Beginning in 2015, Twin Cities community leaders have come together every year along the Minneapolis Riverfront to champion parks that transform human life. Sunrise on the Mississippi — the annual breakfast fundraiser for Minneapolis parks — has become an inspiring and joyful part of our community’s outdoor experience.
Celebrating our 10th Annual Sunrise on the Mississippi!
Sunrise on the Mississippi returned to Boom Island Park on Thursday, September 5, 2024 for it’s 10th year. Over 150 community members, colleagues, and friends gathered at Boom Island Park, bringing their thoughtfulness and generosity in support of Minneapolis parks.
Akiima Price’s keynote presentation on restorative park engagement was a highlight of the day. As an award-winning community engagement specialist and founder of Friends of Anacostia Park, her passionate message about community-driven conservation resonated deeply with us all. Her insights elevated the importance of fostering positive change in our own neighborhoods and beyond. We also heard from Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s Vice Chair and CEO of Monicat Data, Jasmine Russell, for welcoming remarks, and our Chief Development Officer, Jennifer Downham, to close out Sunrise 2024. Thank you to all of our wonderful speakers!
Thank you to this year’s Sunrise sponsors. This event would not have been possible without you. A special thank you to our Blue Sky sponsor, The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, and our Happy Trails sponsors— Damon Farber, The Minneapolis Foundation, Landscape Structures Inc., and RSP Architects.
Meet Sunrise 2024 Speaker, Akiima Price
A creative thinker and doer who links people, places, and programs, Akiima Price is a nationally respected thought leader at the intersection of social justice and environmental issues. Her innovative Meaningful Park Engagement programming strategies feature nature as a powerful medium to connect economically stressed urban African American communities in positive, life-changing experiences outdoors that affect how they feel about themselves, their communities, and their parks. From her early experience as a Ranger with the National Park Service in 1993 to her international work with environmental, social, and justice organizations, Akiima has cultivated over 30 years of experience into cutting-edge best practices in trauma-informed, equitable environmentalism.
Seen at Sunrise 2024
Seen at Sunrise 2023
Sunrise on the Mississippi returned to Boom Island Park on September 7, 2023 for a lovely, cool morning, celebrating parks and community. We heard from Nisha Botchwey, Dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, about the significance and importance of parks in our public realm. She emphasized the numerous benefits parks provide beyond their green surfaces, “they’re learning environments and sacred spaces in communities that foster memories, emotions, and connections.” We also welcomed Harmonee Harrison and Zavien Neal, both youth apprentices from Juxtaposition Arts, to highlight the making of and inspiration behind the newly created “Riverview” art installation along 26th Ave. N. With your support, we raised over $80,000 for transformative parks, thank you! Check out some photo highlights below.
Seen at Sunrise 2022
Sunrise on the Mississippi 2022 brought us back together at Boom Island Park for a beautiful, sunny morning in celebration and support of Minneapolis Parks. The successful morning brought nearly 250 park-goers together to re-engage with colleagues, friends, and change-makers. We were honored to hear from Superintendent Al Bangoura, of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, now serving in his 4th year in this role. With your support, we raised nearly $115,000 for transformative parks, thank you! Check out some photo highlights below.
Seen at Sunrise 2021
Nearly 200 people joined us at Boom Island or online via Zoom to hear Toni L. Griffin’s virtual keynote talk about her groundbreaking approach to creating just cities through her work as Professor in Practice in Urban Design at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Founder of urbanAC LLC, and Founder and Director of the Just City Lab. Paul Bauknight’s interview with Toni, and Dorothy Bridges and Tom Evers’ remarks, brought it home to Minneapolis. Thank you for making another Sunrise a rousing success! Your generous support this year helped us raise over $93,000 for transformative parks and programs. Check out some photo highlights below.
Rising to a New Occasion in 2020
In 2020, nearly 150 households logged on for our first virtual Sunrise on the Mississippi, helping us raise over $88,000 towards our goal. Thank you! Last year, we Zoomed-in on soon-to-open RiverFirst projects – the Great Northern Greenway Overlook and Water Works – that are restoring a relationship between people and communities and the Mississippi River, told through a series of five new video stories. View the collection on Vimeo.
VOICES FROM THE UPPER RIVERFRONT
How RiverFirst Can Transform Human Life
Dorothy Bridges, Board Chair
Designing a North Minneapolis Connection to the River
Featuring Juxtaposition Arts
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WATER WORKS AT MILL RUINS PARK
Water Works: Reviving a Centuries-Old Gathering Place
Featuring Damon Farber Landscape Architecture and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Owamni by The Sioux Chef:
Centering Indigenous Food and Culture at Water Works
Featuring Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson
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IMPACT
How Philanthropy Helps Advance Equity and Access
Featuring Superintendent Al Bangoura
More Past Event Speakers & Photos
From its start in 2016, Sunrise on the Mississippi has been a way for us to gather and celebrate the many ways that parks transform lives in Minneapolis and around the world. Our featured speakers have brought us innovative ideas and challenged us to build on the amazing legacy of parks we enjoy today to the benefit of others tomorrow.
- Paul Huttner, Chief Meteorologist, Minnesota Public Radio – 2019
- Lynn Ross, Reimagining the Civic Commons – 2018
- James Edward Mills, The Joy Trip Project, author of “The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors” – 2017
- Gil Penalosa, 8 80 Cities – 2015
2018 Sunrise Featuring Lynn Ross
