2008 Local Legends
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast committee is pleased to recognize outstanding
community leaders who represent Dr. King’s dream: a testament that a dream is a
growing reality.
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Art Erickson
Art Erickson has been strengthening communities in South Minneapolis for more than
40 years - first as an ordained minister working with families and young people
at Park Avenue United Methodist Church, then as president of the Park Avenue Urban
Program and Leadership Foundation, and more than a decade ago as co-founder and
CEO of Urban Ventures.
Established in 1993, Urban Ventures is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to community
development and the transformation of impoverished areas of the Phillips and Central
neighborhoods of South Minneapolis. The mission is to build a successful community
by developing youth leadership, strengthening families and creating meaningful work
opportunities. The organization serves more than 2,500 young people and adults each
year.
Throughout his career, Art has been a visionary, a leader and a catalyst for change.
For example, when he co-founded Urban Ventures with then-partner Ralph Bruins, the
goal was to tackle the root causes of urban poverty. It’s been a successful venture.
Under Art’s guidance, the organization has helped recruit new businesses to the
area, has helped strengthen families through the Center For Fathering; and has developed
a learning lab and the Urban Stars Athletic Club to provide safe, dynamic learning
environments for kids.
Last fall, in a crowning achievement for the neighborhood, Urban Ventures opened
the Colin Powell Youth Leadership Center – a state of the art facility designed
to help students graduate from high school, pursue post-secondary education - and
succeed in life. Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the facility
that bears his name “remarkable.”
But the hard work of revitalizing the urban core continues. Through negotiation,
research & education, reconciliation and partnerships, Art has been engaged in the
vitally important work of empowering people and communities. The General Mills Foundation
and UNCF are pleased to recognize Art Erickson as a 2008
Local Legend.
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