The honor celebrates people who are the pulse of Minnesota’s caring and connected communities. It is named for Virginia McKnight Binger, the Foundation’s first board chair and the daughter of McKnight’s founders William and Maude McKnight. This year’s honorees are:
Siham Amedy (West Central region) is a fierce advocate for a future where everyone in the Moorhead area—regardless of race, income, or immigration status—can prosper. Her work spans many areas, from helping people access food and housing to leading as chair of the Moorhead Human Rights Commission. She partners with local coalitions and city leaders to foster a more inclusive community and spearheads a week of activities welcoming newcomers. Through her work at Creating Community Consulting, she supports initiatives such as Inclusive Moorhead and the Clay County Family Resource Center. Outside of her daytime work, she serves on several boards to bridge the gap of equity and create access to community services. She also promotes the Moorhead Global Market and Pangea, which bring together people of all backgrounds through food and art with access to entrepreneurship skills. Peers call her a beacon of hope, a relentless advocate, a dreamer, and a doer who tenaciously works to elevate unheard voices and fight systemic racism. They cite her extraordinary ability to make connections and build opportunity for the people in her region.
Andre Crockett (Southeast region) fosters self-confidence, resilience, and success for youth through his Sports Mentorship Academy in Rochester. The after-school program specifically for African American youth ages 10-18 provides a safe space for both academic support and athletic development. By eliminating participation barriers, the program ensures equitable access to opportunities that are often out of reach for low-income families. His colleagues note that his work both connects young people to positive adult influences and simultaneously addresses disparities. They applaud him for playing a significant role in changing the trajectories of the lives of youth by engaging them in activities that promote a sense of belonging, dignity, and hope.
Joshua Jones (Northwest region) embodies a profound commitment to the land and the people of Red Lake Nation. His outdoor youth work programs offer opportunities steeped in Anishinaabe cultural values for youth to engage in such outdoor activities as cross-country skiing/snowshoeing, dirt bike racing, outdoor recreation park building, mountain biking, forest trail system building, cultural learning workshops, and outdoor community events. He has a special focus on youth who are in the foster care and juvenile detention systems, as well as people with physical limitations. His work both connects young people to positive adult influences while simultaneously addressing disparities. His peers say that he is reimagining how the outdoors and sovereign land can bring mental, physical, and spiritual wellness to the Red Lake Nation.
Paul Nelson (Northeast region) has made it possible for every person in Cook County, regardless of income, to have good dental care. He created the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s Oral Health Task Force to make sure all 800 children and youth in the rural area have access to affordable oral health care and education. As a result, Cook County now has the lowest rate of children’s cavities in the state. Over the years, his work has expanded to include pregnant women, low-income seniors, and mid-life adults. He also has formed a partnership with the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa and created oral health comic books in Ojibwe and English for their children and expectant moms. His clinic covers 90% of the costs of care, made possible, his peers say, by his tireless pursuit of funding to support oral health in his region.
Sai Thao (Metro Region) has devoted her life to creating spaces where stories are heard, valued, and uplifted. As an observant Hmong daughter, she learned early on the power of listening before speaking. In 1992, she discovered filmmaking as a way to strengthen her ability and affirm her cultural identity. Four years later, she co-founded In Progress, an organization whose mission is to pave the way for emerging voices. Sai has worked with thousands of youth and adult artists, guiding them to share their stories through artmaking. Now, as a mother, she continues her work alongside families seeking equity and justice within her school district. Her peers describe her as a quiet yet fierce leader—deeply committed to building community and encouraging others to recognize their worth and strength.
Wanetta Thompson (Central region) uses art as a catalyst for change in her Ojibwe community. Her deep cultural understanding helps her Native community actively honor and share their heritage, practices, and skills. The free cultural heritage preservation art classes offered by her Maadaoonidiwag (sharing knowledge) program foster a vital sense of identity for young tribal members and help alleviate the effects of historical and generational trauma. She also builds knowledge of Native history and breaks down barriers between Indigenous and non-Native neighbors through free community workshops. Colleagues call her a force of nature who is a natural yet humble and community-focused leader.
Julie Walker (Southwest region) has poured herself into making her community a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ individuals. She cofounded Marshall Pride, which has grown to a multi-day event with live music, food trucks, a petting zoo, drag show, and more. She has also worked tirelessly with the nonprofit she co-founded (Southwest Minnesota Pride) to help several other Pride organizations in the area thrive. Her dedication to the LGBTQ+ community extends to Southwest Minnesota State University where she serves as the director of the LGBTQ+ Center and the City of Marshall where she is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Her friends and colleagues say Southwest Minnesota is a far more inclusive space because of her kind heart and singular effort.
The Heart of Community Honor has recognized 333 Minnesotans since 1995. Each recipient receives a $10,000 cash award and is recognized at a reception at the McKnight Foundation. For four decades, the McKnight Foundation has honored individuals who have had a significant impact on the state of Minnesota and its communities but who have not been widely recognized for their work in the past. Learn more about the awards and past recipients here.
The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts in Minnesota, neuroscience, and international crop research.
The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) is a vibrant philanthropic community connecting, strengthening and mobilizing the power of philanthropy to advance prosperity and equity. MCF connects collaborative groups through peer learning and networks, leadership development, and partnerships; mobilizes the sector through government relations, public policy, intermediary work, and pooled funds; and strengthens individuals through events and training, research and publications, tools, and resources.
McKnight partners with MCF to administer the Virginia McKnight Heart of Community Honor.
This year’s honorees were nominated by colleagues and peers and selected by a panel from across the state. The panelists for the 2025 honors were:
Maryan Abdinur, Mortenson Family Foundation
Eunice Adjei, Jugaad Leadership Program
Samantha Amundson, MAHUBE-OTWA CAP
Zach Johnson, Independent Contractor
Jamie Millard, Ballinger Leafblad
Jama Mohamed, Morgan Family Foundation
Chris Oien, Minnesota Council on Foundations
Amanda Pelley, Rochester Area Foundation
Sanmit Sahu, PFund Foundation
Videos produced by Adja Gildersleve.
