Dendros Group

11/20/2025

Dendros was honored this year by the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC) with the "Appreciation Award". We deeply value partnership and the community's leadership.

Please support them by donating today. In addition to donating to MADC, there are many other non-profits in Minnesota that we encourage you to support. See the list below:

Charles Thompson Hall
Deaf Cultural Arts and Wellness
Deaf Equity
Minnesota Deaf Qu**rs
Minnesota DeafBlind Association
Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community
Metro Deaf School
Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Alumni Association
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf
St. Paul & Minneapolis Black Deaf Advocates
Think Self
View the full list of participants: https://www.givemn.org/search
Learn more about Give to the Max Day: https://www.givemn.org/

ID: Six of the Dendros team are standing and posing for the camera with the award given to us by MADC. Back left to right: Jonathan is a white man with his hair pulled up and is wearing glasses. He is smiling and wearing a pink shirt with blue flowers. Anthony is a black man who is smiling and wearing a solid red button up shirt. Sophia on the right is a white woman who is wearing glasses and has long brown hair and is wearing a black and white striped top and brown pants. Front from left to right: Maya is a white woman with medium length brown hair and is wearing a blue turtleneck top. She is smiling and holding her white cane. In the middle is Teresa with her hair pulled back and her glasses on her head. She is smiling and holding the award from MADC (Appreciation Award). She is wearing a black zip up hoodie. Yoshiko (Koko) on the right is wearing a solid burgundy blouse. She has her hair pulled back and is smiling at the camera.

ID of Award: Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens is proudly awarded to Dendros Group in recognition of positive and productive service to deaf patrons in Minnesota on November 1, 2025.

11/20/2025

Dendros was honored by the Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (MRID) as "Organization of the Year". We deeply value partnership and the community's leadership.

Please support them by donating today. In addition to donating to MRID, there are many other non-profits in Minnesota that we encourage you to support. See the list below:

Charles Thompson Hall
Deaf Cultural Arts and Wellness
Deaf Equity
Minnesota Deaf Qu**rs
Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens
Minnesota DeafBlind Association
Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community
Metro Deaf School
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Alumni Association
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf
St. Paul & Minneapolis Black Deaf Advocates
Think Self
View the full list of participants: https://www.givemn.org/search
Learn more about Give to the Max Day: https://www.givemn.org/

ID: Six of the Dendros team are standing and posing for the camera with the award given to us by MRID. Back left to right: Jonathan is a white man with his hair pulled up and is wearing glasses. He is smiling and wearing a pink shirt with blue flowers. Anthony is a black man who is smiling and wearing a solid red button up shirt. Sophia on the right is a white woman who is wearing glasses and has long brown hair and is wearing a black and white striped top and brown pants. Front from left to right: Maya is a white woman with medium length brown hair and is wearing a blue turtleneck top. She is smiling and holding her white cane. In the middle is Teresa with her hair pulled back and her glasses on her head. She is smiling and holding the award from MRID (Organization of the Year). She is wearing a black zip up hoodie. Yoshiko (Koko) on the right is wearing a solid burgundy blouse. She has her hair pulled back and is smiling at the camera.

ID of Award: MRID: Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Organization of the Year Award presented to Dendros Group. In recognition and sincere appreciation for your unwavering commitment to collaboration, equity, and community empowerment, leaving a profound and enduring impact not only within the interpreting field but throughout Minnesota’s richly diverse Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities.

02/10/2025

The Dendros Group is partnering with the State of Minnesota's Olmstead Implementation Office to update the Olmstead Plan, ensuring people with disabilities can live, learn, work, and thrive in inclusive communities.

We’re looking for 17-23 Inclusion Consultants to lead this important work. Dendros will provide training and support to help you succeed. Leadership by people with disabilities is key to the success of this project.

Apply now or share with your network! www.dendros.com/consultants

Photo Credit: Disabled and Here (https://affecttheverb.com/disabledandhere/)

Image Description: Three Black and disabled folx smile and stroll down a sidewalk side by side. On the left, a non-binary person walks with a cane in one hand and a tangle stim toy in the other. In the middle, a non-binary person rolls along in their power wheelchair. On the right, a femme gestures mid-walk.

01/28/2025

We’re thrilled to welcome Maya Larson as our new Project Manager/Administrative Team Lead at Dendros Group!

Maya brings expertise in organization, communication, and a deep passion for disability rights, striving for a world where disabled people have the resources and support to live their best lives.

Maya identifies as DeafBlind and is conversational in ASL and French. Her impressive background includes roles at the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing, and advocacy work with disability and community health nonprofits.

Maya is also a trustee for the Minnesota DeafBlind Association and serves on key state committees. When she’s not working, she enjoys writing, reading, lifting weights, and walking with her guide dog.

Welcome, Maya!

Image description: A young white woman smiles. She wears a grey sweater and has slightly wavy brown hair. She sits at an outdoor restaurant in Duluth, Minnesota, and behind her is an outdoor heater and a multicolored wall.

07/18/2024

Repost from the Commission’s page!

Interpreting Forward 2030 presented at National Association of the Deaf - NAD 2024! The Commission’s Dr. Darlene Zangara and Dendros Group’s Koko Chino, Diego Ozuna-Clark, and Gloria Nathanson shared about the incredible work happening in Minnesota to address quality and availability of sign language interpreting services. Thank you to NAD for the opportunity to share about our work on a national level!

[Image description: At NAD, Gloria Nathanson, Diego Ozuna-Clark, Darlene Zanagra, and Koko Chino smile. Behind them, a projector screen has the opening screen of their PowerPoint that reads “Interpreting Forward 2030: Community Engagement > Action” with the Commission and Dendros logo.]

03/05/2024

Thank you to MERGE for partnering with Interpreting Forward 2030 -- a project of the Minnesota Commission for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing -- to host a focus group for pre-certified interpreters.

Saturday, March 16, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Dendros - 2642 University Ave West, St. Paul, MN 55114
This meeting will be held in American Sign Language. ASL/English interpreters will be available.

Please RSVP here as there will be light refreshments and to request any further accommodations: https://form.asana.com/?k=DnV90KbQNohQIJe3wNjp6w&d=1203581002578198

This focus group is being held to help the Interpreting Forward 2030 initiative to better understand and find solutions to the concerns regarding availability and quality of signed language interpreting services in Minnesota.

This focus group discussion will prioritize pre-certified and student interpreters perspectives regarding the field of interpreting. We welcome all Deaf and hearing student interpreters and pre-certified interpreters.

06/22/2023

Belated birthday wishes to the wonderful Yoshiko Chino! Although your birthday may have already occured, but the celebration never ends when it comes to you!
May this year be filled with incredible adventures, laughter, and all the joy your heart desires. Cheers to another year of awesomeness!

Here at Dendros, we appreciate your kind and thoughtful personality. We look forward to many, many years working with you.



Image Description: A Japanese-American woman with brown wavy hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a necklace with a white shirt and blue jacket.

06/15/2023

Join us on Saturday July 1st at 6pm as we celebrate Black Music Month with an incredible evening of gospel choirs from across Minnesota!

Brace yourself for a captivating performance by our very own superstar, Makayla Higgs, as she takes the stage alongside the incredible choir Known MPLS, directed by the talented Courtland Pickens. Prepare to be moved!

Ebenezer Community Church [9200 W Broadway Ave Minneapolis, MN 55445]

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

06/13/2023

On May 19 & 20, our partner Anthony Galloway collaborated with the Deaf Ecosystem to host a transformative workshop called "Building Racial Consciousness." Joining him as facilitators were Pamela Collins and Cookie Brand.

This workshop served as an invaluable opportunity for participants to embark on or advance their personal journeys towards enhanced racial consciousness and meaningful discourse. The training included engaging lectures, thought-provoking discussions, and interactive activities all centered around the building racial conscious framework.

Registrants had the privilege of delving into a comprehensive experience that fostered deeper understanding and awareness of racial issues.

Photo Credit: Riss Leitzke Photography

06/09/2023

Happy Pride Month! We are proud to be celebrating Pride Month. We value the relationships we have and is grateful to have Minnesota Deaf Q***r to use our space for
Their meetings. Check out their pride video
which features a glimpse of our space.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: a video of a group of individuals saying ‘Happy Pride’. The background contains a blanket with the Pride colors.

Celebrate you today and every day. We know that Pride is celebrated in our community every day, but this month nationally, we will be celebrating Pride as a family. A video of MDQ members signing "Happy Pride" in front of a Quilt that MDQ is raffling off. Happy Pride from our family to yours! You ar...

06/07/2023

Dendros Group team is excited to attend this performance

At Brick School, we are thrilled to have our esteemed partner, Anthony Galloway, taking the stage to perform "Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story." Anthony's commitment to this production spans an impressive two decades, starting from his teenage years. It is truly remarkable to witness his enduring dedication to sharing the powerful narrative of Juneteenth through this play.

If you want more information about the play or to register, click here: https://lnkd.in/g4aBcXXa

IMAGE DESCRIPTION:

A flyer that contains a photo of actors/actresses on a stage. They all have their hands up holding one's other hands. The texts indicates: KUMBAYAH: The Juneteenth Story. "The Storytelling and music is tremendously uplifting!"- Audience Participant. In 2021, Juneteenth was written into a law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. The play written by Rose McGee offer meaning to the observance and insight into current social injustice as it addresses a time in our history when news was withheld that Black people were no longer enslaved in this country.
Date and Times are Friday June 16. Morning Performance 10a-12p and Evening Performance 7p-9p. Location is Breck School 123 Ottawa AVe. North Golden Valley, MN 55422

Learn the history of Juneteenth and its significance today in the continued struggle for racial justice and equity.

06/01/2023

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest member of Dendros Group, LLC, Sophia.

Sophia is our new Office Assistant of Client Service. She brings in four years of Administrative Assistant and over seven years of hospitality. She holds a BA in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management and is currently studying her MA in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Sophia, in her spare time, loves to travel, kayak, hike, cook, bake and try new things. Sophia recently took up salsa class and learned how to make essential oils.

We are thrilled to have her on the team and cannot wait to see the impact she will make in driving our projects forward.

Also, please wish Sophia a belated happy birthday as it was recent!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Sophia is a white woman. She is sitting down smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue dress. She has long brown hair and is wearing black framed glasses. The background shows plants.