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"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
That's a quote from Sir Isaac Newton that Scott Nickson, development director for the Richland Wilkin Community Foundation in North Dakota, shared on the foundation's website last week.
The idea for the foundationwhich Nickson says is one of the first statewide community foundations in the UScame from a meeting of North Dakota Bremer bankers in the 1970s, the Bismarck Tribune reports.
"The question became 'how can we create a mechanism for keeping some of those dollars in our local communities, where they were earned and are still needed?'" the foundation's website explains.
More North Dakota leaders were recruited in the effort, including University of North Dakota President Tom Clifford.
The North Dakota Community Foundation was established in 1976, one of the first statewide community foundations in the nation.
The first executive director of the foundation was former three-term North Dakota Governor William L.
Guy, and the initial board of directors consisted of leaders from cities all across the state, including Bismarck, Fargo, Larimore, Casselton, Minot, and Williston.
Through the efforts of these early founders, the concept caught onpeople began to recognize the importance of investing in their own communities and leaving
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Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
3 Social Enterprises Earn Honors at Social Enterprise Award
Three social enterprises were recognized at the 2013 President’s Challenge Social Enterprise Award for their major contributions to society. SATA CommHealth and Bliss Restaurant landed Social Enterprise of the Year titles, while Bettr Barista Coffee Academy bagged the award for Social Enterprise Start-up of the Year.