*The following article was written by members of the Fundraising Task Group.
Over the course of the semester, the fundraising team worked diligently to execute an online fundraiser for a local nonprofit on behalf of the entire Strive to Thrive Lincoln class. After narrowing down the nonprofit choices and presenting options to the class, we landed on Good Life Community Development (GLCD).
Good Life Community Development is a young nonprofit organization that focuses on crisis prevention for at-risk individuals in Lincoln through stability coaching. You can learn more about their stability coaching process here: https://youtu.be/CRqaPy54gWU
Before the fundraiser officially began, we heard from Good Life Community Development’s Executive Director Bill Radtke. During his visit to our class, we learned about the specifics of GLCD’s program and why they do what they do.
When asked where GLCD’s stability coaching came from, Bill Radtke said the idea came from the question, “Can you predict or prevent a poverty situation from happening in someone’s life?”
Hearing more about the mission of Good Life Community Development solidified for us that they were a great fit for our class fundraiser. The fundraising team worked alongside GLCD to set up a campaign, and collaborated with the College of Business Communications, Marketing and External Relations team on marketing materials. The online fundraiser ran Oct. 19-Nov. 2, and in those two weeks, we were able to raise $1,698 for this young (almost three-year-old) nonprofit!
At our Grant Ceremony, Bill Radtke shared with us the impact of our fundraiser. A portion of the money we raised already helped an individual who is currently going through their stability coaching program. This individual had been working on getting caught up on their water bill. Just when the bill was paid, the individual's water heater broke. The money we raised for GLCD was able to assist this individual and resolve the problem, helping avoid a crisis.
Those at the grant ceremony also got to learn from Bill about a major project GLCD recently embarked upon: raising funds to open a social enterprise restaurant in Lincoln. The restaurant, called Ybor (pronounced ee-bor), is named after Ybor City, Florida, where the Cuban sandwich was invented. Beyond the featured menu item of a Cuban sandwich, what will set Ybor apart is its identification as "A Second Chance Kitchen", as they will provide a year-long workforce development and coaching program for people desiring to redirect their lives after incarceration. Ybor and the program sponsored by GLCD will help individuals become contributing members of the Lincoln Community.
On behalf of the fundraising team, thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraiser, whether it was through assisting with coordination, or through a financial gift. Even taking the time to learn more about Good Life Community Development is a contribution. We are proud to have advocated for such a worthy organization.
Learn more about Good Life Community Development: https://www.goodlifecommunitydevelopment.com/
Learn more about Ybor: A Second Chance Kitchen: https://www.yborforgood.com/