Kids Can Community Center has an organizational history in Omaha for over a century. Established in 1908 as Social Settlement Association of Omaha, the organization was rebranded to Kids Can Community Center in 2009 to better reflect their vision and programs.
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Dr. Leland Olson was a student in the Palmyra school district in the 1930’s. When Leland’s father died unexpectedly before he graduated from high school, the mayor and school principal stepped in to help his family continue to operate the family hardware store. This allowed Leland to finish high school, move on to college and eventually graduate from medical school.
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The Child Saving Institute Inc., founded in 1892, is an organization based in Omaha, NE that has a very strong and clear message: they’ll do everything they can to ensure victims of child abuse and neglect are well-taken care of and supported through early adulthood. Their range of services have several branches: child welfare, early childhood education, juvenile justice, mental health, and prevention.
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The Salvation Army of Omaha, Nebraska is a long-standing organization that has provided help to hundreds of thousands of the Metro Omaha community’s most vulnerable residents since 1896. With time, the organization has broadened its supportive services but maintained the one core goal: to meet human needs without discrimination.
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Established in 1996, Bike Works is a non-profit organization in Seattle, WA that promotes the bicycle as a vehicle for change to empower youth and build resilient communities. In addition to providing affordable refurbished bikes and repair services through their social enterprise bike shop, Bike Works offers a variety of environmental, educational, and community-building services. Their youth programs range from mechanics, to cycling, to job readiness, to leadership development, with progressive opportunities for paid employment. Adults participate through volunteerism, mechanics classes, and group rides. Furthermore, Bike Works processes over 7,000 bike donations every year for use in their programs, community giveaways, and full-service bike shop. That comes out to about 250,000 pounds of recyclable materials diverted from the waste stream every year!
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“The unwavering support and impassioned commitment of the Olson Foundation to the Siena Francis House gives a voice and purpose to those persons in Omaha experiencing homelessness. Today, countless people have followed a path to permanent housing because of the Olson family.”
"Mentoring is an investment into the lives of our youth and our TeamMates Mentoring Program is so grateful for the support from the Olson Foundation. TeamMates is a school-based mentoring program that has served and supported 43,000 matches since its beginning in 1991. Research shows that Hope is the greatest indicator of success, and with the support of the Olson Foundation, TeamMates was able to continue to mentor approximately 10,000 students throughout the pandemic. Thank you to the Olson Foundation for providing Hope to our youth."
"The Olson Foundation has been instrumental in helping Teammates Mentoring function effectively during the Covid pandemic. Even though many schools were closed, TeamMates was able to continue one-to-one mentoring via a virtual portal funded by a grant from the Olson Foundation. Despite the pandemic, our TeamMates Mentoring high school graduation rate for the 2020-2021 school year was the highest ever at 98%. We are most appreciative of the support of the Olson Foundation as we continue to mentor our youth virtually and in-person."
"Cocoon House has been delighted and grateful to partner with The Olson Foundation, working together to provide housing for homeless and at-risk youth throughout Snohomish County. The Olson Foundation has been a steadfast supporter, a long-time advocate for youth experiencing housing instability, and has recently invested in helping to creatively expand our residential services for teens through our new Host Home program. Our partnership over the years has helped to meet the diverse and unique needs of young people in crisis, enabling them to remain safe, advance toward stability, and realize their full potential."
“The Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Charitable Foundation is a respected and appreciated supporter of Assistance League® of Omaha (ALO). Operation School Bell® is the lighthouse philanthropic program of ALO. Due to the Olson Foundation’s ongoing support, thousands of Omaha children in need have been fully dressed in warm school clothing. Our partnership with Olson ensures that ALO meets our mission of serving the needs of our community.”
“The Olson Foundation’s ongoing support for Bike Works has made our community stronger by providing free and sliding-scale access to bicycles, repair, mechanics classes, and riding opportunities for youth and adults in South Seattle. The Olson Foundation’s trust and generosity give us the confidence to think boldly about our future together, led by the experience of our community.”
