CR netWORK

17 is the number of children CR NetWORK & Streamline Kids were able to help to participate in the Cedar Rapids Middle School Summer Passing League organized by Athletic Concepts and Coach Jerry Kiwala.

 From Coach Jerry Kiwala:   The 2011 Middle School Passing League was a great success.  The League went from four teams in the first two years to six teams this past summer, which means there were more young athletes involved (50 approx.).

The first two years of the League were played on Wednesday’s during the months of June and July. The 2011 League was moved to July and played on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s through out the month, and this was done to accommodate those athletes who were also involved in baseball, plus I feel the athletes benefitted more from playing two times a week than just once a week.

 There were eight scheduled games but only six were played because of weather conditions on a couple of nights.  But, six times the athletes were able to be at their game on time, have a good attitude to play, and enjoy improving their football skills.

The reason I started the Passing League in 2009 was to give the middle school age athletes a chance to develop their football skills during the summer by playing against competition among peers.  All youth are/were invited to participate whether they had/have some skills or not.  There were young athletes of all sizes and abilities, and all are/were treated with the same instructional respect to help them develop their football skills.  This creates a better team environment when all of the athletes are treated the same and asked to treat each other with respect, plus they find out that they have skills and it motivates them to continue to improve.

I certainly appreciate the efforts of Streamline Kids in helping to get the League played during the summer of 2011, and CR NetWORK for supporting many of the athletes who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to participate.

Recently CR netWork, with the help of the Jefferson Honor Society touched up the maps at Truman Elementary School Maps. Here is a list of activities and who contributed:

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Phase 1

• Sara Tortora
• Kelli Walsh
• Marisa Fehlhafer
• Kim Crane
• Jill Voss
• Jenna Sarantakos
• Sammy Seeman

Sunday, June 26, 2011
Phase 2

• Crystal Terman
• Katie Cook
• Erin Kibby
• Rebecca Charles
• Leah Groe
• Brandon Leary
• Jason Wong
• Catherine Orr
• Allison Varner
• Mr. Sean Neilly

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
White Line Touchup

• Erin Kibby
• Megan Kibby
• Jason Wong
• Trina Gallagher
• Nick Thompson

We could not have completed this task in the efficient manner and short amount of time that it took without everyone’s help!

CRnetWORK was pleased to issue a grant to a Jefferson student to partially cover costs associated with attending the National DECA Conference in Florida. Due to financial need, the trip to the conference would not have been possible with out CRnetWORK’s partnership with Jefferson’s DECA program. The student was selected to attend the national conference after a top finish at the state level. Our grant allowed the student his first chance at air travel and his first dip in the ocean, along with some wonderful learning experiences in the fields of marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

CRnetWORK assisted Van Buren Elementary with funding the construction of a 9-hole mini golf course. Van Buren is a Title-1 school located on the Southwest side of town and it serves approximately 360 students. Van Buren Physical Education teacher Tom Hodges provided the vision for this project and much of the labor. CRnetWORK helped out with supplies and assisted in the construction of the course. Our $700.00 grant will allow students an introduction to the game of golf and assist those students in developing mathematical skills and techniques for a life-long sport. Students will also learn the etiquette of the game. Here’s to many future holes-in-one!

CRnetWORK has decided to sponsor a team in the Cedar Hills Booster Club Baseball and Softball leagues this spring for the third year in a row. The Cedar Hills Booster Club has been a fixture in Westside Youth Athletics for decades. It has been increasingly difficult to secure sponsorships for their teams during this economic downturn. Through team sponsorship, CRnetWORK will expand opportunities for Westside youth to learn and develop fundamental baseball and softball skills, yet also develop team building skills and friendships. Our members voted overwhelmingly to support this initiative. Let the games begin!

In-Home Providers May 2008

Daycare providers on the Westside have significantly decreased since the Flood of 2008. Prior to the flood there were 29 licensed in-home daycare providers on the Westside. As of March 2010 only 7 of those have recovered and are back providing care to families. There is definitely a need in the area to assist these registered daycare providers with their recovery so that they can resume care to Westside families. These providers are in need of new, basic items to run their businesses. HACAP receives applications from providers to assist with the purchasing of these products. Items that have been requested and purchased in the past include Storage Bins, Racks and Carts, Toddler Cots, Easels, Activity Mats, Blocks, Puzzles and other Toys and Activities.

HACAP administered the process and look at each provider’s specific request individually for approval. Each application was measured by the requirements set by both HACAP and the CR netWORK. Two of the key criteria were:

In-Home Providers Status March 2010

1. In operation currently on the Westside and was flood affected
2. The day care was in business before the flood.

Six of the seven day cares that met the criteria applied, and all that applied received an amount between $300 and $700.  The total amount granted was $3000.  Please read the attached press release by HACAP for more information.

Last spring, CR netWORK approved a $600 tuition scholarship for a graduating west side student.  The 2010 scholarship award winner was Jefferson High School senior Amber Hinrichsen.  Amber has met or exceeded all scholarship criteria.  Amber was an active member of Jefferson High School’s National Honor Society and even participated in the Taylor Elementary Map painting project.  That project, a joint venture between Telecom Pioneers, the Jefferson High School National Honor Society, and CR netWORK was greatly helped by Amber’s multiple appearances at map painting sessions.  Amber has continued her involvement in west side community utilizing her artistic talents to paint a mural at Jefferson High School and assist Mathew 25 in creating an entertainment venue for local youth.  This fall, Amber began her post-secondary studies at Kirkwood Community College.  CR netWORK wishes her the best of luck.  Look for information on this year’s scholarship award on the CR netWORK website this spring.

Tiger Cub Club is a structured before and after school program that operates out of Taylor Elementary School.  Tiger Club is a free program to families in the Taylor neighborhood whose children attend Taylor School in kindergarten through fifth grade.  The Tiger Club program offers enriching activities such as cooking, gardening, social play, homework help, etc.  During the Flood of 2008, they lost all of their materials which included cooking supplies, games, and toys for creative play such as Legos.

Thanks to support from CR netWORK, Tiger Club has been able to purchase new pots, pans, and utensils so they can once again do after school cooking activities.  They also replenished their lost supply of toys for ‘building’ including new Legos.  Tiger Club staff and students are very appreciative of the new materials.  One student commented, “Thank you for the new Legos.  I play them with my friends in the morning before breakfast.”

Administered by the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Inc (HACAP), the Crisis Child Care program offers safe shelter for children during times of family crisis.  Care is provided in homes of experienced and trained providers and is free of charge to Linn and Benton County families, regardless of income. Children enter the Crisis Care program due to a variety of situations, such as: domestic abuse; medical emergencies; housing problems; death in the family or high levels of stress. These situations sometimes result in children coming to a crisis care provider without essential items, which may cause added anxiety to an already stressful situation for both the child(ren) and provider.

HACAP Care Packages

CR netWORK will partner with HACAP  to offer an essential care package for any West Side child who enters the Crisis Child Care program.  The initial grant will be for $500 and will include 20 essential care packages, the remaining $200 will be retained by HACAP in a reserved fund to supplement the care packages with size specific clothing items that may be needed.  HACAP will store and administer the distribution of the care packages and supplement clothing items for West Side children and report back to CR netWORK on a quarterly basis.

Care Packages (Estimated cost of $15/pkg)

• Reusable Carrying Bag
• Stuffed Animal
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Story Book
• Oversized T-Shirt for Sleeping

Member of Jefferson NHS helping paint.

CR netWORK is proud to partner with Qwest Telecom Pioneers led by Ina Mae Wienola, and the Jefferson High School National Honor Society on our Map Projects. This ongoing effort to paint a colorful map of the United States on Westside elementary school playgrounds is collaboration at its best.

The map is a powerful geography learning tool for students and teachers at Harrison, in addition to being a fun place to play games during recess. Students can take trips from Vermont to California in just a few seconds! A document full of potential educational activities is also supplied to the school.

The Jefferson High School National Honor Society made this project a work of art! The first day of the project five kids showed up to help, the second day 13. When they finished three hours ahead of schedule our project leads wondered how they were going to contact the rest of the kids to tell them not to come. The kids came to the rescue again with their fast fingers and texted all other volunteers. Now that‟s team work. On the last day three more kids came to touch up the map and call it COMPLETE!

Members of the Jefferson National Honor Society that made this possible:

Member of the Jefferson NHS painting

• Alec Brown
• Ben Castle
• Jenni Chung
• Alyssa Dlouhy
• Courtney Eggers
• Hayley Graham
• Emily Huber
• Justin Lindauer
• Katrina Lovan
• Jordan McLaughlin
• Andrew Miller
• Nicole Novak
• Hunter Orton
• Nate Selberg
• Taylor Steckler
• Kilee Sullivan
• Nicole Werling