Last month’s Minneapolis Highrise Representative Council (MHRC) Annual Highrise Celebration was an incredible event honoring all the MHRC does for the 5,000+ residents in MPHA’s 42 highrises. With a theme of “Looking Ahead, Building on Success—Working for the Good of All,” the September 27 event included honoring milestone achievements of the last year, dancing, delicious food, inspiring words (and moves) from Mayor Jacob Frey, and recognition of all the people that are making a positive difference in their communities.
Frey spoke to the crowd of nearly 200 past and current resident leaders and staff about the importance of “deeply affordable housing” for extremely low-income people in Minneapolis, and how residents play an important role in advocating for this work:
“It’s the City of Minneapolis, it’s the highrise council, it’s Hennepin County, it’s the state legislature. When we form that team, when we do it together, that is ultimately where we are going to win.”
Also featured during the event were leadership stories of those making contributions to the good of all—including ensuring resident voices were heard during the security improvements at the Cedars, starting a recycling program at Signe Burckhardt Manor, and advocating for public housing capital needs at the Minnesota state legislature.
Rounding out the day’s celebrations were Make a Difference awards, which went to one resident from each of the four geographic areas of the city. They were nominated by their peers for their significant volunteer contributions to their highrise communities. Several resident councils were also recognized during the awards for community activities over the last year. The Annual Food Drive Competition trophy was awarded to the north AMP, which collected 2,246 pounds of food for local food shelves.
Enjoy the photo gallery and we can’t wait for next year’s celebrations!