Almost two years ago I moved from Rhode Island to Minnesota, I didn’t know a soul, and I didn’t know about many of the different food chains and stores that are out here compared to out east.
When I first to St. James in the summer of 2017, I was eager to try different things, and learn about things that I knew nothing about.

Growing up I always wondered what it was like to be an editor of a newspaper.
I used to sling papers for my local newspaper, the Warwick Beacon, and I always wondered how the paper was put together.
After graduation, I entered the world of journalism, something that I never expected and without any formal training, I was thrown into the fire as an editor 2,000 miles away from home.

At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we sometimes joke that we are our region’s “best kept secret.” But it is true that despite the fact that we are regularly out in our 20-county region visiting with partners and facilitating trainings, we find that there are still many people who do not know about SMIF.

"Don't take your organs to heaven -- heaven knows we need them here!"
There's a wonderful organization out there that gives many renewed life.