Q&A with Sita Morantz

Q: How did you first get involved with Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota (GESMN)?
A: I attended a Power of Work event as a guest of volunteer board member/Marsden CEO Guy Mingo. The mission resonated with me and I’ve served on the board of directors for nine years; I’ve chaired the Power of Work Event for four years and I’m joining the Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota Foundation board.

Q: What do you wish other people knew about GESMN?
A: While the organization has a sustaining funding mechanism because of retail stores, it cannot provide services to individuals in our community without additional funding from federal, state and local government agencies AND support from individual and corporate donors. The majority of the funding we raise goes directly to removing barriers to employment for thousands of people who need help to achieve independence for themselves and their families.

Q: What role can a thriving GESMN fill in our communities?
A: GESMN can bring people to the workforce who might otherwise not get there—this is particularly important as the “mainstream” labor force is not sufficient to support the demand for labor. GESMN fosters a more inclusive workforce: 52% of the people served are black, indigenous and people of color, and 64% have one or more disabilities.

Q: What do you think will change in workforce development over the next five years?
A: The work GESMN does will be critical over the next five years—I think we will scale up the number of people we serve to help them get to work as demand for entry-level, semi-skilled and skilled workers continues to rise.

Q: You created a combination gift—a five-year pledge combined with a planned gift—how did you make that selection?
A: My husband and I are at the beginning of preparing for retirement in about 5 years. We have some cash now that we felt comfortable giving, but wanted to be able to give more, so the future planned gift was a great option for us.

Q: You made your gift in honor of your fathers. Why was this important to both of you?
A: My dad, John Howard, worked hard all his life in farming, then later in the construction industry. He was able to find success even though he couldn’t read or write. He was the son of a sharecropper, so he worked as a young man with his family in the cotton fields of Mississippi and Arkansas after finishing only a third-grade education. In his adulthood, he was offered a career opportunity by the owner of a construction company, and because of that he was able to support himself and our family. I want others to have help to seize opportunities despite any barriers to work like my dad had.

My father-in-law, Stanley Morantz, was a wonderful man who came from a family of immigrants who fled to America from Russia to escape religious persecution during the Pogroms. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII and came home when the war ended to his growing family. He earned his Juris Doctorate and worked in the family paper supply business; Stanley appreciated his opportunities and gave back to his community as a philanthropist and social activist. Through his own volunteer work, he helped people who were impacted by the justice system learn to read and write. We are proud of his community work and we want others to have the kind of help Stanley offered to people.

Our fathers taught us lessons in family and community that have shaped us and our children in many ways. We honor their memories every day.