spring 2019
lincoln, ne
magazine
the foundry RIBBON CUTTING
GIVE TO LINCOLN DAY 2019
keeping lincoln beautiful
A look back on The Foundry Coffee's official snip of the scissors.
Lincoln’s annual day of giving.
The impact of the Lincoln Parks Foundation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 staff
AFTER THE FLOOD
Executive Director Randy Hawthorne
How Nebraskans Rally in Times of Need
Managing Editor Spencer Creal
by Spencer Creal
Graphic Designer Jordan Geisert
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Marketing Coordinator Molly Paez Content Strategists Hannah Trull Porscha Colville Partnership Manager Jesse Bergman Production Intern Parker Reil
give to lincoln day 2019 Lincoln’s annual day of giving. by Spencer Creal
6 Ribbon Cutting A look back on The Foundry Coffee's official snip of the scissors.
7 THE FOUndry MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Community Justice Center by Porscha Colville
11 keeping lincoln beautiful
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The impact of the Lincoln Parks Foundation.
Giving Lincolnites a Voice and a Stage
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TEDx LINCOLN
by Hannah Trull
by Hannah Trull
LEADING THE GOOD LIFE Our quarterly profile of Lincoln's difference makers. by Molly Paez
letter from the publisher Dear Reader, Building community is a process, but it can be a fun process. For instance, Mick Hale, executive director of Leadership Lincoln, has taken it upon himself to institute “Foundry Fridays at Four.” It’s a time when our staff, tenants and any willing community members can decompress from the week and kick off the weekend—and oftentimes meet someone new. The Foundry has hosted work team retreats, birthday parties, TEDx talks, pothole talks, mayoral bids, studious students, young professionals groups, Chamber coffees and even a wedding reception. I’m proud to have been a part of so many gatherings in a short time. It excites me to think about what other groups will build community within our walls. Lincoln is such a supportive community in so many ways, and I feel The Foundry is a physical representation of that support. You’ll also see that support as our city comes together to support over 400 nonprofits through Give to Lincoln Day. I hope you’ll participate. And of course I’d appreciate your continued support of The Foundry. We’re actively planning a number of opportunities for you to come see us. Whether it’s a game night or binge watching some Netflix, I’m hoping we’ll entice you to come out and hang with some old friends or meet some new ones. Stay updated by following us on Facebook and Instagram. If you know of how you’d like to be a part of our space, please let us know. We’re always open to new creative ideas. And if you just want to come have a drink with me, I’m always down. Just expect we’ll be connecting with a few more people in the course of the visit. Stop by most any Friday at four and you’ll be met with folks eager to hear your story. I hope to see you there.
RANDY HAWTHORNE Executive Director, The Foundry
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AFTER THE
FLOOD
How Nebraskans Rally in Times of Need
by Spencer Creal It’s been nearly two months since the apex of some of the worst flooding Nebraska has ever seen. A state of emergency was declared in most of the state’s counties as overflowing rivers left entire towns underwater. According to the latest reports from the Associated Press, the cost of the damages is approaching $1.5 billion. Media coverage of the destruction was alarming, but seeing firsthand the miles of closed highways and acres of drowned prairie—much of which is still underwater—invited a new sense of helplessness. But in Nebraska you never feel helpless for long. In true Cornhusker fashion, citizens of our state rallied to help the communities affected by these floods through dozens of statewide efforts. Here are just a few ways Nebraskans supported each other when times were dire. P. 3
Beer for good Just days after the governor claimed a state of emergency for Nebraska, 26 breweries across the state agreed to brew a special beer, called Nebraska Strong Red Ale, whose sales would benefit flood victims and communities. The Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild announced that 100% of the proceeds from the brew would go to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation and other charities focused on flood relief. Many individual breweries across the state went a step further by creating additional brews and launching campaigns to help members of their own communities.
Cornhuskers care There isn’t any doubt that Nebraskans support the Huskers, but it’s comforting to know that the Huskers support Nebraska, too. Both the Nebraska men’s basketball and football teams collected donations from fans during the March 20 NIT game against Butler and the Red-White Spring Game, ultimately raising more than $160,000. Additionally, two former Husker football players, Spencer Long and Jeremiah Sirles, both Nebraska natives, hosted a dinner fundraiser for flood relief. The dinner also served as a way to honor first responders and help victims through the difficult process of rebuilding. Long and Sirles are teammates for the Buffalo Bills, over 1,000 miles away, and still they felt called upon to help the place they call home. The athletic department also encouraged the purchase of “One State One Heartbeat” shirts to benefit flood relief efforts.
Local (and not so local) celebrities Several celebrities used their platforms to help flood relief in Nebraska and surrounding areas, whether they have roots in the state or not. Justin Timberlake promised to donate to flood relief ahead of his Omaha concert at the CHI Health Center, and country-pop duo Dan + Shay made a similar pledge. Larry the Cable Guy, comedian, actor and Nebraska native (he’s from Pawnee City and now resides near Lincoln) donated all of his proceeds from a Lincoln show at Pinnacle Bank Arena to charities helping flood victims. As we move forward, it’s important not to let these floods stay stuck in the March calendar. The rebuilding process is only just beginning, and it will be long and piecemeal for most communities. At this time, flood relief charities are asking for monetary donations, rather than material ones, to ensure that relief is provided efficiently and to the communities that need it most. The floods have been devastating in every sense of the word. But Nebraska is special, and if it’s any consolation, there aren’t many places with people like ours to be there for each other when times are tough. For that, we should be grateful. P. 4
TING T U C N O B B RY R I T H E FO U N D
Back in March, The Foundry held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. It was an exciting afternoon full of food, drinks and good company. We’ve come a long way since announcing the launch of our nonprofit coffee bar last year, and we want to show our appreciation to those who made it all possible—our Founders. P. 5
The names listed below have pledged $500 or more since January 1, 2019. Doug & Shana Durham Inspired! - Pat & Ellen Beans Pinnacle Bank Troy & Amy Gagner Ty & Bert Westover Bob Stephens & Associates “Together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller Matt & Jennifer Kirkland Shaun Harner, Becca Vanneman, Ethan Vanneman Liz and Ken Koop, Jr.
Kilpatrick Family Dwight Johns - Patsy Koch Johns Dave Leslie DJ Nat Nuckolls Red Door Realty - reddoorne.com Carolyn Butler - High Level Happiness Abby Freeman - Matt Munger Perry Reid Construction Shelley & Todd Zart Bluestem Health Len Sloup
Jeff Norris Burn Bright - Darin and Jules The Coke Family Laughter Echo's Inc - T. Marni Vos Sam Rice Ordinary Elegance Limited Alté Kamí & AnNaHem In Memory of Robert Harold Chadwick All my love. Lisa Klayton Montgomery P. 6
THE FOUNDRY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
COMMUNITY JUSTICE CENTER by Porscha Colville When you flip through the morning paper or turn on the evening news, stories of crime are easy to come by. People are suffering from the effects of misdeeds whether it’s a robbery gone wrong or a case of sexual assault. Those victims may be our family members, friends, neighbors, peers— anyone. No one is exempt from the scars that crime can inflict. For many, the repercussions of crime can have long-lasting, harmful impressions on victims, victims’ families and offenders. James Jones and his colleagues at the Community Justice Center (CJC) identified a need in their community for victim relief and justice. It involved programs that bridge the gap between the three main stakeholders affected by crime: victims, offenders and the community. Since CJC began their programs in 2001, they’ve been recognized as the leading practitioner and educator of restorative justice in the state of Nebraska. Their balanced approach aims to address the needs of crime victims, justice involved individuals (or offenders) and community members all at the same time. In many cases, after an individual is imprisoned,
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they wait out their sentence and fail to understand the magnitude of their actions. That presents a huge shortfall that contributes to a shocking statistic: 7 out of 10 people return to prison within three years of being released. The Restorative Justice Intervention is an eighthour course designed to hold those individuals more accountable for their actions and educate them on the impact of their crimes. They’re given the opportunity to hear anonymous testimonies or “victim harm statements” that bring to light the gravity of the crimes they’ve committed. Many of these classes are taught by former offenders, and it’s a peer-to peerprogram, which helps current inmates connect and be inspired by their teachers. To this day CJC has been successful in reaching over 8,000 offenders through their prison programs. Empathy classes are available in all prisons throughout the state of Nebraska and continue to register positive results. For crime victims, CJC provides a multitude of resources. Through their website, victims have the opportunity to share experiences, express their feelings, frustrations, anger and pain. Too often victims and their families don’t have a proper way to grieve and express themselves. According to Jones, CJC “elevates crime victim voices so they can be heard.” Through victim harm statements, those affected have an outlet to anonymously express and share how they’ve been harmed by crime. Their voices and experiences hold offenders accountable by letting them know the damage they caused. As the organization grows, Jones hopes to see CJC programs expand to prisons nationwide. He hopes to serve other communities and make
an impact on a national level, granting prisons access to their innovative resources. Jones wants to see more justice involved individuals trained in empathy classes. The vision continues to be one of growth and public knowledge on restorative justice approaches. As they continue to pursue their mission, Jones says they still need the support and help of indirect victims and community members. “We need more voices of people in the community to share on our website how they’ve been impacted by crime in their communities,” he said. The more voices that are heard, the more justice involved individuals can learn from their actions. Jones says the success of the Community Justice Center would not have been possible without the support of The Foundry. “The Foundry has been a tremendous help. It’s one of the most profound experiences working alongside other nonprofits; one of the most beautiful brainstorms to help facilitate and meet our mission. It’s the support that we need.” Since 2001, the Community Justice Center has been providing effective treatment that produces outcomes that make our communities safer and stronger. Thanks to James Jones and the CJC, justice involved individuals, crime victims and community members have all been given the resources to find healing and growth post crime. Their hard work has resulted in a safer community for us all and a world with more empathy.
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Give to Lincoln Day 2019 by Spencer Creal In 2012, the Lincoln Community Foundation (LCF) launched Give to Lincoln Day (GTLD)—24 hours dedicated to Lincoln and Lancaster County’s nonprofit community. In its seven years, over $20 million has been donated to more than 1,000 charities in Lincoln and surrounding areas, and 2019 is set to be the biggest year yet—LCF hopes to raise $5 million in the month of May. All 501(c)(3) organizations registered in Lancaster County are eligible to participate, and doing so is easier than ever with an easy-to-use online donation platform. Starting on May 1, givetolincoln.com will be accepting online donations to participating nonprofits. All donations made between then and May 30 will qualify for the $450,000 of matching funds made possible by LCF and local sponsors. Donations made by cash or check on May 30 will also be counted toward the matching funds. The Foundry is proud to have participated in Give to Lincoln Day since 2015, and, as a community and coworking space, so are a number of our members. We feel honored to serve as a home for these remarkable organizations, and we strongly encourage
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you to keep them in mind as you give. Likewise, we encourage you to consider The Foundry when you give, too. If you’re unaware, 100% of the profits from The Foundry’s coffee shop—which serves much, much more than just coffee—go back to Lincoln-based charities. We’re gearing up to make our first community donation, decided on by our Founders—those who donated their time, money and/or resources to make our give-back mission possible. We want the donation to make the biggest impact possible—we know GTLD will help make that happen. On May 30, you’ll find us on the P Street Square and in the coffee shop at 215 N. 14th Street. We’ll have plenty of information available, including how you can become a Founder for a small monthly fee. Wherever you decide to give this month, I think I speak for nonprofits across the county when I say your help is indispensable. To maintain the programs that make our work possible, nonprofits rely on support from the community. Luckily for us, we have a pretty great one.
TEDx:
Giving Lincolnites a Voice and a Stage
by Hannah Trull Over the last decade, TEDx Lincoln’s annual event has moved from a small meeting room in the NET building to the main stage at the Lied Center, but its mission has remained the same: “To provide a multitude of opportunities in Nebraska for people to share ideas.” Under the umbrella of TED, a well-known, international nonprofit that allows inspirational speakers to hold short talks and then share them online, TEDx organizations are smaller branches that aim to make speakers and topics more relevant to individual communities. Unlike the head organization, all TEDx branches are organized and run completely by volunteers. “TEDx Lincoln is a big part of keeping the Lincoln community vibrant and looking for new ideas,” executive director Ryan Dobesh said. “There are a lot of people who have good ideas but may not have the platform to share them, so giving people the opportunity to come together as a group and meet like-minded people like this is really valuable.” As the technical director at NET, Dobesh first got involved with TEDx Lincoln by helping produce the events that were broadcasted in their studio back in 2011. As the organization grew, so did his responsibilities—he directed the webcasts for a few years before becoming the organization’s executive director in 2018.
While Dobesh’s workload varies greatly depending on the time of year, this month is by far his busiest. He said he’s currently working closely with Shaun Harner, TEDx Lincoln’s curator, to coordinate their main speaking event on June 13. Dobesh works with the Lied Center to figure out the logistical aspects of the event, like broadcast partners, fundraising and setup, and Harner is more focused on selecting and training speakers. The speaker selection process begins six to eight months before the event. Harner, Dobesh and their committee start by narrowing the more than 75 applications they receive each year down to just five. “We ask them, ‘What’s your big idea? What do you have that’s worth sharing?’” Dobesh said. “We’re looking for stuff we haven’t heard before.” Once they’ve chosen their speakers, four volunteers—who are all either TED speakers themselves or speech coaches at local high schools and colleges—invest months of personalized training into each of them. They go through three rounds: the first is intended to get all the ideas out on the table, then the speech is “distilled down to the essence of what they want to speak about,” Dobesh said. The third round of training is all about memorization and getting ready for presentation.
This same rigorous process is applied to the TEDx youth speakers who present at Lincoln High School every other year. The youth program is almost entirely run by high school and college-aged speakers, producers and chairs. “They organize it, handle the webcast, build the stage, all of it. As much as we can, we want students involved in every part of it,” Dobesh said. Whether the speaker is 18 or 80, TEDx works to ensure that each of them has something to say that directly affects the people of Lincoln or Nebraska. “The big thing for us for our events is making sure that all the speakers have a connection to Nebraska,” Dobesh said. “There are a lot of amazing ideas and amazing people here, and we want to make sure that we’re able to highlight them.” This year’s main event, called “Disruption,” includes speakers like Preeta D. Bansal, a UNL and Harvard Law grad, former senior policy advisor at the White House and MIT lecturer who will speak about reclaiming human wisdom and authentic power in the age of artificial intelligence. You’ll also hear from a physicist, a wildlife expert, a professor and a designer, all of whom hail from Nebraska and have been nationally recognized for their work. To get your tickets to Disruption, go to liedcenter.org or tedxlincoln.com. P. 10
Keeping Lincoln Beautiful by Hannah Trull
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ven if you’re a native Lincolnite, you probably wouldn’t guess that Lincoln is home to 131 parks, 85 playgrounds, nine pools, six recreation centers, five golf courses, two spraygrounds and 134 miles of public trails, making it one of the top 10 cities for runners in the nation. This is all thanks to Lincoln Parks and Recreation. On top of creating and maintaining these public outdoor amenities, they’re in charge of everything from free community outreach events, to preserving the largest stretch of native prairie in North America, to preventing a deadly beetle from wiping out Lincoln’s ash tree population. “This job is the perfect combination of the nonprofit work I love, the city that I love and the mission of getting people outside and active and building community,” said Maggie Stuckey, executive director of the Lincoln Parks Foundation (LPF). LPF is a private nonprofit organization that works in partnership with Lincoln Parks and Recreation to provide funding for projects that add to Lincoln’s vibrant culture beyond what tax dollars can cover.
needs, their marketing specialist Kat Scholl works with Stuckey to get feedback from the public on how to use city funds. “The plan covers everything from redoing a pump at a pool to renovating Centennial Mall,” Scholl said. “And we push surveys out to get a feel for how the community prioritizes these things.” One project Stuckey, Scholl and the rest of the team are working on is the Nature Center at Pioneers Park, a preservation area that maintains over 600 acres of native prairie grass along with herds of bison and elk. It’s also home to multiple public trails, an herb garden and a preschool. Its nearby Prairie Corridor on Hanes Branch, which will begin at the Nature Center and extend west to Conestoga Lake and then south to the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, is in the process of a major 10-year restoration process. Their goal is to expand the 5,300 acres of natural grass they’ve already preserved to 7,800 in the next 10 years, which would make it the longest stretch of native prairie in North America.
They’re supported by dozens of interest groups, from bikers to pickleball players, which ensures that the city has something for everyone. The Sunken Gardens, Union Plaza and Tower Square are just a few of the unique places brought to you by LPF.
They’re also trying to prevent the Emerald Ash Borer beetle from wiping out the more than 12,000 ash trees in Lincoln. The diseased bug, which has moved across the nation and poisoned millions of trees along the way, was finally discovered in Nebraska about a month ago.
Construction and renovation projects like these are all part of a comprehensive 10-year plan created by the city. After department staff identify the community’s wants and
“We’ve been very proactive in trying to remove them before it spreads too much, because there’s nothing we can do to stop this bug,” Stuckey said. “The city’s spending a ton of money to get
these trees down, because all it takes is a gust of wind before they fall on your car or home—it’s super dangerous.” Parks and Recreation deals with its fair share of serious issues like this, but a big part of their job is also making the city a fun place to live. Their two umbrella campaigns, “Play in the Park” and “Party in the Park,” are both intended to “get people out and about and to the parks at no cost,” Scholl said. Play in the Park is a wellness campaign that includes activities like water Jazzercise, canoeing classes, yoga and more. Party in the Park is all about family fun. The Party on the Plaza event at Union Plaza on May 19 will have activities like face painting, arts and crafts and duck races. And they’ll be hosting drive-in style family movie nights at the park this summer with their new big-screen projector. They also recently announced plans for a new park in downtown Lincoln on 7th and N Streets, in keeping with their goal of having a park within one mile of every resident. The existence of both a department and a foundation working together for the good of the city makes Lincoln unique, and makes it possible for so many construction and renovation concepts like this to become reality. “We feel lucky because when a lot of communities have ideas for what they want to do, they often struggle to find the funding to do it,” Stuckey said. “Lincoln is positioned to have this partner who's always there and ready and willing to help make projects happen.”
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by Molly Paez
Leading the the Good Good Life Life Leading
It’s incredibly important that members of our community be recognized for all the good they do. Of course, they wouldn’t dream of recognizing themselves, so we’re going to do it for them. Each quarter, The Foundry will recognize an outstanding leader from the nonprofit community to be featured. We’ll invite them to our home at 211 N 14th Street, have some coffee and talk about how they’re Leading the Good Life each and every day. This quarter, Molly got to sit down with Brad Bryan, Founder and Development Director of City Impact.
BRAD BRYAN Growing up, Brad Bryan had dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast. His grit, talent and determination equipped him to take on this lofty goal. His dedication to the sport landed countless opportunities, including a scholarship to attend the University of NebraskaLincoln where he’d continue to train and compete, winning several national championship titles. His passion extended past the sport of gymnastics, however. As a student athlete, Brad was obtaining a business degree, had a heart for serving others and was very mission-minded. Little did he know that his humble beginnings in Lincoln, Nebraska, would lead to a legacy much greater than any Olympic achievement. I had the opportunity to sit down with Brad and learn about the moments that led him to where he is today. What once served as an opportunity to further his gymnastics career evolved into a city for Brad and his family to call home and meet a growing need in the community. “I have always loved coming home to the big, small town of Lincoln,” he said. “It has a small community feel with the good attributes of a big city.”
wearing, Brad is striving to “see every youth in our city thrive and [empower] under-resourced communities through holistic youth, family and neighborhood development.” City Impact offers countless resources to the community, including the Impact Faith Academy, Impact Leadership Academy, Impact Reading Center and Gifts of Love. The newest addition to City Impact is the Scheels Gym and Fitness Center, which grew out of a partnership between Scheels, City Impact and some generous donations. Built on site at City Impact, the Scheels Gym and Fitness Center is dedicated to providing and promoting health and fitness in the community. Brad is most excited for this resource because he gets the opportunity to really live into his passion and values for health and wellness while providing accessible resources to under-served communities. “The gym is open to the public, to City Impact’s youth and families, and available to rent out,” he said.
Later, Brad and his wife, Carma, started and hosted an after-school program right from their home. The act of investing in the youth of under-resourced communities quickly transformed into the core mission of what became City Impact—an organization that strives to identify, encourage and invest in the strengths of kids and families.
But his impact doesn’t stop there. While pouring into City Impact, Brad has been involved in Lincoln in a number of different capacities. He’s the president of Flatirons Crossing Home Association, which, in partnership with City Impact, provides affordable housing opportunities for people in the community; he’s a member of Downtown Rotary Club 14, one of the largest rotarian clubs in the midwest; and he still coaches tumbling and cheer at a local gym.
Lincoln has served as the perfect homebase for the development and growth of City Impact. Brad said that it’s “an incredible gift to live in a community-oriented environment that values partnerships and working together for a common good” and that we “benefit greatly as an entire city, working tirelessly to support the needs of our underserved population.”
Brad has made an impact in countless people’s lives in Lincoln and beyond. He made it clear to me that his favorite part of being involved in the nonprofit sector is “seeing peoples’ lives transformed from the inside out, and giving the youth and families of our city an opportunity to be a part of the ripple, the City Impact Ripple.”
Brad’s long history with City Impact has allowed him to serve in a variety of positions. He’s played almost every role throughout the years, but currently focuses on building relationships among the community and telling City Impact’s story. No matter what hat he’s
If you know someone who should be featured in The Foundry's Leading the Good Life spotlight series, send Spencer an email at spencer.creal@thefoundry.co with your suggestion.
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Want to see your name up here? A donation of $500 of more will designate you as a Founder of The Foundry. To learn more, please visit thefoundry.co/becomeafounder.