Verna Toenyan earns 50-over-50 ranking
She may have recently been honored as one of the 50 over 50 top leaders in Minnesota, but those who know Verna Toenyan know she is one in a million.
Those who know her also recognize that she is downright deserving of the recognition.
The inaugural (first time for this in Minnesota) 50 over 50 List “celebrates and recognizes Minnesotans over the age of 50 who have made significant contributions and achievements in their communities.”
Toenyan joins the ranks of other such famous Minnesotans as “Famous Dave’s” restaurant chain founder “Famous Dave” Anderson and Ann Bancroft (not the actress) who was the first woman known to make the trek to the North Pole.
Toenyan modestly accepts the fact that she has been recognized, but in a manner that is typical of her, she refuses to accept the recognition without recognizing those who helped her achieve it.
“To me, this is a recognition of all the time, talents and energy of those who work with me to create a better community. I don’t see this as about me, but about all of us who work together...It is about the cohesiveness of a group of people working on a mission with the desire of that group to better a community. Accepting this honor is a way of saying thanks to the people who have been behind me who have helped with the senior and community projects through donations of time, talents and more,” she said.
Toenyan was nominated for the award and received an e-mail informing her that she had received the honor.
Over 350 leaders throughout the state were nominated in one of five categories: arts and culture, nonprofit, business, community building and disruptor.
The people who made the list are people who “don’t adhere to the belief that you have to be under forty, thirty or twenty to blaze a trail or shake things up,” according to the website www.pollenmidwest.org/stories/50-over-50/.
After the nominations were made, a “transparent cohort of distinguished peers then took on the near impossible task of narrowing down the list to fifty of the most inspiring and accomplished leaders from across the state.”
The AARP Minnesota and Pollen Midwest groups made the honor come true. AARP was formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. Pollen Midwest is in the business of breaking down barriers to create a space for communities to be better connected which they do through story and opportunity.
The award is mind-blowing to Toenyan.
“If people don’t believe in you, you don’t embrace your gifts and gain confidence,” she said.
“I gave my confidence in working with nutrition and now we are working to meet the expectations and needs of the people who live here now and will live here in the future. What we are doing now (with the Hilltop Regional Kitchen project) is just the beginning,” said Toenyan.
Her mind is always thinking ahead to the next thing, though.
Even throughout the interview, she was coming up with ideas of other ways she could reach out to meet the needs of people in our communities.
“We could meet here in Browerville,” she said as we were sipping our beverages at The Cafe. “We could call it something like ‘Coffee and a Smartphone’ and we could teach people the basics of using their phones.”
Always the optimist, she says, “If nobody showed up, you and I could just have a nice lunch together. We surely would talk about something that would benefit somebody.”
The Pollenmidwest.org website had this to say of Toenyan:
Small-town advocate, big-time accomplishments
“Verna Toenyan, 68, is a rural champion, fighting tirelessly to bring change and innovation to Minnesota’s small towns. Over the past few years, she mobilized volunteers and community members to lead the charge on one key initiative: public transportation. Thanks to these efforts, Todd County residents no longer have to rely on volunteers to get to church, the grocery store or doctor appointments. Instead, they now enjoy access to affordable door-to-door bus service.
“Another key initiative Verna is rallying the community around: a nearly $500,000 grant from South Country Health Alliance to makeover the woefully outdated senior nutrition kitchen where thousands of meals are prepared each month in an effort to care for the area’s elderly, many of whom are both poor and frail.”
That’s our Verna!
Most of the people who were honored were from the Twin Cities or larger metro areas. It’s truly an honor to have such a hard working advocate in our midst.
More about the awards and those who were honored:
Disruptors are those who challenge outdated beliefs about aging and live their lives without limits.
DISRUPTOR: Ann Bancroft, Gail Chang Bohr, Scott Cole, Michael Matthew Ferrell, Sam Grant, Lorrie Janatopoulos, Paula Maccabee, Sandra Menefee Taylor, Eric Schnell, Dr. Douglas Wendland.
Artists, writers, musicians, performers, thespians, filmmakers and other creatives who contribute to Minnesota’s thriving culture.
ARTS: Betsy Bowen, Luisa Cabello-Hansel, Ananya Chatterjea, Bill Cottman, Carolyn Holbrook, Judy Hornbacher, Ranee Ramaswamy, Bill Svendsgaard, Laurie Van Wieren, Bee Yang.
Individuals working to grow and strengthen the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors including educational institutions.
NONPROFIT: Terri Barreiro, Jodi Harpstead, Candice Harshner, Fran Heitzman, Kausar Hussain, Val Johnson, Matt Kramer, Margaret Lovejoy, Rebecca Rom, Paul Williams.
Individuals working to make their communities stronger by volunteering, organizing or serving in public office.
COMMUNITY: Sylvia Allen, Marvin Roger Anderson, Bev Bales, Rose Chu, Arlene El Amin, Linda Krug, Philip McNairy, Dr. Kusum Saxena, Wyman (Wy) Spano, Verna Toenyan.
Business leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs who are growing Minnesota’s economy while being good stewards of our resources and talent.
BUSINESS: “Famous Dave” Anderson, David Beito, Marcia Ballinger, Kim Bartmann, Ralph Bernstein, Lynn Casey, Daniel Klassen, Holly Morris, Richard Murphy Jr., Philomena Morrissey Satre.
For more information on these individuals see www.pollenmidwest.org/stories/50-over-50/.
