CR netWORK

Groundswell Programming Grant – Matthew 25

cspore — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:45:54 +0000

CR netWORK Board member Courtney Ball has implemented a grant from CR network for educational programming for Groundswell, a youth arts venue in the Time Check neighborhood. Students participated in an 8-week acting class and some students participated in a guitar class led by the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. Next up, Groundswell will be using remaining funds from the grant to host classes on team-building skills, gardening, and food education for students at Roosevelt Middle School. This project is a reminder to members that CR netWORK is always looking for community projects and enjoys creating a broad range of opportunities for west side youth.

Got an idea for a program or a grant? Contact the CR netWORK Outreach Committee via Selita Jansen at Selita.Jansen@transamerica.com.

Back to School Bowl!

cspore — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:38:29 +0000

Thank you to those that were able to join us for the Back to School Bowl!
It was a great time to get to know fellow members and there were some great prizes given away as well.
Hoover was also very appreciative of all of the donations we collected, they will be put to good use!

Click HERE to some pics from the evening!

TOP 5 BOWLERS OF THE EVENING
Troy Firzlaff – 190
Matt Christoffersen – 185
Chad Spore – 177
Steve Moses – 176
Casey Boyles – 156

ITEMS DONATED TO HOOVER ELEMENTARY
8 Backpacks
8 Reams of paper
19 Folders
4 Binders
4 Pencil Bags
5 Pencil Boxes
144 Pencils
6 Erasers
20 Pens
15 Glue Sticks
3 Bottles of Glue
33 Dry Erase Markers
9 Boxes of Crayons
5 Boxes of Markers
7 Scissors
2 Compasses
2 Sharpies
1 Watercolors
1 Hand Sanitizer
Construction paper
Stickers
Misc art supplies

THANKS AGAIN TO THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES FOR PRIZE DONATIONS!
Johnson Ave. Hy Vee
Fairfax State Savings Bank
Tomaso’s Pizza on Edgewood Road
Sherwin Williams on Edgewood Road
Four Guys Auto
Hupp Electric Motors
Family Video
Chik-Fil-A

Bowling Pictures

Cedar Rapids Middle School Passing League with Streamline Kids

cspore — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:59:46 +0000

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.

Truman Elementary Map

Dallas — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:49:01 +0000

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 Helps Jefferson High School DECA Program

Dallas — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:43:34 +0000

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 and Van Buren Elementary Build a Golf Course

Dallas — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:45:18 +0000

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!

Cedar Hills Booster Club—Team Sponsorship 2011

Dallas — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:40:55 +0000

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!

Van Buren Elementary Mini Golf Course

Dallas — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:24:05 +0000

Van Buren Elementary is at Title-1 school located on the Westside of town and serves approximately 360 students from grades PK – 5. CR netWORK will partner with Physical Education teacher, Tom Hodges, to institute a golf program at Van Buren. The $700 CR netWORK grant will pay for the supplies needed to build a 9-hole mini-golf course. This will introduce students to the game of golf and provide them with exposure they may not be able to obtain elsewhere.

Why golf? Golf is one of the best teaching tools there is. Golf:

Teaches math (scoring)
Teaches boundaries through observation of and compliance to the rules
Encourages good behavior (following proper etiquette)
Helps develop and improve eye/hand/body coordination as well as concentration
Provides a means for socialization with people of all ages
Builds self-esteem and confidence. It doesn’t take much physical ability to putt a ball and there’s almost always a sense of accomplishment in hearing a ball hit the bottom of a cup.

A 9-hole mini-golf course for Van Buren will accomplish all of the above. If approved, we will then organize a build date and will ask for volunteers to help with construction efforts. Depending on the cost of the materials, any excess funds will be used to purchase a chipping mat that will introduce older students to the next level of the game. Pitching wedges have already been donated by Ellis Golf Course.

Westside Flood-Affected Day Care Grant

Dallas — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:01:47 +0000

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

In operation currently on the Westside and was flood affected
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.

Scholarship Award

Dallas — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:53:34 +0000

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.