Meet Eric Schrad - ILC Site Coordinator

By: Eric Schrad


My name is Eric Schrad. I was raised in Ainsworth, Nebraska. I committed my life to Jesus Christ when I was nine years old, but I have been through many struggles like most of us have. I am currently going to school at Southeast Community College.
Here at the Impact Learning Center, I am the Site Coordinator. I began working here in December of 2007 and I have really enjoyed it. Working with kids and those in need has always been a dream of mine. I really love having a chance to influence the lives of the kids that attend ILC. Even though I am still getting to know them, the kids have had a large impact on my life already. I am very optimistic about this program and have high expectations of the kids, because they have shown such potential to learn and grow as readers, and as young men and women of God.
Outside of the ILC, I really enjoy spending time with my family when I can. I am a huge sports fan and I love listening to music.

It's About More Than Just Reading Books

By: Ashley Larson


There was something in the air on Wednesday at the ILC. It seemed like we were sending kids to reroute about every five minutes and all of us as staff were getting pretty tired after chasing a few of the more rebellious kids around the church! Even after open rec the trend continued and at one point I looked around and realized that only 6 of the 11 students were present (the rest were in reroute!) I sent a few for arguing and saying hurtful things to each other, one for not following directions after several reminders, one for refusing to work in their binders, and one for rolling her eyes each time she was asked to do something. Finally, I just stopped our lesson and asked all the kids to just put their books away. We weren’t getting too much done anyway with all the distractions and I felt it was time for the class to look back at the promise we all wrote each other during our first week. Our promise stated that we would be kind, respectful, friendly, and we promised to make every person feel safe and accepted. After a brief review I just asked the simple question,” Someone raise your hand and tell me what is preventing you from upholding our promise today?” The answers I got were unexpected. I guess I really didn’t know how they would answer, but I opened up the discussion for honesty, and that is what I got. Right away one little girl’s hand went up in the air and when I called on her she quietly told me that she can’t concentrate because her mom is in the hospital, another relative was recently beat up by her boyfriend and then put in jail for drugs, and now she is living with her grandma. She then began to sob. Then another little girl raised her hand and told me that two weeks ago her mom was put in jail for seven years and that she also is living with her grandma. Then she began to cry. One boy hadn’t seen his dad in months, another girl’s mom was recently put in jail, and the stories kept coming. Wow. What a sad but beautiful moment it was. These kids in that moment created a safe place and opened up to one another. For the next twenty minutes I sat on the rug with them and hugged as many as I could and we prayed. The best part was watching them comfort each other by giving hugs, getting Kleenex, patting shoulders, it was a great picture. It was an eye opening moment for me, when I was honestly starting to get frustrated with all the poor behavior of the kids that day. I was able to remember the grace I need to give each of the kids at the same time I uphold high expectations for them. I was also so thankful that I work at a place like City Impact where Christ can come in and freely take over like he did on Wednesday.

Fall in Love with Reading

By Ashley Larson

In September, when we started the Impact Learning Center back up, Savannah was behind in reading. This was obviously a daily frustration for her, and it was a challenge for me as her classroom leader to encourage her and get her excited about reading each day. I kept telling the kids that our classroom goal was to "fall in love with reading." Savannah was skeptical, to say the least. I remember one week I had to send Savannah to our reroute room (a place kids go if they need to work on behavior changes) for 4 days in a row, before she could sit through one entire class. As the quarter progressed, she went to reroute less and less, and her interest and skills in reading peaked. While Savannah was reading out loud to me one day an observer came through our classroom and listened to Savannah. Though she struggled with a few words and the story wasn't necessarily read smoothly, Savannah put a lot of heart into it. She couldn't make it through a sentence without using her hands, and she had so much expression in her voice. Before she sat back down, the observer told Savannah that she was a great reader, and that very few people read with such enthusiasm. That day, Savannah was sold out on reading. Since then, she has started bringing beginner chapter books to class from her school library and she is constantly recommending new books to me. Just yesterday I filled Savannah's binder with stories at the 7th grade reading level. I honestly believe Savannah will succeed in school and be a reader for life.

The Impact Learning Center is Expanding

By Jenna Gerstenschlager

Not long after the students trickle into the Middle Cross Church, a line of volunteers enter the building. These people are the most vital parts of our program as they are the ones that essentially keeping it running and have made it the success it has become. During the course of a typical day there are two tutoring sessions that happen, each forty-five minutes long. Just a few months ago the ILC R.E.A.L. room had a mere four stations set up for tutoring on a daily basis. This quarter, however, up to eight students receive tutoring at a time, with anywhere between nine to fifteen students receiving one-on-one tutoring every day. This quarter there was an incredible increase of the number of voluneers helping at the ILC either as a book buddy or tutor, up from 33 people to currently 48. What a testimony of God's graciousness as he continues to provide for our needs. I only look forward to what the Lord has planned for this program in the upcoming weeks, months, and years.

The ILC gets a visit from the queen!

By Anna Zach

What? The queen? Yes, that is Miss Pre-Teen Queen of Nebraska. This week our kids had a visit from Hannah Duncan- who is Miss Pre-Teen of Nebraska. The kids were so excited to meet her – and to see that crown. After an introduction everyone had the chance to ask her questions and the girls even got to try her crown on! They were really precious as they each had a special smile come over them when the crown was placed on their heads. The biggest blessing of all came as Hannah explained to them that part of her responsibility as the queen was to find a good home for some books that had been donated by all the pageant contestants – and that home would be at our very own ILC. The kids took some time to look over the many books she donated and spent some time reading and investigating their new treasures. Thank you Hannah for being such a blessing to the ILC!!!

Students Zodell, Ian, and Sophia take a peek at their new books which include stories of funny characters, books with interesting animal facts, and chapter books for the older kids.
Sophia smiles like a queen while trying on Hannah's crown and sash.

Making connections

By Jami Spaulding


Lately, I've been really excited to hear the kids make connections between the ILC and Bible Club. It first started with them using the SOS method to change their own behavior. One day someone was acting crazy and another student said, "Hey, SOS, remember?" The kids then reminded the student what it meant and that chosing to do what is right is like chosing to act like Jesus. It was cool to see them own it and apply it in a different situation outside of Bible Club Tuesday nights.

Last week, the kids were really into the Bible Club lesson. We've been talking about Christmas Schema during reading time and ever since last Wednesday all the kids have had daily connections to the books we were reading and with what they had done at Bible Club. I get so excited when the kids are excited about the lesson and able to use them in other contexts. I'm praying that the more they talk about them, the more natural it will become for them to use these ideas to make better choices and ultimately to give their lives to Jesus. What fun to be a part of this process with them!

Meet Ashley Larson-Read room grades 4-5

By Ashley Larson

My name is Ashley Larson. Although I was born and raised in Lincoln, NE my eyes have been opened to a different side of our city over the past three years. Recently, I graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a bachelors degree in social work. Throughout my life I have had the opportunity to be exposed to numerous urban communities through short-term missions with Jr. high and high school students. In college I did a three month internship with Urban Impact in New Orleans and my heart for urban youth and families was transformed. It took an experience one thousand miles away for me to really question what I was doing in my own community. Therefore, I decided to do my final internship with City Impact, right here in my hometown. God blessed me to serve at City Impact this summer with the Teen Job Club and the Summer Program and I was able to get to know many of the youth, of all ages, quickly.

This fall I came on staff as the Impact Learning Center’s 4th-5th grade R.E.A.L Room and Reading with Meaning Coordinator, in addition to leading the Jr. High Girls Teen Bible Club Classroom. I feel very humbled and fortunate to be working under such a great staff and for all that I have learned since coming on board at CI. My amazing husband, Mark, is a reading teacher and basketball coach at Lincoln High School and together we have loved seeing how God has intertwined our ministries over the past six months. I look forward to watching God transform more kids and families here in Lincoln as CI continues to reach out and strengthen our community.