EDGE Nebraska City recently launched the public phase of a $500,000 Endowment Campaign. This endowment will ensure long term sustainability that will allow EDGE Nebraska City to meet the needs of our community for generations. This endowment will help EDGE and Nebraska City move the needle on poverty and give all kids and families an EDGE.
In January 2021 the Pledge to EDGE Committee began meeting with community members to share the story of EDGE and the need for long term sustainability. Through those conversations over $270,000 has been committed in pledges and gifts to date, putting us at the halfway mark of our overall goal of $500,000 by December of 2021.
Mission and Vision: EDGE Nebraska City believes every member of our community deserves an edge in life. We exist to provide that edge through literacy programs, fostering community engagement and providing opportunities to better understand poverty. The work of EDGE Nebraska City is not focused on one sector of the community, we believe the work of poverty reduction involves the entire community. Our vision of seeing reduced poverty rates in Nebraska City by the year 2036 will take a variety of strategies and we are building the infrastructure to develop and implement those strategies.
Our History: In 2016, dedicated community members began to meet and discuss growing community trends. These trends revealed local poverty rates (especially free/reduced lunch rates) were growing at a rapid pace. Research began on the best practices for interrupting the poverty cycle. From those meetings, the idea of EDGE Nebraska City was born. EDGE programming focuses on literacy, parent engagement, connecting students to their community and relationship building across all community sectors.
EDGE Programming: EDGE Nebraska City offers a variety of programming:
Early EDGE provides newborns and their parents a free book and literacy resources at birth and every well baby check during the child’s first year. Book Besties (Reader’s EDGE): In Preschool-2nd Grade classrooms at Head Start, Lourdes Central Catholic and Nebraska City Public School are matched with a “Book Bestie”. This volunteer visits the classroom once a month to read a story and share in activity. At the conclusion each student is given a copy of the book to keep. By the time a student starts 3rd grade they will have a personal library of 27+ books. EDGE Nebraska City has given out over 12,000 books in the past 5 years.
Kindergarten Ready Bag: When a child attends Kindergarten Roundup at Lourdes Central Catholic or Nebraska City Public Schools they are provided with a Kindergarten Ready Bag full of tools and activities to help them prepare for their first day of school.
Super Citizens (Citizens EDGE): Once a quarter community volunteers visit Hayward Elementary classroom to lead activities about what it means to be a super citizen in your family, classroom and community. This program has a service learning component that further connects students to their community, Beginning in 2023 a financial literacy piece will also be added.
Poverty Education: EDGE Nebraska City is committed to providing educational opportunities to individuals and groups wanting to learn more about poverty. Poverty Simulation events, Bridges Out of Poverty training and lunch and learns are offered on an ongoing basis.
To learn more about EDGE Nebraska City or to make a Pledge to EDGE please visit www.edgenebraskacity.com or contact us at edgenebcity@gmail.com
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