Lexington Nebraska, is a community of 10,146 people from more than forty documented nationalities, who speak more than twenty different languages. Our school has identified 574 homeless students in the district, this is limited only to families who have children in the public school system. Lexington has a housing crisis. According to officials, we have an estimated housing vacancy rate of 3%, compared to a "healthy" rate of 6-7%. The City's plan includes adding 60 housing units annually until 2030. But, unit affordability for impoverished families due to low wages and job availability may present a challenge to these families.
The mission of Micah's House is to bring youth and families, faith-based opportunities that reduce poverty, reverse at-risk behaviors, restore wholeness and redeem potential for a bright and hopeful future. We will be providing transitional housing, life skill development, and education for families dealing with homelessness.
Our project has three essential components:
1) Leadership Training ($450): To identify individual strengths of board members to best serve working task groups and the engagement of volunteers. Intercultural competence training will be essential to working with client families and volunteers. We will invite other organizations to participate in this learning opportunity to build community cultural awareness
2) Blessing Box Pantry ($400): Build and plant multiple food and personal care item pantries. This fills a gap in access to emergency food for youth and families over weekends and summer months without school food programs.
3) Brand Development and Communications ($400) - The development of a premium identifying logo and outreach materials to place in pantries with contact and resource information for Micah's House. To nurture support of community partners, services, and donors about sustainable support of the Blessing Box Pantries.
There will be a Rotarian as the main contact and communication person with the cooperating organization to assist with lining up Rotary and Interact volunteers, writing reports, and working with the Rotary club treasurer on the financial tracking of the project. Rotarians will be invited to work with their local Interact group to help build and plant the Blessing Boxes. Rotarians will be encouraged to collect donations to initially stock the Blessing Boxes, and to take a turn monitoring the Blessing Boxes if they wish. We intend to provide a Cultural Competency Training Opportunity for the Rotarians and the Interact Group.
Projected Start Date: August 1, 2017
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