HACAP Youth Activity Fund - Grant

May 2010

The HACAP Activity Fund was established in 2009 and its function was to supply funding for children's activities to low income families.  The fund was initially supported by government funds; however those funds are no longer available to draw from.  It is HACAP’s plan to keep the Activity Fund going as long as there is money in it.  HACAP is currently looking for private and corporate sponsorships to support the future of the Activity Fund.   

Please take a moment to read the narative (Youth Activity Fund Narrative.doc) supplied to us by Donna Castle of HACAP, the custodian of this fund.CR netWORK has awarded a $1,000 grant to the HACAP Activity Fund. In return, HACAP has agreed to keep the grant separate to help Westside families aligning with our vision. They also committed to report back to us on how the money is spent.  We plan to update the website with this information as it comes in. 

Generation Now Youth Movement - Grant

April 2010

A youth mentoring and skills program, located at Living Waters Kingdom Church near the corner of 33^rd Avenue and J St SW.  Please read the attached Word document (Generation Now Youth Movement.doc) describing the program. 

Three individuals from CR netWORK attended a Monday meeting (Feb 1^st).  What we was very clear to us was:

• - Many of these children qualify as at risk youth.
• - Children attending the program are engaged and WANT to be there.

There were about 25 kids there the night of the 1^st, which was the night of one of our lovely winter storms.  This number was a bit below average and Pastor Dawson spent the first 20 minutes of the program taking headcount and running out to pickup kids that had not made it yet.

The CR netWORK Board sees this as an opportunity for our relatively small sized grant to make a huge impact for these children.  We have awarded them a grant of $1,000.  Some of the things the funds will be used for:

• - Dance Costumes and music CD’s (they are looking at costumes that cost $30 each for their recital)
• - Art Supplies
• - Food for feeding the youth on Monday evenings – We are also talking to local grocery stores to see if we can get discounts or matching funds.
• - Field Trip funding

Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood Day - Partnership

April 2010

Elevate is an organization dedicated to inspiring change, compassion and connection for foster and adoptive youth in Iowa.  Each year, Elevate holds an annual event: Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood Day.   This event presents youth who are aging out of foster care, a suitcase with items from their wish list.  These items help them to start a new and independent life in their own apartment and ranged from bedding to cutlery to floor lamps.   The funds Elevate received from CR netWORK was used to purchase many of the items on the wish lists of the five individuals who were honored.  Used items were also donated by students of a Social Work class at the University of Iowa.  On Saturday, April 3rd the event was held at the Four Oaks Center on 1st Ave.  CR netWORK members Don McDill and Candyce Lyman volunteered their time to help separate and pack items.  Following the work, the group enjoyed punch provided by Candyce as well as a cake she made for the occasion. 

Cedar Hills Booster Club Sponsorship 2010

March 2010

For the second consecutive year, the Cedar Hills Booster Club, a fixture in little league baseball and softball on the Westside of Cedar Rapids for over forty years was experiencing difficulty in securing sponsorships for the upcoming 2010 season.  CR netWORK had sponsored a team in 2009 and with many local businesses still feeling the effects of a dragging economy, it made sense that our group would help keep the dream of 'playing ball' alive for hundreds of local youth.  CHBC continues to offer a low cost opportuntity for kids to participate on organized baseball and softball teams.  Our members are proud to support this cause.  Let the summer fun begin!

Guitar Lesson Scholarship

January 2010

Recently, CR netWORK brought two people together to celebrate their love of music, specifically, playing the guitar. An 8th grade student at Taft Middle School, who has been self taught to this point, recently met up with a Cedar Rapids musician and guitarist, Brook Hoover who generously donated his time to give free lessons. The student is thrilled about this opportunity and when asked how he feels about the chance at learning from an accomplished musician his response was, “Awesome! I love it. We are rockin’!!, as a big smile swept across his face. The student and instructor will be meeting once every two weeks for the foreseeable future and both are excited about beginning this new relationship, all while sharing their love of music.

Harrison Elementary - Purchase of a Portable Tennis System

December 2009

CR netWORK has been in contact with Harrison Elementary for quite some time in an effort to find the right project.   When we were put in contact with Chris Chicchelly (PE Teacher), he brought up the idea of a portable tennis system.  The tennis system is comprised of 3 portable nets and 25 rackets.  Here is an excerpt from a note from Chris:

“…I feel this type of equipment is something our school could really utilize.  I can envision my 2-5 grade physical education classes practicing ball/racquet activities to emphasize hand-eye coordination.  We can also incorporate three net systems into our gym and practice tennis game strategies.  I would also be able to use the portable net systems outdoors on the blacktop during recess times, as well as, after-school intramural program.  I see this as a wonderful opportunity to teach a lifelong sport activity to students who may not otherwise have these advantages…”

CR netWORK was excited to be able to purchase this system for the school.

Cleveland Elementary – Grant towards a new Cleveland Charger Stage Curtain

December 2009

Are the students of Cleveland Elementary destined for Broadway?  One never knows, but with the assistance of CR netWORK, these west side youngsters will now experience the anticipation of standing on stage as the curtain opens to reveal an audience of adoring fans.   For years, Cleveland has been unable to use their existing stage curtain due to it’s deteriorating condition.  When the request for assistance came to CR netWORK from Cleveland Elementary, members were quick to offer a $500 grant to supplement existing fundraising efforts.   This added “boost” from CR netWORK allowed Cleveland to install their new stage curtain in December 2009.  All of us at CR netWORK are proud to have played a role in this project, a project that will pay dividends for years to come as the students of Cleveland Elementary experience first hand the joy of performing on stage.

Taylor Elementary - "Map" Project

October 2009

CR netWORK was pleased to partner with Telecom Pioneers and Jefferson High School’s National Playground ViewHonor Society on a recent project at Taylor Elementary.  Taylor is located at the corner of 6th St. SW and 7th Ave. SW.  The goal of the project was to create a giant map of the United States on Taylor’s playground for students to learn from and play on.  The map will be a powerful geography learning tool for students and teachers at Taylor, 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 map project was completed over four sessions of painting by volunteers from each collaborating group.  According to Taylor Elementary principal (and CR netWORK Board Member) Brian Christoffersen, “the kids were already playing on the map when it just had Sunnyan outline.”  CR netWORK is proud to be a part of this project that will benefit the Taylor Community for years to come.  We would also like to thank Telecom Pioneers and the Jefferson High School National Honor Society for being a part of this effort.  We look forward to building on this partnership in the future by installing maps at other Westside schools.  CR netWORK looks forward to other community partnerships to fulfill our mission to empower Westside kids.

St James Kid's Club - Purchase of Outdoor Toys and Playground Equipment

May 2009

St James Ball   St. James Kid's Club, located inside St. James United Methodist Church on Ellis Blvd. NW, provides quality affordable before and after school care to neighborhood kids.  As a result of the Flood of 2008, St James Kid's Club lost all of their equipment and supplies.  Because the top priority for St. James was to restore services, often times providing care at little or no cost, funds were not readily available to replenish play equipment.  CR netWORK jumped on the opportunity to purchase the playground equipment and brought a couple kids along (as consultants), during a recent shopping spree at a local retailer.  The smile on the children's faces as they piled equipment into carts was priceless.  
Click HERE to read more about St. James' Flood Story.

Cedar Hills Booster Club - Team Sponsorship

March 2009

This past spring, CR netWORK approached the Cedar Hills Booster Club (CHBC) with an offer to sponsor several individual baseball or softball players who (1) had an interest in playing ball this spring/summer and (2) expressed a need for some assistance with their entry fee.  CHBC was Team Photovery appreciative of our offer, but shared that they did already have a fund in place for some limited scholarships.  However, the Club shared that they were experiencing difficulty in securing team sponsorships for the upcoming season.  They were about ten team sponsorships short (a first in the Club’s 40 year history) and were discussing the probability of having to cut off any new incoming registrations.  At that time, our Board decided, “Let’s sponsor a team” to help ensure any kid who wants to play some ball has a team to play on and will get that opportunity. 

One of our members, Brian Christoffersen, decided he would coach the team that we sponsored in the “minor boys” league of the CHBC.  The season was a tremendous success.  The boys learned many new baseball skills, demonstrated excellent teamwork and sportsmanship, and developed an appreciation for our national pastime.  After the season concluded, Brian noted “It was a very rewarding experience to volunteer and give some of that ‘sacred’ resource of time.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in the hectic lifestyle of living in the 21st century that we forget to slow down and enjoy the company of others.  We had a lot of fun!”