Motivating Momentum

The Partnership For Our Kids is dedicated to inspiring kids to achieve their dreams. A big part of this inspiration comes in the form of Winners Circle captains. Captains not only get the whole school excited about achieving goals, but also share their personal journeys to overcome challenges and achieve success.

Terrance Mackey, a new captain at Mount View Elementary, couldn’t be more excited to start motivating students. “I am looking forward to helping them achieve their goals and become more productive youth,” says Mackey. Growing up, Mackey had many role models that encouraged him and he feels that it is important to pass on that encouragement to someone else. Mackey was born and raised in North Omaha and spent much of his time at the North Omaha Boys Club. These days, Mackey has dedicated his life to helping local youth. In addition to being a Winners Circle captain, Mackey works for the Douglas County Youth Center and volunteers as head of the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club Football program.

To learn more about Winners Circle Captains, visit, http://www.thepartnershipforourkids.org/wccaptains.shtml

Have You Voted Yet?

Have you voted for The Big Event? The Partnership For Our Kids has been nominated for Metro Magazine’s “The Big Event” contest and we need your votes! The Partnership’s programs have been selected for nomination as “Best Wine Event”-All Our Kids vinNEBRASKA Wine Event and “Best Under 500 Attendance”-All About Omaha Torchlight Ball benefitting Winners Circle Educational Program. To cast your vote, simply click on the link: https://www.spiritofomaha.com/Metro-Magazine/The-Big-Event-2010-Ballot/ and fill out the ballot.

As a special bonus the first 1,000 online voters receive a free six-month subscription to Metro Magazine, and all voters are automatically registered to win two tickets to the exclusive 2011 “Charity of Choice” Event. Voting end September 30th, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to help the Partnership and win great prizes!

The New Face of The PFOK

Meet the new faces of The Partnership For Our Kids! These three multi-talented ladies are wonderful additions to the staff and we are so excited to have them joining us. Welcome aboard, ladies!

Yolanda Williams is the newest Program Coordinator for the Winners Circle team and she will be working with the staff and students of Howard Kennedy, Fontenelle and King Elementary Schools. Outside of work, she is extremely involved in the arts as a multi-media artist. Some of her favorite mediums are oil and acrylic paint, screen printing, ceramics and sculpture. She also enjoys performing arts and is a talented singer, dancer and rapper. In addition to her talents as an artist, Yolanda is a great mom to her three children, Keired, Rachaun and Brianni.

Oanh Heiser officially joined the Partneship’s recruitment team this week and will primarily be working to recruit Goal Buddy volunteers for the Winners Circle program. A self-proclaimed adventure seeker, and social butterfly, Oanh loves to travel, hang out with friends and learn new things. Her life’s aspiration is to be an old soul, and still be young at heart.

Also joining the Partnership’s ranks this week is Laura Cady. Laura will be working as a Bilingual Program Specialist for the All Our Kids South Omaha Pilot Project. Laura is excited to serve as a positive influence in the lives of her students and especially loves the many opportunities they are given as participants in the Partnership’s programs. “Being a part of an organization that gives at-risk kids the opportunity to attend and do well in college is amazing,” she says. Before joining the Partnership, Laura spent time studying, living and working abroad in both Spain and Costa Rica. In her spare time she loves to cook, travel, and spend time with family and friends.

*To learn more about Yolanda, Oanh,Laura, and the rest of the Partnership team, visit:

The Partnership For Our Kids Extreme Web Make-Over

The official Partnership For Our Kids website received an extreme make-over this summer and we are thrilled to finally show it off! The site not only has a fresh new look, but also has many exciting new features.

Two of the most useful elements of the newly made-over site are the Frequently Asked Questions section, which contains the answers to dozens of the most commonly asked questions our staff receives, and the Partnership calendar, which showcases pertinent information for future volunteer/student event. The calendar events can also be filtered by agency program, depending an individual’s particular interest.

The new site also incorporates pages for each of the Partnership’s programs, Winners Circle and All Our Kids. Both program pages include information on historical background, opportunities available, and resources for teachers, parents and volunteers. In addition, potential volunteers and donors can apply or contribute securely online with just a few clicks of their mouse.

Some of the most fun aspects of the site can be found in the multi-media section, which allows visitors to view program video shorts, flip through a virtual photo scrapbook and link to the agency’s Facebook page, which contains even more updated news and pictures!

For even more Partnership information and updates, sign-up for our quarterly e-newsletter, http://www.partnershipforourkids.org/newsletter.shtml

For Immediate Release: Local Child Service Program Seeks 200 Volunteers to Aid Omaha's At-Risk Youth

September 8, 2010

Contact: Jessica Warren
The Partnership for Our Kids
402-557-6392
jwarren@allourkids.org


September 2010, OMAHA, Neb. — The Partnership For Our Kids, a local organization serving more than 4,500 disadvantaged Omaha youth, is in need of 200 additional volunteers to serve as mentors and Goal Buddies during the 2010-2011 school year. “Our students are living in a poor economic climate that has been hit even harder in recent years, putting student’s futures at risk unless we get the volunteers needed to serve as positive role models,” said Partnership For Our Kids Recruitment Specialist, Phil Jarrett. “What makes The Partnership For Our Kids programs so special is the targeted focus on improving student performance through personal interaction with our volunteers.” Last year 93 percent of the organization’s elementary school participants met their academic goals and 83 percent of the Partnership’s graduating class is now enrolled in college or trade school, which Jarrett said is proof that the efforts made by Partnership volunteers are making a difference.
The two major volunteer opportunities offered by the Partnership include becoming a Goal Buddy for the Partnership’s Winners Circle program or becoming a group mentor for the All Our Kids mentoring program. Goal Buddies, visit elementary classrooms twice a quarter, providing students with extra support and encouraging them to achieve academic and life skill goals. Volunteers choosing to become group mentors meet with sixth through twelfth grade students, after school in a classroom, which is facilitated by a trained program staff member. Volunteer time commitments range from 2-4 hours a month and all volunteers are asked to participate in the program for a minimum of one year. “Free time might be an expense many cannot afford these days, but what little we have should be invested wisely. We encourage any potential volunteer to come see what our program does and how bright our student’s futures can be with their help,” said Jarrett. Community members who would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer for The Partnership For Our Kids should call 402-557-3095 or visit, www.thepartnershipforourkids.org.

The Partnership For Our Kids was formed in 2007 when two established Omaha youth serving organizations, Winners Circle and All Our Kids joined forces to help more disadvantaged students have a brighter future. All Our Kids was created in 1989 as a pilot mentoring program consisting of 20 seventh graders at McMillan Middle School and mentors from the business community. Winners Circle began as an “Adopt-a-School” relationship between Tire’s Inc. and Belvedere Academy in 1993 and grew into a goal-setting program in 1996. Today, the Partnership serves over 4,500 students in 22 Omaha Public Schools.

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For more information on The Partnership For Our Kids or to schedule an interview, call 402-930-3002, or visit our new website at: www.thepartnershipforourkids.org

The Partnership For Our Kids Works To Improve Unsatisfactory Statistics

A study about high school graduation rates of black males has been getting a lot of attention lately. The report by Schott Foundation for Public Education states only 47% of all black male high school students are graduating on time. Reasons given for these low graduation rates are poor classroom experiences, lack of resources and lack of positive role models. Luckily, with the help of programs like those offered by The Partnership For Our Kids, students are being given more opportunities to prove these disappointing statistical statements false.

“What makes The Partnership For Our Kids programs so special is the targeted focus on improving student performance through personal interaction with our volunteers,” says Partnership Recruitment Specialist, Phil Jarrett. Partnership staff and volunteers provide student participants with academic support, goal setting skills, career exploration and college access. Currently, 85 percent of Partnership students are graduating from high school and of that percentage, 90 percent go on to pursue college or trade school. In a 2010 survey of The Partnership’s Winners Circle program students, 71 percent feel they are more successful because of the program.

Sadly, with a national economic downturn, being able to provide the volunteers needed to help Partnership programs run effectively has become more challenging. Currently the Partnership is looking to recruit 200 more volunteers to serve as Goal Buddies and mentors. “Free time might be an expense many cannot afford these days, but what little we have should be invested wisely. We encourage any potential volunteer to come see what our program does and how bright our student’s futures can be with their help,” says Jarrett.

Community members who would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer for The Partnership For Our Kids should call 402-557-3095 or visit, www.thepartnershipforourkids.org