed to support the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project to help families in North Minneapolis and the East Side of St. Paul create a foundation for their future. Helping to provide affordable housing solutions is very important to Wells Fargo, and our strong relationship with Habitat for Humanity reflects our commitment. We work closely with Habitat because we know that home ownership builds strong neighborhoods that are the foundations of thriving communities. Since 2001, Wells Fargo has contributed more than $3.2 million for various 48 Habitat projects in Minnesota and our team members have helped build more than 260 homes. Wells Fargo and its team members, along with Habitat and its other supporters, share a vital goal – to make sure homeownership is available, affordable and sustainable for the health and vitality of our communities.

Gold Sponsor Profiles

Ecolab

Since 1923, St. Paul has been Ecolab’s world headquarters. The company’s commitment to the Twin Cities area has been steadfast over the years and Ecolab’s company culture reflects a commitment to contributing to the quality of life in the communities where we operate and do business. Affordable and sustainable housing is a focus area for the community giving program at Ecolab. Since 2002, Ecolab has supported the work of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, not only through grants from the Ecolab Foundation, but also volunteer efforts of Ecolab associates who look forward to yearly opportunities to work on a summer-long Habitat project in St. Paul. Providing funds is one way to help, but when associates are able to see the need and contribute their talents there’s a greater impact and recognition in terms of how they, along with the company, are making a difference. As long-time supporters of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the opportunity for Ecolab to collaborate as part of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is a once in a lifetime occasion and an opportunity to show the Hawthorne EcoVillage and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods that the broader, local community cares about their well being. While we many never know all of the families who we are helping to build a home, we’re confident we can help make a difference.

Andersen Corporation

Andersen Corporation, a privately held window and door manufacturer headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota has called the Twin Cities area home for over 100 years. Andersen is dedicated to this community and wants to ensure it remains vibrant and a wonderful place to live for future generations. Affordable housing is one of Andersen Corporation’s primary philanthropic focus areas. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is truly a leader on the subject of building affordable housing. Habitat has established a tremendous level of community engagement and Andersen is honored to partner with them on the good work they are doing. A good home is the cornerstone of life, and Habitat truly helps deliver that for so many families — both here and across the world. Andersen is pleased that the Carter’s have brought renewed attention to the need for quality affordable housing in this area. During the Carter Work Project, Andersen has been pleased to donate both funds to build the homes – as well as Andersen Windows, to ensure the homes are energy efficient and volunteers to help with the builds.

Lowe's

At Lowe’s, we believe community involvement extends beyond the boundaries of the traditional retail setting. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Habitat for Humanity International since 2003 to help create affordable housing for low income families across America. In 2009, we renewed our commitment to Habitat’s affordable-housing work with a five-year, $20 million pledge. The new commitment, through 2013, will bring Lowe’s Habitat contributions to nearly $40 million since the partnership began. Fulfilling our commitment is about more than writing checks, it’s about making an impact. We do that with the help of the Lowe’s family — more than 238,000 employees who are dedicated to making their community a better place to live. Together, Lowe’s and Habitat have helped to build nearly 1,500 homes for families in the U.S. Lowe’s has also underwritten Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Program since 2004. Through construction skills taught at Lowe’s how-to clinics, the Women Build program educates and empowers women to build simple, decent and affordable houses in their communities. Being a good neighbor means being committed to improving the places Lowe’s customers and employees call home. That’s our pledge. And we’ll continue to build brighter futures together with Habitat for Humanity.

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank has a long tradition of serving and building the community. Through financial support and employee volunteerism, we work to ensure that the Twin Cities area remains strong and prosperous. We focus on initiatives that develop affordable housing, foster economic revitalization, and provide financial training to consumers, small business owners, and first-time home buyers. We support Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in their work to create affordable housing opportunities. The 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project shares U.S. Bank’s focus of developing affordable housing and fostering economic revitalization in our community. Employees at U.S. Bank feel a tremendous sense of pride to support programs and organizations that help to improve the strength and vitality of our community — knowing that the collective effort ultimately benefits everyone who lives, works and does business here.

Silver Sponsor Profiles

Cargill

Headquartered in the Twin Cities, Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the Cargill Foundation primarily invests in organizations and programs that demonstrate leadership and effectiveness in educating socioeconomically disadvantaged children and eliminating barriers to their educational success. Cargill has been a global partner with Habitat for Humanity International for many years. In 2009, Cargill retirees contributed more than 20,000 hours of service to benefit local nonprofit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity. Cargill’s most recent grant to Habitat for Humanity brings the company’s support since 1996 to nearly $3.75 million. As part of that commitment, Cargill employees have helped build more than 400 houses with Habitat in 19 countries and on six continents. This is the third time in recent years that Cargill has participated in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Our participation reinforces our efforts to address economic, environmental and social challenges in domestic and international communities where Cargill operates.

Christ Presbyterian Church

In its 54 years of ministry, Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) has been significantly involved in extending the love and hope of Jesus Christ to all generations. CPC members regularly serve in ministries that touch the lives of our neighbors. To help accomplish this, CPC has established partnerships which range from urban churches and youth ministries to suburban food shelves. Our mission statement is to “inspire all generations to follow Jesus, love others, and live missionally.” CPC supports Habitat for Humanity as part of our community development approach to ministry. As such, affordable housing is a key element to developing, stabilizing and restoring hope in our community. The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP) is a great fit for CPC and our goals for community development due to the focused effort to impact specific neighborhoods in a short period of time. What would normally take years to accomplish is able to happen in months, bringing hope to those who will become home owners, as well as their new neighbors and local community.

Dorsey & Whitney

Dorsey & Whitney’s commitment to the Twin Cities community is long-standing and far reaching. From pro bono legal services to philanthropic giving and community service, giving back to the community is at the very heart of what engages our lawyers and staff. For fourteen consecutive years, Dorsey has committed financially and through volunteers to a Habitat for Humanity project in the Twin Cities. Humanity provides the lawyers and staff of Dorsey a powerful hands-on opportunity, literally, to help build community in the Twin Cities side-by-side with the people we are helping. Whether Dorsey people are wielding hammers on the work site or supporting the work-site effort by providing lunches and snacks, Habitat gives us such a concrete and lasting sense of giving back to the community. It is a privilege to be part of a Habitat project led by the Carters that will have a lasting, positive impact on our local communities. Vice President Walter Mondale’s long history as a partner of Dorsey & Whitney has given our firm a close connection to, and special appreciation for, President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter and the important work they have done and are doing through Habitat for Humanity and otherwise.

Family Housing Fund

Founded in 1980, the Family Housing Fund’s mission is to provide safe, affordable, sustainable homes to families and children in the Twin Cities metropolitan area through ongoing partnerships with the public and private sector. The Family Housing Fund is passionate about creating a better home and community for all Twin Cities residents, particularly those with limited income and resources. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is an organization that exemplifies many of the values and goals of the Fund. By creating hundreds of opportunities for low-income families to participate and become successful homeowners each year, and promoting affordable housing for everyone in our community, Family Housing Fund is proud to be a partner and supporter for Habitat for Humanity. The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is a multifaceted neighborhood revitalization program in the Twin Cities that ties into Family Housing Fund’s overall mission and recent mortgage foreclosure recovery work. The Carter Work Project highlights the importance of affordable housing to stable, thriving communities. The Carter Work Project is a wonderful opportunity for Fund staff and partners to tie together housing policy and education work and see the end result of providing a family with a new home, and a community with new hope and revitalization.

Bronze Sponsor Profiles

Bank of America

Bank of America – Merrill Lynch is committed to strengthening the economic and social health of the communities where we live, work and play in Minnesota and the Twin Cities. We have partnered with Habitat for Humanity International for 22 years, providing $19 million since 2002 and 20,000 volunteer hours annually. Because of Bank of America’s strong relationship with Habitat for Humanity International — both in funding and volunteerism — we decided to partner with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and support the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Additionally , and perhaps more importantly, our local associates are excited about the partnership and eager for volunteer opportunities. At Bank of America, we understand that the power of our nearly 300,000 associates plays a key role in improving the economic and cultural health of the global communities we serve. We have a long history in volunteerism starting with strong support from company leadership and demonstrated by associates’ passion for giving back. Our commitment to the work being done by Habitat for Humanity, including the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, is a commitment to help strengthen the economic and social health of the communities we serve. Partnering with Habitat aligns with Bank of America’s focus on economic empowerment through the lens of affordable housing.

The Dow Chemical Company

The Dow Chemical Company is extremely committed to the Twin Cities community. As a corporate citizen, we provide educational support for schools, special event sponsorships and our employees are continually donating their own time to give back, which also directly translates into assistance to people in our community who need help. We’re committed to supporting Habitat for Humanity because it’s another way to help make our community a better place to live. It’s an example of how we strive to provide local resources to develop the kind of lasting change that helps people succeed, and helps support communities throughout the Twin Cities. We engage a holistic approach to our support of Habitat for Humanity, contributing not only funds that make building possible, but products that deliver dramatic reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions as well as significant volunteer support which is needed to help bring these projects and the homeowners’ dreams to life. Our interests are highly aligned with the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project to help raise the awareness, understanding and address to affordable housing around the globe.

The Minneapolis Foundation

Through community grant making and civic leadership activities, the Minneapolis Foundation supports Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity for its work to increase access to affordable housing and homeownership opportunities for low-income families. In the past year alone, The Minneapolis Foundation and our donors contributed more than $80,000 to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. The work of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity advances the Minneapolis Foundation’s goals of social, economic, and racial equity in our community. Deeply rooted in the belief that by working together we can realize greater possibilities, The Minneapolis Foundation believes the collaborative Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project—building, rehabilitating, and repairing affordable homes in our community —is a powerful demonstration of how together we can help transform communities. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity aligns with our organizational mission and the charitable interests of many of our donors.

Mosaic

Mosaic is the world’s leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, two nutrients required to grow the food the world needs. While our products nourish crops and livestock, we are committed to nourishing the communities in which we live and work. Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to build simple affordable homes. Food on the table and a roof over your head are two of the most essential needs of mankind and synergy between the two makes our partnership with Habitat rewarding. Supporting communities is more than a tradition at Mosaic—it is ingrained in company culture. We know that in order for our company to prosper, our communities must also prosper. Mosaic’s core values are integrity, excellence, sustainability and connectivity—all of which are perfectly exemplified by the work of Habitat for Humanity. We are proud to extend our partnership with Habitat through our sponsorship of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

Hervé and Jennifer Sarteau

The Twin Cities are an integral part of our family’s life and history. Helping to make this community a place where Christ’s command of “loving our neighbors” can be witnessed and experienced is a key motivation for us. Habitat for Humanity offers a unique, multi-faceted way to make an impact on the people in the community. Habitat provides a powerful impact in three ways:

• Habitat produces great direct returns and multiplication of our charitable giving;
• Beneficiaries of Habitat for Humanity services are great role models for people and volunteers who get to know their story; and
• Habitat creates bonds across the many local volunteer groups located in the Twin Cities including local businesses, communities of faith, neighborhood groups and associations. It keeps the “village spirit” alive in our genes.

The Carters relentless and enduring commitment to Habitat for Humanity and their tremendous dedication is an exemplary model of how we’d like to be able to look at our own track record one day … it is a real motivator and a privilege to be associated with such servant leadership. Their humility in the process is also a great guide to help us remember that “it’s not about us.”

Valspar

The Valspar Corporation is a global leader in the paint and coatings industry. Since 1806, Valspar has been dedicated to bringing customers the latest innovations, the finest quality and the best customer service in the coatings industry. The focus of the Valspar Foundation is to promote urban restoration by supporting organizations that can use Valspar’s products and know-how to improve neighborhood housing. Valspar’s partnership with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity began in 1979 and continues today through our support of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Valspar is also the national paint sponsor for Habitat for Humanity International and recently celebrated our 1 millionth gallon of donated paint. All U.S. Habitat affiliates have access to Valspar products at no cost and Valspar leaders attend national Habitat conferences to explain to affiliates how to get paint. In total, Valspar has donated more than $35 million in cash and in-kind contributions. Valspar also created the vision and is the driving force behind an innovative Habitat for Humanity program, A Brush with Kindness, where volunteers outfitted with paint and supplies transform neighborhoods by painting home exteriors, providing minor repairs and landscaping; all tasks that can be difficult for low income, disabled and senior homeowners. In Minnesota alone, the A Brush with Kindness program has helped more than 1,000 families.