Partners in Philanthropy Partnering with you to love Kalamazoo
Fall 2018
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.
Eastside Youth Strong Since Eastside Youth Strong (EYS) began in 2011, focused on Kalamazoo’s Eastside neighborhoods, the percentage of 5th grade students graduating at grade level at Northeastern Elementary has increased tremendously from 2.9% to 20% in math. Reading scores tripled 8.1% to 24%. The mission of the Eastside Youth Strong is to support Kalamazoo Eastside youth and families in their personal growth, educational attainment, health and wellness, civic engagement, and social change. EYS’s service area is focused geographically and strategically on a partnership with Northeastern Elementary School, where scores are improving, but still very low: 87% of Northeastern students are eligible for the National School Lunch Program. All of the students are eligible for The Kalamazoo Promise. EYS created the Boys & Girls Club at Northeastern Elementary School in partnership with B&G Club, and established the CHAMPS afterschool program, Student Services program for students with high needs, Check & Connect program targeting students identified at risk for dropping out of school, and Eastside Arts & Science Experience Learning (EASEL) summer program. All programs seek to improve individual student behaviors, socio-emotional skills, school attendance, and ultimately academic performance. EYS targets academic performance improvements at a four year “catch-up” increment to eventually reach grade level. EYS was visited in 2017 by Colleagues International Kalamazoo, hosting U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, which identified EYS as one of five outstanding programs in the United States implementing innovative strategies and tactics to use in youth programs. EYS has program collaboration efforts with 16 neighborhood and community organizations. To support this program, select Eastside Youth Strong on the grant suggestion form.
17%
improvement in math at a 5th grade level
15%
improvement in reading at a 5th grade level
16
neighborhood and community organizations collaborate in partnership with Eastside Youth Strong programs
Photo courtesy of Eastside Youth Strong
More Co-Investment Opportunities Justice For Our Neighbors 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 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.
Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) is a faith-driven ministry, welcoming immigrants into our communities by providing affordable, high-quality immigration legal services, education and advocacy through its full service program. These services are available to people of all races, religions, nationalities, gender identities, and sexual orientation, who are in financial need. Immigrants face many barriers to full participation in American economic and social life; the security that comes from settling legal issues empowers immigrants to be full participants in the community. With more secure status, clients can attend school, or volunteer at their children’s school; and they can begin to accumulate wealth. Without the fear of deportation, trauma is reduced and immigrants can live freely and fully. JFON helps makes this happen, easing the navigation of the U.S. immigration system. In the words of one client, JFON offers “hope, where before there was no hope.” To support this program, select Justice for Our Neighbors on the grant suggestion form.
Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes | Hunger-Free Community Coalition The Hunger-Free Community Coalition was formed in 2013 as a collective impact approach to addressing food insecurity in Kalamazoo County. Since its inception, more than 30 organizations have participated in Coalition projects and work groups, including public schools, governmental agencies, healthcare providers, food providers, funders, and social service organizations. The Coalition aims to target hunger by optimizing local use of government food programs, addressing community access barriers to nutritious food, empowering residents to make healthy food choices, and aligning and strengthening private and charitable food programs. The efforts of the Coalition are carried out through work groups which focus on key areas of food insecurity such as childhood hunger, gaps in services for seniors, and hunger-related medical issues. Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes serves as the backbone organization of the Coalition and assists with the coordination of Coalition activities. Members of the Coalition remain dedicated to collectively addressing hunger and its root causes. To support this program, select Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes on the grant suggestion form.
WMU’s Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine | LGBTQ+ & Transgender Health WMU’s Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) has a commitment to equity that is seen in a variety of ways. In 2017, WMed launched an initiative to address health disparities in the transgender community through educational intervention for medical students, resident and community practitioners. WMed’s curriculum for undergraduate and graduate medical education will provide training on treating transgender patients and embed awareness about transgender healthcare needs and disparities. The capstone of launching this initiative was last month’s WMed’s LGBTQ+ Health Equity Summit with an attendance of more than 200, many of whom were medical students, health care providers and educators. Presentations addressed issues facing not only the providers of healthcare, but the transgender population seeking care. KZCF provided funding for the initiative, and future gifts will help WMed implement this new curriculum and community outreach. To support this program, select LGBTQ at WMed on the grant suggestion form.
Photos courtesy of Housing Resources, Inc.
Housing | The Intersection Of Family Life Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI) believes that every child deserves a home. Unfortunately, 1,622 children experienced homelessness in the Kalamazoo community last year. HRI finds this unacceptable and hopes donors do too. HRI provides solutions to the issue of homelessness through the Eleanor House emergency shelter, homeless prevention, homeless assistance, and permanent supportive housing programs and services, in addition to ownership of affordable housing developments. Through these efforts, HRI provided services and financial assistance to 1,144 of the children experiencing homelessness. HRI understands that housing is at the intersection of many areas of a family’s life including educational success, financial stability, and improved health. It operates two specialized programs focused on providing intensive supports for families with school-aged children focused on two goals. The primary goal is housing the family from homelessness or keeping them housed while working on the secondary goal of decreasing
student mobility, improving financial stability with income and employment and school success in the areas of attendance, behavior, and academic improvement to ultimately have on time grade completion and graduation from high school. “There are many things that contribute to a better life, but mostly it centers on home,” says HRI Executive Director Michelle Davis. “A place that can set aside the worries of keeping a family together. A place that is safe and secure. A place that builds confidence and purpose and a sense of belonging. As one of our participants so clearly told us, ‘The stress of homelessness is unbearable’.” Having local flexible funds to meet local priorities — where federal and state restricted funds often result in denying services — can help avoid turning households away from the help they need. To support this program, select Housing Resources, Inc. on the grant suggestion form.
Partners in Philanthropy / Fall 2018
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 Eastside Youth Strong
$
q Housing Resources Inc.
$
q Justice For Our Neighbors $ q Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes
$
q WMU’s Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine
$
Our Donor Relations Team Raven Britt / 269.585.7273 / rbritt@kalfound.org Joanna Donnelly Dales / 269.585.7260 / jdales@kalfound.org Ann Fergemann / 269.585.7238 / afergemann@kalfound.org Julie Loncharte / 269.585.7270 / jloncharte@kalfound.org
402 East Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-3888
t 269.381.4416
f 269.381.3146
e info@kalfound.org