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Recognizing Jeanne Weigum Day in the City of Saint Paul.
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WHEREAS, Jeanne Weigum is the grande dame of advocacy and community building in Saint
Paul, MN and beyond for the past 50+ years; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne grew up in the prairies of Mobridge, South Dakota where she gained a
deep appreciation of nature and wildlife and where the spirit of volunteerism was nurtured by
her family, and
WHEREAS, Jeanne was drawn to social work earning degrees from Bethel University and a
Masters degree from the University of Minnesota, bringing her passion for criminal justice to
Hennepin County Corrections and the state prison at Lino Lakes; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne also followed her desire to create larger scale impact by directing her focus
to community organizing and policy advocacy; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne started volunteering with Association for Nonsmokers Rights (ANSR) in
1975 and moved her way up until she became its President, a role for which she never took a
salary. Jeanne has been a tireless advocate, a changemaker, and a public policy force in
reducing tobacco use and access locally and nationally; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne has built impressive coalitions to deliver ordinances banning smoking at
bars and restaurants, placing restrictions on the sale of menthol-flavored tobacco, raising the
tobacco purchase age to 21, and most recently, prohibiting smoking in public parks; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne has not only leveraged her skills on tobacco regulation, Jeanne also
organized against the proliferation of billboards in Saint Paul for decades as part of a grassroots
movement called Scenic Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne was a long serving president of the Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint
Paul and Ramsey County, helping establish the no-net-loss of parklands in Saint Paul and
Ramsey County and worked to preserve, protect and enhance those park systems; and
WHEREAS, After fostering dogs for the Humane Society and Second Chance Animal Rescue,
Jeanne founded Pooches United with People (PUP) which provides wellness clinics in remote
areas for hundreds of dogs and rescues unwanted puppies and dogs and places them in
permanent loving homes; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne created and maintains Weigum’s Great Plains Landscape Arboretum
in Mobridge to test and demonstrate trees, shrubs, and perennials in the harsh
conditions of extreme high and low temperatures, high winds, limited rainfall and
alkaline soil and established an endowment to sustain it into the future ; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne created and tends to two ornamental gardens on street right-of-ways which
were previously junk strewn eyesores and now make a welcoming gate way, and she tends to
numerous gardens along Summit Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard; and
WHEREAS, Jeanne continues to leave an indelible mark on the community around her with her
fearless, tireless, and compassionate leadership that truly serves as inspiration to us all,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Saint Paul City Council sincerely thanks Jeanne
Weigum for her many years of advocacy and community investment in Saint Paul; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, In honor of Jeanne’s dedication to the City of St. Paul, December 13, 2023, will be known as ‘Jeanne Weigum Day’ in the City of Saint Paul.
AANSR