Supporter Spotlight- Donzel Leggett
Donzel A. Leggett, Vice President, Global Manufacturing Excellence, Global Platforms and ASLA Supply Chain with General Mills, Inc., will serve as Twin Cities R!SE’s newest Board Chair. He has been a board member and supporter of Twin Cities R!SE since 2016.
How did you come to be a supporter and board member of Twin Cities R!SE?
“Steve Rothschild, former General Mills Vice President, and TCR Founder and Board Chair Emeritus, came over, and told me the story about how he decided to make a difference in generational poverty. And I was very inspired by him. Steve took a year off to immerse himself in North Minneapolis, and learn deeply about the problem and issues that many faced. He shared how TCR is the only organization in the state to receive funding through the accountability bill, Pay for Performance. He also told me that the average wage that participants earned after graduating from Twin Cities R!SE would literally lift them out of poverty and place them in living wage jobs. I said, this feels like the kind of organization that I want to be a part of, one that is really doing something for the right reasons, and actually making an impact.”
Donzel believes that it is the right thing to do, helping people who no one else wants to help, people who have had trouble in their lives.
What other organizations do you support?
Donzel also sits on the board of Launch Ministry, a local nonprofit, located in Chaska, Minnesota, that assists young adults from challenging backgrounds, with life skills to help them achieve stable housing, jobs, and the skills necessary to successfully “adult”. “This organization sees the value in inclusion and diversity, and recognizes that as a community, we have to do everything that we can to help all of our young people to be successful,” shares Donzel.
In October, sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Donzel also started his own non-profit called the Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition (ARCC). “I felt like I needed to do something to actively eradicate racism and hate in in our communities, our country, and in the world. It\’s time to breakdown, the structural and systemic racism in our society, whether it\’s laws, whether it\’s issues, or whether it\’s property ownership, all the things that we know as barriers at Twin Cities R!SE,” said Donzel.
What would you say to those thinking about supporting Twin Cities R!SE?
“It is one of the best investments that you can make with your money for societal change that exists today. It\’s that simple. We are one of the very few organizations, that is focusing on societal change. Twin Cities R!SE literally measures the direct impact that we are making, not only with the people that we serve, but to society in general, whether it\’s the City of Minneapolis, the City of St. Paul, or the state of Minnesota, we can literally show you that for every dollar you give us the return on that investment is significantly significant. It\’s safer than the stock market.”
I am very proud of Twin Cities R!SE. I think that it is a very unique place. TCR is a true success and an example of what can be done and what is possible in this country, when you have the right people focused on a positive objective. It is definitely a honor to serve as only the third chair ever for this organization.
Donzel will begin his term as Board Chair with Twin Cities R!SE in January 2021.
