Mindful Minutes

09/02/2026

We’re excited to welcome Alyssa Norby to the Mindful Minutes Board of Directors!

Alyssa brings nine years of experience as a secondary special education and social studies educator, along with a strong passion for supporting students both academically and personally. As she transitions from the classroom, she is looking forward to finding new ways to stay connected to students, families, and the Dubuque community.

Alyssa believes one of the most important things we can teach young people is how to take care of themselves—giving them tools to manage stress, build healthy habits, strengthen confidence, and develop resilience.

Outside of her professional work, Alyssa enjoys traveling, boating on the Mississippi River, biking, staying active, and going on walks with her kids. And a fun fact: she rode several days of RAGBRAI this summer!

We’re grateful to have Alyssa’s educator perspective, creativity, and commitment to student well-being on our board.

Welcome to Mindful Minutes, Alyssa! 💙💚

09/01/2026

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Gisella M. Aitken-Shadle to the Mindful Minutes Board of Directors! 💙💚

Gisella is an executive leader, educator, speaker, and organizational development consultant with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations strengthen leadership, build strong teams, and create cultures where people can thrive.

She is the Founder and CEO of Kindling Growth Consulting and has also served as Chief of Equity and Human Rights for the City of Dubuque and as an Adult Education and Literacy Director at Northeast Iowa Community College.

Gisella brings extensive experience in leadership, strategic planning, workforce development, facilitation, community partnerships, and education. She is also the founder of LEAD — Latino Empowerment and Development, reflecting her deep commitment to community connection and service.

Her connection to Mindful Minutes comes from a belief that resilient individuals, families, and communities are strengthened through emotional wellness, prevention, and meaningful human connection.

Outside of work and volunteering, Gisella enjoys traveling, spending time with family, reading, learning, and experiencing different cultures.

We’re grateful to have her leadership, experience, and community-centered perspective on our board.

Welcome to Mindful Minutes, Dr. Aitken-Shadle! 💙💚

08/31/2026

We are so honored!

Thank you to the 10 incredible non-profit organizations who presented their impactful initiatives to our C&B Better Initiative Grant Committee earlier today! Each presentation showcased amazing community work and detailed plans for measurable impact.

Our C&B Better Initiative is powered by our people - teammates who contribute to support local organizations and help our community become "Better Every Day."

We are proud to support organizations making a real difference for local residents and are looking forward to picking the 2026 Grant Recipients in September!

08/31/2026

🌿 DAY 7 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness 🌿

You made it to Day 7! 💚

Finish our Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness week with a simple Mindful Reset.

Take one slow breath and ask yourself:

🌿 What is something I’m proud of?
💚 What is something I’m ready to let go of?
✨ What am I looking forward to?

You don’t need to have every answer.

Sometimes resetting simply means taking a breath, noticing how you feel, and giving yourself permission to begin again.

💚 Save this 7-day series and come back to these practices anytime your family, students, or classroom needs a mindful moment.

🎥 Continue practicing with mindfulness, breathing, movement, and relaxation videos from our partner Challenge to Change, Inc.:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/

08/30/2026

👂 DAY 6 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness 👂

Today’s practice is all about slowing down and listening.

Find a comfortable spot and spend about 30 seconds quietly noticing the sounds around you.

Ask yourself:

👂 What sound is closest to me?
👂 What sound is farthest away?
👂 Is there a sound I usually don’t notice?

You might hear birds, a clock, traffic, your family, your classroom—or even your own breathing.

Mindful listening helps us practice bringing our attention back to the present moment.

🎥 Find more mindfulness exercises for kids, families, and classrooms from our partner Challenge to Change, Inc.:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/

08/29/2026

✨ DAY 5 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness ✨

Before deciding what you need to do today, think about how you want to show up today.

Choose one word to guide your day.

Maybe you want to be:

💚 Kind
🌿 Calm
⭐ Brave
🧠 Focused
💛 Patient
🤝 Helpful
✨ Curious

Take a slow breath and say:

“Today, I will practice being ______.”

At school, students can choose their own word during morning meeting. At home, families can share their intentions before heading out the door.

🎥 Keep building your mindfulness toolbox with our partner Challenge to Change, Inc.:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/

08/28/2026

👀 DAY 4 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness 👀

Take a moment to bring your attention to right now.

Pause and notice:

👀 3 things you can see
👂 2 things you can hear
✋ 1 thing you can feel

Maybe you notice the color of your backpack, birds outside, or your feet touching the floor.

There are no right or wrong answers. The goal is simply to slow down and notice what is happening around you.

This quick mindfulness exercise works almost anywhere—at home, in the car before school, or in the classroom.

🎥 Find more mindfulness practices from our partner Challenge to Change, Inc.:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/

08/28/2026

🧘 DAY 3 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness 🧘

Sometimes our bodies need to move before our minds are ready to focus.

Take a few minutes this morning for Mindful Movement.

🙆 Reach your arms toward the sky.
🌿 Slowly stretch from side to side.
🧘 Roll your shoulders forward and backward.
🌳 Stand tall and take one slow breath.

As you move, pay attention to how your body feels.

Mindful movement is a simple way to release some morning energy and prepare the body and brain for the day ahead.

🎥 Looking for more movement and mindfulness practices? Visit our partner Challenge to Change, Inc. on YouTube:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/

08/27/2026

We are so grateful for this partnership!

🙌CONGRATS🙌 to our 10 Community Impact Grant recipients! We're honored to grant a total of nearly $106,000 to these that are tackling some of Eastern Iowa's most pressing challenges:

Centrally Rooted
DeWitt Referral Center & Thrift Store
Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA Victim Service Shelter (Dubuque Y Crisis Services)
ElevateHER Network, Inc.
Friends of St. Mary’s (Steeple Square)
Mindful Minutes
Moms Connect Dubuque
My GEAR Outreach
Opening Doors Dubuque
River Bend Bend Food Reservoir (River Bend Food Bank)

This year’s grants are estimated to impact nearly 24,000 lives across the Dubuque region, based on figures provided by grantees. That's 10% of our region's population 😮

Community Impact Grants are open to nonprofits serving Dubuque, Clayton and Clinton counties. After narrowing down the pool of applicants, finalists were invited to make video pitches to the grant committee. The Foundation offered free one-on-one coaching to finalists to help them strengthen their videos and build skills to support all of their grant-seeking efforts.

To learn more about the Community Impact Grants program, visit dbqfoundation.org/communityimpact.

08/26/2026

💚 DAY 2 OF 7: Back-to-School Morning Mindfulness 💚

Start your morning by noticing something good.

Take a quiet moment and think of:

🌿 One person you are thankful for
🌿 One thing that makes you smile
🌿 One thing you are looking forward to today

You can say your answers out loud, write them down, or simply think about them.

Gratitude gives us a chance to pause and notice the good things that can sometimes get lost in a busy morning.

Try it together at breakfast, on the way to school, or during your classroom morning routine.

🎥 Find more mindfulness practices for home and school from our partner Challenge to Change, Inc.:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/