Who We Are
A Safe Place to "BE"
Launch Ministry was founded in 2009 as a response to the increasing needs of 18-29 year-olds as they navigated the complex realities of adulthood without the resources and relationships necessary to thrive.
Today, Launch is a vibrant, multicultural space located in downtown Chaska which engages the needs of ALL young adults in our community in culturally competent ways. We invite young adults to bring their whole selves and to believe that they will be seen, heard and known. For a more comprehensive history of the beginnings of Launch Ministry, we invite you to contact our teamand hear the stories.
Vision
The leader in launching in-crisis 18-29 year-olds into successful adulthood
Mission
What: Provide a safe space and empower unstably housed and in-crisis young adults with the tools, resources and support needed to transition successfully towards adulthood—enabling life-saving outcomes.
How: We focus on relationship and trust building, advocacy and navigation of the numerous complex agencies and systems with which young adults must engage to achieve success.
Values
We believe that
- …No one is beyond redemption – REDEMPTION
- …We must honor the ways our participants identify by creating safe and welcoming practices – CULTURAL COMPETENCY
- …Everyone is a whole person and we support them as such – WHOLENESS
- …Ministry requires building long term trusting relationships – TRUST
- …Collaboration with other service providers is necessary to do this work – PARTNERSHIP
- …The whole community is responsible for the needs of young adults – SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Who We Serve
What We Do
Making a Difference
Community Leadership
Launch Ministry is uniquely situated at the intersection of government, community, faith and service organizations to provide leadership toward solving complex issues facing young adults in the southwest metro.
- Awareness: Launch champions the needs of young adults experiencing homelessness through data-driven presentation of needs and stories of local youth.
- Advocacy: Launch works with community and political leaders to ensure that priorities and actions consider the needs of youth.
- Partnerships: Launch collaborates with a wide variety of community partners to establish working relationships in order to create projects that lead to social change.
Donate
We need your support! We serve 300 youth struggling with housing and other needs every year. Your ongoing giving helps us to better serve youth experiencing homelessness in our community. Can you help?
We have some huge projects in the works! Over the next year, we will be working on opening a 19 unit apartment building to support youth exiting homelessness, starting a coffee shop to support youth in gaining employment skills, and beginning a multi-cultural outreach program to help support youth who otherwise would have barriers accessing our services.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, your donation is 100% tax deductible. We exist entirely because of supporters like you. Thank you so much for your generosity!
We are so excited that you are interested in supporting our youth at Launch. There are a variety of ways to get involved. If you have items from our immediate needs list to donate, please schedule a time to drop off here. If you are interested in volunteering for one of our upcoming events, please send an email to admin@launchministry.org .
Our Lead Team
Corey Magstadt (He/Him)
Executive Director & Founder
Corey is patient and kind, yet stubbornly opposed to injustice. After graduating college with a degree in pastoral ministry, Corey helped start The River Alliance Church in Chaska, MN. After serving there for 8 years, marrying Lori, having two children, and receiving a Masters of Divinity from Bethel Seminary, Corey founded Launch Ministry and is excited about the work being done to transform this community. With a heart for the outcast and those that have been left out, Corey desires to see God do amazing things in the lives of struggling young people in this community.
Amanda Flowers Peterson (She/Her)
Chief of Staff, Diversity, & Programs Director
Amanda is compassionate and wise. She joined Launch in 2018 after 10yrs of creating a career in equity consulting, human services, and ministry. As chief of staff, programs, and diversity, she manages all teams, runs all day-to-day operations, and executes (built) the multicultural climate in which our space is known. With a heart for cultivating hope during impossible situations and contagious God-given joy, Amanda is relentless in her desire to see safety and stability redefined in the lives of youth and young adults. Amanda graduated in 2022 from the University of Minnesota with a Master of Arts in Counseling and currently serves as a mental health clinician within the community.
Maddy Foss (She/Her)
Housing Manager
Maddy is insightful, creative, authentic and known as our organization’s Unicorn. She first attended Launch as a participant in 2016. Her term of service as a Promise Fellow with Integrated Arts Academy contributed to her love for walking alongside others in their journey. As a Housing Manager with Launch Ministry, Maddy engages with individuals participating in our housing program. Her desire is to gain insight into their experiences allowing her to best advocate and navigate them towards stability.
Mandi Moen (She/Her)
Intake Manager
Mandi is caring and people centered. She first pursued Launch solely interested in volunteering in whatever capacity our organization needed. Upon review of her extensive background in patient coordination, Launch invited her to help out in the office as an Office Coordinator. In less than 6 months she was promoted to Drop-in Coordinator to now a middle management role known as Intake Manager. She is excited to ensure all of our participants can enjoy a safe space and receive guidance as they enter into Adulthood.