She couldn't stand up; she refused to stand still
Some people, when a door closes, find a window. Dolores Vorhees was in a care center with two broken legs, still thinking of others, still thinking about how to make a difference. She trusted that others would follow.
They did.
What came next would change peacemaking education in St. Paul forever. And it all started with an email from her care center room.
Dolores Vorhees at Carondelet Village in St. Paul, where she continues to stay connected, engaged, and make a difference.
A Granddaughter, a School, and a Problem That Needed Solving
Dolores's path to PeaceMaker Minnesota began with family. And with something that just didn't feel right.
Her granddaughter teaches in St. Paul, working with diverse students who carry weights into the classroom that no child should have to carry alone. Dolores looked at that community — at those children — and saw an urgent need for PeaceMaker's work. And no public schools in the area were part of PeaceMaker's programming. The need was there. The gap was real.
For Dolores, that was enough, as she has never been someone who sees a problem and waits for someone else to solve it.
She didn’t arrive at this moment overnight. Her connection to PeaceMaker stretched back more than ten years — first through a friend who had witnessed a Peace Guide's work firsthand as a school volunteer, and then through a chance encounter with Executive Director Dan McNeil at a local peace event where different organizations were tabling. The relationship took root — quietly, naturally, over years.ieved.”
Seeing It Made It Real
“They were really making a difference. It made it real.”
What moved Dolores from longtime supporter to endowment founder wasn't a fundraising appeal. It was a school visit.
Dan pulled a small group together to tour a school and meet a Peace Guide — one of PeaceMaker's trained mentors who works one-on-one with students navigating conflict, anxiety, and peer relationships. Dolores was part of that group. She met the principal. She sat with a Peace Guide and heard about their work.
That's what a school visit does that a brochure never can. At that school, hearing from the people doing the work — hearing the principal describe the changes seen in students — Dolores didn’t just believe that this work mattered. She knew it.
A Different Kind of Gift
“I had never thought of a long-term gift. Well — I have to take money out annually for my distribution. I decided it was time to add some focus to where that money would go.”
Dolores describes herself as financially comfortable, but not wealthy. A permanent endowment gift never occurred to her when she thought about her giving.
Dan helped her see what was possible. Rather than spreading smaller gifts across many organizations, she could put her energy behind one mission in one community and create something that would outlast any single donation. The St. Paul Endowment Fund took shape — a permanent, growing resource dedicated to bringing PeaceMaker programming to St. Paul schools for years to come.
“I have confidence PeaceMaker will only continue to grow. It's unique — I don't see anyone else doing this kind of work with children.”
She Couldn't Leave Her Care Center; She Got to Work
In the time leading up to PeaceMaker's May Community Counts campaign, Dolores fell and broke both of her legs. After a hospitalization, she moved to a care center to recover. Doctors told her she wouldn't be able to bear weight for six to eight weeks.
She could have turned inward and focused on healing — and no one would have blamed her. Not this year. When I'm back on my feet. Maybe later. But none of that was ever part of her thinking.
"I'm living my normal life — I just can't leave the building. I'm very lucky. I'm very busy. I have a wonderful, supportive family and friends, my laptop, and my phone."
Those last details say everything. A laptop and a phone. That was enough.
She wrote an email. She pledged to match the first $3,000.
Then Dolores waited to see who would show up.
The People Who Said Yes
What happened next surprised even Dolores.
"It has always been important to me to stay connected to people, And, I get a high from connecting people to one another."
She reached out. And what came back was more than she had planned for — contributions from close friends who gave generously, and from people she had never even met.
For the Kids Who Come After
When Dolores thinks about the students who will one day benefit from this fund — children who are just starting school now or haven't even been born yet — she has hopes.
"I hope they have a better life, better life skills. I've often thought they're learning things I didn't learn until much later in life. Conflict is still hard for me — but I think I've even learned things from what PeaceMaker Minnesota is teaching."
Let that sink in. A woman who has spent decades building relationships, staying connected, and showing up for others is — still learning. Still growing. And wanting that for every child in a St. Paul classroom.
"It's so important to teach kids conflict resolution skills when they're young, and how to use words instead of violence. And it cannot happen without funding."
She paused.
"They do an awful lot with not that much money."
A Fund That Didn't Exist Before
“This is what happens when someone takes ownership of their community — when PeaceMaker’s mission becomes their mission.”
When asked how it feels to have created something permanent — a resource for peacemaking education that simply did not exist before she decided it should — Dolores's answer is warm, grounded, and completely her.
"Feels good. I'm glad I did it. I feel lucky in my life — that I've had people help me. I'll be watching it very closely."
The St. Paul Endowment Fund exists because she took ownership. Because she stayed connected. Because she wrote the email. Because the people in her life showed up — and people who had never even met her thought: I want to be part of this too.
About PeaceMaker Minnesota
PeaceMaker Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that furthers peacemaking education in schools, workplaces, and communities across Minnesota.
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