Jim and Merry Lynn Roelofs to be Recognized as the 2025 Award in Philanthropy recipients
Brainerd, Minn. – The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation’s (BLACF) Board of Directors is proud to announce that Jim and Merry Lynn Roelofs of Brainerd, MN, are the 2025 BLACF Award in Philanthropy honorees. This award recognizes the efforts of an individual, family, or an organization who has significantly contributed to the field of philanthropy in the Brainerd Lakes Area – through their personal generosity, by giving of their treasure, talent, and time. The Award in Philanthropy was created to honor those who work to build a better community and to inspire the next generation of philanthropic leaders.
Throughout their years in Brainerd, the Roelofs have continually been active members of the community through their volunteer work; and if you haven’t met them through that, then perhaps you have seen them out on the Baxter segment of the Paul Bunyan State Trail tending to their goats and maintaining the fairy houses along the tree line. The first board Merry Lynn joined after moving to the area was the Brainerd Public Library, followed by the County Social Services Board, Community Edcuation, and church boards. Jim has also served as a board member for the Benedictine Health System, St. Joseph’s Medical Center Board, as a Rotarian, Bremer Bank, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, and is finishing his final term with CommunityGiving. When talking about community Merry Lynn says, “It’s about what we can do for other people, neighbors, giving what you can back. It’s not about us, it’s about community.”
Each year, BLACF celebrates the generosity of our community, and shares stories of how kindness can be infectious and spread to those around us. Executive Director Terri Foster shares, “when a community comes together and focuses on helping one another, it can catalyze an entire community to create lasting positive change.” This year’s Award in Philanthropy celebration will be held July 17, 2025, at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN.
Since 1998, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation has been helping people make a difference through charitable giving. Invested charitable funds may allow donors to give more to their favorite charitable organizations now and simultaneously help grow endowed resource funds to meet the ever-changing local community needs of today and tomorrow. With many types of funds available, everyone can support their favorite cause with an individual, business, general interest, or scholarship fund. Together, the Community Foundation and fund partners have awarded nearly $11 million in grants to nonprofits. As a trusted community leader, the Community Foundation staff and volunteer board of directors are committed to understanding community issues and bringing together necessary resources to address those needs and opportunities. We can help keep money local and doing good in the place we all love – creating impactful and lasting change by engaging people, connecting resources, and building community. Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation is a partner with other community foundations of CommunityGiving, a collaborative network to create efficiencies, control costs, and offer best-in-class tools for growing local community foundations and maximizing donor impact.
