Project Restore Minnesota
One of the aims of Project Legacy is to see our trauma-healing work perpetuated by the youth we serve. The formation of Project Restore Minnesota by Project Legacy youth is a sign that our mission is working.
Following destruction in the wake of police killing George Floyd, Minneapolis and St. Paul communities were left with gaping needs. Project Legacy youth were on the ground right away, working to meet them. Elijah Norris, a longtime Project Legacy member and recent addition to our staff living in St. Paul, put out a call for needed supplies. He requested things like diapers, canned goods, and water.
Project Legacy’s Facebook page spread that request, and on May 28, a vanload of supplies driven by executive director Karen Light Edmonds left Rochester. It was headed toward Norris and other Project Legacy alums on the ground in the Twin Cities. The team started passing out supplies at the Jimmy Lee recreational center, in the Hamline midway area of St. Paul.
Word of mouth spread the news, and soon necessary items were moving into the hands of those who needed them, free of charge.
“I think once people saw people collecting items and walking away with bags, they kind of got the idea of what was going on over there,” says Norris.
Loads of supplies continued to flow from Rochester and elsewhere (a trio of vehicles from Project Legacy brought replenishments on June 3), and, as the distribution operation grew more organized, Norris and other young leaders decided this momentum needed to continue. They formed a new organization, called Project Restore Minnesota. Its objective is to empower youth to achieve their goals through multi-faceted support. Once up and running, Restore Minnesota aims to supply everything from canned goods to chef certifications and other professional training and experience. It’s a comprehensive approach, with clear ties to the work Project Legacy has been doing for over 10 years now.
“Karen has been very influential in a lot of stuff that's going on right now is, at least from my perspective, for me, she's been a support system. And I want to take what she's done in Rochester, and try to implement something like that across the entire state,” says Norris.
Project Legacy’s support system, according to Light Edmonds, is designed to eliminate barriers preventing young people from achieving their goals. From financial assistance with rent or tuition to advice and guidance, Project Legacy supports its participants for as long as they need, day in, day out, until their needs are met.
“We tell our PL youth they don't owe us anything. All we ask is that they do their best, work for justice and turn around and help the next person coming up behind them. It is rare that someone does do all three of these things - Elijah is this person,” says Light Edmonds.
Government officials took quick notice of our youth’s ability to act with speed and effectiveness; Norris has already been invited on a walking tour of North Minneapolis with Mayor Jacob Frey and Senator Bobby Joe Champion, named to a committee formed by Mayor Frey, and approached with offers of large donations to get Project Restore Minnesota off the ground.
When Norris asked if Project Legacy would become the fiscal agent for the new organization, the Project Legacy board of directors voted unanimously in favor.
“Elijah is why Project Legacy exists, and it is the Elijahs who are changing our world. And we are here for them, if they need us,” says Light Edmonds.
Bryan Lund is a writer, ghostwriter, and teacher from Rochester, Minnesota. He started a writer’s workshop for Project Legacy last summer and continues to tutor and volunteer in other capacities.