Alliance Recreation Center’s (ARC) AfterSchool program provides kids in need with a critical support system – and we’re proud to call them a partner.

ARC Executive Director and Snow-Redfern Foundation Board Member, Mara Andersen, is dedicated to enhancing access to quality care for Alliance children, as exemplified in the multitude of activities and programs offered through ARC.

 “ARC AfterSchool is a critical system of support for many families. At the end of their day, parents can pick their children up and go home, ready for family time”.

AJ & Jessie

AJ and Jessie joined ARC AfterSchool during summer camp 2020. Their mother was working nights while their father was also working long hours as a truck driver.  ARC AfterSchool allowed AJ and Jessie’s mother an opportunity to get some sleep and get errands done, knowing her kids were safe at the ARC.

Because of the pandemic, summer camp was the first-time children had been in a classroom in many months. Behaviors were a challenge for many, including for AJ and Jessie. It was critical that ARC staff worked with these two, not only for their own development, but because their mother needed to sleep so she could keep her job.

After experiencing the program and getting extra support, both kids are now doing well. They enjoy their time at ARC and have matured socially. Jessie branched out and joined the youth volleyball program. ARC not only takes care of transportation of the children after school, they also make sure Jessie makes it to the gym on the nights youth volleyball is scheduled.

Now she confidently interacts with the players in a totally different crew of kids and plays until mom picks her up. Her mom can rest assured knowing Jessie got to the ARC after school, ate a snack, completed her homework, and got to learn and play a new sport with new friends.

Great Progress

AJ has also matured and made great progress. During summer camp, he would act out to get attention, but now he is fully engaged in the program and participates in the activities. Mara shared that he is a kid who really loves his mom and misses her when they’re not together, so all of the art projects AJ makes are always for his mom.

“Allowing parents to stay at work, or in this case, to manage a few hours of sleep before the workday begins, means a stronger, more sustainable, healthier family unit. We are proud to partner with organizations like the Snow Redfern Foundation because we know investing in our children also invests in stronger families and communities”, shared Mara Andersen, ARC Executive Director and Snow-Redfern Foundation Board Member.

Snow-Redfern Foundation is a proud grant supporter of the ARC Afterschool program in Alliance because we know the importance that programs, such as this, can have on a child and their family. After school programs can create a sense of belonging, improve social connections, provide academic support, make learning more fun, provide safety and supervision, and build confidence.

This is a great time of year to seek out quality after school programs in your community. Help financially support these necessary programs by giving a gift at https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/.

It takes a village to raise a child- and a community of caring adults to serve them!  Dr. Troy Unzicker, Alliance Public School Superintendent, and his wife and Director of Alliance Chamber of Commerce, Susan Unzicker, witness the vast needs of children everyday through their work in the community.

Giving to the Community

In addition to their important careers, it is through their community leadership, countless volunteer hours, and the financial gifts they share which epitomizes Gandhi’s wisdom- “Be the change which you wish to see in the world”.

As a former Snow-Redfern Foundation board member and board president, Susan led the organization through many pivotal changes and growth.

“Susan was efficient, hard-working, talented, and committed to our mission”, said current board President and leader at Box Butte General Hospital, Brooke Shelmadine, “and we hope she chooses to rejoin our board after she takes her required year between terms”.

Susan and Troy shared:

“We are proud to support an organization that has the sole purpose of supporting children.  The Snow Redfern Foundation has a long history of supporting programs and services for kids in need.  The children truly are our future and we are happy to be a small part of that support for these very important young people.”

Now a monthly financial contributor to the foundation, Susan and Troy have found a new way to share in the impact that the foundation has on creating opportunities for young people to become thriving adults.

Donate Now = https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life remains.

Alliance Public Schools= https://www.alliancebulldogs.org/

Alliance Chamber of Commerce = https://www.alliancechamber.com/

Lexington Public Schools shares our passion for providing support to disadvantaged children and young people.  Ensuring every child has access to healthy food, shelter, and clothing is one of many ways that, together, we are supporting kids and families.

“The Snow Redfern Foundation plays an instrumental part in The Backpacks for Kids Program in Lexington. Through the generous grant opportunities the Foundation has provided, the Backpacks Program has been able to not only serve the nutritional needs of students in the Migrant Education Program and McKinney-Vento Program, but we have also been able to expand our outreach to help all students with nutritional needs. With these funds we are able to meet the basic needs of our students which in turn helps them to be successful in the classroom. Thank you, Snow Redfern Foundation, for your generous support!” -Marni Baker

Addressing Basic Needs

With 19.2% of kids 18 and younger in Dawson county living in poverty and 78% of students receiving free and reduced lunches at Lexington Public Schools, concerned school staff created programs to ensure all children’s basic needs are being met.  They began the Voucher Program, also known as Backpack for Kids Program, to support children’s nutritional needs using donations of food and food vouchers.

Their goal is to serve 100% of the students in need and we happily support their efforts through grant funds.   They used their last grant funds from us to serve approximately 50 families and 120 students over six months, and families are expressing their gratitude!

One Family at a Time

One mother receiving this support expressed that she can better budget her money by using these funds to pay for groceries, allowing her income to pay for other needs and supplies for her children.

Another mother expressed that she could go and purchase staple grocery items when she needs them instead of having to wait until her next paycheck comes in.

“These funds make a huge impact on families in our community because it allows them the opportunity to not have to limit their food purchases due to other needs”, says Marni Baker with Lexington Public Schools.

No child should be hungry, and we are committed to funding programs across Nebraska, like Lexington Public Schools, to make this a reality for as many children as possible.  When you share a gift with us, we grant those funds to programs that fight this battle.

 Ready to eliminate food insecurity in Nebraska? 

Donate Now = https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life remains.

Lexington Public Schools= https://www.lexschools.org/#

Lexington Community Foundation = https://www.lexfoundation.org/

#goodlifeforkids #investingood #nebraska #nonprofitorg #lexschools #backpackprogram #nochildshouldbehungry #lexington

Summer break is here and LyonHeart Equine Assisted Learning program in Kearney is taking advantage of the warm days to nurture connection between kids and horses while developing skills.

The Snow-Redfern Project Grant they received in 2020 has funded 20 full scholarships for children to participate in their equine-assisted learning program this summer.

The horses are ready and excited to help children and youth navigate a variety of emotional, behavioral, and educational challenges!

Summer Life Skills

Owner, educator, and Director, Nancy Lyons, shared:

“Each year we like to provide different and unique programs and this year is no exception. “Resetting Our Emotions” and “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it neighs” are just two of our life skills programs we are offering. Since safety is a horse’s number one concern, the children will be practicing (in real time) regulating their own emotions to help the horse feel safe in real time while developing critical relationship skills that naturally transfer outside the arena”.

No Horsing Around

Nancy stated that their newest educational program includes horse science.  This includes learning how to measure the height of a horse, detecting heart and respiration rates, and calculating weight will be just a few of the many skills they will encounter. They will also be learning some fun horse facts while playing equine-assisted games.

A parent of one of the children working with Nancy and the horses, April, shared her delight in the impact the program has on her son, Miles.

“As part of the program, children get to decide a name for their chosen horse. In the arena “Bruce” has impacted my son by teaching him patience, calmness, and soft feet when approaching horses. This skill has transferred to outside the arena. We have seen Miles use this same approach to other animals as well as people. He has also learned to ask permission to pet animals. “Bruce” has brought so much joy to my son. We thank LyonHeart Equine Assisted Learning for being a wonderful support to our children and blessing to our community”

Board Treasurer, Dustin Chester, kicked off the summer by setting up a monthly gift to Snow-Redfern Foundation that will be automatically withdrawn from his checking account on the same day each month.

In addition to calving in the tumultuous Nebraska weather conditions on his ranch 45 miles from Alliance, this humble servant leader is the Branch President of Farmers State Bank in Alliance, NE, actively participates with 4 boards and various other activities.

Volunteer Spirit In Action

His volunteer spirit led him to Snow-Redfern Foundation in 2020, where Dustin serves as the Board Treasurer and as a member of the Development and Executive Committees.  As a true asset to the board and community, Dustin brings knowledge, experience, hard work, and volunteerism to life.

“Being a member of the board was a perfect fit for everything that I value, enjoy, and believe in.  I truly enjoy working with finances and the history of the Boys Ranch speaks to the importance of agriculture in my life and. I strongly believe in helping kids to have every opportunity to succeed”. – Dustin

Dustin said that he chose to set up an ongoing gift to Snow-Redfern Foundation because he sees the value that the foundation makes in the lives of many young people.

“It was apparent to me that being a monthly donor was the best way I could directly benefit kids in Nebraska, and the convenience of automatic withdrawal for my donation makes it simple with my busy schedule.”

He believes individuals that give to Snow-Redfern Foundation are multiplying their giving efforts because of the multitude of Nebraska non-profits which the foundation awards each year truly make a difference in the lives of children.

Join us by investing in the good life for kids – Donate Now!

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch,
Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in
need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping
young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life still remains.

Donate Now = (https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E349291&id=1)

Farmers State Bank = www.fsb-ne.com

Dustin Chester Bio = (https://www.snowredfern.org/about/)

 

 

 

 

Hey, nonprofit friends! Applications are open one month from today for project grants aimed at helping kids with basic needs – safety, security, a place to live and enough to eat.

We want to make sure every child in Nebraska has access to what is necessary to sustain life and will award grant funds to non-profit partners that identify creative and effective ways to do this.  In addition to encouraging applicants to use their local Community Health Improvement Plans (link) to do this, we also provide resources at: https://www.snowredfern.org/nonprofits/.

Since Project Grants are short term funds, they are intended to be used to supplement existing programs or enhance the work nonprofits are doing to alleviate disparities.  The three main areas of focus are: basic needs, well-being, and education.  Our categories are broad and so are the types of projects we fund!

Last year about 57% of the project grant awards addressed how funds would mitigate food insecurity, housing issues, homelessness, and other unmet basic needs. The remaining awards were given to organizations that addressed well-being and education with clear demonstration of how it met one or more needs for children and young people.

To see a list of the incredible nonprofits that we funded in 2019 and 2020, checkout the full list at:  https://www.snowredfern.org/nonprofits/.

Donate Now = https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life remains.

Congratulations to Kenneth Wyland and Kayandra Cruz from Hemingford High School and Jovannie Gomez from Alliance for being selected as recipients of the Edward M. and Eda. S Hempel Family Scholarship!

Young Leaders

We chose these three inspiring young people because of many impressive qualities.  In addition to living in the greater Alliance area, they all clearly demonstrated leadership, resilience, service, and dedication to academic studies.

In the fall, these three exceptional youth will further their education at a Nebraska college.

Kenneth will attend the University of Nebraska-Kearney to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Biology before continuing his studies as a Certified Cytotech.

 

Kayandra will attend Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture to pursue a degree in Animal Husbandry.

 

 

Jovannie will attend the Western Nebraska Community College’s Powerline Program in Alliance.

 

The Gift of Education

“We were blessed with the opportunity to award this generous gift honoring Mr. and Mrs. Hempel.  They were consistently generous contributors to Snow-Redfern Foundation, formerly the Nebraska Boys Ranch.  Mr. Hempel was a long-time board member. He and his family supported the youth at Nebraska Boys Ranch through service and financial gifts”, shared Snow-Redfern Foundation’s Vice President and Grant/Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Jared Mracek.

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life still remains.

If your nonprofit has short-term projects aimed at helping kids with basic needs, apply for a project grant!

Grant Impact

Our goal is simple- support work that supports young people.  We do this by providing funding that empowers the work nonprofits do to improve the lives of Nebraska kids.

Last year our focus was on partnering with youth serving organizations to address challenges facing Nebraska youth.  There was special attention given to meeting basic needs.

This year, however, we intend to support efforts aimed at improving outcomes for young people. The three main areas of focus are: Basic Needs, Well-Being, and Education.

Eligible Youth Serving Organizations

You are eligible to apply if your organization is a qualified tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in good standing within Nebraska.  Our favorite partners are those that serve vulnerable and at-risk youth.  Additionally, we are hopeful that organizations will align their requests with their local Public Health District’s Community Health Action Plan (CHIP).

Read more about the CHIP connection at https://www.snowredfern.org/2021/05/11/common-threads/.

Target Population  

Our project grant funding is specifically aimed at kids that may need help realizing their potential.  We give preference to organizations that serve vulnerable and at-risk populations.  This includes children and youth ages 0-18 years that are most vulnerable or at risk of disparities in access, service use, and outcomes.

Get Ready to Apply!

Nonprofits interested in applying can check out our specific grant guidelines and Grant Resources at https://www.snowredfern.org/2021/05/11/new-project-grant-guidelines/.

Join us by investing in the good life for kids!

Give Today – Snow-Redfern Foundation (snowredfern.org)

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life still remains.

Common threads within Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) and Snow-Redfern’s focus areas are what drive our funding decisions.

We are offering more opportunities for non-profit organizations to impact the lives of children and align with localized health measures.  Though the application format will look much like former versions, we have partnered with Nebraska’s Public Health Districts and the Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors (NALHD) to identify how we can build upon the work being done to address health disparities.

Common Threads 

Because we are committed to utilizing data driven priorities through our funding, applicants will be asked to align their grant goals with their region’s 2021-2023 local Public Health District’s CHIP (Community Health Improvement Plan).  The three common statewide areas of focus NALHD identified were: Mental/Behavioral Health, Access to Care, and Chronic Disease Prevention and Management.

Mental/behavioral health and access to care best align with our three priority areas, which are: basic needs, education, and well-being.

Get Ready to Apply!

Applications will be available online from 8:00am (MST) on July 1 through 5:00pm (MST) on August 1, 2021.

Join us by investing in the good life for kids: https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Snow-Redfern Foundation provides financial support to nonprofit partners that offer programs and services that make a life-changing impact for kids in need. As the former Nebraska Boys Ranch, Snow-Redfern Foundation has a rich history in advocating for, protecting, and encouraging youth in need of hope and healing. Though we no longer provide direct care, our commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to be successful and live a good life still remains.