The McKnight Foundation, in partnership with the Minnesota Council of Foundations, announces seven Minnesotans as recipients of the 2024 Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community Honor.
One of the seven honored Minnesota residents is Aida Simon of Worthington. The McKnight Foundation described Simon on its website as "a persevering community leader who has worked for more than two decades to address the challenges immigrant, refugee and migrant communities face in rural Minnesota."
The foundation explained that Simon has responded to many crises facing the diverse communities of Worthington and beyond. She is continuously mobilizing with other community volunteers and organizations, including during the recent flooding in Worthington; the 2020 COVID pandemic, which greatly impacted meat packing plant workers; and the 2006 ICE raids that left the children of more than 200 meat packing plant workers home alone.
Additionally, Simon translates for and educates elders on health access and operates a local youth group through Minnesota Seeds of Justice, a nonprofit she founded to bring essential resources to communities in need.
Each of this year's seven McKnight honorees receives a $10,000 cash award and will be recognized at a foundation reception.
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