Partners in Philanthropy / November 2016

Partners in Philanthropy Partnering with you to love Kalamazoo

November 2016

You’ve already shown your love for this community by creating an Advised Fund at the Community Foundation. Through Partners in Philanthropy, we offer you an opportunity to demonstrate that love again by supporting one or more of the projects highlighted with a grant suggestion from the fund you established. The programs shared in this publication are among the recent funding requests we’ve received from local nonprofit organizations.

Education ReConnection For seven years, Education ReConnection — a Kalamazoo RESA initiative located at Youth Opportunities Unlimited that provides pathways to high school or GED completion — has been raising area graduation rates.

With additional funding, even more lives will be transformed.

According to Karen Carlisle, director of Y.O.U., the funding will bring three more school districts into this successful consortium: Gull Lake, Kalamazoo and Vicksburg. The remaining six districts within Kalamazoo RESA are already participating.

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funding will make Education ReConnection available in all nine of the nine Kalamazoo RESA school districts

One unique element to Education ReConnection is the emphasis on connecting education to employment. The work-based learning component, which is part of a student’s school day, is a paid work experience through which individuals earn a wage and learn valuable insights about what companies desire in employees. The on-the-job training aspect provides hands on learning on specific job functions and tasks. Post-secondary/advanced training assistance, career exploration

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funding will enable Education ReConnection to expand its scope to serve students up to age 22

and job placement are also embedded in the program to ensure student success beyond high school.

“Y.O.U. was selected to provide these services because of its 48-year history in assisting underprivileged youth with dropout recovery and prevention services,” says Carlisle. “Y.O.U. provides a caring and nurturing environment for all youth and maintains a strong focus on academic and employment preparedness and achievement.”

To support this program, select Education ReConnection on the grant suggestion form.

90% of Education ReConnection students will earn a high school diploma and benefit from improved workplace readiness skills

More Co-Investment Opportunities These co-investment opportunities highlight some recent funding requests from local nonprofit organizations.

If you want to support one or more of these projects through the Advised Fund you established at the Community Foundation, please make a grant suggestion using Kalamazoo Connect — just go to www.kalfound.org and click on the green Kalamazoo Connect link at the top of the page — or complete the grant suggestion form on page four and return it to us by email, USPS or fax. You also may email members of our Donor Relations team, who are available to provide you with more information about these and other community needs. See page four for contact information.

Black Arts & Cultural Center / Volunteer Management Program Black Arts & Cultural Center provides space for all artists, especially African American artists, who are often underrepresented in arts forums. BACC programming also educates the community on cultural affairs specific to African people and African Americans.

During a time of increased racial tensions, BACC is providing community members a safe space to use the arts as a way to engage in difficult conversations. To increase its impact throughout the community, BACC is developing a comprehensive volunteer management program. Funding will cover a full-time volunteer coordinator/program administrator, which will not only enhance programming and engagement with clients, but provide staff with time to connect with donors who help sustain the organization. The volunteer coordinator also will nurture relationships with BACC’s many partner organizations — including YWCA of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Junior Girls and SHARE — which provide much of BACC’s volunteer base. To support this project, select Black Arts & Cultural Center on the grant suggestion form.

Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center LGBTQ Lives in Need Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center’s core value is that all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning individuals and families have the right to love who they are. It strives to make our community a place that celebrates diversity and embraces equality. Funding will help address disparities faced by the LGBTQ community through supporting KGLRC’s Director of Programs and Director of Community Engagement positions. KGLRC’s outreach also includes the ally community — individuals and organizations supporting this social justice work. Services and programming address public policy, youth services, older adults, people of color and health initiatives. KGLRC is the only organization in Kalamazoo focused exclusively on the eradication of discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. To support this program, select Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center on the grant suggestion form.

Open Doors Kalamazoo / Residence Community for Working People and Humanities for Everybody Open Doors has been partnering with homeless women and men and low-wage workers since 1970, empowering them to support themselves and secure housing. They build relationships to overcome homelessness through employment, education and sobriety programming. Funding is needed for personal support and facility maintenance services for the Residence Community for Working People program, which includes a savings account initiative for residents. Support also will enable residents to participate in Open Doors’ Humanities for Everybody partnership with Western Michigan University, an opportunity for residents to reengage in their community and realize how education can transform their lives. To support this program, select Open Doors Kalamazoo on the grant suggestion form.

Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center volunteer and friend. Photo by Robert Neumann | KZCF photo archives

Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center There is a need to sponsor five of the 20 daily child care slots available through Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center for the upcoming year. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it makes a real difference for those children and their families.

KDCCC is a free drop-in child care center for greater Kalamazoo area low-income families. KDCCC served 153 families and 212 children (newborn through age five) in 2015.

“We give parents time to look for employment, permanent housing, time to run errands and go to appointments while their children are cared for in a safe, educationally-rich environment,” says KDCCC Executive Director Kathy McNinch.

It sounds so basic, but it is a real need. “It’s difficult for our parents to accomplish these tasks because

many don’t have extended family or reliable friends to care for their children,” she explains. “Giving parents a break from the stresses involved in being low-income and the constant demands of parenting also helps reduce possible child abuse and neglect in our community.”

KDCCC has been around for 25 years, serving families that are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The center was established by First Congregational Church, which provides the space, but KDCCC program is an independent organization.

“We believe that our service strengthens our community,” says McNinch.

To support this project, select Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center on the grant suggestion form.

Partners in Philanthropy / November 2016

Grant Suggestion Form To suggest a grant in support of one or more of the projects listed in this publication, please complete this form and return it to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. You also may suggest grants online using Kalamazoo Connect at https://connect.kalfound.org or by emailing a member of our Donor Relations team.

I/We would like to recommend one or more grants from the fund named below in the amount(s) indicated.

I/We acknowledge that any grant suggestion made does not represent the payment of a personal pledge or other financial obligation, nor is any personal benefit from this charitable distribution expected.

Name Fund Name Telephone Email

Signature Date

q Black Arts & Cultural Center

$

q Education ReConnection $

q Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center

$

q Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center

$

q Open Doors Kalamazoo

$

Our Donor Relations Team Coby Chalmers / 269.585.7249 / cchalmers@kalfound.org Joanna Donnelly Dales / 269.585.7260 / jdales@kalfound.org Ann Fergemann / 269.585.7238 / afergemann@kalfound.org Jeanne Grubb / 269.585.7248 / jgrubb@kalfound.org

402 East Michigan Avenue

Kalamazoo, MI 49007-3888

t 269.381.4416

f 269.381.3146

e info@kalfound.org