The Quad Cities is home to a vibrant and diverse population, but resources to succeed aren’t distributed equally to all of our neighbors. Kids are born ready to learn, but it’s on us as a community to give them the right opportunities.
United Way QC’s African American Leadership Society recognized this need in our community, and announced their AALS Grants back in December that would invest $100,000 to help meet the education, financial stability and health needs of Black students in the Quad Cities.
After a rigorous selection process, eleven local groups received the AALS Grants, including local Black-led nonprofits and organizations that serve African American youth in the Quad Cities.
Together, these organizations are working hand in hand to tackle the persistent underlying issues that affect too many kids and families.
Funded programming includes literacy help for kids in kindergarten through third grade, STEM initiatives for elementary school students, and life coaching and skill development for high schoolers in the Quad Cities, among other targeted investments.
As Black History Month comes to a close, we wanted to share with you a little about each organization helping to create opportunity with AALS.
A System Within A System (ASWAS) Inc.
Funding priority: Increase student access to career exploration, activities and awareness.
A System Within A System is a six-part program designed to address the disparities in systems that directly affect Black youth. By addressing these barriers, ASWAS equips participants with the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom and in life.
Middle and high school students participate in six, one-hour sessions that include the importance of higher education, financial literacy, health and wellness, navigating the judicial system, understanding economics and the importance of purchasing a home and the necessary resources to do so. There is also a ASWAS summit that takes place where national speakers come to the QC and do workshops with the youth to empower.
Heart of Hope Ministries
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
In 2015, Heart of Hope Ministries launched the Neighborhood After School Program, for kids aged 5 to 13 in Rock Island. The program aims to give kids the tools and resources needed to be successful in the classroom through tutoring support, individualized attention, field trips and empowerment.
Due to COVID, funding for this program was halted, but with help from the AALS Grants, Heart of Hope will expand their program to two to three times per week to serve even more students.
Iowa Jobs for America's Graduates (iJAG)
Funding priority: Increase student access to career exploration, activities and awareness.
For over 24 years, iJag has acknowledged the role inequalities play in shaping the experiences of students in our community, which has led to a cycle of limited access to education and workforce opportunities.
The iJag program partners with nine schools to provide programming focused on academics, workforce development, career exploration and real-world job experience for students here in the Quad Cities.
Last year, iJag celebrated a 94% graduation rate across all Quad Cities programs, and will use the AALS Grants to give this opportunity to even more kids in the coming years.
Narratives
Funding priority: Provide support for high school/college students for college access, persistence or completion.
Narratives works with young adults between the ages of 19 and 25, many of whom have aged out of other youth service programs and need help navigating the challenges of young adulthood.
Through life coaching and skill development, Narratives provides Black and minority young adults with the tools to maintain and continue their education through and beyond high school, creating lasting change in their life, their family and their community.
Each Narratives program participant receives hands-on, individualized attention to address their knowledge gaps and build their self-confidence to complete their GED and/or enroll in and complete post-secondary education programs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
Through the Kids Invested in Natural Growth (KING) program, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center addresses developmental needs of K-12th grade students in the West End of Rock Island.
The KING program includes an after-school program and summer day camp that set goals toward academic improvement, grade promotion and engagement with science, technology, engineering, art and math.
With the help from the AALS Grants, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center can expand their services to serve even more kids in the Quad Cities.
Safer Foundation
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
Safer Foundation is dedicated to supporting our neighbors who are reentering society and are ready for a better future after being impacted by the criminal justice legal system.
Since 1996, Safer Foundation’s Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) has served at-risk kids in the Quad Cities. Due to adverse experiences, these students struggle to complete high school in the traditional setting.
With the AALS Grants, Safer Foundation will expand their services to serve even more students in need by providing the tools and resources needed for students to put the past behind them and move forward with increased confidence, and the skills needed to enter the workforce and contribute to our community in a meaningful and productive way.
Spring Forward
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
Since its inception, Spring Forward has supported thousands of students in kindergarten through sixth grade, helping them to increase literacy, academic, and social skills through fun and engaging out-of-school programming.
With the AALS Grant, Spring Forward will expand existing after-school programs at four locations across the Quad Cities to address pandemic-induced learning loss in racially and economically isolated schools.
The four proposed sites for expansion have the highest minority student percentages in their districts, and will focus on reading support for elementary aged students.
St. Ambrose University
Funding priority: Provide support for high school/college students for college access, persistence or completion.
Through their Pathways Program, St. Ambrose University is on a mission to expose students to the opportunities that await them in college.
The program begins with inviting student groups from local middle schools to visit campus for a tour, panel discussion with students who represent similar backgrounds, and interactions with faculty and staff. The program also gives students the opportunity to join support programs that help develop student’s learning skills and peer networking.
Funding from the AALS Grants will create even more opportunities for students to connect with campus resources, their peers and with the Quad Cities through service projects.
STEAM on Wheels
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
Steam on Wheels focuses on providing students with learning opportunities that may not be available in a traditional classroom, specifically with educational science experiments, hands-on projects, and interactions with volunteers in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) field.
Thanks to the AALS Grants, STEAM on Wheels will extend these opportunities with the launch of their Lunch Break STEAM Education initiative, which will bring STEAM programming to each elementary school in Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline and East Moline School Districts.
This new program provides academic support to 2nd-6th grade students, featuring engineering challenges, science experiments and other science-based learning.
Vine Ministry
Funding priority: Provide timely community-based academic supports that keep K-12 students academically on track.
Vine Ministry understands that properly fed students enter classrooms ready to learn and grow. That’s why they administer a food pantry that offers products like fruits, meats, milk and vegetable for families in need at the JB Young Center.
With the AALS Grants, Vine Ministry plans will expand their reach through community partnerships to build on their community garden initiative.
Young Lion's Roar
Funding Priority: Increase student access to career exploration, activities and awareness.
Young Lions Roar provides creative arts workshops for students to develop writing, performative skills, and social-emotional awareness skills, while also providing community opportunities pertaining to sharing their art through open mics and showcases.
With the AALS Grants, the Young Lion’s Roar Project will provide learning experiences centered around literary arts from the perspective of a career. The sessions will be led by professionals in the field of art and mental health, and will engage and empower students to use their creativity to create a career.
About African American Leadership Society
Together, with the help of the eleven funded organizations, the African American Leadership Grants are building a stronger, more equitable community so everyone can thrive.
The African American Leadership Society is a network of motivated advocates, donors and volunteers who are eager to support and enhance educational opportunities for all Quad Cities African American kids.
