Fourth Of July Fun!

Looking for some free 4th of July fireworks entertainment? Below is a list of the brightest and best displays happening around the Omaha metro this weekend:

FRIDAY EVENTS (JULY 2, 2010)
Omaha Royals Baseball Club (Omaha, Nebraska)
Rosenblatt Stadium, 1202 Bert Murphy Avenue
Fireworks at 10:00PM

Memorial Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
A free concert will be held, sponsored by the Bank of the West, and will include musical entertainment from Foreigner, Styx and Kansas on stage. Music will start at 6:00pm with the fireworks display kicking off at 10:00pm after the music.
Fireworks at 10:00PM

SATURDAY EVENTS (JULY 3rd, 2010)
Straley Family c/o Bob Newell (Springfield, Nebraska)
Field near 112th and Buffalo Road
Fireworks at 9:00PM

Big Sandy Homeowners (Ashland, Nebraska)
SE Corner Lake
Fireworks at 10:00PM

Jim Howe (Beaver Lake, Nebraska)
Beaver Lake Area, 1214 Murphy Pt
Fireworks at 10:00PM

World Baseball Village (Bellevue, Nebraska)
World Baseball Village
Fireworks at 10:00PM

Stonebridge Christian Church (Omaha, Nebraska)
15801 Butler Avenue in Omaha, Nebraska Evening festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. and include inflatables, live musical entertainments, games. All activities are free.
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Omaha Royals Baseball Club (Omaha, Nebraska)
Rosenblatt Stadium
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

SUNDAY EVENTS (JULY 4, 2010)
City of Ralston (Ralston, Nebraska)
Old Lakeview Golf Course
Lots of Independence Day events, including a parade, food, and tons of family fun! An Omaha favorite!
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Willow Point Homeowners Association (Ashland, Nebraska)
Island Middle of Lake—Willow Point
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Village of Boystown (Omaha, Nebraska)
13600 Farm Road
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Tiburon Golf Course (Gretna, Nebraska)
Tiburon Golf Course
Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

MONDAY EVENTS (JULY 5th, 2010) Midtown Neighborhood Alliance (Omaha, Nebraska)
Field Club Golf Course at 35th Street and Woolworth Avenue, fun family event including a parade! Fireworks at 10:00 p.m.

Thank You Greenstreet Cycles!

Thanks to a generous donation of youth-sized bikes worth $2,400 from Greenstreet Cycles, six All Our Kids Mentoring Program students and their families will have shiny new bikes to ride this summer. “I called hoping for a small donation of a helmet, but they really went beyond our wildest dreams,” said All Our Kids Program Specialist, Christina Penka.

The Greenstreet Bikes were given away as part of a parent-involvement incentive program and were awarded to the families of All Our Kids students who have maintained a G.P.A of 3.0 or higher and who had a parent attend all parent-teacher conferences for the school year. “It really takes the involvement of the whole family in order for these students to be truly successful and we just want to recognize these families’ efforts in helping their students to succeed,” said Penka.

Greenstreet Cycles staff personally presented the bikes to the students and their families during the All Our Kids Family Summer Picnic, which took place June 25th at the Cooper Memorial Farm Picnic Pavilion, 8602 Mormon Bridge Rd.

Greenstreet Owner, Ben Swan, hopes that in addition to rewarding academic performance and parent involvement, the donated bikes will also encourage the students and their families to live more active lifestyles. “Greenstreet is dedicated to putting everyone on a bike and making cycling safer for the Omaha community. Working with All Our Kids and outfitting deserving youth with bikes is a privilege,” Swan said.

For more information about Greenstreet Cycles, contact Ben Swan at 402-505-8002 or email ben@greenstreet cycles.com. If you would like to volunteer or make a donation to The Partnership For Our Kids, call 402-930-3000 or visit www.thepartnershipforourkids.org

We Want You!

Statistics are common-place in the game of baseball and as home to the Omaha Royals and the College World Series for the past 60 years, Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium has flashed countless player stats on the score board. However, one set of Omaha statistics that has never been displayed on the stadium screen is perhaps the most shocking. “ There are enough Omaha children living in poverty to completely fill every seat in Rosenblatt Stadium and still have a line of 1,000 more stretching outside the front gate,” says Partnership Recruitment Specialist, Phil Jarrett. Phil goes on to say that these kids are six times more likely than their peers to drop out of school.

While this data is alarming, The Partnership For Our Kids is working to help more of these students to stay on track and beat the odds. “Our organization has the tools and support to keep these kids in school, but we can’t do it without help,” Jarrett says. As many non-profit organizations do, the Partnership relies on the help of community volunteers to keep its programs running smoothly. “Unfortunately, the recession has really taken a toll on the number of hours people are willing to volunteer,” says Jarrett. The Partnership is currently looking to fill volunteer spots for 30 Winners Circle goal buddies and 100 All Our Kids group mentors by the start of school this August.

In order to meet this goal, the Partnership needs your help! If you are 21 or older and would like to make a difference in the lives of Omaha youth, call 402-930-3095 or email mentor@allourkids.org to see how you can join The Partnership For Our Kids as a volunteer.