Together, we dare to think big and act boldly, break boundaries, pursue ambitious goals, and create opportunities. We become an unstoppable force, defying expectations and making a real impact on lives and our community.

Unsure to Understood

When Graceโ€™s anxiety became too big to wrap her arms around, she turned to Amberwing โ€“ Center for Youth & Family Well-Being. There, she learned the skills to breathe through difficult moments while feeling validated and supported along the way.

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A Unique Healing Environment

Amberwing โ€” Center for Youth & Family Well-Being was created by the Miller-Dwan Foundation to provide the greatest level of compassion and skill, in the most welcoming of healing environments. Set in a restful wooded area, Amberwing brings together the combined resources of community philanthrophy and a health system to create a national model for effective mental health care.

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Reluctant to Remarkable

A travel and outdoors enthusiast in his 70s, Eliot had no plans to slow down or cut back on his daily three-mile hikes. Then, a Parkinsonism diagnosis changed everything.

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Solvay Hospice House

Concern to Compassion

When it feels like everything is closing in at once, who do you entrust with the care of your beloved grandmotherโ€”the one who made everyone around her feel so special? For Jessie and her dad Bruce, Solvay Hospice House became a beacon of compassion, understanding and peace for their Evelyn at the most difficult time.

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Rehab - Miller-Dwan Inpatient

In the Midst of a Pandemic, Healing

COVID-19 knocked Wayne down, hard and fast. Over the next 3 months, he slowly got back up with the steady help of a dedicated team of rehabilitation specialists who were learning, like the rest of the world, how to adjust during a pandemic.

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Animal-Assisted Therapy

Unspoken Worries to Unleashed Joy

Getting kids in speech therapy to open up and engage isnโ€™t always easy. But having a cheery black Lab retriever there to greet you and learn alongside you can help. Thatโ€™s what speech pathologist Chelsea hoped for when she sought out a facility dog.

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Burn Services

Life-Saving Corporate Involvement

When it comes to traumatic burn injuriesโ€”the kind caused by extreme heat and cold, chemicals, electricity and moreโ€”the right care can make a life-or-death difference.

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Mental Health

Erasing Mental Health Care Stigma

Esther died alone, in a motel room. It was a cold, murky morning. The hotel was small and cheap and located just off the freeway.

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Mental Health

In the Time Upheaval, Support

When your world is changing fast, both inside and around you, it helps to have the right people and skills to lean on. Kale Pierson and his family found that at just the right time.

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Animal-Assisted Therapy

Kindness Stays By Your Side

Nova isnโ€™t a medical expert, she just really knows how to love, says Jack Lee, her owner and trainer.

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Solvay Hospice House

In the Journey of Life, Grace

Kristin Chederquist embraced some of the biggest challenges with bold love. In the last days of her life, Solvay Hospice House offered Kristin and her family space to experience dignity, comfort and peace.

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Mental Health

In the Face of a Storm, Resilience

Emotional pain from the past can splash into life and relationships without warning. To brace those waves, the Fermenich family tunes into faith, humor and the tools they learned from Amberwing โ€“ Center for Youth & Family Well-Being.

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Mental Health

A Respite from Caregiving

Alina Beer cared for her husband for seven years. Married 15 years, the cancer diagnosis was a devastating blow.

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Rehab - Polinsky Outpatient

Extraordinary Perspective

Before the accident, Tammy Jensenโ€™s typical day was a busy, noisy, go-get-โ€™em affair. The mother of two zipped back and forth from Buhl to Duluth, Minnesota for work, where she saw orthodontics patients each day

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Amberwing

Julia

Julia Koepp is a seventeen-year-old student, artist and mental health advocate who found help for anxiety at Amberwing โ€“ Center for Youth & Family Well-Being.
She wants to go into the mental health care field when she graduates. For now, sheโ€™s using her voiceโ€”and her artโ€”to share messages of support and healing.

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Solvay Hospice House

Jim

When the health of someone you love is diminishing, you want to give them more time somehow. Those were the feelings of Jim Larson and his four boys when they decidedโ€”along with their beloved wife and mom, Aliceโ€”that it was time to move her to Solvay Hospice House.

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Amberwing

Rick

Miller-Dwan Foundation has added psychotherapist Rick Gertsema, MS, LP to its staff to help it develop and launch initiatives that will allow it to leverage its unique strengths to create a healthy, vibrant, resilient community free from mental health crisis.

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Solvay Hospice House

Feel deeply
Find solace in community

When someone you love passes away it can be a complex emotional journey, marked by a mixture of grief, love and acceptance. And in the end, there can be a constant battle between wanting to remain strong and supportive while grappling with the intense pain of witnessing the challenges your loved one endures.  Janet Peterson experienced all of those emotions

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Amberwing

Have the courage to speak out
Be brave enough to listen

Over 1 in 10 youth in the U.S. are experiencing depression that severely impairs their ability to function at school or work, at home, with family, or in their social life.  (Source: mhanational.org) Thirteen-year-old Sylva falls within that โ€œ1 in 10″ statistic. Her courage in advocating for herself and seeking the help she needed was remarkable and so was the

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Hope X

Confront challenges
Generate bold solutions

The Miller-Dwan Foundation has a long history of addressing the most pressing challenges facing our region with creative solutions such as: Supported Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center’s innovative rehab programs. Solvay Hospice House’s dignified end-of-life services. Amberwingโ€“Center for Youth & Family Well-Being’s youth mental health programs.
HopeX, multiply community healingย  Right now, we are facing a new public health threat. Accelerated

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Northland Adaptive Recreation

Believe in the power within
Embrace your resilience

The state of our minds can be felt in every part of our body, making the bond between our mental and physical health undeniable. This mind-body connection underscores Miller-Dwan Foundationโ€™s decision this past year to acquire Courage Kennyโ€“Northland programming from Allina Health, renaming and rebranding it Northland Adaptive Recreation (NAR). โ€œThe goal of Northland Adaptive Recreation is to broaden recreation

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PM+

Ruth’s Story

ย The impact of a gift Ruth Strom McCutcheonโ€™s connection to healthcare runs deep. From her early career as a nurse practitioner to her work in healthcare administration, Ruth has always been committed to improving health and well-being.  Her personal experience with a sister battling schizoaffective disorder, combined with her awareness that many of her patients were struggling with the effects

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Solvay Hospice House

Jim’s Story

ย The impact ofย loveย  Jim Ransom has lived a full and accomplished life. As an engineer and a dedicated salesperson for a steel company, he spent 40 years serving Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michiganโ€™s Upper Peninsula. But for Jim, his greatest achievement was always his family. He met his wife, Heath, in college, and together they built a life filled with love,

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Amberwing

Guthrie’s Story

 The impact of resilience  For Justine Broderson and her close-knit familyโ€”husband David, daughter Vivienne, and son Guthrieโ€”life in the small rural town of Cornucopia, Wisconsin, has always been lively. Running a seasonal coffee shop, staying active in the community, and managing daily responsibilities keep them busy and feeling deeply grateful. But nothing could have prepared them for the upheaval that

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Northland Adaptive Recreation

Emma’s Story

ย The Impact ofย freedomย  At 18, Emma McDonald is like any other teenagerโ€”she loves hanging out with friends, shopping, and working with kids at Bayview Elementary Schoolโ€™s Kids Zone. But she also navigates life with spina bifida, a condition that makes walking difficult and exhausting. While she has always been determined to do as much as possible, recreational activities have often

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Ruth's Story
Ruth Strom McCutcheonโ€™s healthcare journeyโ€”from nurse practitioner to healthcare leaderโ€”has always centered on well-being. Inspired by personal and professional experiences, she became a Helper in the Problem Management Plus (PM+) program to assist others in navigating stress and uncertainty. For Ruth, PM+ is about resilience, connection, and hope. โ€œSometimes, we just need a quiet space to talk,โ€ she says. โ€œPM+ is a gift, and Iโ€™m honored to share it.โ€
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Jim's Story
When Jim Ransom lost his wife, Heath, Solvay Hospice House gave them more than careโ€”it gave them the space to say goodbye with love and dignity. In their final weeks together, Jim discovered the power of four simple phrases: Forgive me. I love you. Thank you. Goodbye. Now, he honors Heathโ€™s memory by supporting Solvay through Miller-Dwan Foundation, ensuring others find the same peace, comfort, and loveโ€”even in goodbye.
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Guthrie's Story
Seven-year-old Guthrie has always seen the world a little differently. When his beloved nana passed, undiagnosed autism led him into a deep place of grief and anxiety, leaving his family unsure how to support him. Amberwing โ€“ Center for Youth & Family Well-Being diagnosed Guthrie and guided him and his family through coping strategies that have made all the difference.
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Emma's Story
Emma McDonald is redefining whatโ€™s possible. At 18, she juggles school, friends, and work while living with spina bifida. Thanks to Northland Adaptive Recreation (NAR), she found freedom on a snowboard, building confidence and breaking barriers along the way. For Emma, inclusion isnโ€™t just about adaptingโ€”itโ€™s about thriving.
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Together we will realize our shared vision of a community free from mental health crisis.