About SilverOak
Community Involvement
At SilverOak, community stewardship is a cornerstone of our firm’s culture and we recognize that there are many wonderful charities building a brighter tomorrow for others. We feel very fortunate for all of the blessings we have received and would like to express our gratitude by giving back to the community that has supported us. It is an honor for our team to collectively take time from our personal and professional lives to contribute our enthusiasm, energy and financial resources to these charitable organizations in our community.
A few of our firm’s favorite charities include:
-
Children’s Hospital
-
Crisis Nursery
-
Feed My Starving Children
-
Simpson Shelter
-
Second Harvest Heartland
-
Youthlink Youth Opportunity Center
-
Salvation Army
-
Toys for Tots
-
Friends of the Brave
Recent Community Service Outings
Toys for Tots - December 2023
In the true spirit of giving, our team recently took on the role of Santa's elves at the heartwarming "Toys for Tots" community service event. Amidst the festive buzz, we meticulously sorted the generously donated toys into bins tailored for each age group. Our goal was to sprinkle a bit of holiday magic by ensuring that every child receives a thoughtfully chosen gift. Though our focus was on the behind-the-scenes task of sorting, the gratification of contributing to the joy of children, particularly those who may need it most during the holidays, resonated deeply with our team. It's moments like these that truly embody the enchanting essence of the holiday season.
The Arc - September 2023
In September, our team embarked on our latest community service project. We rolled up our sleeves, exchanged our spreadsheets for gloves, and shifted our focus from boardrooms to the backroom of a local thrift store to sort the abundant donations of clothing. As we sifted through the clothing, we realized that each piece had its own story to tell. These weren’t just old clothes, they were opportunities waiting to happen. A warm jacket for a kid to brave the winter, an outfit to help someone nail the job interview, a cozy sweater for a chilly evening, or a unique find that could brighten someone’s day.
Our time at the thrift store wasn’t just about being kind, it was about being part of a chain reaction of goodness. In the giant bins of what appeared to be unwanted items, were actually once cherished possessions that are now given a fresh chance to be treasured once again. These donations held the potential to bring joy and comfort to someone else, causing our simple act of kindness to create a ripple of happiness in our community.
You can learn more about volunteering and donation opportunities at https://arcminnesota.org/
.jpg)
Feed My Starving Children - July 2022
This July, the SilverOak team was happy to return for a volunteer shift at Feed My Starving Children’s Eagan location. Founded right here in Minnesota in 1987, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) has partnered with food scientists from Cargill, General Mills, and Pillsbury, to developed nutrient-rich, shelf-stable meals that are formulated specifically to meet the needs of malnourished children. These meals are then distributed all around the globe to communities in need. FMSC is committed to continuous improvement, and are always looking for ways to maximize their impact. For example, they have recently begun to ship meals without rice, opting instead to buy it from farmers in the communities they serve. This not only helps the local economy, but it also makes each meal packet smaller, meaning that FMSC can now send out even more meals per box.
As volunteers, we worked in teams to assemble the meals and prepare them to be shipped and distributed. We measured dried vegetables, soy protein, and a vitamin/flavor blend into bags, while others vacuum-sealed them and packed them into boxes. These stations were organized for maximum efficiency and minimal waste in order to create as many meals as possible during our two-hour shift. When we finished packing, we learned that our group, along with the rest of the volunteers, had packed 42,840 meals – enough to feed 118 kids for a whole year! FMSC has sent meals to over 100 countries, and they are always looking for individuals and groups to volunteer.
You can learn more about volunteering and donation opportunities at https://www.fmsc.org/
Children's Hospital Minnesota - September 2020
This September, SilverOak was proud to sponsor its fourth annual charity sport shooting event. This event, held at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club, raises money for Children’s Minnesota. It was a lovely fall afternoon for shooting clay pigeons, with each participant donating $5 for every “bird” hit. Shooting expenses were covered by SilverOak.
The Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club arranged a dynamic afternoon of shooting, with a number of different stations to try. Each round, 50 clay pigeons were fired, with the average shooter hitting around 30-35 pigeons. The stations featured pigeons being shot at a variety of angles, speeds, and directions, so there was always a new challenge for our participants. We were happy to welcome back some who have participated in the event before, as well as new participants. Everyone enjoyed the day greatly, especially knowing that it was all for a good cause.
SilverOak is very proud to continue to support the Children’s Minnesota, the major pediatric health care system in our state. Children’s is a non-profit organization, and relies greatly on donations to do its work. In the current environment, Children’s Minnesota can use support more than ever as COVID has significantly increased the costs associated with care while also causing elective care procedures to be delayed. Below is a link to the Children’s Minnesota website for more information.
Toys for Tots - December 2019
The SilverOak team was proud to volunteer once again with Toys for Tots this December, spending a morning sorting toys at their distribution location in Minneapolis. Toys for Tots, which is run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, takes in toy donations all over the US and works to make sure these donations get to children in need.
We arrived at the warehouse just in time to see a shipment of donations being delivered, and throughout the morning, large amounts of toys were added to the central sorting pile. The mood was cheery as Marines zoomed around on forklifts delivering toys and holiday music played in the background to keep everyone moving! Our team worked with other volunteers to sift through the donations, taking care to sort out any non-toy donation items or items that were broken. There were a large number of blankets, children’s clothing, and other similar donations mixed in with the toys, and we were happy to learn that Toys for Tots partners with other local individuals and charities to make sure that the non-toys also get donated to families in need. After removing these items, we then sorted the remaining toys into age-appropriate bins, where they were packed, counted, and labeled, ready to be shipped.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, Toys for Tots donated over 160,000 toys last year in Minneapolis alone, which helped ensure that over 150,000 Minnesota children received holiday gifts in 2018. Donations of toys and money are accepted at locations throughout the United States.
For more information about Toys for Tots and volunteering opportunities, please visit their website at https://www.toysfortots.org.
Children's Hospital Minnesota - September 2019
In September, SilverOak returned to the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club to sponsor its third annual charity sport shooting event to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Minnesota. Lunch and shooting expenses were covered by SilverOak, with each shooter agreeing to donate $5 for every “bird” they hit – which in this case, were clay pigeons!
The Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club set up several courses with each course having a number of different stations to shoot from. The stations offered a wide variety of challenges for our participants, with the clay pigeons being launches at different directions, speeds, and angles. The typical shooter usually hits around 35 – 45 pigeons per round out of a possible 50. Some participants were very experienced shooters who have participated in this event every year, while others were shooting novices ready to join in for the first time! It was a fun and casual day of sport, all in the name of a good cause.
SilverOak is very proud to support the Children's Hospital, as it is a vital resource to our community, and the only health system in Minnesota that caters exclusively to children. Children's Hospital relies heavily on the generosity of the Twin Cities community, as almost 50% of their patients use Medicaid to cover their care. Donations are used to provide vital resources to patients, including translators for non-English speaking families, investing in new therapies and treatments, and covering costs for families who are unable to afford care. Below is a link to the Children’s Hospital website – please consider following the link for donation options, volunteer opportunities, or just to learn more about this amazing resource!
Feed My Starving Children - May 2019
In May, SilverOak had the privilege of returning to volunteer with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) at their Eagan location. FMSC works to distribute shelf-stable, nutritional meals to children all over the world, whether the need is short-term, such as disaster relief, or long-term, for impoverished communities without regular access to food. These meals are thoughtfully constructed: we learned that FMSC uses soy for protein to account for the 50% of the world’s population that is vegetarian, and rice as a base, since rice is a universally recognizable foodstuff.
After orientation, we divided up into workstations to assemble the meals. Some measured rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a seasoned vitamin blend into bags, while others weighed, sealed, and packed the bags for shipment. We kept an active tally of our progress as we worked, inspiring us to fill as many boxes as possible in our two-hour shift. By the end of the morning, the SilverOak team had personally packaged over 6,000 meals, or enough meals to feed 16 children for a year! FMSC has sent food to nearly 50 countries in 2019 alone and is always looking for more volunteers, especially in the summer months.
You can learn more about volunteering and donation opportunities at https://www.fmsc.org/
Toys for Tots - December 2018
In December, the SilverOak team spent the morning volunteering with Toys for Tots at their Minneapolis warehouse location. Toys for Tots, a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, collects and distributes toys to children who may not otherwise be getting gifts for Christmas.
Entering the warehouse was truly a sight to see! A huge amount of toys, books, games, and just about everything you could imagine had been donated by people all over the Metro area and was stacked up waiting to be processed. Our team worked to sort these donations into appropriate age groups and box them up to be delivered to those in need. Those SilverOak staff members who have children of their own found their expertise in high demand when it came to sorting!
We were also happy to contribute our own donation of toys that had been put together by SilverOak staff. When preparing our donation, we learned that our local Toys for Tots chapter collects gifts for adolescents and teens too, and we took special care to include donations for these age groups that are often overlooked. Donations of toys and money are accepted at locations throughout the United States.
For more information about Toys for Tots and volunteering opportunities, please visit their website at https://www.toysfortots.org.
Children's Hospital Minnesota - October 2018
In October 2018, SilverOak sponsored its second annual sport shooting event at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club. It was an overcast fall morning – perfect for shooting clay pigeons and raising money for the Children’s Hospital Minnesota!
The Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club had arranged multiple courses with a number of stations to shoot from. Each station offered a different experience for the shooter, with the clay pigeons thrown at different speeds, angles, and directions. A perfect round of sporting clays is achieved by hitting all 50 clay pigeons, though the typical shooter usually hits around 35 - 45.
Since this event was a fundraiser to support Children's Hospital Minnesota, SilverOak covered all of the shooting expenses as well as a post-shooting lunch. Each participant agreed to donate $5 for each clay pigeon they hit, with some going above and beyond and donating even more!
The Children's Hospital is an outstanding organization - one that SilverOak is very proud to help support. This invaluable resource, located right here in the Twin Cities, caters exclusively to children. They handle over 8,000 home care visits, 15,000 inpatient visits, 24,000 surgical cases, 96,000 emergency room visits and 446,000 outpatient clinic visits per year. Children's Hospital relies heavily on the generosity of the Twin Cities community, as almost 50% of their patients use Medicaid to cover their care. Below is a link to the Children’s Hospital website – please consider following the link for donation options, volunteer opportunities, or just to learn more about this amazing resource!
Feed My Starving Children - July 2018
In July, the SilverOak team returned to the Eagan location of Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). We have had the privilege of volunteering with FMSC a number of times, most recently in June 2017. FMSC works to distribute shelf-stable, nutritious meals to children in need all over the world. They also partner with artisans in impoverished areas to help them sell hand-made items such as jewelry and ceramics, creating a much-needed source of income and security for those communities.
After a brief orientation, we quickly got to work packing meals of dried vegetables, rice, soy and a nutritional vitamin blend into bags, which we then weighed, sealed and packed into boxes. The warehouse was lively with volunteer activity as the FMSC staff circled the room refilling bins of ingredients, updating us on our progress, and cheering us on as we filled as many bags as possible. By the end of a two-hour cycle, we had packed over 150 boxes, with the SilverOak team personally packaging over 5,500 meals! FMSC currently sends meals to 63 countries worldwide and is always looking for more volunteers to help them continue their mission.
You can learn more about volunteering, donating, or purchasing artisan crafts at https://www.fmsc.org/
Arc's Value Village - November 2017
In November 2017, the SilverOak team volunteered at Arc's Value Village in Richfield. Arc's Value Village is a local thrift store that has been around since 1982, with five locations in the Twin Cities.
Arc's Value Village is a non-profit organization whose stores provide funding for The Arc Greater Twin Cities' program. This organization promotes and protects the human rights of adults & children with disabilities, actively supporting them and their families in a lifetime of full inclusion and participation in their communities. Since opening more than 30 years ago, Arc's Value Village has been able to provide over $25 million to The Arc Greater Twin Cities'. Some of the regular volunteers at Arc's Value Village have a disability and volunteering helps them to have a regular schedule throughout the week.
The staff was very friendly and had many projects for us to work on during our time. They broke us up into multiple groups in different areas of the store. Some of us were working on the sales floor tidying up the Holiday sections and straightening the shelves that had been shopped over the weekend. The majority of our group worked in the warehouse area at the back of the store, pricing products that needed to go on sales floor, organizing clothing donations and unloading cars filled with donations in the drop-off area.
SilverOak team members had a great time volunteering at Arc's Value Village and look forward to returning soon as they are always looking for more volunteers.
For more information about Arc's Value Village or The Arc Greater Twin Cities, visit http://www.arcsvaluevillage.org and https://arcgreatertwincities.org.
Children's Hospital Minnesota - October 2017
In October 2017, SilverOak sponsored a client event at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club to raise funds for the Children's Hospital Minnesota. It was a beautiful fall morning with lots of sunshine and comradery. Everyone who attended enjoyed the event, which included shooting two separate sporting clay courses.
If you have never shot sporting clays, it is a "blast”. At each course, there are approximately six stations you walk to and then shoot from. Each station offers a different experience for the shooter with the clay pigeons being thrown from typically two separate machines. One machine may throw the clay pigeon from the right side of the shooter while another machine may throw the clay pigeon from the left side. The clay pigeons are also thrown at varying angles and speeds. A perfect round of sporting clays is achieved by hitting all 50 clay pigeons. However, the typical shooter only hits 35 - 45 on any single course.
Since this event was a fund raiser to support Children's Hospital Minnesota, SilverOak covered all of the shooting expenses while each participant agreed to donate $4 for each clay pigeon they hit. As you might imagine, some participants had to donate more than others. Actually, several participants ended up donating more than the amount calculated based on the number of clay pigeons hit. As a result, we were able to raise several thousand dollars for the Children's Hospital Minnesota.
By the way, if you are not aware of the Children's Hospital, it is a fabulous resource right here in the Twin Cities. They focus exclusively on the care needs of children with over 8,000 home care visits, 15,000 inpatient visits, 24,000 surgical cases, 96,000 emergency room visits and 446,000 outpatient clinic visits per year. Since more than 43% of their patient population utilize Medicaid, Children's Hospital relies heavily on the philanthropy of those in our community. Below is a link to the website of Children's Hospital and also a link to the Children's Minnesota Anthem video. We encourage you to learn more about the Children's Hospital and all of the ways in which they are helping improve the lives of children across Minnesota and the upper Midwest.
Feed My Starving Children - June 2017
In June, the SilverOak team had the opportunity to go back to volunteer at the non-profit organization Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), at their Eagan location. We last volunteered at FMSC in November 2015. FMSC is a great organization that helps the neediest children around the world. Our morning was filled with hand-packing rice, soy, dried vegetables and a blend of nutritional vitamins into bags to be weighed, sealed and packed away into boxes. We worked as a team to fill as many boxes as we could in a couple of hours to be sent across the globe to FMSC's many distribution partners. At FMSC, a single meal costs only 22 cents to produce, and 92% of total donations go directly toward the food program. During our time volunteering we packed enough boxes to feed over 100 children for an entire year! FMSC is a one-of-a-kind volunteering experience and we are happy to be a part of it.
To learn more about Feed My Starving Children and other volunteer opportunities, please visit their website at https://www.fmsc.org.
Toys for Tots - December 2016
In December, the SilverOak team volunteered on a chilly wintery day at the KARE11 Toys for Tots location in Golden Valley. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. Donations of toys and money are accepted at locations throughout the United States.
Our afternoon was filled with unpacking cars and vans filled with donations from local families, businesses and schools around the Twin Cities. Once the vehicles were unloaded, we worked with the Marines to load the toys into a freight truck to be ready for distribution. It was wonderful interacting with the people dropping off donations and with the Marines. We even got a visit from Santa!
For more information about Toys for Tots and volunteering opportunities, please visit their website at https://www.toysfortots.org.
Friends of the Brave - September 2016
In September 2016, the SilverOak team volunteered with Friends of the Brave, who hosted a golf event benefiting Tee It Up for the Troops at The Meadows at Mystic Lake in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
Friends of the Brave is a newly formed nonprofit organization that provides assistance and support to our military, first responders and their families. Through various events and initiatives, Friends of the Brave raises funds and awareness to benefit these men and women who serve us. The funds raised are directed, but not limited to: rehabilitative, occupational, and educational programs for our men and women in uniform both abroad and at home.
Tee It Up for the Troops is a nonprofit organization that believes in engaging and inspiring communities across the United States to do great things on behalf of the military men and women who have served and sacrificed so much for our freedoms. Tee It Up for the Troops combines golf events with an inspirational ceremony, instilling a sense of pride, honor, respect and appreciation for all those who have served and given so greatly.
SilverOak team members were proud to support these organizations at The Meadows at Mystic Lake event through coordinating golfers and their equipment and by greeting golfers, spectators and all those in attendance who served or are serving our country.
More information about these organizations can be found at http://www.friendsofthebrave.org and at http://www.teeitupforthetroops.org.
Feed My Starving Children - November 2015
In November, the SilverOak team had the opportunity to volunteer at a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) packing session in Eagan. FMSC is a non-profit organization committed to feeding children hungry in body and spirit. At FMSC, a single meal costs only 22 cents to produce, and 92% of total donations go directly toward the food program. Volunteers hand-pack meals that are specially formulated for malnourished children and are sent to partners around the world where they are used to operate orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty.
Our team, along with others that day, was able to pack meals being sent to Haiti. It was a rewarding experience to know our efforts would bring hope and a warm meal to children less fortunate around the world. We greatly enjoyed our morning at FMSC and look forward to another visit in the future.
To learn more about Feed My Starving Children and other volunteer opportunities, please visit their website at https://www.fmsc.org.
Interested in learning more about SilverOak?