Blaine Caton. Photo: Chris Emeott
Blaine Caton and Jeff Dykstra share motivation to give generously.
Whether it’s a person’s skills, time, resources or attitude, there are many different ways to show up. For some people, the act of showing up generously and giving back comes naturally. It’s these people who inspire us, remind us that there’s goodness in the world and set an example for others.
Edina has many such residents—good neighbors, inspiring friends and impactful leaders. Here, we highlight two community members, Blaine Caton and Jeff Dykstra, who have different paths, skills and stories yet leave indelible marks on the people they serve and inspire.
Caton is a sonographer at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Years ago, when a co-worker did a presentation on Foundation for African Medicine & Education Hospital (FAME) in Tanzania, Caton told her, “Next time you go, I want to come with you.”
Blaine Caton teaching at FAME in Tanzania. Photos: Blaine Caton
FAME is a transformative hospital, which was started over 20 years ago by Frank Artress and Susan Gustafson. “They have built a hospital where the goal is for it to be run entirely by Tanzanians,” Caton says. “Doctors and volunteers from all over the world go in and train the doctors and practitioners, so that they can serve the rural population of Northwest Tanzania … Working with an organization that empowers the people of a country to assist their population is just very rewarding.”
After several delays, Caton’s first trip to FAME was in late 2023. He says he felt an immediate connection to the place and to the work he was about to do there.
“It was climactic because I had waited for so long, and I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “You can only look at so many pictures, but until you actually get there, you don’t know. The first day there, I was like, ‘Oh, my god. I’m home.’”
Blaine Caton with a baby whose life he helped save after addressing growth challenges.
FAME has grown from a very small traveling clinic, and now, as Caton says, “It’s a high-functioning medical complex in rural Tanzania. And they’ve also built a middle class now in that region, because they also employ Tanzanians. It’s just an incredible story.”
It’s clear that Caton has a penchant for work that is mutually beneficial—he feels good about being an educator in service of a bigger cause, and the people he’s working with at FAME benefit from his expertise as a technician.
“It’s always very rewarding to educate people and empower them to help people within their population. That’s what drives me to do the work,” he says.
Caton was the first sonographer to go to FAME, and it hopes to have him back for additional training opportunities. He specifically remembers one baby who had been having trouble growing since birth. Caton was able to easily identify an issue that could be surgically resolved within a day or two. He reflects, “Two months later, I received a beautiful picture of the boy. He’s just growing and developing wonderfully. It’s that type of thing that I’m most proud of, the patient that I helped.”
Jeff Dykstra
Dykstra is another inspiring Edina resident. He and Caton don’t have professional similarities, but they share something very meaningful. Both Dykstra and Caton are motivated to empower people to use their own gifts, communities and skills to improve and grow.
Dykstra was CEO of Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) until July, an organization he helped start 16 years ago that leverages the expertise of corporate experts (originally from General Mills, where Dykstra worked) with the know-how of African-based food companies to create a self-sustaining food system in Africa.
At the helm of PFS, Dykstra ushered work that is now strengthening food security, improving access to nutritional food and promoting economic growth across Africa by activating its food sector through partnerships between corporate volunteers from major food companies and entrepreneurs in African countries. Dykstra says of this work, “If you have African food companies sourcing locally from farmers there, ultimately the continent can feed itself and feed the world.”
Dykstra’s departure from PFS came from a sense that it was time to pass the baton. “You can leave too early, too late or on time. I wanted to leave on time,” he says.
Dykstra was part of the process of finding a successor, who they ultimately found in Zimbabwean Mandla Nkomo. “I feel grateful that I was able to see that and feel grateful about the next leader. It’s good all around,” he says.
One of Dykstra’s strengths is his clarity of vision. Like Caton, he sees that it’s important for people to be the stewards of their own futures. “I bridged our work from this side to the African side. Now, we have an African leader who can effectively bridge back to this side,” he says. “Africa’s challenges and problems and opportunities are best addressed by Africans, so to now have an African leader is smart and strategic for the future of PFS.”
At the end of the day, Dykstra is more than his work at PFS. He has some other projects that reflect his overall vision to help people reach their full potential.
“I think for me, from the beginning, there was an understanding that we’re called to be stewards of whatever we’ve been given,” he says, “How can I best create a positive impact? What does it look like to create more flourishing? What does it look like for society, individuals and organizations to flourish?”
For the last few years, Dykstra and Edina resident Matt Norman have been facilitating transformative experiences through their organization, Four Corners Exploration.
Jeff Dykstra enjoying the Four Corners Exploration couples trip along the scenic Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. Photo: Jeff Dykstra
“It’s rooted in the idea that leaders are far too busy, far too distracted, and many of us need intentional time to slow down,” Dykstra says. “We take cohorts of leaders into beautiful wild places that will help them reflect.”
Dykstra and Norman have harnessed a universal truth: When we’re given time to really reset, transformation can occur. Dykstra described a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon experience with one of their first groups. “That was one of the most unique experiences. It was the combination of the physical beautiful place we were in but also getting to questions that matter,” he says.
They’ve also done backcountry ski trips in Telluride, Colorado, mountain biking in Moab, Utah, and a rafting trip on the Salmon River in Idaho.
“If you can help people get to the heart of the matter, that’s where some cool, interesting transformation can occur,” he says.
