History

ResourceWest, formerly the Hopkins Minnetonka Family Resource Center, is the result of a collaborative effort of the City of Hopkins, the Hopkins School District, the faith community, area agencies, businesses and many individuals.

The story of ResourceWest starts in 1990, when a group of concerned leaders from these organizations convened to discuss the needs of families and children in the area.
"What are the unmet needs of families in our community? Come to share your observations and ideas."
That was the invitation the principals and counselors at two Hopkins elementary schools sent out to members of the business, school and faith communities, to city officials, to police and nonprofit representatives, and to other community leaders.

On the designated day, people from all segments of the community filled the room. In less than an hour, the walls were covered with lists of needs and action ideas. Energy was apparent, and the commitment to meet again was clear. After several more meetings, hundreds of ideas were honed down to just a few areas of focus. The concept of a one-stop resource center serving everyone in the community emerged as a way of meeting a multitude of community needs. The purpose of the proposed center was not to duplicate services, but to assure that families could make the connections to needed services. The idea of ResourceWest was born.

Where would it be housed? How would it be funded? How would decisions be made? How could it support, but not duplicate, the work of other organizations? A steering group formed to continue the planning. This group became known as the School and Community in Partnership (SCIP); the Hopkins School District’s Family Services Collaborative. Space was rented on Mainstreet in downtown Hopkins and in April 1993, the Hopkins Area Family Resource Center opened.

The original mission of the center was to provide support to families so their children could come to school ready to learn. ResourceWest continues this work today, while meeting the needs of residents of all ages by providing access to the continually evolving community services.

In 1997, the City of Minnetonka became a partner, and in 2003, the Minnetonka School District joined as well because they saw similar needs for our services in their communities. In 2001, ResourceWest applied for nonprofit status through the Internal Revenue Service and was awarded the 501(c)(3) designation that same year. Today, these same groups are involved in the funding and direction of the organization.