Your generosity provides resources to students, families, educators, schools, and alumni to ensure that every student meets their full potential.
Meet Peyton, Student Artist And Mural Creator
Every gift makes an impact in multiple ways.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the impact one simple gift can have on the world around us. Whether that impact begins with a student getting funds so they can receive recognition on a national stage for the first time, a teacher getting that little something extra so they can deliver creative and more impactful learning opportunities to students, or a high school senior getting a scholarship to aid in their higher education, it all helps a student reach their full potential.
The list of students, teachers, families, parents, alumni, and community members who are impacted by the incredible gifts to Lincoln Public Schools is a long one. When you extend that list to include second and third degree impacts, well the list becomes more of a book.
It’s a thought that not only inspires me daily in my outreach and work with Lincoln Public Schools, but it’s a comfort to me during hard times. One gift can have an impact that is three or four degrees separated from the original recipient. It’s really an incredible thing and it’s an event that happens many times over. When we say the ending of every story is the beginning of another—it’s highly accurate. In fact, many times I look at it as “there are no endings.”
To illustrate this thought, the article within this newsletter about Peyton, a student at Northeast High Shcool who was sponsored by FEWSS and UNL is the perfect testament to the domino effect of one gift. Peyton took initiative to further her skills around drawing and painting after taking a class that sparked her interest in these arts. That passion and determination is coming to life in a mural she is painting in the hallways of Northeast High School that will showcase how careers and education will change in the future. The project was made possible through your gifts via the Fund a Need Campaign efforts.
So, remember, when providing a gift to our students and families—that gift is doing so much more than the original intent. The impact travels from that student and that family to the community—and possibly from our community to others. The stories we have are truly stories without endings.
Wendy Van PresidentAs a child, many of us had at least one teacher who changed our life. One teacher who let us be ourselves, who we could talk to about anything, and who believed we could do incredible things.
Teachers are more than just educators. Outside of parents or guardians, teachers are some of the most impactful people in a student’s life. Tomi and Kevin Klein have seen how teachers make a difference in the lives of their students. One of Tomi’s sisters taught kindergarten and the other worked as a secretary in a high school. Both of Tomi’s sisters used a lot of their own money to help kids get school supplies or to buy supplies for classrooms.
The recipients of The Klein Helpen Fund are able to use the money at their own discretion to help improve their classrooms. Teachers may choose to use the funds for classroom needs, to aid in supplies for a specific child, or to help improve the quality of education in their classroom.
Funds will rotate through LPS Title 1 schools each year. Teachers in Title 1 schools are encouraged to apply for funds and each application is reviewed by the Foundation and the principals of the Title 1 schools. Funds will be given to educators who have the biggest need.
The Klein family understands how hard it is for first-year teachers to get settled, especially in schools with students who have more daily needs. The Kleins want to take that burden off of the teachers.
“We need more quality educators” The Kleins say. “Many teachers are deciding to leave their classrooms due to the lack of funding.” The Kleins hope this fund not only helps teachers secure the tools they need for their classrooms and their students, but encourages teachers to stay in the education field—it’s a career that is incredibly important to our community and families.
The Kleins have been a part of the Lincoln community for decades and all of their children have gone through the Lincoln Public Schools system. Education was always a pivotal focus in their household while their kids were growing up. The Kleins have seen firsthand the efforts teachers make to be positive role models for their students, both via their own children and Tomi’s sisters. This is why they have now created The Klein Helpen Fund. Helpen, the Dutch word for help, is designed to do just that—assist five first-year teachers in Title 1 schools.
The Klein Helpen Fund is expected to be available for the 2023/2024 school year.
Teachers are some of the most important people a student will ever meet.
-The Kleins
The Fielding Dreams Capital Campaign is in full swing. We have been truly blessed and humbled by the generosity of the community and local Lincoln businesses. While the momentum has been great, we still have a ways to go. We know the community will continue to give to the efforts and embrace the goal until every dollar is met.
In 2020, Lincoln voters passed a $290M school bond that included a $15.4M investment in activity complexes at Lincoln Northwest and Standing Bear high schools. This covers roughly half of the projected $33M cost of the complexes. The remaining $17.6M is being raised by the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools through the Fielding Dreams Capital Campaign.
The need for the two new high schools comes from a rapidly growing LPS student population with a paralleled increase in students interested in extracurricular activities. LPS has been short on facilities for a while, but the limitation is creating an even larger negative impact as time goes on for LPS students, families, staff, and the community.
The incredible payoff of these complexes isn’t just about the activities or the families and friends who are spectators at these events, but the community. If we can attract and bring in more events, local business owners also do well. It’s really a win-win-win for all of us.
All LPS kids should have the opportunity to grow through competing and working as a team. Whether it is in band or sports, the more opportunities we can give our Lincoln students, the stronger our future will be as a community and city.
–Chris Whitehead (Donor)Athletics—formal, intramural, or just recreational—play an important role in the development of student’s confidence, rapport, teamwork, and physical health. These facilities will enhance student and general public opportunities throughout the year.
- Derrel Martin (Donor)Derrel Martin, in honor of his late wife JoAnn, contributed to the tennis courts at Lincoln Standing Bear High School, opening in the Fall 2023. All six courts will be named the “JoAnn and Derrel Martin Courts.”
Q. What impact will these facilities have on not only Standing Bear, but LPS and Lincoln as a whole?
A. The additional space for competition and practice for students, not only within LPS but Lincoln as a whole, is fantastic. Finding space for students to practice and being able to accommodate practice at a decent time is something that many organizations and coaches struggle to accommodate. The facilities at Standing Bear High School will help alleviate this.
Q. How will these facilities impact art-based activies?
Over 1,228 athletic student-participants (football, band, cheer, and dance), from six LPS high schools, were able to use the new field turf at UBT Stadium during the fall 2022 season. Being able to host more athletic contests and activity performances at UBT Stadium allows for more opportunities for athletic and activity student participants and coaches to compete and perform on the field turf.
-JJ Toczek (LPS Director of Athletics)A. The campus in general gives many opportunities for classes, clubs, and activities to both practice but also create. Art classes have a larger landscape by which to photograph or draw from. Band has space to practice not only as a large ensemble but also as a smaller group. Having space on site means that coaches, sponsors, and teachers don’t have to struggle to find a space for their group to be.
Q. What is the impact of the support from the community?
A. The students and youth of Lincoln are very lucky to have a community that wants their experience in the arts, band, and athletics to be top-notch. We are grateful for the continued support not only by families but by local businesses to ensure these experiences will be quality for years to come.
Take every opportunity to learn from what is presented to you. This is something that students throughout LPS are always being told. Every student in any LPS high school has the opportunity to join any one of the seven Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) that are offered. These organizations teach students about leadership, personal growth, applied learning, and real-world situations. CTSO activities, programs, and competitive events assist students in developing a career path and a program of study. They also aid in helping students acquire the skills and abilities necessary for success in a chosen CTSO field. Students can occupy leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels. They are then given the opportunity to attend leadership development conferences to network with other students and corporate and industry partners.
CTSOs include:
• FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
• DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America)
• FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
• SkillsUSA
• HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
• Educators Rising
• FFA (Future Farmers of America)
Participating students have the opportunity to qualify for national contests in any CTSO program each year. These out-of-state competitions are regarded as non-school sponsored events and thus there is no funding available to support students and sponsors to attend. Students who qualify for these competitions must raise sufficient funds to pay travel and registration expenses. Sometimes, if they fall short, they must pay out of pocket. Your gifts help alleviate the financial load on sponsors and allow CTSO students to participate in these once-in-a-lifetime events.
Bubba’s Closet was put in place over twenty years ago to ensure that every student in the LPS school district has winter clothing during the cold, blistery months. A simple thing for some families to provide—a not so simple thing for others. Over the years the number of LPS students who are in need of winter clothing has increased. This is why a group of LPS elementary school principals stepped up and started Bubba’s Closet—and the tradition continues to be passed on.
The winter season of the 2022/2023 school year brought temperatures as low as -9 degrees, along with 8.8 inches of snow. This school year not only brought icy temperatures, but an increasing amount of requests for winter clothing— in fact the district received nearly 300 more requests for winter clothing than the 2021/2022 school year. As the demand increases, so does the impact of this event on Lincoln Public Schools’ children and families.
As usual, when our community was presented with a challenge—you rose to conquer it. To date, every request for winter clothing has been fulfilled, providing over 1,300 winter coats to families in the LPS school district.
“There’s an emotional aspect to this need,” said Cavett Elementary principal Kathleen Dering. “Kids feel better about themselves when they have the necessary clothing.” Dering says the beauty of the Bubba’s Closet program is that it spans every elementary school in Lincoln, so any parent with a child in need will be taken care of.
Throughout the twenty years of this campaign, the need has been evident and ongoing. Each elementary school continues to notice students walking through the front doors wearing coats that are hand-me-downs and have little to no warmth. LPS families count on the yearly drive to provide warm clothing throughout the winter season. This isn’t a need anyone expects to go away.
Even though we’re heading into summer, help jump-start Bubba’s Closet for next year’s winter season.
Coming to school with a coat, just like with shoes and a backpack, are very visible pieces of who we are. I think it’s very important for every child to have a coat and feel like their peers.
Kathleen Dering
Everyone has a dream or an aspiration they wish they could achieve. The reality of life is that sometimes daily tasks and chores stop us from taking the time to learn a new hobby or take on a new challenge. A Lincoln Northeast High School senior took initiative and committed to learning how to draw, paint, and expand her skillset. During quarantine in 2020, Peyton Miller began to express herself creatively via painting and sketching. Rather than focusing on landscapes, she quickly recognized she had a knack for portraits and the human form.
Lincoln Northeast High School is home to the Food, Energy, Water, and Social Systems (FEWSS) program that offers early college and career STEM learning in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. FEWSS was interested in starting a project that would allow the program to spread its message and show its representation.
There had been some back and forth on what the project should be before art teacher, Natanael Perez, proposed having a student make a mural as part of the program. Bailey Feit, an Early College & Career Coordinator for UNL, created a Fund a Need campaign for the project. The funding process began in August and the community exceeded the goal of $2,000 in just one week.
The donations provided supplies for the mural which depicts how education and careers will change in the future. The mural is based on the four pillars of the FEWSS program —Food, Energy, Water, and Social Systems. “Without the community’s help and involvement, we would not be able to see the craftsmanship and dedication that Peyton has put forth for the FEWSS program and her school,” said Bailey Feit. FEWSS wanted the community to know that they are more than an agricultural-based program. The mural gives the public a comprehensive view of the industry as a whole.
Peyton is grateful that the community was able to come together and help complete the project. She has been working on the mural since her junior year and is scheduled to complete the mural before graduation in May 2023.
Fund a Need helps bring hope in a way that illustrates the impact the community can have now and for future students. The platform is a unique way to connect generous donors with teachers and students in need. Teachers submit ideas that need funding outside of school budgets. These ideas can vary from fields trips to new books for the classroom library.
The impact of the mural project is giving FEWSS the opportunity to showcase their program to the entire community. When visitors view Peyton’s mural, that includes a farmer working in his field, a beekeeper checking their hive, and a family eating a meal together, they will be able to see the connections between humans, the environment, and the community.
See how you can support other Fund a Need campaigns in our schools.
Peyton says Thank You to all who made it possible to fund her FEWSS Mural Project.
This spring, Dr. Gausman gave an update to the LPS Board of Education and the public about the priorities that have been identified to improve student academic achievement at LPS. Four common themes rose to the top including student behavior supports, early childhood education, focus programs, and human resources. Dr. Gausman provided recommendations in each of those areas and will continue to collaborate with staff, community partners, and the Foundation to determine action plans for each initiative. In turn, the Foundation can ensure generous donations are reaching the areas of greatest need. Watch the video of his presentation here
“Lincoln Public Schools never stops feeling the impact of the gifts that are given by the community—the impact I’ve seen since coming to the district has been incredible. I hope to strengthen and grow that impact this year and in future years,” says Dr. Gausman. “When gifts are given, it’s not just the schools that feel the impact, it’s the students
and the people those students interact with that benefit. It’s a domino effect that continues to give for a very long time.”
One small donation has the ability to create a ripple effect. That ripple is the real impact. Every dollar counts and every gift matters.
-Dr. GAUSMANWe’re all in for kids. We believe you are, too.
The impact on education is an everlasting one that spans beyond one single gift, student, teacher, classroom or community.
Help us continue to have a positive impact for our students, teachers, families, and the entire Lincoln community.
Give to Lincoln’s kids now through May 24th.
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Acklie Charitable Foundation
Capital One
Children’s Hospital Omaha
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Duncan Aviation
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Lancaster County
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Lincoln Babe Ruth
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Midwest Dairy Association
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Pinnacle Bank
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Schmieding Foundation Inc.
Valentino’s
Anderson Auto Group–Ford
Butterfly Bakery
Hy-Vee Inc.
i3 Bank
J. C. Seacrest Trust
Krieger Family Foundation
Labenz & Associates LLC
Lincoln Downtown Athletic Club
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DuTeau Chevrolet Subaru
Lincoln Electric System
Lincoln Southeast Class of 1981
NRC Health
Scheels All Sports
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Abel Foundation
Advanced Chiropractic Solutions
BNI Tuesday at the Top Craftsmen Lodge #314
AF & AM
GENYOUth, Inc.
Kiwanis Club Foundation of Lincoln
Lincoln Area Retired School Personnel
Lincoln Southeast Student Council
Nebraska Corvette Association, Inc
Rebels Auto Club
Rotary Club #14 Foundation
Runza National Inc.
Scrap Central Inc.
Shive-Hattery, Inc
St. Marks United Methodist
St. Matthews
Episcopal Church
Walmart Stores, Inc
All students should have what they need to reach their full potential. In order to accomplish that, we leverage the community to create opportunities that enhance academic and personal success of Lincoln Public School students and educators.