Community Action Council Inc

Community Action Council (CAC) is a non-profit organization with more than 35 years experience helping families and communities prevent violence, ensure school success and promote long-term self-sufficiency. CAC enriches communities through civic engagement and opportunities that result in community-based solutions.

In the Spirit of Caring for our neighbors, Community Action Council provides support to people and communities to prevent violence, ensure school success and promote long-term self-sufficiency.

For over 35 years, Community Action Council (CAC) has specialized in violence prevention and intervention and family/community support services. A staff of 100 professionals and over 2,000 volunteers serve individuals and families to find the best, long-term solutions for their problems. CAC emphasizes preventative services, outreach in communities, and family support in schools. CAC challenges itself to continually develop new resources as community needs change and is able to increase its effectiveness through strong partnerships with the community. A leader in violence prevention, school success and self-sufficiency, CAC builds stronger communities. CAC encourages a sense of responsibility among all residents and fosters a culture of giving that supports people in our community.

Lewis House - providing safe housing and support services to women and children experiencing domestic violence; Partners For Success school-based family support services - resolving the barriers keeping children from being successful in school; Family Resource Centers - building long-term self-sufficiency with career and life skill building while supporting families and individuals with emergency assistance for food, rent or utilities; New Americans Serivices - supporting the resettlement efforts of immigrant and refugee families.

Community Action Council supports 2,500 women and children annually with safe housing and advocacy services through Lewis House; 4,000 children and parents each year with academic success through Partners For Success; 10,000 individuals annually find stability and economic security through our Family Resource Centers;

In partnership with the Wilder Foundation, Community Action Council is convening community leaders to address key indicators for community well-being.
CAC's Lewis House celebrates 30 years of providing safe housing for more than 20,000 women and children since opening their doors in 1979. Revitalizing Lewis House to better serve victims of domestic violence is a key priority.
Focusing on 3rd grade reading proficiency, Partners For Success is working with parents and teachers to ensure all students achieve this critical educational benchmark.
New Americans Services is developing a Virtual Immigrant Resource Center where new immigrants are assisted by established cultural liaisons as they navigate challenging and unfamiliar systems.

Mary Ajax has been with Community Action Council since 1975 and was one of CAC's first paid staff. She began her long career with CAC as the Help Line Coordinator and by 1977 had identified the issue of domestic violence as a critical problem that needed to be addressed in our community. Eventually Mary secured funding to open the first Lewis House safe home. Later she headed the designing and building of the Lewis House in Eagan, which was the first safe home in the country built specifically to meet the needs of domestic abuse victims. Mary was appointed President/CEO of Community Action Council in 1992. Her vision and innovative thinking has led to the creation of CAC’s school-based family support services, child abuse prevention services for our community’s most at-risk newborns, support services for new Americans as they settle into a new homeland, and many other critical services Community Action Council provides for our community. In 2003, Mary was awarded the “Stop the Violence Award” from the Minnesota Medical Association. 2005 marked her 30th anniversary with Community Action Council. In recognition of this, Governor Tim Pawlenty named April 25, 2005 "Mary Ajax Day", commemorating her many accomplishments in building stronger families and healthier communities. In 2007, Mary was recognized by the Minnesota State University Mankato with the 2007 Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for her exceptional dedication and service to humankind. She continues to lead the agency through positive changes to prevent violence, ensure school success and promote long-term self-sufficiency.

Rachel Hollstadt, Chair - Hollstadt & Associates Management and Technology Consultants, CEO
Philip Stalboerger, Vice Chair - Blue Cross Blue Shield, Vice President for Policy and Legislative Affairs
Greg Peterka, Secretary - Wells Fargo Lakeville, Small Business Development Manager, Metro MN Region
Mary Ajax - Community Action Council, President/CEO
Chuck Cloninger - Minnesota Energy Resources, President
Pete Diessner - Fredrickson & Byron’s Real Estate and Real Estate Litigation Groups, Associate
Jackie Fritz - Sterling State Bank, Vice President of Commercial Loans
Brian Gora - Goodrich Corporation Sensors and Integrated Systems, President
Dick Manley - Manley and Associates Management Consultants, CEO
Olivia Nichols - Student Board Representative, Henry Sibley High School, Senior
Ann Schluter - Former Commissioner for the State’s Departments of Education, Strategic Planning and Employee Relations
Bob Stowell - US Federal Credit Union, COO
Deb Tomczyk - Retired, Dept. of Education
Tom Wiegele, Ph. D. - Goodrich Corp. Sensor Systems Division, Vice President of Research and Development

United States

Minnesota

501 E. Highway 13, Suite 102

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone: (952) 985-5300

www.communityactioncouncil.org

EIN: 41-0987708