Foundry Magazine | Summer 2018

Summer 2018

Featuring: Reflections of Launch Workshop, a spotlight on Easterseals Nebraska and our quarterly Leading the Good Life series.

LETTER FROM

Randy

Summer 2018

I just got back from what is always the best week of my summer. There’s just something magical about Launch Leadership Workshop.

WHAT'S INSIDE

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Launch Leadership

by Max Van Arsdall

Launch brings out the best in everyone, and for an entire week you’re surrounded by positivity, acceptance and energy. I’m not sure why we all don’t start our mornings with an hour-long dance party before taking on the day.

The Foundry Coffee

by Molly Bretz Member Spotlight

by Hannah Trull Celebrating Lincoln's Community Centers

by Spencer Creal

Launch also signifies to me that a new season is upon us. There’s something special about downtown this time of year. The energy of campus comes back and oozes its way down 14th Street.

Meet the Staff Leading the Good Life

by Hannah Trull

OUR CREW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Randy Hawthorne MANAGING EDITOR Spencer Creal GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jordan Geisert MARKETING COORDINATOR Molly Bretz SALES ASSOCIATE Garrett Miles CONTENT STRATEGISTS Hannah Trull Max Van Arsdall MASTER OF THE MISCELLANEOUS Ben Laws

If all goes as planned, there will be a new source of energy to go along with the campus buzz.

As construction continues on The Foundry coffee bar, and as partnerships are underway with local vendors, our list of Founders continues to grow.

I’m overwhelmed by the initial community support of this project, attracting Founders of all ages. I’m excited that I’ll get to hang out with this group on the regular.

Thanks so much for your support. My appreciation goes beyond words.

I know some of you have been thinking of helping with this project and just haven’t clicked the button yet. If we’re still on your mind, check out www.TheFoundry.co/BecomeAFounder. We’ve added a new monthly pledge option to make it even easier to be a part of this amazing group.

The Foundry is all about telling the stories of people making good things happen in our community. In this issue you’ll read about Pete Ferguson in our Leading the Good Life series. You’ll also learn about our city’s amazing community centers. And Launch isn’t the only summer camp changing lives— you’ll see that Easterseals has awesome summertime programs, too.

By our next issue, you should be able to read this magazine while enjoying your favorite beverage in the comfort of The Foundry.

RANDY HAWTHORNE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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Launch Leadership: Creating The Next Generation Of Leaders Max Van Arsdall Launch Leadership’s mission is to empower young leaders to transform their communities and change our world. They invoke change by providing mentorship and guidance for the next generation of leaders. Launch’s aim is not to produce more intellectual children, but to make young people more emotionally aware, an often forgotten aspect of intelligence.

Of course, this all sounds great on paper, but what a mission statement lacks is the explanation of how the organization actually accomplishes that goal. Launch is able to create this growth through two basic principles: doing and reflecting.

The doing aspect is fun side of Launch. This includes activities such as games, songs, thought experiments and more. Students, or delegates as Launch calls them, take part in these activities with their "co-op," a small group of ten to twelve delegates. Launch activities balance teamwork, individualism and fun, and require creativity and actively listening to others. This deliberate formula works to make students well-rounded and aware of their actions. The activities themselves are important, but they wouldn’t serve much of a purpose without reflecting on them.

Reflection is the process of understanding the world by taking a step back and analyzing your surroundings and actions. Launch requires delegates to take time to sit down and talk about the activity they just completed. In the Launch world, this is called processing. The conversation

moves from surface levels questions (i.e. What did we just do in this activity?) to applying the activity to the real world (i.e. How can you take this back to your schools and communities?). Launch’s volunteer staff members facilitate these discussions in order to make this process happen.

For many of Launch’s delegates, this is the first time they’re exposed to this way of thinking, which can be a truly mindaltering experience.

It’s often difficult to explain the impact that Launch has on its delegates, so we thought we’d let them do the talking instead. On the next page are two notes explaining the effect of Launch’s Summer Leadership Workshop in Wayne, Nebraska.

The way these delegates describe their Launch experience is exactly what Launch volunteers are trying to foster. They talk about family, breaking out of their comfort zones and making a difference in their communities. And these are just two delegates. Launch affects the lives of thousands of students every year, and I would venture to guess they all have similar sentiments.

Launch creates better leaders; leaders who value growth and love for those around them, and its volunteer staff sacrifice their time and resources because they truly believe the next generation of leaders will change the world.

Dear Staf

fers,

e cause som e b p m a c his it I came to t e fun, but b ld u o w it ow up I r friends said g I n e h more. W . This is e is so much c n e r e f if ake a d l. Thank a want to m o g t a h t reach helping me come back I e p o h I . you Launch . next year ool Middle Sch

Delegate

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I came here to learn abou t who I am, to gain more confidence about going int o high school, and to beco me a leader. This was my first year and I feel so full of jo y. On the first day, I was confus ed because everyone alre ady had friends and I didn’t. I felt alone. Everybody knew ev eryone and everything, until I w ent with Co-op C. Lane, Ph arna, and Andrew [Launch volun teers] made it a safe pla ce for everyone. Co-op C is my La unch family. Once we had to come up with our theme song, I sang it. They said that I should do the talent show and I sa id no, because I don’t ha ve anything prepared. I was just most ly scared. When the day came for me to sign up, I felt pressu red, so I went to talk/sing to Sam and Pharna. They convinc ed me that I can do it. I sig ned up, and it changed my life. My Co-op was so excited whe n I told them and they wanted to be by my side. The next da y was the talent show. I went to rehearsal scared out of my mind.

Everyone was so talented , but I didn’t back out. Fo r my Co-op, for Launch, and ju st to do it for myself. Brea king my boundary. It was amazing . Everyone cheered, clapp ed, and sang along with my Co-o p and I. I was told ‘good job’ and it felt like the best day of my life. I love Launch! Thanks Launch, staffers, co-ops, Wayne St ate college, and my new friends for this unforgettable time.

High School Delegate

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The Foundry Coffee

by Molly Bretz

If you’ve been following along with The Foundry story, you know that we’re focusing a lot on impact: the impact local nonprofits have on our community; the impact we hope to make on their missions; and how opening a community-driven coffee shop will help us achieve that goal. We pride ourselves on our ability to allow organizations to create an even larger impact on their communities.

Again, if you’ve been following The Foundry story, you already know this. But what you might not know is how the coffee we’re serving has its own story to tell.

As our relationship with the Arbor Day Foundation has grown over the shared passion for impact and storytelling, we’ve been able to interweave our mission with the impact they’re already making.

Arbor Day has relationships with countless cooperatives around the world, and they’ve let us be a part of the selection process for the first beans we’ll be serving to you this fall.

The bean we’ve chosen for our first roast is very near and dear to our hearts and has set the tone for the opening of our coffee bar and the selection of beans that will follow (remember: we’re all about impact).

Coming to Lincoln, Nebraska all the way from Chiapas, Mexico, this single-origin, Fair Trade certified coffee plays a significant role in protecting the biosphere reserve named El Triunfo.

El Triunfo is known to be the largest and most diverse tropical rainforest remaining in Mexico.

The dedicated coffee producers—members of the CESMACH cooperative in Chiapas—are preserving these forests through countless sustainability efforts. They retain rich layers of native tree canopy structures and use traditional agroforestry management practices. These efforts result in creating healthy ecosystems that continue to provide clean waterways, rich soils, wildlife retention and, of course, high quality coffee.

The Arbor Day Foundation has spent considerable time developing their relationship with the CESMACH cooperative members and have consistently recognized the coffee producers for exceptional agroforestry management and fair, equitable employment practices.

The next best thing to the coffee’s story is the way it tastes. The medium blend has warm hints of brown sugar and chocolate, paired with a delicate fruit acidity and a sweet finish.

The Foundry is filled to the brim with pride to support CESMACH and the Arbor Day Foundation’s work for a sustainable future.

To learn more about The Foundry’s coffee, or if you’d like to try some for yourself, visit TheFoundry.co/Coffee.

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t h e f o u n d ry m e m b e r s p o t l i g h t

EASTERSEALS

by Hannah Trull

For nearly a century, Easterseals has served people of all ages, backgrounds and ranges of disability. It’s expanded its network to over 75 affiliates around the world, each of which adjust their work to meet their community’s needs while uniting under common values and the tagline, “Taking on disability together.”

The Foundry has been lucky enough to provide a workspace for Easterseals’ Lancaster County location since May 2015. It’s one of the top three service areas in the state, serving as a pass-through for many of the organization’s programs.

“At The Foundry, we can network with other nonprofits to find solutions, which makes our occupancy that much more intentional to make a difference and create change,” Angie Howell, Vice President of Easterseals Nebraska, said.

Every location aids six categories of people: children, young adults, adults, seniors, veterans and caregivers. The bulk of the action, though, lies within their workforce services, where they assist people with disabilities ages 18 to 64 with returning to work and navigating medical benefit issues.

Raina Gulbrandson, Community Work Incentives Coordinator, is responsible for this at the Lancaster County branch.

“If someone calls the Social Security Administration directly, they may not get a full and complete answer that’s individualized to their situation,” she said. “Our goal isn’t to maximize people’s benefits, necessarily. Our goal is to make sure people are informed, so that they can make a choice based on accurate information instead of hearsay.”

She said a lot of people shy away from diving into the workforce again because they’ve heard horror

stories of others losing their benefits or being taken off of disability—not because of the common misconception that they simply don’t want to work.

“It’s absolutely not true. Everyone would be amazed at how many disabled people do want to work,” Gulbrandson said. “They don’t want to stay home, they want to be out in the community. They want to be contributing and using the skills they have.”

In addition to Easterseals Nebraska’s career and benefit services, they provide an educational outreach program to schools and employers, a low-interest finance program and—their most popular event—Easterseals Summer Camps, where kids and adults alike can gain a real overnight camp experience in a completely handicapaccessible setting.

Whether employees are busy assisting adults transitioning into the workforce, children trying to gain social independence, seniors wanting to improve their quality of life or caregivers dedicating their time to assisting those in need, Easterseals’ overall mission is the same: to help everyone reach their full potential and change the social stigma surrounding disabilities.

“We believe we can change the way the world defines and views disability,” Howell said. “Together we can build a society where everyone is included, valued and encouraged to pursue a career and follow their dreams.”

Be sure to check out their Facebook page and website Easterseals.com/ne/.

CELEBRATING LINCOLN'S COMMUNITY CENTERS

by Spencer Creal

There are a lot of unsung champions of the Lincoln community—organizations, campaigns and individuals that work to make our city uniquely its own, without any expectation of recognition. One of our intentions with The Foundry Magazine is to highlight the work being done day in and day out to better our community and those who live in it, and there is no better example of that betterment than Lincoln’s community centers.

If you’re not familiar, community centers are gathering places for youth and adults to interact through athletics, mentorship and other programming. Several of Lincoln’s community centers are primarily for sports and other recreational activities, and others are loaded with communitycentered, developmental programming. They host tutoring services, college readiness classes, networking events and so much more.

Of course, these community centers would be nothing but a shell without the people running them. I was fortunate enough to chat with Kimberly Goins, Director of the Clyde Malone Community Center, who expressed her appreciation and love for Lincoln and its willingness to fight for each other.

“Without question, Lincoln is the most generous community I’ve ever lived in,” Goins said. She arrived in our city from Texas less than two years ago, and already she’s involved herself with some of Lincoln’s most crucial organizations.

Despite her appreciation of our city, Goins still believes there’s much work to be done. “Poverty is very deceptive in Lincoln,” she said. “If you don’t want to see it, you don’t have to.”

This deceptive poverty is exactly what Goins is working on at the Malone Center, a youth development organization with wrap-around services for families. On top of mentoring and tutoring programs, the Malone Center offers full-time mental health services for children and their families.

“We’re taking care of the people who can easily be forgotten. We get the opportunity to provide opportunities for others,” Goins said.

Goins and the staff at the Malone Center are trying to dispel the narrative that poor people are poor because they’re lazy or don’t want to work. In fact, 100% of families receiving support from Malone are working, and over 90% are working two or more jobs. Goins’ hope is that the children they’re helping will have better lives than their parents.

Earlier this year, the Malone Center partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) to provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for youth development and hands-on experience for CEHS students. The partnership is expected to last five years.

Gabriel Bushnell, a staff member at F Street Community Center and former Educational Specialist

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at the Malone Center, has had comprehensive, hands-on experiences with some of Lincoln’s most underprivileged youth.

“Everywhere in the world, students have a higher chance at success when they have a safe space to be and have some sort of a support system,” he said. “I can't explain how many deep connections I've made in this community. The potential in these kids is tremendous.”

Goins and Bushnell both believe in the power of community support to lessen the generational poverty gap. Most kids who attend the Malone Center or F Street suffer from a lack of education and opportunities—the same disadvantage their parents had growing up. These centers want to alleviate this generational poverty; they want to prove to kids that they can go to college if they put their mind to it; that they can get a good job if they work hard. But they can’t do it alone.

“We need support from the community, and not just money,” Goins said. “Writing a check is easy. We need people to get physically involved in our city’s community centers. That’s what we need.”

LINCOLN COMMUNITY CENTERS Ager Play Center Air Park West Recreation Center Asian Community & Cultural Center Belmont Recreation Center Calvert Recreation Center Clyde Malone Community Center Easterday Recreation Center F Street Community Center Good Neighbor Community Center Irving Recreation Center Willard Community Center

MEET THE FOUNDRY S TA F F R A N DY H AW T H O R N E Randy is The Foundry’s (nearly) fearless leader. He directs each team member and oversees the organization’s overall strategy, all on top of running and operating a coworking space. Yeah, he’s a machine. Randy also serves as a focal point for Lincoln’s nonprofit community and provides guidance for startups and nonprofits. He serves on more boards than we can keep track of, but that doesn’t stop him from volunteering and engaging in Lincoln’s theater scene.

M A X VA N A R S DA L L Max is one of The Foundry’s content strategists. He coordinates with content partners, podcast and webinar presenters and other community organizations, and is The Foundry’s primary event planner. As he works toward his degree in economics and marketing, he’s been grateful for the professional and personal relationships he’s made at The Foundry. When he’s not working or studying, you can find Max camping or pondering life’s biggest questions. Or both.

J O R DA N G E I S E R T Jordan is the head of design at The Foundry. Any visual content ranging from logo design to magazine layouts, website graphics and more are products of her ruthless imagination. The magazine in your hands right now? That’s all Jordan. She came to The Foundry after four years in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s art program. She was drawn to nonprofit work because she saw a way to create positive change for the community while doing what she loves. Oh, and get this: she collects antique typewriters. So cool.

M O L LY B R E T Z As The Foundry’s Marketing Coordinator, Molly communicates all written content, graphics and other works to the world. Molly has a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations, along with years of experience in digital marketing. Molly describes the most rewarding aspect of her job as regularly engaging with people who are passionate about creating change.

In her free time, you can find Molly on road trips or her yoga mat.

SPENCER CREAL Spencer is in charge of all written content at The Foundry. On top of writing unique articles, he makes sure all writing is following voice and style guidelines. Spencer also serves as The Foundry’s in-house copywriter.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Spencer found his place at The Foundry, seeking a rewarding way to apply his passions to making a difference in the lives of those around him. Outside of work, Spencer loves the outdoors and attempting to play tennis.

HANNAH TRULL Hannah is a crucial part of the content team at The Foundry. As a content strategist, she manages all of The Foundry’s social media accounts and writes unique blog and magazine articles. She’s pursuing two bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

She loves interacting with her coworkers as much as she loves cooking, spending time outside and hanging out with her cat.

GARRETT MILES Garrett is in charge of all of The Foundry’s sales. If he’s not on the phone with a potential sponsor, he’s rattling off random facts about exotic animals or world records or conspiracy theories. Garrett recently earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing, and he’s excited that he can put his education to good use. He’s highly invested in the organization’s mission and also enjoys close relationships with his colleagues and The Foundry’s lively atmosphere. When not in the office, Garrett appreciates long—and I mean long— runs and mountain hikes.

B E N L AW S As The Foundry’s summer intern, Ben has been able to dip his feet into a number of different projects and campaigns. Since his first day on the job (which was Give to Lincoln Day, by the way), he’s been actively helping all staff members with a wide range of tasks. He also provides much-needed jokes to lighten the mood when work feels overbearing.

Leading the Good Life

by Hannah Trull

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 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, we were honored to meet with Pete Ferguson, the LPS Youth Development Coordinator and Lincoln nonprofit champion.

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Pete Ferguson With his father a correctional officer and his mother an elementary school teacher, many would assume that Pete Ferguson’s career as the Youth Development Coordinator for Lincoln Public Schools—a perfect marriage of discipline and education—stemmed from his parents’ influence. But Ferguson says otherwise.

and detail-oriented. They have all the qualities you’d want your children to have. Plus, her mom was a maid, and she wanted to be like her.

In fact, he wasn’t planning on going into education at all. It wasn’t until he became a young professional in the nonprofit sector, working for both Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Leadership Lincoln, that he discovered his passion for working with young people.

“It changed my thought process entirely, and how I go about working with people,” he said. “We have predetermined definitions of success in our heads that aren’t always correct, and I think we sometimes forget that.”

“My background in nonprofits has shaped me, and I think if everyone has the opportunity to start their professional career in nonprofit work, our community would be so much better,” he said. “There are so many people that started out in nonprofits who’ve helped turn Lincoln into a progressive community that cares about those who often get overlooked.”

And that’s Ferguson’s goal: making sure no person in LPS is overlooked and is treated equally, with the same respect his “not strict, but regimented” father had taught him since birth.

It was then that Ferguson realized just how subjective the definition of “success” is.

Ferguson keeps this in mind while aiding each student, reminding himself that everyone’s situation and interpretation of achievement is different. He spends over 50 percent of his time working directly with kids.

But, he said, counseling the 42,000 students in the district has its challenges—especially when one of those students is his daughter Jaden, a soon-to-be-senior at Lincoln Southwest.

Ferguson admits it’s been hard to strike a balance between raising her and, in some ways, raising an entire school district.

On top of being a father and instructor, Ferguson keeps busy by serving on multiple boards, like United Way and Red Cross, and planning the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally and March for the past 20 years. His strong commitment to the community has landed him some recognition with the East High School Distinguished Alumni Award, Lincoln Area YWCA Mentors and Allies Award, N.A.A.C.P. Community Service Award and more.

While he’s certainly made a name for himself in Lincoln, Pete says he’s always open to change.

`` We have predetermined definitions of success in our heads that aren´t always correct, and I think we sometimes forget that.´´

“I know not every student we have is going to go to Harvard.

I get that. But I want to make sure that, as a district and a community, we invest in every kid as if they have Harvard potential,” he said. “Same with the staff. Whether they’re the superintendent or the bus driver, there’s value that each and every person brings to the table.”

Although Ferguson is usually a teacher to LPS staff, struggling students and their families, he said there have been multiple moments throughout his career where he felt he was the one being taught.

One day, for example, he asked a student what she wanted to be when she grew up. She confidently told him she wanted to be a maid. Ferguson asked her, “Why? You can do anything you want. You can go to college. You can be more than that.”

She then explained that maids are hardworking, trustworthy

“I never rule anything out because if you stop aspiring to do things, you become stagnant,” he said. “I’m not actively going out and looking, but if the Houston Rockets decide they want a 6'3'' 45-year-old with bad knees, I’ll jump at the opportunity and I’ll be gone. I’ll never close a door to an opportunity I don’t know exists.”

NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID FIRESPRING

Events August 4 JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes Fundraiser August 21 Mourning Hope Family Support Group August 24 Skate Art Music Festival

211 N. 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508

August 25 Putt for Purpose September 20 Fresh Start Fall Open House September 21 Lauritzen Gardens Antiques Show September 27 Discovering the Future Gala September 28 Eastmont Golf Classic Monthly The Foundry First Friday

For more details visit TheFoundry.co/Community-Calendar

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