The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation established the Creating Safe, Equitable & Thriving Communities Fund in 2018 through a partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County, and the Cedar Rapids Community School District to address inter-relational factors that lead to youth violence in Cedar Rapids. It funds programs that approach systemic causes of economic, racial, and academic disparities and aims to avoid, reduce, or stop high risk behaviors that can lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. Since its inception the SET Fund has granted $408,000 into the community supporting 21 programs and projects.
Group Violence Intervention
The purpose of the Creating Safe, Equitable & Thriving Communities Fund is to help the community coalesce behind an effective, research-driven approach to reducing youth gun violence. The elevated threat of violence over the past several years has galvanized the community, with individuals and a wide variety of groups motivated to improve the community circumstances. Over the last two years, the Community Foundation has worked with the community to identify an effective approach that has helped other communities reduce violence. This approach, known as Group Violence Intervention (GVI), has provided new possibilities for individuals and families to thrive by extending targeted community supports that accompany focused policing.
GVI focuses on the groups at highest risk for violent victimization and offending, with the intention to keep group members alive, safe, and out of prison. The GVI partnership communicates directly with group members by conveying a powerful community message about disapproval for violence and in support of community aspirations; concrete opportunities for both immediate and longer term assistance and support; and clear prior notice of the legal risks associated with continued violence. The partnership then delivers swiftly on these commitments.” Read more about GVI in the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) GVI Issue Brief .
A Special Contribution
In December 2020, the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities (SET) Fund received a particularly meaningful gift—a group of inmates at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California sent $1,000 to support efforts to reduce youth violence in Cedar Rapids. The money was raised through an athletic competition organized by Justin D. Kirk, who is serving a life sentence and has committed himself to preventing young people from following his path. 
Justin also sent 25 signed copies of his book, If I knew Then: What Joining a Gang Really Meant, which were distributed to local teens through ReSET 2020. For young people facing adversity and difficult decisions, such messages of caring can go a long way.

For more information on the SET Fund and its new efforts to implement Group Violence Intervention strategies in Cedar Rapids, click here.
Announcing Thrive Cohort
For the past few years, the Community Foundation has been actively discussing new ways to support emerging nonprofit organizations. Long-term success in the nonprofit world can be difficult to achieve, and the rate of failure is high. At the same time, the Community Foundation has also been looking for ways to build racial equity through its work to support nonprofits. Within the challenges of 2020, an opportunity to combine the two efforts emerged. As our community dealt with the pandemic, social unrest, and the derecho, a number of grassroots groups were working to meet needs and provide opportunities. The Community Foundation is partnering with emerging Black and Brown leaders through a new cohort called Thrive. The five Thrive cohort members, along with Foundation staff, will participate in group learning activities over the next two years to strengthen nonprofit leadership skills and explore organizational best practices. In addition to monthly meetings and individual conversations, each organization will also receive a $2,500 grant quarterly.
Thrive participants include:
Mugisha Bwenge, immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo and founder of United We March Forward, whose mission is to provide hope through education, encouragement, and
empowerment to families and communities.
Keeyon Carter, co-founder,
President, and Lead Pastor at Wellington Heights Community Church, a multicultural community joining God in the reconciliation of all things through worship, reconciliation, and neighborhood development.
Leslie Neely, volunteer and co-founder of Advocates for
Social Justice. The organization’s mission is to create social,
political, and environmental change within the Cedar Rapids community, prioritizing the objectives of the #BLM movement.
Jorel Robinson, volunteer and cofounder of Big Bang Foundation, and a Cedar Rapids native. The mission of the organization is to connect with local youth and help motivate and inspire as many as they can to care for themselves, their community, and to aspire to
be their best self.
Bridgette Williams-Robinson, founder of Bridge Under the Bridge, who began providing daily hot meals to anyone in need following the derecho. The organization believes that choosing between feeding your family and paying a bill should never be a choice you need
to make.
YOUTHTEENTH!
You probably have not heard of Youthteenth (we made it up) but you may know something about Juneteenth.
 
Juneteenth – also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day – is a holiday celebrating the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 proclamation of freedom and emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.
 
We are accepting proposals from youth groups interested in planning and leading Juneteenth activities June 13th- June 19th, 2021. For more information contact SET Program Officer, Rachel Rockwell by Wednesday April 7th.
Rachel.rockwell@gcrcf.org
COVID-19 Vaccinations
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many lives since it first began. Getting vaccinated will help keep you, your family, and your community healthy and safe. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and will help our community return to normal. Leading scientists, health and medical experts, and researchers have worked together to share research and develop the COVID-19 vaccines. A safety board approved every study, and the FDA carefully reviewed the data from every phase of every vaccine trial. All three vaccines are effective, and we encourage individuals eligible for COVID-19 vaccine to be vaccinated with any of the three FDA-approved vaccines they are offered.
In Iowa, all individuals 16 and older are expected to be eligible for vaccine by April 5th. Vaccine supplies are limited, so not everyone will be able to make an appointment as soon as they are eligible. As vaccination efforts continue, and with confirmation of variant strains spreading within Iowa and the U.S., it is important to continue to follow measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing hands, staying home if you feel sick, getting tested, and getting a vaccine when you are eligible. It remains important to follow these recommendations until vaccine is readily available for everyone who wants it.
 
The Cedar Rapids NAACP is working with Linn County Public Health to hold two vaccine clinics. They will be at The ROC which is located at 1202 10th St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401, in the Oakhill Jackson Neighborhood. Clinic hours are from 4:30pm to 6:30pm Tuesday April 6th and from 9:00am to 11:00am on Saturday April 10th. Check out KCRG’s story on the partnership here.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, including frequently asked questions and information on local vaccine providers, click here or call 319-892-6097.
Upcoming Opportunities
Community Learning Series: Working Together to Reduce Youth Violence

Tuesday, May 4, 4:00 P.M. - 5:15 P.M. via Zoom

Join us to learn about youth violence in our communities and how our community is working together to implement intervention strategies. Panelists include Isaac Hunt Jr., Group Violence Supervisor with Goodwill Industries of Michiana; Tony Wilson, Founder & Director of Central City Development Corporation; and Keeyon Carter, Co-founder, President, and Lead Pastor of Wellington Heights Community Church. Click here to register.
Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Announces Upcoming Webinars
Register for upcoming juvenile-justice related webinars on funding, programs, and initiatives.
Date
Title
Registration
April 1, 2021
April 6-8, 2021
April 13, 2021
April 15, 2021
April 15, 2021
Questions, comments, or ideas for future SET Newsletters, please contact:
Rachel Rockwell
SET Program Officer
319.200.4007
About the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
Through professional philanthropic services, strategic investments, and community leadership, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation connects donors who care with causes that matter. The Community Foundation is a public, nonprofit organization with assets totaling more than $194 million and over 1,000 different charitable funds, large and small, established by individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and businesses to benefit Linn County, Iowa. Our vision: To be a trusted partner in charitable giving, improving the quality of life in our community…forever. Our mission: To help donors give in meaningful ways, to strengthen nonprofits, and to provide leadership that supports a vibrant community. For more information on the Community Foundation, visit www.gcrcf.org or visit us on Facebook. 
Collaborative Partners