Hello!
Welcome 2009! With the new year comes big changes and big challenges. Many of Minnesota's most astute companies have developed active workforce diversity programs. Moving forward, keeping that emphasis is as important as ever - even in more challenging times. Our challenge, as diversity professionals, is to keep our vision on the long range even as our companies become more focused on short term solutions.

Colette
Diversity Minnesota Editor

Volume: 2 Number: 1
January, 2009

Volunteers of America-Minnesota is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 which offers a wide variety of services for more than 27,000 children, adolescents and their families, older adults, students, persons with disabilities and special needs, and ex-offenders each year. We are one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in the state and have more than 60 programs, 700 employees and 4,000 volunteers. We have a rich history of developing innovative programs to meet emerging social needs and pride ourselves on sponsoring programs which are able to explicitly articulate the outcomes achieved in our program participants' lives.

This Issue:

Diversity Leader - Volunteers of America - Minnesota
Cultural Diversity is an Opportunity!
Sponsor Spotlight - Capstone Services, HickoryTech, Metropolitan Council, Metro Transit
Noteworthy Event - TPT-HRP-MN Generational Diversity Fair
Sponsorships on Diversity Minnesota

Local Events:

Diversity Discussion Group - January 9th
Jewish Literature Book Talk - January 14th
2009 Latino Legislative Day at the Capitol - January 20th
Mastermind Training Session - January 30th
Diversity Minnesota's Ethnic and Cultural Event Calendar
Get Your Event in the FEBRUARY newsletter!

Quick Links:

Cultural Diversity is an Opportunity!

Author: Cash Miller

The management of cultural diversity in the workplace can be considered a response to the need to recognize, respect and capitalize on the different backgrounds in our society in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender. Whether you've noticed or not every single day you are exposed to different forms of cultural diversity. From what you watch, where you eat, and the places you visit.

We want to extend a big THANK YOU to our newest sponsors -

Capstone Services
HickoryTech
Metropolitan Council
Metro Transit

Thank you all for your support!

Upcoming Diversity Event

Join HRP-MN at the 2009 Diversity Fair on Tuesday, February 3rd at the TPT studios to celebrate and learn about generational diversity. Come listen to the experts in generational diversity and the workplace and enjoy networking with your colleagues!
Our presenters will include:

Keynote Speaker: Jim Gambone, Intergenerational Consultant, Points of View, Inc.
David Stillman, co-author, When Generations Collide
Lila Kelly, Recruitment & Diversity Specialist, Lila Kelly Associates
Bill Wells, President, W. Wells & Associates

Sponsorships are still available for this event! Your $300 contribution includes:

A listing in all emails promoting this event.
An annoucement of your sponsorship at the job fair.
A location for you to place literature at the event.
An appreciation message in the following month's HRP-MN newsletter.
One free 1/4 page ad in the HRP-MN newsletter
Your logo on Diversity Minnesota for one month.

Contact Sam Morse at 763-784-9393 X201 or email him at sammorse@diversityminnesota.com about sponsoring this event.

Sponsorships on Diversity Minnesota

As a purely Minnesota resource, Diversity Minnesota is meeting face to face with cultural, religious and other specialized organizations on a daily basis. Sponsoring Diversity Minnesota has many rewards for diversity-minded Minnesota employers. Click here to learn more about what our 3-month, 6-month or yearly sponsorships have to offer.

To become a sponsor of this newsletter, please email ColetteB@DiversityMinnesota.com
To sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, click here.