Carnegie Arts Center had an incredible summer working with the Alliance Recreation Center’s Summer youth camp. The Carnegie, with support of grant funds like ours, visited the Alliance Recreation Center weekly to partner with the ARC to provide free summer art workshops to their students.

“Stay Wild” Sidewalk Safari

Visiting artist and Professor, Sandra Williams from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and two honors students travelled across the state to bring “Stay Wild” Sidewalk Safari to Alliance, NE in June of 2021. The project was the brainchild of Professor Williams who had developed it in partnership with the Museum of Nebraska Art.

Her exhibit, “Anthropocene Blues” opened at MONA while they were closed for COVID in 2020. The museum proposed having a virtual lecture series.  However, Professor Williams prefers hands on experiences.

“Community based arts have always been, and always will be, part of my creative agenda. Instead of a ‘top down’ lecture I prefer that the community explore the role arts play in creative placemaking, having the tactile experience of handling ‘cut paper’ in the form of stencils, and engage with the topic of animals in a creative manner”.

Sharing Art Project with Alliance Youth

After successfully conducting the project with multiple schools in Lincoln, Professor Williams reached out to the Carnegie Arts Center to see if we would be interested in bringing the project to Alliance.

The ARC’s total attendance of 60 youth within classes of 15 produced beautiful art!

After two days of spray chalking and stenciling, the students were given fact sheets about the different endangered species.  The youth that were old enough to write created haikus about the animals, and the younger students created beautiful drawings of the animals and recited facts they had learned. In the end, students asked to keep the fact sheets and take-home extras to learn about all the animals.

Interested in helping us support important programs for youth across Nebraska?

Give today at: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E349291&id=1

Dr. Maya Chilese is a friend of the Snow-Redfern Foundation and a consultant for some of the great new kids programs we have been developing, including our new young women’s leadership development experience.  She is also an exceptional example of how strong, empowered, educated, supported, resilient women have the propensity to have a positive impact on the future generation of young women.  Dr. Maya has graciously provided this lovely piece to help us celebrate the Month of GIRLS!

Girl Power

My office is filled with pictures of powerful women and I swear their vibration feeds my soul. My spirit reverberates with the energy from powerful women – like the sounds of Pat Benatar and Queen Latifah, the words of Maya Angelou and Margaret Thatcher, the brilliance of Rosalind Franklin and Frida Kahlo, the bravery of Harriet Tubman and Marsha Johnson. I stand in awe of the perseverance of women through centuries of oppression and celebrate the revolutionary act of being exactly who you are. To describe “girl power” is to humanize ALL women and to elevate the voices of every single one of us. It is to honor the divine feminine as well as to own our masculine energy.  It is to do the intentional work of discovering your strengths and thrust that onto the world before it even dares to ask. Girl power is the demand that of all creation pay attention to us who give it life; for we are the nurturers, the protectors and the warriors of it all.

Empowering Girls and Women

Too many girls and women today do not understand that cultures have existed in history that upheld women as leaders, honored women as powerful agents, and elevated women as central to society’s survival. American culture hosts a million ways that girls and women are unknowingly taught to be quieter, to feel unworthy, to shrink ourselves, to be less. It is imperative that every girl and woman learn the truth about their power and harness it for good. History has shown that women are resilient, magnificent, brilliant, brave, and most specifically – of no lesser value. The rules around us are fake news and do not accurately reflect all that we are and can be! Girls and women must learn to be loud, take up space, demand visibility, take action, and ensure equality for all female-presenting humans.

Career Influence

A string of influential women have graced my path and shaped my career in unexpected ways. I find it’s not the ‘big break’ or ‘perfect job’ that launches us; but the quiet influence of people that pass like the seasons, as well as the hard parts that challenge us to change. My grandmother planted the helping seeds, teachers watered the sprouts, mentors tended the soil, friends hoisted the sagging branches, and somehow I withstood the storms with enough force to thrive. As a single mom, it often felt like endless days of multiple jobs, school, exhaustion, struggle… “and still, like air, I rise.” (Maya Angelou, 1978) There is so much power in the journey – and I wish for girls and young women to set their eyes on deconstructing what they think they know about the world and write their own path.

Life Shaping

As I was helping a customer one day at a jewelry store that I once I managed, I handed him a business card. With surprise in his voice, he declared that he recognized my name from his law books. That was the day I learned that my father was the first to gain custody of his child during a divorce settlement in our state. It was the mid 70’s and I vividly remember being one of very few “divorced kids” at my school. My father is an incredible man with an easy smile and tenacious spirit, and my mother is a punk rock bad@ss who lived a life of revolution. She moved to the upper east coast, devastated not to be taking me with her. As the years passed, I experienced a very different lifestyle and culture between the two environments, which significantly shaped my worldview. And despite the trauma I had to heal, I was also bestowed invaluable life experiences that shaped who I am today. And let me tell you how cool it was to bring fashion and music ‘back from the big city’ before it arrived in the Midwest. Oh gosh the pre-internet 80’s were amazing.

It Makes Me, ME

I have come to firmly believe that we land exactly where we should at each juncture of our journey. Many times those steps were unpleasant or difficult, and definitely not what I chose. But when we are more curious than we hold ego, we see the opportunity in each experience. I’ve learned that every life moment is filled with data that helps better understand oneself, others and the human experience. I like to think that I inherited some of the tenaciousness of my father and the badassery of my mother, and hopefully the persistence of my ancestors.  I hope to remain humble enough to learn, eager enough to try, flexible enough to adapt, forgiving enough to stumble, and brave enough to act.

Supporting Nonprofits

The most important aspect of ‘girl power’ is redistributing power to girls and women, especially to those who’ve been particularly marginalized. I cannot express a desire for equality without also taking action to create equitable environments and eradicating systems of oppression. Having worked in the human services field for nearly 30 years, my contributions feel meager under my office full of powerful women. Yet it is in their aura that I keep growing, pressing, adapting, and creating strategies to help people.

Today, I gain deep satisfaction from helping organizations that help people, supporting nonprofits and government agencies to stretch into maximum impact. Some days I wonder how the heck I got here and feel woefully unprepared to help the world. But then I remember that I carry the generational strength of the women before me; that I hold a responsibility to become a good ancestor; and that I am indeed a bad@ss warrior ready to rumble.

Help us support more projects that empower girls at: https://bit.ly/3r1t92b

Middle school girls in Adams County are moving into Action thanks to the efforts of YWCA and our support with project grant funds.

Girl Leaders

YWCA creates opportunities for middle school girls to become leaders in schools, churches and in their community, helping them to speak out against negativity like rumors and bullying with a positive voice in the world. YWCA Leaders aim to invest positive change and skill development in girls while creating a sense of emotional wellness.

“The girls in Adams County having been trying out new healthy activities, such as yoga.  They have also been exploring their creativity with a recent Halloween cookie decorating contest”, said YWCA Executive Director, Laura Stutte.

Space to Gain Skills

According to research, soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, effective communication, mediation, collaboration, creativity and strength of character, are critical to the healthy development of kids.  Girls in Action are afforded time and space to gain these soft skills together with the guidance of a caring adult leader with YWCA.

Interested in seeing more programs like Girls In Action out there supporting our girls across Nebraska? Share a gift today at: https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Christmas is a Time of Giving

Christmas is a time of giving, and Mystic Rhoads Productions (MRP) partners with Lincoln community organizations for this very reason!

Recognizing that there are kids in need, the MRP managed program called Baldorf Better Holidays aims to partner with community organizations to give gifts to kids that could use a little something extra under the Christmas tree.  The gift packages also help program participants get a head start on the second semester of the school year.

This year MRP will be serving kids in need at Roper Elementary School.  Mrs. Tara Claridge, guidance counselor at the school, appreciates what the program does for her students:

“Roper families are so grateful when they are able to receive a holiday gift bag for their children. Tough times have fallen on many people in our community these past couple years and having our Holiday Program has really made winter break and the holiday season special. I love seeing our students light up when they get a gift bag that they get to take home and keep. It’s an awesome program that really helps our families out during the holidays.”

Making the Holidays Special

The gift packages provided by MRP include winter clothing, school supplies, necessities (personal hygiene, dental care, etc.) and healthy snack packs for the holiday break.  It also includes toys, games, books and activities to help make the holidays special for participants.

The program is partially funded by the Snow Redfern Foundation and made possible through the generous support of Lincoln businesses and community volunteers.

Tis the season- help MRP help families who need additional support during the holidays.

Learn more about Baldorf Better Holidays here: https://mysticrhoads.org/what-we-do/better-holidays/

Help us support more projects that help kids at: https://bit.ly/3r1t92b

Returning to her Panhandle roots, new Youth in Power Program Director, Tristina Meister, has set her sights on creating programming that allows teens to get involved and engaged in their communities.

As a teen that grew up in the Panhandle, Tristina recalls firsthand how difficult being a teenager in rural and frontier areas can be. She is hopeful that providing opportunities for teens to get involved allows them to try new things, connect with other kids, and engage in the community in meaningful ways, other than school and sports options alone.

Tristina received her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Drake University and a master’s degree in child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology. She began her career working for Denver nonprofits, finding the work at Habitat for Humanity, AmeriCorps, and the Eating Recovery Center rewarding.

Her desire to continue working with kids while being closer to her own family and providing her beloved dogs open space to run, drove her decision to move back to the Panhandle.

With a couple of months now under her belt, Tristina has hit the ground running. As she ardently develops and implements this new program, she has found joy in recruiting young people to help create and lead the program as Youth Influencers.

“Youth in Power is a great opportunity for Youth from all different background to get involved, make a difference in their community and gain lifelong skills,” said Tristina.

Interested in helping us support great female leaders and important youth programs? Consider giving today at: https://bit.ly/3r1t92b

Girl Power

Snow-Redfern Board member and Division Production Control Manager with Parker Hannifin Corporation, Denise Harris, is the epitome of Girl Power in action.

“Girl power is simply having the confidence to challenge traditional gender roles and step up to the plate to do the right thing to make progress,” shared Denise.

Denise attributes her growth mindset and confidence as a female leader to her upbringing. Her parents expected her to work at the family hardware store and “get the job done,” teaching her that the better job you do, consistently, the more respect you earn.

“That has stuck with me,” she said. “They encouraged my abilities and supported me so that I could make mistakes and turn them into lessons that ultimately improved my life.”

Strong Female Role Model

Having a strong female role model- her mother- Denise did not initially understand gender inequality as a child. Her mother worked full time, coached her and her brother’s sporting events, and was always a strong supporter in the community. In middle school, she began to question why gender mattered, seeing gender-specific programs like “Girls Are Powerful” and Girl Scouts that operated on gender.

As she matured and began to observe that women were traditionally underrepresented in leadership roles, she was able to understand the importance of the female engagement she had witnessed in gender-specific programs as a child.

Because of her strong background of empowerment, Denise went on to receive her degree at UNL and is now a leader in the community, refusing to give credence to inequality as a factor in that role.

When asked why girls should be empowered to be strong, independent, compassionate leaders, she said:

“Even if you are in a male-dominated industry or looking into a career that is currently male-dominated, you need to have the confidence to know you have something to contribute that is going to benefit others! Having a diverse representation on any leadership team brings more depth and complexity to the organization, making it robust!”

Giving Back Through Snow-Redfern Foundation

Denise invests her talents and leadership with various organizations in the community, including the Snow-Redfern Foundation Board, while also devoting herself to her family, friends, and career.

“Knowing that I’m contributing to something greater than myself helps to drive my sense of purpose. Being on the board has educated me on so many programs and opportunities for our youth and it is so encouraging to see that the support is there to develop the next generation of strong & independent leaders!”

Want to help us continue to support Girl Power in Action? Give the gift of empowerment today at: https://www.snowredfern.org/give-today/

Today, Snow-Redfern Foundation is celebrating 70 years of empowering youth with a special focus this year on empowering girls! We are declaring December 1st (our birthday) as the Day of Girls- in honor of our founder, Arvilla, and all the amazing girls that deserve a shout out!

the United Nations Foundation introduced and celebrated the Day of the Girl and the extraordinary power of girls in our world.  This year’s theme, “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030,” highlights the importance of girls to achieving the global goals for sustainable development. Simply put: To reach our global goals, we have to reach girls.

Join us tonight from 5-7pm at our open house to learn more about how we are honoring Arvilla and impacting kids!  The open house will be at our new office- 305 Box Butte Ave in Alliance, and more details can be found on our Facebook event page!

Here are five reasons why empowering adolescent girls matters to all of us, as shared by the UN Foundation (https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/5-reasons-why-empowering-girls-matters/):

  1. It’s her right.

Fundamentally, this is a human rights issue. Discrimination has no place in the 21st century, and every girl has the right to go to school, stay safe from violence, access health services, and fully participate in her community.

  1. Empowered girls mean healthier families.

When girls are educated, healthy, and empowered, families are healthier. According to UNESCO, 2.1 million children under age 5 were saved between 1990 and 2009 because of improvements in girls’ education. And closing the gap in the unmet need for family planning for the 225 million girls and women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy but aren’t using modern contraception would reduce maternal deaths by 67% and newborn deaths by 77%.

  1. Empowered girls are key to breaking the cycle of poverty for families around the world.

Research from the Brookings Institution has found that every additional year of school increases a girls’ eventual wages by an average of 12% – earnings she invests back into her family. Empowered, educated girls have healthier, better educated children and higher wages – helping to break the cycle of poverty.

  1. Empowered girls strengthen economies.

According to a new Brookings report, “Increasing the number of women completing secondary education by just 1 percent could increase a country’s economic growth by 0.3 percent.” Additionally, a report just released by the McKinsey Global Institute found that if women’s level of participation in the labor market was the same as men’s it would add up to $28 trillion to annual global GDP in 2025.

  1. Did we mention it’s the right thing to do?

Investing in girls is one of the smartest things we can do to promote a healthier, more prosperous world. More importantly, it’s the right thing to do. Every girl has the right to be in charge of her future and her fate, and we have the collective obligation to protect her rights and promote her wellbeing.

This is a priority for Snow-Redfern Foundation. To join our movement to support our programs that empower adolescent girls, visit

 

44 new project grants have been awarded to nonprofits across Nebraska!

Helping young people is the inspiration that moves us—but where does it lead?

Experience has guided us toward three pathways where we can foster the greatest change: Basic Needs, Well-Being, and Education. In each, we have met so many exceptional, caring people who are impacting young lives every day.

Our role is to provide the funding that empowers the work they do.

As our 2021 grant cycle finalizes, we are encouraged by the inspirational work being done by our nonprofit partners, including through their recent grant applications.

This year’s project grant cycle challenged applicants to align their grant goals with their local public health district’s Community Health Improvement Plans, so we are excited to see how they can increase impact for children in their region.

The most prevalent connections cited were mental health and access to services with basic needs being the most common priority area.

“In the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of applications seeking to address food insecurity and unmet basic needs for children.  This year, however, we saw more applications that intend to focus on well-being and children’s mental health”, said Grant Committee Chairman, Jared Mracek. 

In fact, over 50% of the applications cited strategies directly linked to mental health in some capacity, including some applications that were additionally focusing on basic needs and education.

“Mental health is an important part of overall health and well-being. It includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how we think, feel, and act. It is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood”, shared Executive Director, Sara Nicholson.

Our focus is giving these 44 grant recipients the funding, support, and other resources to do more of the things they do best.

Join us in acknowledging this year’s project grant awardees!

  • Nebraska Family Support Network
  • Camp Scott
  • CASA- South Central NE-Franklin County
  • Lexington Public Schools Backpack Program
  • CASA Connection
  • YWCA Adams County
  • African Culture Connection
  • Carnegie Arts Center
  • TeamMates of Scotts Bluff County
  • Nebraska 4H Foundation
  • CASA of South Central Nebraska
  • Panhandle Partnership dba CAPWN
  • United Way of Western Nebraska
  • Panhandle Public Health District
  • Willow Branch Foundation
  • Fillmore County CASA
  • CASA for York County
  • Compass
  • City Sprouts Inc
  • Poverty Impact Network, Inc
  • Omaha Conservatory of Music
  • Dawson County Parent-Child Protective Services
  • Panhandle Partnership Inc
  • Nebraska Children’s Home Society
  • CASA of Northeast Nebraska Inc
  • Alliance Recreation Center
  • Lexington Public School
  • Mystic Rhoads Productions Inc
  • Carpenter Center
  • PlainsWest CASA
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Nebraska
  • Threads of Grace
  • DIBS for Kids
  • Southeast Nebraska CASA
  • Family Navigation Program- CASA
  • Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska
  • Alliance Bulldog Backpack Program
  • WhyArts Inc
  • Trails West CASA Inc
  • Banister’s Leadership Academy
  • Cirrus House
  • LyonHeart Equine Assisted Learning
  • Families CARE Inc
  • Banister’s Leadership Academy

When 250 volunteers in Western Nebraska come together to package 80,000 meals there is a sense of community connectedness that exemplifies the good in people. United Way is at the heart of this movement they call Day of Caring, coordinating an event where the volunteers package shelf-stable meals that remain in the community for food insecure families, children, and seniors.

Addressing Pervasive Food Insecurity

25,000 of those meals are provided to food insecure youth in Box Butte and Dawes County by United Way of Western Nebraska, where poverty rates are pervasive. 28.8% of children under 18 and 48.2% of children under age five live in poverty in Box Butte County and 15.6% of youth under 18 and 19.3% under age five live in poverty in Dawes County.

Snow-Redfern grant funds help United Way provide nutritious shelf stable meals to food insecure families, seniors, and youth, with a focus on alleviating hunger. But the grant funds are just a piece of the larger coordination required to combat such a significant issue.

Meeting Children’s Basic Needs

Karen Benzel, Director of United Way of Western Nebraska, serving Box Butte and Dawes Counties, also coordinates other activities aimed at collaboration across agencies and increasing reach as it relates to poverty, including the Poverty Task force.

“Snow-Redfern Foundation grant funds create a lasting impact in our community. The funding partnership that Snow-Redfern Foundation provides to our program allows United Way of Western Nebraska to meet basic needs for at-risk youth and their families by providing access to quality nutrient-rich foods and United Way is able to serve our community through addressing food insecurity in large part due to the funding partnership of Snow-Redfern Foundation,” shared Karen.

It cannot be repeated enough-it takes a village to raise a family and this village is full of caring and supportive volunteers that are stepping up for those families that need a little help to get through tough times. We are proud to be one of the many entities that support this important work.

 

 

 

 

Jared Mracek grew up on a cow/calf ranch north of Alliance, Nebraska.  From a very young age, he found joy working with animals and knew that he wanted to study them in college one day.  His ranch upbringing taught him strong ranch values, including hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

“Living the ranch life has provided ample opportunities for me to develop many skills I may not have otherwise developed”, shared Jared.

He later used some of these same skills to complete his formal education in Animal Science and achieve his master’s degree in Ruminant Nutrition.

“After college, the heart for the ranch life brought me back to Western Nebraska to work with cattle on my family ranch and start a family of my own”. 

Living the Ranch Life

Now Jared shares this with his wife Melissa and their two beautiful children, Brayden and Hadleigh and uses his all the life-long skills he has developed as the Feed Division Manager at WESTCO.

Reflecting on his middle school days, Jared recalls having kids in his class that resided at the Nebraska Boys Ranch. He spent time getting to know them, always interested in their life stories that brought them to the Ranch.  He never forgot those touching stories, and when he was asked to join the Snow-Redfern Foundation board (formerly the Nebraska Boys Ranch), Jared knew he could make a difference for kids like the ones he met in middle school.

Impacting Thousands of Kids

What he did not initially realize when he committed to the work of the organization was that in addition to creating opportunities for local kids, he would have the opportunity to impact thousands of kids across the entire state during his time on the board.

As a dedicated board member, Vice President, and Grant Committee Chairperson, Jared has continually demonstrated how “ranch values” can be shared in his community and across the state.

If you are interested in helping share these values with kids across Nebraska, considering giving today at: https://bit.ly/3lwhtjl