Major League Soccer, Minnesota United, and Black Players for Change (BPC) will host the inaugural MLS All-Star Hometown Heroes Showcase on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at historic Saint Paul Union Station, it was announced Thursday.
The private event acknowledges and celebrates the work of four diverse, innovative, and impactful leaders making positive change in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul communities in four key areas:
- Education
- Mental health
- Food security
- Social justice
The leader organizations will each receive a $15,000 grant in addition to a suite of promotional assets from MLS to elevate their work and community impact.
Muhammad Abdul-Ahad
Founder and CEO of T.O.U.C.H Outreach (Teaching Our Urban Communities Hope)
Honored for work in social justice
T.0.U.C.H. works to transform community safety in Minneapolis through a variety of strategies focused on youth development and community security. T.0.U.C.H provides expertise in the areas of employment, mentoring, and youth services. The program utilizes street patrols to build relationships and de-escalate conflicts before they lead to violence. Outreach team members and leadership are credible messengers for this work, as people who have experienced street violence directly and understand the impact violence has on communities. They are trusted figures with strong relationships in the community.
"A hometown hero doesn’t always have to wear a cape, badge or carry a gun, but is someone who looks just like you that sacrifice their life for their community to become a safer and better place,” Abdul-Ahad said.
Marisa Miakonda Cummings
President and CEO of Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center
Honored for work in mental health
The Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center is a non-profit and mental health services organization committed to traditional ways of being and support of Native women and their families. Founded in 1984, MIWRC provides a broad range of programs designed to educate and empower Native women and their families, and to inform and assist those who work providing services to the community. MIWRC is located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, which has the third largest urban American Indian population in the U.S.
"I am both humbled and honored that the work of the employees at Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center is being recognized by an organization such as Major League Soccer,” Miakonda Cummings said. “Our employees go above and beyond to serve the community on many different levels of need, from behavioral and mental health to sexual assault outreach and unsheltered work. At MIWRC, we center around culture and identity development at the foundation of our work. Much of the work we do is service to community healing generations of trauma. To be recognized for this work of service is an honor for our entire team.”
Braxton Haulcy
Executive Director of Walker West Music Academy
Honored for work in education
Walker West Music Academy is a music school that provides instruction from infants/pre-k through early childhood to adults including elders/seniors, even including a dementia-friendly choir called the Amazing Grace Chorus. The non-profit community music school teaches all styles of music, including classical, but is especially well-known for teaching jazz, gospel and other styles of improvisational music. It is also noted for developing a caring community of music students and educators. The organization provides affordable, quality music instruction rooted in the African American cultural experience to young people and adults. Walker West is believed to be the oldest community music school in the nation founded by African American musicians.
"It’s not just about me, it’s about the community. It’s about the work that our Founders (Rev. Walker and Grant West) started,” Haulcy said. “I’m glad to be a hometown hero, it’s truly an honor – but I always want it to be known that it's not just what I’ve done. All of us working together, our staff, our faculty, our board, that’s how we’ll continue to share the healing power of music.”
Ekta Prakash
CEO of CAPI
Honored for work in food security
The nonprofit CAPI is an organization that helps the newest Minnesotans navigate social services and has offered a culturally specific food shelf in Brooklyn Center for over 30 years. For immigrants or refugees facing hardships, finding food that caters to their culture can be even harder. From jasmine rice and Asian noodles to curry powder and even bamboo shoots, CAPI offers cultural must-haves that typically wouldn’t be found at a local food shelf. The nonprofit has since expanded to serve all immigrants, refugees, and communities of color in the Twin Cities.
“CAPI’s entire team is thrilled to be named as the “Hometown Hero,” Prakash said. “It's a great honor and this recognition is an outcome of the great work CAPI does in the community; and it amplifies that our work is making a difference with a positive impact in the lives of refugees, immigrants and BIPOC communities.”
Tony Sanneh
Founder of The Sanneh Foundation
2022 MLS All-Star Honorary Hometown Hero
MLS great Tony Sanneh is being recognized as an Honorary Hero for his integral support of the inaugural Hometown Hero program and commitment to positively impacting the local community through soccer. The Sanneh Foundation's mission is to empower youth by supporting and promoting educational attainment through in-school and after-school support, improve lives by providing programs that strengthen physical health and social & emotional development, and unite communities by advancing diversity, equity, and community well-being.
“I am honored to be recognized for my work with The Sanneh Foundation,” Sanneh said. “It is very rewarding to highlight the community I live in and celebrate our work within the global soccer community.”
Selection process
The Hometown Heroes were selected by a committee of Twin Cities community leaders, including:
- Minnesota United FC/Black Players for Change athletes Niko Hansen, Jacori Hayes, Nabilai “Nabi” Kibunguchy, and Dayne St. Clair
- Tony Sanneh, MLS Great and founder of The Sanneh Foundation
- Sara Lueben, Minneapolis Foundation
- Tiffany Kong, Saint Paul Foundation
- Minnesota United FC stakeholders including CEO Shari Ballard
- MLS stakeholders including EVP, Commissioner’s Office and Chief DEI Officer Sola Winley.
Among the criteria for selection was the primary leader of the organization must be from one of the following underrepresented groups: Asian or Pacific Islander, Arab or Middle Eastern, Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Native American, or People with disabilities, and have a record of community impact in one of the four areas of focus serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area.
“It is in the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness that Major League Soccer honors this inaugural cohort of exceptional and inspiring individuals and organizations in the Twin Cities,” said Sola Winley, EVP Commissioner’s Office, and MLS Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. “I would like to thank the members of the selection committee for their thoughtful work, as well as acknowledge all the deserving Heroes throughout the Twin Cities who wake up every day to build bridges and bring healing and hope to the individuals and communities they serve.”
