2021 ANNUAL REPORTWORK FOR THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF THE CITY... PRAY TO THE LORD FOR IT, BECAUSE IF IT PROSPERS, YOU TOO WILL PROSPER. Jeremiah 29:7 “ ”CRADLE TO CAREER Like so many of you, Urban Ventures spent most of 2020 in emergency-response mode as our community reeled from compounding crises. Although situationally necessary, such short-term relief is not at the heart of the work we do. For nearly three decades, UV has focused on the transformational work of generational change, serving our neighbors from cradle to career. In 2021, Urban Ventures made some of the most significant expansions ever to the cradle- to-career pipeline of support. After years of careful planning, the Cornwell Early Learning Center officially opened its doors and began serving families. It is a dream come true. (And, I must add, a lot of fun to see groups of toddlers being led around campus by caring teachers.) At the other end of cradle-to-career, the new Innovation Center (made possible through a partnership with Jamf, a Minneapolis-based technology company) and revamped College & Career Center provides students with even more opportunities for career exploration, especially in STEM fields. Along with these new initiatives, existing programs continued to find creative ways to serve our community amid the ongoing pandemic. Every program saw a year-over-year increase in the number of participants served. In fact, Urban Ventures served more than double the number of participants in 2021 compared to 2020. After a year of turmoil, it is encouraging to see so many of our neighbors join our mission to build a healthier community. There is still so much work to do—and so much shared hurt to continue processing—but there are also signs of progress and stories of hope to motivate us to keep going. I know you hear this from all charitable organizations, but it is simply the truth: We cannot do this without you. Your support is what makes our work possible, and it has never been more important. Thank you for giving to this mission; thank you for giving to our community. You may never know the full impact of your gifts, but we are seeing it each day. As you feel comfortable getting out again, please come see us in South Minneapolis so you can see first-hand what you are doing. Dave Hawn, Urban Ventures President & CEO 33 FROM THE CEO A note from Urban Ventures President and CEO, David Hawn. 5 DID YOU KNOW? Important numbers from Urban Ventures programs and our neighborhood 14 MINI-STORIES Small peeks into weekly life around the UV campus in Minneapolis. TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 11 21 17 DOING GOOD The volunteers who make Urban Ventures programs possible. 19 SNAPSHOTS Pictures from a week in Urban Ventures programming 24 HUB CLUB Our after-school program grew by leaps and bounds this year. More importantly, so did the students! 27 SPECIAL THANKS A list of the incredible supporters who made this year of Urban Ventures programming possible. For nearly 30 years, Urban Ventures has been serving the community around Lake Street and Fourth Ave. in South Minneapolis. This annual report is a celebration of the progress that has been made and an encouragement to keep up the good fight for the work yet to do. 19932022 OPEN FOR LEARNING Urban Ventures opens Minneapolis’ newest early learning center. A BETTER PATH Urban Ventures gun diversion program becomes a national model with great results. WELLNESS & ATHLETICS A new focus for the athletics program results in new opportunities for local families. 4 MILESTONE 01/20171 IN 5 STAFF AT URBAN VENTURES BEGAN AS PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS THE URBAN VENTURES CAMPUS IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS SPANS OVER 5 ACRES DID YOU KNOW THAT...? There’s always a lot happening at Urban Ventures. Check out these tidbits about UV! 6 COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES provide full-need scholarships to young leaders through Urban Ventures’ Act Six program. To date, 300 scholarships have been awarded, with a 91% graduation rate. URBAN VENTURES PROVIDES AGRICULTURE EDUCATION The Urban Ventures Farm provided experiences for local schools, neighbors, and partner organizations, educating them about sustainable farming, nutrition, and basic gardening. The farm, largely staffed by volunteers, produced 50,000 pounds of food. READING PLUS is an intensive literacy intervention initative that supports students as they catch up to grade-level in reading. Urban Ventures uses the Orton-Gillingham curriculum to support students, including going into local schools to help students on campus. THE LEARNING LOSS DURING COVID-19 disproportionately effects students of color and those in low-income areas, making Urban Ventures work more im- portant than ever. Students involved in Urban Ventures’ programs regularly test better than those without the same intervention and support. JOHN TURNIPSEED Executive Vice President of Urban Ventures, has been a frequent media guest and spokesperson regarding social justice and gun violence. YOU CAN BUY URBAN VENTURES COFFEE TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION UV Coffee sells small-batch, locally- roasted coffee to individuals and organizations. The program provides internships for college students to gain small business experience. All proceeds go to fund Urban Ventures programs. visit urbanventures.org/coffee 56 URBAN VENTURES 2021The Cornwell Early Learning Center was named in honor of Ron and Joan Cornwell, whose exceptional generosity and long-lasting commitment to our neighborhood made it possible to open the new center. OPEN FOR EDUCATION The Cornwell Early Learning Center is open! After careful planning and construction, the second floor of the Colin Powell Center has been transformed into a high-quality early education center. K ids who start behind often get left behind. In our neighborhood, over 80 percent of children are not kindergarten-ready when they enter the education system. Most structural brain development happens before age five. Early childhood is when students form fundamental learning skills, begin to trust other caring adults in their lives, and lay the foundation for social-emotional skills. If we want to help every child go to college, we have to start by helping them get ready for kindergarten. Unfortunately, there is a lack of equitable access to early childhood education in our city. Not only is it often prohibitively expensive, but there aren’t enough early education centers to meet demand in our neighborhood. Even families who can afford the cost might end up driving an extra hour each day for a quality center. 7Preparing kids for college is multi- faceted. The most successful students have strong families supporting them, mentors guiding them, nutritious food fueling them, teachers and tutors encouraging them, and so much more. Urban Ventures does all this, but we still wanted to do more. In fact, this all began when Urban Ventures asked local school leadership what more we could do to help increase local graduation rates and college enrollment. Nearly every educator said the same thing: Early education is not just crucial, but an unmet need. That is why Urban Ventures opened the Cornwell Early Learning Center (CELC) last year bringing high-quality and innovative early education to a community that desperately needs it. The Cornwell Early Learning Center is a significant result of the Empower Campaign, a multi-year effort to strengthen Urban Ventures’ cradle-to- career pipeline. The September 2021 opening was a key outcome of the campaign, and more importantly a win for our community. CELC is unique among early education centers, not just because of its location (few early learning centers are located in dense urban neighborhoods) but because of its approach. The fee structure promotes fair access to early education and prioritizes enrollees from Urban Ventures’ core area. Beyond that, CELC benefits from being in the heart of the Urban Ventures campus. Kids toddle their way to the Urban Farm to pick fresh tomatoes or visit the chickens. The gym is a perfect place to learn to ride a bike or scoot I LOVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. I LOVE THE PEOPLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. MaryBeth Stotts - CELC Director “ ” 8 URBAN VENTURES 2021around in a plastic car. Urban Ventures staff from programs such as music, literacy, technology, and more are available for enrichment activities to expand the early education experience. Lowering the hurdles for young families is a key focus of CELC, and Urban Ventures is doing unique things to support the neighborhood even more. This includes a staff member who helps navigate the complicated application process for county aid, which often prevents families from taking advantage of programs even if they qualify. CELC is also a perfect entry point for local families into the Urban Ventures cradle-to-career pipeline of support. Not only do we support young children, but we walk alongside parents through their child’s development. As a part of Urban Ventures, CELC is able to provide an uniquely high amount of support to families, including older siblings. They have priority access to parenting classes, financial literacy courses, athletics, music classes and a host of other programs. MaryBeth Stotts joined Urban Ventures as director of CELC. There are many reasons why MaryBeth is the right fit for the new center. Her master’s degree in early childhood education provides an academic foundation while her experiences in trauma work and emotional development shape her approach to working with young children. Much of that experience came in the Urban Ventures neighborhood where MaryBeth worked with young children at a neighboring YWCA. She is thrilled to continue her work in South Minneapolis. “I love this neighborhood. I love the people in this neighborhood.” She adds that there is one group in particular that she is excited to serve well. “Young single moms just get railroaded, so I work espeically hard to be an advocate for those families and those kids.” “CELC makes perfect sense,” says Dave Hawn, Urban Ventures President and CEO. “It really feels like the missing piece for our neighborhood and for Urban Ventures. We are uniquely positioned to do this with excellence, and for it to have an incredible impact on the community we serve.” When a child graduates from the Cornwell Early Learning Center, it isn’t the end of our partnership. We’re excited to journey with kids as they grow up. We are eager for the day when the first class of CELC kids become college students (maybe even Act Six Scholars)! This is what makes the cradle-to-career pipeline so important, and why your ongoing support is so crucial. Children as young as 6 weeks can enroll in the Cornwell Early Learning Center 9Next >