about 13 Tweets / 13 Causes

This year Campbell Mithun has teamed up with 13 non-profit causes funded by Greater Twin Cities United Way, who will vie for social-media votes and the opportunity to receive a pro bono campaign created by the 2012 Lucky 13 interns. Voting starts on February 13th and runs for 13 days, right here on the Lucky 13 website. During that timeframe, you will be able to click a "Vote" button near the cause of your choice to register your vote. Until then, click on an organization above to learn more about it!

Volunteers of America

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We've strengthened our vision, mission and values and are ready to engage the community in a new way – a way that distinguishes what's unique about us."

The vision of the Volunteers of America-Minnesota is to uplift all lives—to help people gain self-reliance, dignity and hope. Established in 1896, the organization provides a wide range of services to more than 26,500 Minnesotans each year including children, youth, adults and seniors. VOA is one of the largest nonprofit human service organizations in the state and is proud to have met all Accountability Standards of the Minnesota Charities Review Council for public disclosure, governance, financial activity and fundraising.

Domestic Abuse Project

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We'd like to build awareness of the organization, educate about solutions for domestic abuse and instigate public conversation about domestic violence."

Working to break the intergenerational cycle of domestic abuse and to transform families in crisis, the Domestic Abuse Project has been providing therapy services, crisis intervention support and legal assistance in domestic abuse cases since it was founded in 1979. The organization views domestic abuse as a learned behavior—one that can be unlearned—and works with victims and perpetrators alike to stabilize homes and improve human lives. In short, the Domestic Abuse Project envisions a community free from domestic abuse, and helps 4,000 people each year on its way to making that vision a reality.

Immigrant Law Center of MN

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "Help! Our logo and communications materials need updating – refreshing our brand will strengthen our ability to serve our clients."

The Immigrant Law Center of MN was founded in 1976 to help Minnesota immigrants deal with the many legal barriers and pitfalls of the US immigration process. Volunteers provide quality immigration legal services, law-related education, and advocacy to meet the increasing needs of Minnesota's growing immigrant and refugee communities. Each year, ILCM serves 8,000+ individuals from more than 90 countries, at little or no cost to the immigrants themselves.

Keystone Community Services

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "It's time to launch a public-awareness campaign that explores a wide variety of marketing engagement strategies."

Keystone Community Services—named for the strong connecting stone at the center of an arch—is a community-based volunteer organization in St. Paul, Minnesota, that helps thousands of low-income individuals and families in the East Metro Area. The organization's programs include food shelves; a support program for Hmong youth and their families; and a comprehensive Seniors Program that provides Meals on Wheels, peer counseling and programs for active seniors. All services support the organization's central mission: to strengthen the capacity of individuals and families to improve their quality of life.

Pillsbury United Communties

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We'd like to increase our 'interaction factor' – both on our website and via the use of social media to engage and mobilize our donors, volunteers and supporters."

Pillsbury United Communities works to create choice, change and connection for people from all walks of life. Multiple locations in Minneapolis serve more than 40,000 people annually. A descendant of the Settlement House Movement, the organization works to affect positive change by building meaningful relationships and communities by focusing on the following: early childhood development, youth and teen development, adult education and skill development, civic engagement, essential resources and wellness.

ARC's Value Village Thrift Store

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We've developed a new Village Rewards customer-loyalty program for thrift store shoppers and need help launching the program."

Arc's Value Village thrift stores exist to help children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. All store proceeds support The Arc Greater Twin Cities' mission to secure for these clients opportunities to realize their goals of where and how they live, learn, work and play.

Twin Cities RISE

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "Job placement is just one part of our story – we want to build awareness about what having meaningful work can do for a LIFE."

Twin Cities RISE!, formed in 1994, is an innovative anti-poverty organization that provides long-term job training for those facing barriers to employment and long-term self-sufficiency. TCR! provides employers with skilled workers by training underemployed and unemployed adults for skilled jobs that pay a living wage of at least $20,000 annually. Services include a combination of personal empowerment training, one-on-one coaching, customized work skills instruction, supportive services, internship opportunities and employment placement services.

Minneapolis Public Schools

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "To educate all children in Minneapolis, we offer more opportunities than the community realizes. We need help spreading the word."

Starting as a single school in 1834, Minneapolis Public Schools now includes 72 schools that educate 34,000 students every day. The goal: to get every single child college ready upon graduation. With the help of more than 5,500 exceptional employees and countless members of the community, Minneapolis Public Schools strives to educate and inspire all students to achieve great things.

Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We need assistance in bringing a social-media push to our annual fundraising event in September to garner additional visibility and generate needed financial support."

The Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being has a unique approach to mental health. It is the only center in Anoka County that treats the entire family, offers trained child and adolescent psychiatrists who see children younger than 16, provides a family-focused domestic abuse program, brings prevention programs into area schools, and provides therapeutic counseling for female survivors of sexual assault/abuse. The agency also operates Bridgeview CSP (Community Service Program) -- the only psychosocial drop-in center in Anoka County for adults aged 18+ who have serious and persistent mental illnesses.

Cornerstone Advocacy Service

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We envision using social media to raise awareness of the mental and emotional consequences of violence for children -- and would like to reach both medical professionals and the general public."

Cornerstone's mission is to prevent domestic abuse by providing children and adults a continuum of services that build sustainable self-reliance and revive the human spirit. The organization provides comprehensive services, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, legal services, individual and group support services, youth counseling and mental health services. For 28 years, Cornerstone has been helping individuals begin their journeys to a better life.

Genesis II for Families

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We need help developing a marketing plan that reaches a specific group within our client base and implements a recent rebranding effort."

Genesis II promotes social change by strengthening families and the community through programs that encourage self-determination, self-sufficiency and healthy family lifestyles. For 35 years the organization has been providing comprehensive family support services, including: parent/child interaction therapy, supervised parenting and co-parenting services, teen parenting programming, parent education, life skills training, wraparound services, and early childhood education in an effort to create safe and positive environments for parents and children.

Emergency Foodshelf Network

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "While we need to continue reaching constituents who are 'offline,' we need help engaging with people via social media, our blog and other tech tools including 'text 2 give' campaigns."

The Emergency Foodshelf Network is a full-service food bank which provides nutritious and culturally appropriate food and support services to more than 200 hunger-relief partners, including food shelves, on-site meal programs, and Fare For All sites throughout the state of Minnesota. Since its formation in 1976, the organization has worked closely with food shelves, on-site meal programs, mobile food shelves and reduced-cost grocery programs to feed thousands of hungry members of Minnesota communities in innovative and effective ways.

DARTS

Proposed Lucky 13 project: "We'd like help with taking full advantage of the e-philanthropy success possible through GiveMN, particularly in engaging our corporate donors and our on-the-front-lines volunteer corps."

DARTS takes a full-circle approach to its belief in positive aging by meeting the needs of older adults and supporting their desires to be active in community. We connect people with community by providing age-friendly information; coordinating practical services at home; improving mobility via accessible transportation; supporting caregivers of elders; and engaging all ages in volunteerism. A strong corps of dedicated staff and volunteers strives to build a community of aging excellence, characterized by aging-friendly resources, good mobility for all, and a volunteering spirit.