The first-ever “Dessert to the Max” event had an excellent turnout. Held the day before Minnesota’s “Give to the Max” day, the theme was to encourage attendees to donate their time, money, or both to Cook County non-profits, which make our community stronger and a better place to live. Photo courtesy of Lisa Bauer
Boreal Community Media was the host of the first annual community celebration called “Dessert to the Max.”
The well-attended event was held Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Arrowhead Center of the Arts in Grand Marais. Many Cook County nonprofits participated with tables filled with information and usually several kinds of cookies, bars, or cake, free of charge, given out graciously and tastefully, pun intended.
Joan Gardner-Goodno, Executive Director of the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation was the keynote speaker. Boreal Access board president Jeff Latz, who said everybody in the room probably knew Joan to some extent, introduced her. True, but she revealed a past that could have broken many people. Instead, it was past that led her to work for nonprofits all of her life.
Joan Gardner-Goodno
“We are all molded by different things in life, all of us are,” said Joan.
At age five, life was perfect, she said, but then her father, age 46, died from a heart attack. His death left her mother with six children and no income.
Joan Gardner-Goodno
“We were the family that didn’t have any money. We were the family that neighbors brought meals to, the family that was given gifts, camp scholarships. It taught me a lot about the importance of community.
“My mom worked 10-12 hours a day. She believed in giving back. She would tell us we had received so much from the community we have to give back to the community.”
Joan’s first job involved working with abused kids and teenagers.
“Many of the kids I worked with were physically, emotionally, verbally, or sexually abused.”
She has worked with the homeless and written more grants than she can count, just trying to keep the underfunded programs afloat. Running a nonprofit, said Joan, teaches one to be “creative and inventive and know how to make dollars stretch.”
Fifteen years ago, she started working in philanthropy, and 13 years ago, she began working for the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation. “I feel really blessed,” she told the audience.
Who was Lloyd K. Johnson?
Joan Gardner-Goodno spoke about Johnson’s love for Cook County, where he grew up and first practiced law. Throughout his long life, Johnson ran a law practice, acquired businesses, and bought up large tracks of land in northern Minnesota and Florida.
Lloyd grew up in Grand Marais, graduating high school from Grand Marais High School, as it was then called. His parents were Charlie and Anna Johnson. Anna was famous for having a pet moose that wandered around Grand Maris. She was an artist, and Charlie was a fur trader and owner of a trading post. He also was involved with logging and purchasing land. Charlie also owned Omega Land and Abstract.
Their family home is now the Birch Terrace Supper Club building.
Lloyd went to college and then law school, beginning his law practice in Grand Marais before moving to Duluth. He started his foundation in 1975, and each year added more money to it. In 2006 Lloyd passed away at the age of 96. The foundation grew from $1 million to $21 million by 2007. By 2008, as more land was sold, it had grown to $45 million.
“He left all of his assets to the foundation without any instructions on what to do with the funds. The day before he died, he did ask that college scholarships would be set up for Cook County students, full tuition, books, and a small stipend for living expenses.
“We started the scholarship program in 208, and since then, 67 students from Cook County have been awarded these scholarships. The foundation has donated $638,000 just into this scholarship fund.
“Lloyd always believed that knowledge is power,” Gardner-Goodno said.
There are seven members on the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation, and three of them are from Cook County, said Gardner- Goodno. “They are Cindy Hansen, Steve Surbaugh, and Scott Harrison,” said Gardner-Goodno, adding, “They really represent Cook County well.”
Last year the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation gave $306,000 to cook county nonprofits and $84,000 in college scholarships.
The Lloyd L. Johnson Foundation also gives to nonprofits in St. Louis and Lake County.
“There are 30 nonprofits in Cook County. They bring in over $10 million to your economy and they employ a lot of people here. That’s a big deal,” Gardner- Goodno said, adding that the public should do what it can to support these nonprofits.
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