Nonprofi t

Wear Yellow Nebraska Presents 2nd Annual East-West Groveler Gravel Race If you’re up for a little competition between friends while supporting a great cause, Wear Yellow Nebraska’s 2nd Annual East-West Groveler Gravel Race is for you. On tap for October 10 to October 18, the “virtual” race format means that cyclists have that week to complete the race route starting and fi nishing at Parker’s Smokehouse in Ashland. Using the Platte River as the divide, register for a team (either East or West) by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 9 to participate. In an email along with your Strava, RidewithGPS, or Garmin handle, you will need to submit a picture of yourself, with your GPS device showing the time and distance when you fi nish the race route. The course spans about 40 miles.

The Team with the lowest number of points wins! Once registration closes, team size will be set by the lowest number of participants signed up for the East or West team. Finishers receive a point equal to their fi nish position based on the fi nishing time provided in a photo with your GPS device. Your Strava, Garmin, or RidewithGPS handle will also need to be provided again for verifi cation. On Monday, October 19, Wear Yellow Nebraska will be sharing the results through a live Facebook event (@ WearYellowNebraska).

Wear Yellow Nebraska is a 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization with a clear focus on niche initiatives that offer cancer survivors with support that was not otherwise addressed and for people who might otherwise fall through the cracks—truly caring for each individual’s special circumstances. For more information about the East-West Groveler Gravel Race, visit wearyellownebraska.org/groveler or call (402) 965-1699.

Open Door Mission Seeking Donations to Meet Urgent Holiday Needs Open Door Mission needs the Omaha community’s help to provide for the neediest neighbors this holiday season, as they gear up to gather the required support through three holiday initiatives: Turkey ‘N’ Fixin’s, Project Santa, and Christmas Bells. This year has been hard on many people fi nancially and more families need help, so the Mission is asking residents to consider hosting a drive or shopping their Amazon WishList to help them meet the most urgent needs. This holiday season, Open Door Mission expects to provide more than 284,820 fresh, nutritious meals to the Heartland’s hungry and homeless. To do this, their Turkey ‘N’ Fixin’s project collects canned vegetables and fruit, cereal, cookies, peanut butter, boxed meals and potatoes, stuffi ng, canned meat, pasta and pasta sauce, soup, mac ‘n’ cheese, and frozen turkeys and hams. Project Santa provides toys to needy boys and girls so that everyone gets gifts on Christmas morning. Needed toys include toddler toys, small and medium Lego sets, all sports balls, board games and puzzles, dolls, gift cards for Walmart and Target, Play-Doh sets, cars, and more. Finally, Open Door Mission’s Christmas Bells program will provide gifts to homeless men and women. Needed items include men’s underwear, decks of cards, earbuds, tube socks, men’s wallets, men’s and women’s watches, bath sets, makeup, hair dryers, adult coloring books with colored pencils, shaving kits, and gift cards. If you want to make a difference this holiday season, consider hosting a drive to help Open Door Mission. Contact Kristen Dineen at (402) 829-1538 / kdineen@opendoormission to help. Learn more at opendoormission.org.

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CenterPointe Walk-in Crises Double, Hotline Calls Increase 42% in Wake of COVID While CenterPointe recognizes that COVID has clearly had negative effects on people’s physical health, their main focus has turned to the more pervasive and the devastating repercussions it is having on the community’s mental health. Calls to CenterPointe’s crisis hotline have increased 42% since March, and walk-ins to the clinic have doubled. On a national level, research indicates that the number of individuals reporting anxiety have increased an alarming 279% and those who are experiencing depression have increased 188% since April.

If you are in need of mental-health or substance-abuse services or know somebody who is, CenterPointe’s crisis line is available 24/7 at (402) 475-6695. The organization’s new outpatient clinic in Lincoln is open to walk-ins without an appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The organization’s Lincoln location offi cially began operating as a Certifi ed Community Behavioral Health Center on August 1 and is looking to establish outpatient services at its Omaha location soon.

CenterPointe provides treatment, rehabilitation, housing, and crisis services for people experiencing mental-health and substance-use disorders. Their goal is to address mental-health and addictionrecovery needs, in concert with primary care, to support whole-bodyand-mind health in the journey toward overall well-being. For more information, visit centerpointe.org or call (402) 475-5161.

Midlands Community Foundation Brings Back Matching Charitable Program Midlands Community Foundation is excited to bring back its MCF Matching Charitable Program beginning on Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020, and ending January 5, 2021. For years, Midlands Community Foundation (MCF) has provided donors a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving. As 2020 comes to a close, MCF looks forward to again helping donors accomplish their charitable objectives. Under the Matching Charitable Program, MCF will provide matching funds for new contributions made to existing and newly created Affi liated General, Designated, Donor Advised, Field of Interest, and Scholarship Funds. Matching donations will be made on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to a limit of $5,000 per individual donor, and subject to a maximum of $100,000 of matching dollars being available in the aggregate for all Funds. If more than $100,000 is contributed on an aggregate basis to all Funds, the matching dollars will be pro-rated among such donors based on the total contributions made. Last year, 1,170 donors raised more than $794,821, with $481,154 qualifying for matching funds, to support the missions of 80 charitable funds established at MCF. “Our Matching Charitable Program offers a great opportunity for our new and existing charitable funds to stretch their charitable dollars, raise awareness, and make a difference, and we are pleased to be able to offer this program again this year,” said Tonee Gay, Midlands Community Foundation executive director. The mission of Midlands Community Foundation is to benefi t the diverse needs of the Sarpy and Cass county communities by providing fi nancial support, involvement and service. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated millions of dollars to many worthy organizations. Learn more online at midlandscommunity.org.

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Youth Emergency Services Raises More than $75K from Successful Golf Outing More than 130 golfers from throughout the country gathered at the Player’s Club at Deer Creek Golf Course August 31 to raise more than $75,000 for the Youth Emergency Services’ (YES) mission to help youth who are experiencing homelessness and nearhomelessness. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s outing was held almost exclusively outside, including team check-in, meal distribution, the purchase of mulligans and raffl e tickets and, of course, a gorgeous afternoon of golfi ng. Youth Emergency Services is the only nonprofi t in Omaha with the sole mission to help youth experiencing homelessness and near-homelessness in our community. Last year, YES provided support and services to more than 3,000 youth in the Omaha metro area. Many of these youth have been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused, making it unsafe for them to return home. YES offers a full continuum of care to ensure all youth receive the support they need, no matter their situation, via a Street Outreach Center, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living Program, Maternity Group Home, and Rapid Rehousing. The 2021 YES Golf Outing is scheduled for May 3, 2021, once again at the Player’s Club at Deer Creek. Learn more about Youth Emergency Services at yesomaha.org, or contact Michael Watkins at mwatkins@yesomaha.org.

United Way Awards Goodwill Omaha $15K Grant for At-Risk Youth Program Goodwill Industries, Inc. of Omaha announced August 21 that it was awarded a $15,000 one-year grant from United Way of the Midlands. The grant will allow Goodwill Omaha to invest in virtual learning technology and tools for its YouthBuild program, which provides educational opportunities for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24. YouthBuild gives disadvantaged youth who have struggled with school a second chance by providing them education, training, and a career path in construction. Many of Goodwill Omaha’s YouthBuild students are underemployed or don’t have high-school diplomas. As program participants, the students also earn their general-education diplomas (GED’s) and receive leadership training and ongoing support from Goodwill’s teams. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique challenges for Goodwill Omaha’s Youthbuild students, most notably when the organization closed from March 23 to May 18. Trainers and case managers were challenged with keeping their students engaged and on track with their GED studies and testing at a time when the potential for recidivism increased signifi cantly. With the help of this grant, YouthBuild is able to offer updated and extended virtual learning opportunities to students in situations when classroom learning isn’t possible. Many people know of Goodwill Industries, Inc. as a place to donate used clothing and household items or fi nd great bargains, but the mission at the heart of the organization is to provide job training and placement services to people with disabilities and other disadvantages. For more information, visit goodwillomaha.org or call (402) 341-4609.

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Business Picks Back Up at Cross Training Center’s Electric Recycling Facility Technology has been the main means of productivity during these quarantine times, sparking businesses to upgrade their computers and electronic devices and leading to an uptick in business at Cross Electronic Recycling, operated and owned by Cross Training Center (CTC). With more businesses in the area reopening, the need for electronic recycling becomes more prevalent. Cross Electronic Recycling properly discards unwanted electronics and securely disposes of data. All items and services are used for vocational training at the Cross Training Center.

CTC provides vocational training and job experience for those who are not able to attain a job due to challenging backgrounds and circumstances. CTC empowers and equips those who have been incarcerated or homeless, involved in gangs or substance use, have mental or emotional disorders, have been a victim of human traffi cking or domestic violence, or live in poverty for other reasons. When you utilize Cross Electronic Recycling, you not only get great service, but you also help others gain the skills they need to be set free from poverty.

Schedule an electronic and metal collection event with Cross Electronic Recycling today by contacting Mike Bunach, Cross Electronic Recycling’s business relations manager, at (402) 590-2100 / recycling@crosstc.com.

Drive-in Movie Night to Raise Funds for Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue has moved its annual fall fundraiser and birthday celebration to a socially distanced drive-in movie event. On Thursday, October 8, the movie Wasted! The Story of Food Waste will be shown at Falconwood Park in Bellevue. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and the program begins at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $50 each and include movie snacks. The event features a raffl e and other donation opportunities, a cash bar and gourmet snack trays for purchase. Guests also will hear about Saving Grace’s work with area food vendors and nonprofi t partner agencies to combat food waste and provide healthy food to feed the hungry. Proceeds raised by the event will support Saving Grace’s work of connecting nutritious surplus food to seniors, children, veterans and families most in need. In the Omaha-Council Bluffs area, over 100,000 children, seniors and families experience hunger regularly, and the needs have increased during the pandemic.

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, produced by the late Anthony Bourdain, aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle, and eat food. The movie shows how small changes, such as using excess food to feed the hungry, can help solve the problem of food waste. Attendees also will see how some of the world’s most infl uential chefs make the most of every kind of food, transforming what most people consider scraps into incredible dishes that create a more secure food system.

Since operations began in October 2013, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue has rescued more than 4.8 million pounds of healthy perishable foods—including fruits and vegetables; milk, yogurt and cheese; prepackaged sandwiches and prepared meals; turkeys and other meats—and redistributed it to over 40 nonprofi t partner agencies that feed the hungry. For more information, contact Beth Ostdiek Smith at beth@savinggracefoodrescue.org / (402) 215- 6718. To fi nd out more about the event and purchase tickets, go to savinggracefoodrescue.org/events.

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American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge™ Awards Grants to NE Schools Through their Kids Heart Challenge™ the American Heart Association (AHA) recently awarded grants to Messiah Lutheran School in Lincoln and St. Agnes Academy in Alliance to provide health equipment and resources for students and educators. The $3,760 awarded to the two schools is earmarked for new P.E. and sports equipment, with the aim of promoting whole-body wellness in support of physical and emotional health. The Nebraska grants represents a portion of the more than $400,000 that the AHA’s Kids Heart Challenge™ awarded to more than 180 elementary schools that participated in the program’s second year, 2019-2020.

The Kids Heart Challenge offers physical activations—including hoops or jumping rope paired with digital missions—to learn life-saving skills like Hands-Only CPR™. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 20% of kids get enough activity to meet physical activity recommendations. The Kids Heart Challenge is rooted in proven science, which has shown that kids who are regularly active have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. In addition to improved physical health, the benefi ts of physical activity for children include improvements in grades, attendance, and behavior.

The American Heart Association is the world’s leading nonprofi t organization focused on heart and brain health for all. For more information about local representation, visit www.heart.org/Lincoln, call (402) 875-7382, or email Shannon.M.Hilaire@heart.org.

Rejuvenating Women Celebrates Successful Restored Wings, Beautifully Broken Gala Rejuvenating Women is grateful for the successful turnout—in-person and virtual—for their 6th Annual Restored Wings, Beautifully Broken Gala – Hybrid Event. The September 10 Gala featured keynote speaker and human traffi cking survivor Cyntoia Brown-Long. While they had to cap attendance to maintain adequate social distancing this year, Rejuvenating Women is thankful for everyone who bought individual tickets and group tables to attend virtually and hear Cyntoia’s incredibly moving story. The online silent auction also was a success. Rejuvenating Women is a nonprofi t organization committed to providing hope and restoration to those enslaved in human traffi cking. They are committed to developing long-lasting relationships with the girls and women who are deeply wounded by being a survivor of human traffi cking. Rejuvenating Women provides short- and long-term housing, mentoring, and (now virtual) case consultation for women who have been traffi cked. Their multidisciplinary team approach tailors the best possible care for each survivor to address the trauma and prevent future human traffi cking. Even though the Gala was a huge success, Rejuvenating Women is always in need of fi nancial donations so that the staff is able to provide hope and healing to individuals affected by human traffi cking. If you’d like to make a donation, please send it to P.O. Box 207, Boys Town, NE 68010. If you haven’t heard Cyntoia’s story, Rejuvenating Women encourages you to read her book, Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System, to get an understanding of the severity of the human traffi cking crisis. To learn more, go to rejuvenatingwomen.com or email info@rejuvenatingwomen.org.

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WATER • FIRE STORM • MOLD RESTORATION SERVICES

(402) 891-1300 belforusa.com

ENCAP Partners with State Farm Agent Matt Ricchini for Mobile Food Pantry On June 20, Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership (ENCAP) partnered with local State Farm Insurance Agent Matt Ricchini to provide food to nearly 100 households (296 individuals) in Bellevue, NE through a mobile food pantry event at Thanksgiving Church. Ricchini provided 150 insulated cooler bags to keep the produce cool, and even set -up a Pictured (L-R): ENCAP Deputy Director, Meredith Metcalf; tent and snow cone machine to add ENCAP nutrition center staff, some fun. Brandi Curtis-Ford; ENCAP Commodity Supplemental Leading up to the event, Ricchini Food Distribution Coordinator, and his team generously organized Tiffany Turner. a community food drive June 10–17 to collect healthy protein items for distribution at the event, including fresh produce, peanut butter, nuts, and canned meat, to name a few. The goal was to fi ll four barrels of food. Upon achieving the goal, Ricchini wrote a check of $500 to go towards purchasing produce for the mobile food pantry. Along with Agent Matt Matt Ricchini (left) Ricchini’s State Farm location, ENCAP presents Aaron Bowen would like to thank Dave Boever from with a $500 check for Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping and Dr. mobile pantry event. Todd Niemeyer of Niemeyer Family Chiropractic for their partnership and willingness to be food collection sites!

“ENCAP works to provide supports to help stabilize households experiencing crisis, so that they can move forward with their lives” said Aaron Bowen, ENCAP executive director. “This event was a success thanks to several community partners who came together to address the increasing need in Bellevue. We cannot do this work alone, and we don’t take for granted that this work would not be possible without the support of the community. Thank you to all who helped make this day possible.”

ENCAP is a nonprofi t community based organization that has been providing social and human services to people facing poverty since 1965. For more information, fi nd ENCAP online at www.encapnebraska.org or go to the Facebook page (@ encapnebraska).

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Heartland Hope Seeks Volunteers for HyVee Stuff a Truck to Help Families During the third week of October, Heartland Hope Mission will host the Hy-Vee Stuff a Truck event. Volunteers are needed to serve 2.5-hour shifts between Thursday, October 15 and Sunday, October 18, giving shoppers entering Hy-Vee an opportunity to purchase a $5 or $10 bag of food to help feed families in need this holiday season. Sign up to volunteer for Stuff a Truck by emailing info@heartlandhopemission.org. This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity, as parents with kids of all ages are welcome to serve together and help build awareness about food insecurity in their own neighborhoods. Food items donated and funds raised during this event will go toward providing Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for families who rely on the Heartland Hope Mission’s pantry to make ends meet. Heartland Hope Mission operates one of the largest food pantries in the state but is “More Than a Pantry” because they help families work toward self-suffi ciency. They primarily serve working-poor families and those who may be facing a crisis situation with a week’s supply of food, clothing, diapers, job resources, and community referrals. Learn more at heartlandhopemission.org or follow them on Facebook, Twitter (@HeartlandHopeMission), Linked In (@Hearland Hope Mission), or Instagram (@heartlandhopemission).

HETRA Hosts “We Walk So They Can Ride” 5K Run, 2K Walk and Fundraiser The Heartland Equine T h e r a p e u t i c R i d i n g Academy (HETRA) is hosting a “We Walk So They Can Ride” 5K run / 2K walk on October 17 at their campus in Gretna. The charity event features an all-terrain, scenic route across HETRA’s 25-acre barn property to support sponsorships for HETRA’s participants and their families. The 5K Run kicks off at 7:30am, with the 2K Walk and Festivities starting at 9 a.m. Following the walk, participants are encouraged to enjoy family-friendly games with prizes available for adults and children alike. HETRA ambassadors—mini horses Stormy & Blue—also will be in attendance! Participants in this outdoor event are encouraged to social distance and follow the COVID-19 Safety Guidelines listed on the event website. Funds raised at the event will benefi t the Participant Sponsorship Fund and the families of Drive to Ride, HETRA’s largest family fundraiser. Drive to Ride is an online campaign for which families raise funds for HETRA in exchange for free therapeutic sessions/courses in 2021. Last year, participant families earned a combined total of over 500 free sessions in 2020, and six of the families earned a full year’s worth of free sessions! The Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy comprises a team of dedicated instructors, occupational, physical, and mental-health therapists, a band of dedicated volunteers, and 22 wonderful therapy horses. They work to improve the lives of children and adults living with disabilities, as well as veterans and their families. For more information on the “We Walk So They Can Ride” 5K Run / 2K Walk Event, go to hetra.org/donate/drive-to-ride/walkevent.html.

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UNO Students Select Angels Among Us to Receive Assistance on Program Eval Process Angels Among Us was recently selected by two students from the UNO School of Social Work, MSW Course: Social Work Research and Evaluation class who will work together on improving the nonprofi t’s program evaluation process. After learning about the students’ requirement to do a service project, Angels Among Us submitted for assistance on enhancing their process so they can ensure they are best assisting their pediatric cancer families. The students reviewed each submission and determined that Angels Among Us best aligned with their goals for the class. Ultimately, this will have signifi cant success on the organization as they will be able to better serve their families and make an impact to their situations through services offered. The outcomes of this partnership could include better surveying, feedback, and communication with cancer families; and, ultimately, being able to build a better relationship to ensure the best possible experience while receiving Angels Among Us’ support.

Angels Among Us is a Nebraska nonprofi t that provides fi nancial and emotional support to families whose children are battling pediatric cancer. Any family living in or being treated in Nebraska is eligible to apply for fi nancial support. Thus far in 2020, Angels Among Us provided fi nancial support to over 100 families and is on track to give over $500,000 in support by the end of the year to help with mortgages, rent, and other expenses. For more information about events or to get involved, contact Aly Theilen at alyssa@ myangelsamongus.org or visit myangelsamongus.org.

Jennie Edmundson Foundation Sponsors Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness Month In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, the Jennie Edmundson Foundation is committed to providing ongoing education about breast cancer and will be selling Pink-Out t-shirts to raise funds to provide mammograms to uninsured or underinsured individuals. Annual mammograms are necessary to be proactive in fi ghting breast cancer, and educating yourself about the disease is one of the best ways to be informed about the signs and symptoms.

At the Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, they are committed to pro viding education on breast cancer. Their Breast Care Center has been recognized for excellence by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancers (NAPBC), a quality-assurance program administered by the American College of Surgeons. The Breast Care Center and a certifi ed Breast Health Navigator at Jennie are the central points of contact for education, counseling, and compassion to all individuals. To schedule your mammogram or to see if you qualify for assistance, please call (712) 396-4117. (Limited funds available). Don’t delay—detection saves lives!

The Jennie Edmundson Foundation is dedicated to building a bridge between the Omaha and Southwest Iowa communities and Jennie Edmundson and other Methodist hospitals to meet the healthcare needs of the community. For more information about how you can support Jennie Edmundson Foundation’s efforts and purchase your 2020 Pink Out t-shirt, please contact the Foundation offi ce at (712) 396-6040 or check out their website at jehfoundation.org.

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JDRF One Walk to End Type 1 Diabetes Aims for 1.6 Million Miles by November 1 JDRF is changing up its annual One Walk to end type 1 diabetes (T1D) this year, making it a national event with the biggest goal ever— walkers covering 1.6 miles for the 1.6 million Americans living with T1D and raising $50 million in honor of JDRF’s 50th year! This format is in place of holding walks on separate weekends across the country and having everyone walk “together” from wherever they are to form the biggest JDRF One Walk this community has ever seen between now and November 1.

JDRF One Walk has a single goal: To create a world without type 1 diabetes. When you participate in the One Walk, the money you raise supports life-changing breakthroughs that give hope to everyone impacted by this disease. Plus, you’ll have a great time doing it, knowing that you’re walking “with” a committed community that is passionate about doing whatever it takes to live in a world without T1D.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. Join them for the One Walk by registering today at walk.jdrf.org/Omaha. On T1Day (November 1), JDRF will count up all the miles and donations and come together virtually to celebrate stories, collective accomplishments, and recognize the 1.6 million people and counting for whom JDRF and supporters are changing the world. For more information, call (402) 881- 3181 or email Chris Dunn at cdunn@jdrf.org.

NAM Launches Mission-Driven Executive Transition Toolkit for Hiring Management The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands (NAM) recently released a new Mission-Driven Executive Transition Toolkit, available for purchase and download at any time. The Toolkit is designed to give small to mid-sized organizations everything they need to design a well thought-out process to search for and hire an Executive Director or CEO who fi ts the current and future leadership needs of the organization.

Included in the toolkit is an easy-to-follow, 32-page document that helps nonprofi t boards navigate the leadership-transition process through three phases of executive-transitions management: Prepare, Search, and Thrive. This resource includes comprehensive information that outlines best practices for leadership transitions with checklists, more than 20 recommended readings, and 22 templates/samples to make this process a little less complicated.

NAM understands the process of hiring executive leadership can be risky, so the goal of their Mission-Driven Executive Transition Toolkit is to help streamline that decision with ease. The toolkit is now being offered at a signifi cantly reduced price thanks to the generous support of the Harry A. Koch Company. Purchase the Toolkit today at the Nonprofi t Association of the Midland’s website nonprofi tam. org/page/executivetransitiontoolkit.

The Nonprofi t Association of the Midlands represents more than 650 nonprofi t organizations in Nebraska and southwest Iowa and is recognized by the National Council of Nonprofi ts—the nation’s largest network of nonprofi ts—as the state association for Nebraska. For more information, visit nonprofi tam.org or call (402) 557-5800.

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FAMILY, Inc. Seeks Funding to Create Mobile Wellness Unit for Preventive Screenings FAMILY, Inc. is seeking funding to create a new FAMILY Inc. Mobile Wellness Unit. They hope to acquire and retro-fi t an RV that they can take into underserved and rural areas of our community to provide a host of preventive wellness screenings and assessments for children. These would include dental, vision, hearing, and nutritional screenings, as well as lead testing and developmental assessments.

This project was spurred by COVID and FAMILY Inc.’s oral-health team. Normally, they conduct thousands of preventive dental screenings in schools each year but they will not be able to this year because of pandemic restrictions. FAMILY is looking for sponsors to get this project off the ground. If they’re able to get funding, thousands of children will gain access to health and safety assessments and be connected to the support they need to give them the best chances for success.

FAMILY Inc. provides public-health and family-support services to women, children, and families in Pottawattamie and Mills counties. If you’re interested in donating toward or sponsoring the Mobile Wellness Unit, please contact Kimberly Kolakowski at kkolakowski@ familyia.org / (712) 256-9566, X240. Learn more at familyia.org.

Stephen Center Awarded Federal Grant to Serve Homeless Veterans Stephen Center, a South Omaha-based homeless shelter, permanent supportive housing, and co-occurring treatment center, was recently awarded a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Grant Per Diem (GPD) Program to serve homeless veterans. The VA’s GPD program provides funding to community organizations that provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless veterans, with the goal of helping homeless veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and income, and achieve greater self-determination. The grant will allow Stephen Center to provide funding in the form of per diem beds in the HERO Addiction Recovery Program. “We are very excited to have more GPD space for veterans,” said HERO Program Director Sharon Hughbanks. “They are a population that is underserved in our community.” Stephen Center has received GPD funding since 2009. The new grant, effective October 1, increases the number of GPD funded beds at Stephen Center from three to fi ve. “No veteran should ever have to worry whether they will have stable housing, and these grants put us one step closer to ensuring all veterans are living in a safe and supportive environment,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilke. Stephen Center is a sober campus of resources for mental health and addiction services. The clients they serve are the homeless, addicted, and in poverty. The campus includes a homeless emergency shelter, inpatient/outpatient co-occurring treatment, and permanent supportive housing for those with disabilities and low-income individuals. For more information, visit stephencenter.org.

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