When meeting new people wherever I go I tell them where I'm from and many want to know "Morris", they say; "let me see, that's where?" "Isn't there some sort of college there?"
Yes, I say, that's the reason I came To get an education and make myself a name Little did I realize as a college freshman That I'd still be in Morris for years past graduation
Yes, I'm still in Morris, and you ask "why?" "It's about the little things, and the people, " I reply Rent is cheap, entertainment is free It's all about great friends and family Sharing a visit with the lady next door Riding your bike to the grocery store
The library, common cup, the RFC Are some of the places that I like to be Coming together seems the thing to do At community events we see friends old and new
People who stand and live what they believe Those who share freely their passions & dreams Many who listen and care for the rest True friends, in Morris, I've found are the best
Morris is a place that I've learned to call home A place where I rarely feel I'm alone Morris is more than just a college town It's the people like you that made me want to stick around
Yes, it's small, and not perfect, not nearly But it's my home now, and yes, a hometown I love dearly So next time I'm asked "Morris, where's that?" I'll answer with pride, and a tip of my cap, "It's my favorite small town on the Minnesota map!"
-From Anna Haugen, UMM 99' Grad (at Kiwanis' Talent "Finals" at East Side Park during Prairie Pioneer Days)
Morris is a small rural college city/town (5,129 population) located in Stevens County (pop 10,000-demographics) the west central area of Minnesota. When I try to describe where it is geographically, I tell them it's about an hour from the edge of the triangle that juts out from the side of the west part of the state. Then I tell them it is about an hour from the continental divide where the Minnesota River flows south and the Red River flows north along the South Dakotah border.
After living here for 5+ years after graduating from the college campus-University of Minnesota-Morris-in town, I've grown to the liken around here. People ask me how do I manage to live here coming from the cities (St. Paul)? I tell them it's a really relaxing place to live, which I've learned how to slow down/rest in life. Life can get too busy, where "we run like little chickens with their heads cut off". Also, I tell them this is the place where I found my roots in my faith as a Christian, where I feel "called" to help others find theirs as I did...story.
Morris has unique characteristics and diversity [age (children, youth, elderly , culture (e.g. racial background-ethnic), disability (mental, learning, physical), education, enconomic status (rich, middle class, poor), gender/sexual orientation (males/females; homosexuality), marital/partnered status (singles, widows), politicial/cognitive thinking, religious affiliation, etc..] that many communities don't have, which I jot down some cool facts our city can be proud of.
"Diversity in Stevens County embraces not just race and country of origin, but also marital status, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, and religion. Our community provides an opportunity to make friends and cultural connections that extend beyond our own background and traditions, and makes Morris a microcosm of the world's variety of human experiences.-Morris Human Rights Commission
Leonard Wulf
*mentioned 28,000+ times in yahoo search
The city of Morris has grown a lot through the help of the Blandin Foundation, who is "focused on the economic viability of rural Minnesota communities, as part of our mission to help strengthen rural Minnesota and the Grand Rapids area, our home..."
Despite the smallness of the Morris community, there is a pretty fair rich size of cultural diversity for this small rural town. It's 1,900+ students that attend this college campus brings a new diversity each school year. Diversity comes in various forms, but in this tribute, I'll focus on arts and ethnic diversity:
Prairie Renaissance Project, is a Morris area based, community development initiative started in 1999 through a series of open public meetings. It's umbrella groups are:
-Cultural Alliance
-Health/Youth Community Initiative
Related Links:
Each year, they bring a new perspective to the community. For example, UMM has an annual event called "World Touch Cultural Heritage Week", which focusses on a particular racial background (African American, Asian American, Native American Indian, and Hispanic-Latino American each academic year. In 2004, it was focussed on Native American Indians, which their featured speaker was a film editor from South Dakotah. UMM has been known to have the highest racial minority rate (15% in Fall of 2004; also 1998) than any of the 4 campuses of the University of Minnesota!
Annual Events
-Asian Awareness Month
-Black History Month (February)
Progress Events
-Lee Mun Wah Forum in 1998
-"Dismantling Racism" that was held in March of 2001 with James Addington. Addington is co-director of the Minnesota Churches Anti-Racism Initiative, which is operated by the Minnesota, Greater Minneapolis, and St. Paul Area Council of Churches
Organizations
-Morris Human Rights Commission
The college diverse ethnic population has brought some contributions to the local community, such as:
-Global Awareness Week (back in late 90's) to bridge UMM's diverse ethnic population to the Morris community by having them share their cultural heritage to the elementary school. This helps increase cultural awareness issues and decrease the ignorance that leads to racism
-Morris has attracted many international students and foreign exchange students that we may never know thier impact of their short-term residence here has in their home countries. They have been known to paricipate in community sponsored activities to share their unique culture with elementary school students.
Personal: I remember in 2003 when a teacher from St. Mary's School asked me if I know of any students that could share about their cultural heritage in her classroom. I myself participated and recruited others to do so as well. We brought some music and other cultural items to share with them.
"One of the main reasons for staying in Morris is to continue educate this campus community on cultural ethnic diversity. I myself (and many new others I still continue to talk to each year) encountered unfriendly (contradicts the "Minnesota Friendly") interactions while I was a student and still continue to do so as a resident. Instead of "running-away" from these problems I myself with many other "students of color" (minority) face in this rural predominately Caucasian community located in the "middle of nowhere", I try to do the best I can to "make a difference" in this continued fight on racism. I try to do this with one person at a time and encouraging youth, college students, and even people who are look down upon in our society; especially the ones that come from different cultural backgrounds that are indifferent with the majority Caucasian population from the BIG inner city. Over the years, I've given up through the different ways our world tries to combat racism, so I do it through Christ...see personal story. My eyes have been open to a new segment in our population I was never aware of while attending UMM as a student, which is the physically challenged population when I got a job at the group home that I presently work at!
I hope this "All American City Nomination" project will move all sectors (as represented in bold in this website) of our community to work together more. We CANNOT do this as a separate inquity, organization, or as an individual. We have to pull in all our resouces to make this community a better place to live; not just for ourselves, but for future generations-including the continuous college students that come all over to this place we call "the middle of nowhere"
Morris hosts a variety of different arts and entertainment throughout the year. There is the different theatre productions throughout the year from a variety of levels, from age to style. Then there is the different music genres. Artwork comes in different forms too, which is presented in different ways.
Hosts/Venues:
-Edson Auditorium (UMM-Student Center)
-Black Box Theatre (UMM-HFA)
-Morris Area High School Auditorium
-Killoran Shelter (East Side Park)
Events:
-High School
-College Campus
-annual Children theatre productions
-dinner theatre at Common Cup Coffee House
-homeschool performances
-Prairie Renassiance Cultural Center
-Betty Crocker's face was revisioned here by a local artist
Government plays a big part in providing order in our community. In fact, they help the city run day by day (e.g. city hall-keeps our city running smoothly as possible, library-provides educational resources, police-keep social order, public works-keep our community clean, post office-provides communication via mail, schools-keeps turning the circle of life via education, etc...)...
Centre for Small Town. a community outreach program housed at the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM)
City of Morris
Morris Area Community Education, providing year-long education for "everybody" (e.g. Learning Unlimited-involving senior citizens)
However, the government can do so much. As a part-time volunteer of my local church, I notice we really need each other to better our commmunity. Here are just some of a few ways I notice of this:
-During Elections, the city asks different local churches to have their polling booths
-The local county needs "faith based" organizations or ministries to partner on social needs (e.g. AAA, Prairie Community Services-a Catholic based organization helping the physically challenged population, Salvation Army-social service in providing "physical needs" etc...)
We are currently always hearing about "separation of state and church"! Well, we do need this, but we need to somewhay "draw the line" to a point that we can't individually do "everything" on our own-especially as a commUNITY!
There are 10+ churches in Morris, which provides it's own unique style of worship services. They come together in various ways:
Events:
-National Day of Prayer at town square (public library/gazebo)in May
-Picnic in the Park (annual since 99'-Gospel Explosion)) that bridges the churches and community together in welcoming the college students every summer when the UMM students come in the month of August
-Stevens County Fair Community Church Services in August
-Doug Reese's, nationally known author "Take it the Next Level", who is finishing his last year as UMM's Wrestling Coach
-See You At the Party (2000 was the last year) that drew 750+ youth from the surrounding area to as far across the country (California, Arizona, etc..). It's now an annual event in Alexandria during New Year as a outreach to youth!
-Children 18:3, a christian-punk rock band who plays in a worship team for Morris Community Church, has been featured in the local Morris Sun Tribune and thier picture shown "nationally" in Newsweek (April 19th of 2004).
-Pioneer Prairie Days
-"Pride of the Prairie" that publicizes and supports local home grown food
-Neighborhood Block Party (participated in this one time in 2001?), where a neighbor invited us and other neighbors to a potluck style supper to get to know each other one summer
-Community Picnic (annual) that welcomes UMM students in the month of September, sponsored by the city!
-New Years Eve Family Fun event at the RFC
-Big Friend-Little Friend program that encourages college students to befriend local elementary school students...mentoring
Inter Generational Bridging
*see mentoring
-"Bananna Project" that brings local youth to meet with their elderly friendly neighbors
-Tutoring Reading Enabling Children program
-Big Friend & Little Friend
-youth visiting seniors at the Morris Senior Center by teaching them basic computer skills
Personal: A youth I mentor used to visit the Morris Senior Center, which he would share his basic computer skills with them in a weekly basis.
Physically Challenged
-Morris is home to many (#?) group homes for developmentally disabled aduls and youth. There are e different companies (Divine House, New Beginnings, and Prairie Commmuntiy Services; REM has homes outside of the Morris area) that oversee these group homes. One of them has it's headquarters in town.
Various events bring these "consumers" of these group homes all together:
-Developmentally Achievement Center (county)
-Special Touch (spiritual)
-Dance (monthly) sponsored by Divine House at a local entertainment center
-Special Olympics (annual-not affiliated with the national event)
-Women of Today functions (dance, visiting christmas caroling, etc...)
Past Famous Guests that have stopped through:
-Maya Angelou, poet/writer, spoke at an event at teh P.E. Center
-Norm Coleman, U.S. Seantor (former Mayor of St. Paul), had a campaign stop at the Coburn's parking lot.
-Paul Wellstone, politician, spoke at UMM's graduation in early 2000
-Sounds of Blackness, gospel group from the Twin Cities
-Steve Martin, comedian/actor/entertainer, (guess at KUMM in the 70's)
Environmental
-Arbor Day Concert (that has been growing each year) at East Side Park where they have local bands celebrating Earth Day and the origins of promoting environmental awareness issues to the community
-Circus comes to town bring area children and child-like adults
Music
-Talent Show
-Common Cup Coffee House draws the community for a variety of events almost every weekend!
-Jazz Fest (annual) that brings the local and surrounding community to hear nationally/internationally known jazz musicians
Theatre
-New Wine (First Lutheran Church), a musical drama theatre group that incorporates youth from different churches and backgrounnds that has traveled certain parts of the nation
-West Central Area Listings: Prairie Fire Children�s Theatre in Barret to Theatre L�Homme Dieu in Alexandria
T.V. Sitcoms
-Did you know Mike Radke, a former resident of Morris was in Fear Factor?
Variety
-Convocations Campus Activities Council, brings in arts, films, speakers, and a whole variety of campus-community related events
-Regional Fitness Center
has really bridged our divided diverse-generational community. People from all backgrounds come for one common interest-to keep in shape. In the same time, this community center has bridge the campus and community together in various ways.
-Morris Area High Basketball team bridges community pride with their recent entry to the state tournament in 2004 (last was 1994)
-UMM Wrestling has brough local, state (Kare 11 News did a special one year), national (New York Times), and international attention (U.S. Olympics) with the help of Coach Doug Reese (see above).
-Rusty Kath, UMM Commencement Speaker for his 03' class, was just in ESPN2 as he was non-traditionally hired to broadcast baseball games for the St. Paul Saints...see baseball.
Sal's Reflections After Atlanta: All American City Finalist Competition on June 9th-13th
It's Thursday, June 24th of 2004 and it's getting close to 2 weeks since the All American City (AAC) Finalist trip to Atlanta. I was pondering at work yesterday of how my eyes were opened through the process of this AAC competition. It made me look more beyond the privileges, freedom, and blessings living in this city, state, nation, and world. Living in Morris has, is, and will be a great learning experience as I continue to meet people ("our city's greatest asset") from different facets of the world. As a Filipino-American born and raised in St. Paul coming to this side of Minnesota, I question myself why many times? I think of this verse in the Bible, "for such a time as this". With the current events (war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and battling terorism locally, statewide, nationwide, and worldwide in various ways-domestic and global issues), it's hard to see the "good" going on. At the All-American City event, the theme of many that shared on-stage was to look at the "good" of our democracy of our nation (there is no perfect country, but we have so much to be thankful for). This annual event should touch people's hearts to go back to their city and tell others about this "good". Yes, we as a nation are facing some difficulties and challenges, but haven't we overcome many obstacles already in the past (Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc...)? This event was suppose to show us hope that we can share this with our communities and others back at home. The All American City competition is meant to challenge communities in our nation to strive for the best!
What can we do?
With all the events happening in the world today, sometimes one can feel that they can't do anything. Before this AAC Event, I felt sometimes the insignificance of living in a rural town out in the "middle of nowhere"-that we can't do anything about the problems of this world. I then look at the accomplishments (some mentioned in the AAC Application-check our local library) of individiuals of our community and as a whole have impacted many people's lives in various ways; not just locally, but to the surrounding west central area, statewide, nationwide, and globally.
If one says we can't do anything, I would look to them that we can "make a difference" one person at a time. The first person we can reach out to is ourselves. It's hard to help others if you don't have your personal issues and problems solved. I feel I've been able to be more effective through letting God work in me first-personal testimony
We then ask God how we can be used (gifts, talents, skills, interest/hobbies, etc...) to impact the people around us-purpose driven life). What am I good at? What is the passion in my life that keeps me going? What do others say positively about me? Ask close ones what are you good at? Ask God what can I do for you? How can I be used effectively with the time you have given me on earth?
Right now, there is a lot of "chaos" (domestic and international issues) going-on out there (look at the news in the mainstream media). We can either sit and watch or do something about it! The least we can do is ask ourselves-what can I do? what part can I play in making a difference in the world today? My personal advice as man of faith (I try to do my best everyday) is to first pray, which is the least thing a person of faith can do and know that God is in control. Remember what it says in our nation's monetary-"In God we trust"? Trust me, trust Him-He's been in control since Day 1 and will be till the Last Day; the Alpha & Omega-Beginning and End! I don't mean to be too preachy, but wait and keep reading on...Less than a month ago, our area Morris National Gurard has been called for "active duty" (leaving towards the end of the year) in Iraq. Watching all that news on t.v., it's scary! I don't have any family members or relatives in the military, but I do have a couple of relatives who are in the Middle East area (can't disclosed any more specific information due to safety issues) for other reasons. After hearing about the recent beheading of a South Korean and American civilian in that "chaotic" region, I've been more concerned and praying hard for my relatives in that area. The least we can do as American citizens living comfortably here is to pray for our military, missionaries, aid-workers, civilians,-love ones in this "hot spot" of this region. Especially with July 4th-Independance Day coming up, we have so much to be thankful and we need to show how greatful we are. We do have so much to celebrate, but let's not forget our fellow comrades overseas through our celebration. Also, we can do our best to contribute in making our communities a better place to live (take the All American City challenge!).
Faithful Citizen
As I mentioned earlier my parents immigrated here in the early 70's for a "better life" than the one they had in the Philippines. Yes, there are some challeneges (see issues) here, but we are "far better off living here in this nation thany many other places in this world" (see blessings). We need to have our eyes open daily to what we should be thankful for to really appreciate what God has given us. I thank God for using the U.S.A. to help get the Philippines out of Spanish rule (colonization) in the Spanish American War. Also, for using the U.S.A. to rescue us from Japanese control during WWII. As a 2nd generation Filipino-American, I would like to be use by God to pay back the U.S.A. for what they've done for my parent's homeland. I would've not been here if it wasn't for these past events. Yes, the U.S.A. has done many "bad" things, but we need to look at the "good" things too in order to appreciate our nation more.
In conclusion, my challenge to you the reader is to reflect the past history of how you got here. Then look at your current status and situation-what are you thankful for? Now, look what you can do to show your appreciation despite your circumstances. How can we continue our blessings that have been given to us to future generations?
Please contace me for further explanations of what was written above at [email protected]
Also, to those that were highlighted in the application: Prairie Renaissance Cultural, Regional Fitness Center, and TREC Program.
-council memebers
-bus drivers: Morris Transit
-clean-up crew
-librarians
-police officers
-volunteers (e.g. Salvation Army)
-every citizen that contributes to the well being of the city's progress
....more
Related Links:
This is "Minnesota Tribute to Morris" after reflecting on what Morris should be proud of after reading the application of the recent "All-American City" finalist nomination. I wrote this after a meeting of this on Thursday, April 29th of 2004
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