June 2023

Celebrating the Completion of Kids Club & Afterschool Programs

It’s been a great year for the Banyan Community afterschool programs. To mark the occasion, we threw a Banyan Family Celebration party, and it was a blast! The evening included bouncy houses, yummy food, exciting games & animals. There were prizes galore and also some great photo ops at the photo booth. Check out the video so see all the fun!

Banyan Community welcomed more than 225 families, friends and neighbors to the event. Everyone had an amazing time and laugher filled the air. What a great way to conclude our afterschool programs season.

Love of Family

As a special keepsake, Banyan hosts a professional family photo shoot for each ASPIRE graduate and their family. This is an opportunity for generations of family members to come together and capture a moment in time that will be cherished for years to come. Mothers kissed their daughters, sisters hoisted sisters, and fathers embraced their sons. We were excited to see the smiles on everyone’s faces as they gathered in front of the camera and created memories that will last a lifetime.

See more photos from our Family Graduates

Fill a Backpack

We are asking for your financial support to ensure Banyan youth are set up for success! The School’s Cool team is hoping to support all 130 Banyan K-12 youth for the 2023-24 school year. $350 covers a backpack, school supplies and uniforms for ONE Banyan youth.

Donations are due August 1st.

New Board Seats

This year TWO special seats have been strategically added to the Banyan Community Board: Community Member and Scholar. The addition of both of these seats will facilitate Banyan Community Board to connect more strategically to the heart of the neighborhood and the people it serves.

Learn more about these changes and the women who are filling these seats.

🎓 Congrats to our Scholar Graduates!

This year we celebrate 6 Banyan Scholars who have completed their post-secondary education!

Jennifer Alvarado, Health Science, U of M
Samantha Arocho, Nursing, Concordia College
Josselyn Cuevas Martinez, Associate’s Degree, St. Paul College
Iyana Ford-Pettis, Art & Design, Mpls College of Art & Design
Erik Godinez Alarcon, Business Marketing, U of M
Sophia Riera, Special Education, U of M

😎 Summer Program Kicks Off June 19th

Over the last two months Banyan has embarked on a significant marketing campaign to grow the number of families served by our free five-week summer program. The Banyan summer program, Cool Off Days, offers programming Monday-Thursday

from 12:00-5:00pm. Youth splash in pools, create art, embark on career exploration tasks, and take field trips.

NEIGHBORHOOD ROOTS. TRANSFORMED LIVES.

Banyan Community is rooted in the Phillips neighborhood to transform lives by developing youth, strengthening families, and creating community.

CONTACT

BANYAN COMMUNITY

2529 13th Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Email Us »
612.722.8512
www.banyancommunity.org