In its second year, the employee-led Lozier Community Grant program supported 50 nonprofit organizations across the country. Recipients were selected by employee committees in all five Lozier locations. Over the next couple of months, the recipient organizations’ stories of impact will be shared on LozierLink.
For a group of dedicated volunteers, Friday mornings at the Omaha Home for Boys means making a difference.
Every week for the past decade-plus, men and women load pickup trucks of all sizes with furniture, housewares and home goods, all bound for the homes of young people getting prepared for adulthood.
At the center of the stacking and sorting stands David James, the executive director of Partnership 4 Hope. Under his leadership, the group has three main approaches to assisting people transitioning from the foster care system in the Omaha area. First, the Youth Mart, managed by Morgan Rye-Craft, gives access to anything someone setting up their own living space might need. Guided by support staff from one of 18 collaborative agencies, they pick out the product to get going as adults.
“We try to make sure that they are set to move in, and it feels like a home they day they get there,” Rye-Craft said. Next comes the Truck Brigade, an all-volunteer operation that transports ever item to the living space of those former foster children.
“The Brigade steps in and it’s a Friday morning activity. These men are really dedicated, they started out even before 2013,” James said. “We’re an old group and we have some youngsters that are involved with this to help us out. They’re all really dedicated to the purpose of serving the youth.” Finally, Partnership 4 Kids offers mentoring assistance, ensuring young people have all the support they need during what can be a tumultuous transition in life.
“It definitely is working, not only providing the material good for the apartments to get them set up. They really appreciate that, but a good number of them, probably most of them have emotional needs, they have emotional frailty,” James said. “It’s just very, very important to come alongside them and give them that extra loving support.”
For James, a lifetime spent educating and encouraging young people culminated in his leadership role with Partnership 4 Hope, giving young people the right start to adulthood.
“They don’t have a support system. That’s where we come into the picture to help them,” James said.
Partnership 4 Hope is one of 15 Omaha-area operations receiving funding from the 2023 Lozier Community Grant program. The assistance fuels several incredible efforts, including Partnership 4 Hope’s ability to offer a free, brand-new mattress to every person who uses their services.
“We are here to meet those needs and make sure you are sleeping in a comfortable bed, that you’re safe and off the floor and you have the items you need to exist in your community and participate,” Rye-Craft said. She and James agreed that they’re touched by the assistance of Lozier and the awareness and impact of the Partnership 4 Hope mission.
“We really, really appreciate their support,” James said. “Not only monetarily but that they know who we are, what we are and that we will continue to provide this service for kids in the community, former foster kids in the community.”
“We’re going to try and connect those dots, so you have the basic necessities to interact in your community and to just be a safe, happy resident of Omaha,” Rye-Craft added.
Click here to learn more information about Partnership 4 Hope. For details on the Lozier Community Grant program, click here.