Community Service

Fredrikson has a long history of encouraging community participation by all of its employees, and many of our employees, both lawyers and staff, share a commitment to provide voluntary services to their communities.

These services, although too numerous to list, include everything from tutoring students in math, reading, and composition, serving on local community boards, fundraising for charitable events, and raising awareness of the arts, to visiting seniors in nursing homes or bringing food and companionship to homebound senior citizens.

Additionally, Fredrikson gives each employee paid time off to volunteer for firm-sponsored community service programs such as rehabilitating or building homes through Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, serving meals at Sharing & Caring Hands, or purchasing and delivering school supplies and gifts to homeless or orphaned youth and holiday gifts to families in need through our Friends of Fredrikson program.

We all live in a better world due to the effort, commitment and time given by volunteers. We at Fredrikson are proud of the volunteer spirit of all of our employees. The following section outlines some of the firm-sponsored programs that our lawyers and staff participate in.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce recognized Fredrikson as a 2023 Keystone Honored Company. Learn more about Fredrikson's many avenues for giving back and our colleagues' passions for supporting the community in the Keystone Video.

View Keystone Video

Community Service Events 2024

The Bismarck, Des Moines, Madison and Minneapolis offices organized community service events for their respective offices.

Each year the Bismarck office donates their time and much needed supplies to their local Parks & Rec Office. The Parks & Rec Office’s core purpose is to provide affordable, accessible, and sustainable public park and recreation services to members of their community. Lawyers and staff worked together to plant trees and pick up garbage throughout the park, in a collective effort to support this core purpose.

Thank you to Bismarck’s Parks & Rec staff and thank you to our incredible Fredrikson team, Austin Artz, Bethany Hughes, Justin Hughes, Lyn Entzi-Odden, Kerrie Farrell, Kim Nagel, and Karen Phillips.

The Des Moines office joined forces with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity in honor of the Mark S. Cady Day of Public Service through the Drake Law School. The team of shareholders, associates, and support staff dedicated their day to assembling cabinets for homes, embodying the heartfelt belief that volunteering with Habitat for Humanity is truly a gift of time. Whether on a construction site, repairing a local home, or lending a hand in the ReStore, every effort is crucial in advancing Habitat's mission.

Thank you to Christine Procuniar for organizing the event and thank you to our incredible Fredrikson team, Mary Crysler, Shelby Kosiek. Rachel Lubben, Katie Overberg, Katie Owens, Bridget Penick, Susan Ramfjord, Alex Rice, Chris Storey, and Sophia Studer.

The Madison office participated in their first Community Service project! Teaming up with the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum, they tackled an ecological restoration project.

With great energy and teamwork, they worked hard to remove invasive plants, shrubs, vines, and small trees from the Oak Savanna and Prairie Restoration area, making a positive impact on the local environment.

Thank you to Cim Lee for organizing the event and thank you to our incredible Fredrikson team,  Sarah Arbaje, Leakhena Au, and Sydney Prall.

The Minneapolis office volunteered at The Bakken and Second Harvest Heartland.

A group of lawyers and staff kicked off the new year at Second Harvest Heartland in Brooklyn Park, MN. Second Harvest Heartland has distributed 128 million meals across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, and they estimate that over 813,000 people have received food assistance through their food bank and their partners.

The group signed up for a 2-hour shift to sort and pack food. After an easy check-in process and a brief overview with a volunteer coordinator, we were able to set up our very own mini assembly line. During our time there, we packed 705 RX bags, which were filled with food items and will be distributed  to people with chronic health conditions to help ensure they have enough food to stay strong.

A big thank you to Monica Calhoun, Michele Erickson, Laurie Hartman, Angela Horel, Celina Huber, Wendy Munt, Erin O'Connell Wehrli, Curtis Okerson, Beverly Skulratana, and Jenny Westbrooks for sharing your time, efforts, enthusiasm, and company.

Thank you to The Bakken staff, Will, Mary, and Chris for hosting us and thank you to our incredible Fredrikson team, Diana Bospachieva, Jodi Gustafson, Margo Erickson, Katie Jacobson, Amanda Mears-Turner, Erin O'Connell Wehrli, Beth Schiestl, Bev Skulratana, and Julie Witt.

Friends of Fredrikson Program

Donation and Tax-Exempt Organization Compliance Policy

In 1994, a few employees got together and “adopted” one family through Hennepin County’s Social Services Adopt-A-Family program. The next year, the program was expanded to collect food for a local food shelf, and adopt two families. The program is called “Friends of Fredrikson.” In 1997, the Friends of Fredrikson was officially incorporated into a stand-alone nonprofit run entirely by employees of Fredrikson.

Friends of Fredrikson is an employee-run nonprofit whose mission is:

• To ease the economic burden of disadvantaged families and their children;
• To foster and promote the education of disadvantaged children in public schools;
• To provide food and clothing to, and encourage the wellness of, disadvantaged families and their children; and
• To do any and all other acts and things and to exercise any and all other rights and powers which may be necessary, advisable, desirable, or expedient in the accomplishment of any of the foregoing purposes.

Friends of Fredrikson collects and distributes gifts during the year, including:

• Holiday wish lists: Offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Madison, and Minneapolis provide gifts and gifts cards to families through the North Dakota National Guard - Service Member and Family Support Center (SMFSC), St. Vincent De Paul Des Moines, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) and the  Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV);
• Restocking a local Food Shelf: Each year, the Fargo office works with the Fargo Emergency Food Pantry to provide essential staples to families in need.
• Hygiene Kits for the Homeless: Every fall, the Minneapolis office provides 150-250 Hygiene Kits to Agate Housing + Services. 

We commit as an institution to something greater than ourselves.