On May 22, Civic Nebraska will join hundreds of Omaha-area organizations participating in OMAHA GIVES!, the Metro’s annual 24-hour giving event. The great news is that if you like, you can schedule your donation anytime before the big day and it will still count toward our total on May 22.Â
Wondering just what Civic Nebraska does on a daily basis in the state’s largest city to build a more modern and robust democracy? We’re glad you asked:
1. We bridge schools with their Omaha neighborhoods.
Our Community Learning Centers at Lothrop, Sherman, and Lewis & Clark schools are neighborhood centers, serving hundreds of children before and after school every day. Students receive social, emotional, nutritional, and civic development, and are empowered to take part in community-building activities that build lifelong skills.
2. We inspire Omaha youth to act.
Becoming a young civic leader means taking action in the community. Street Team brings these opportunities directly to Omaha middle schoolers. In addition, service learning builds critical learning, civil discourse and civic leadership skills. Street Team also compels students to reflect upon their projects’ impacts. Through it all, they master the skills needed for active citizenship.
3. We empower Omaha girls.
Society tells girls their career aspirations shouldn’t include leadership or policymaking. And girls in underserved areas often are told their futures will be much like their present. Our Circles program changes that. We partner highly successful professional women with girls as role models, who demonstrate real-world skills they use to succeed in their careers. Along the way, students gain empowerment and a pathway to careers otherwise considered unattainable.
4. We protect Omaha voters.
Whether successfully fighting and advocating for online voter registration, uniform election guides, or access to polls on Election Day, our Voting Rights Initiatives advocate for voters across the city. In 2018, Civic Nebraska deployed more than 150 Election Protectors around Nebraska – including dozens in Douglas and Sarpy counties – to ensure problems at the ballot box were averted. Â
5. We build strong Omaha neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods across Omaha are home to knowledgeable and confident community leaders. To connect, organize, and activate them, Civic Nebraska sponsors ONE Omaha, which supports resident-led quality of life improvements across the city. The result is stronger social connectedness, community engagement, confidence in institutions, and civic involvement.
Your gift during OMAHA GIVES! goes directly to supporting these and other programs that benefit Omaha kids, neighbors, voters, and civic institutions. Click the link below to donate and to help us defend and sustain democracy from the ground up in the Metro. Thanks!
