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.

Becoming a Kingdom Kid

By Bethany Larson



What does a Kingdom Kid look and sound like? This is the question that City Impact students have been exploring in their Bible Club classes. We have learned that Kingdom Kids say encouraging words to one another like “Please” and “Thank you” and they forgive one another. They also listen when someone else is talking, perform random acts of kindness for one another and participate in all the activities we do.

Being a part of both Bible Club and the ILC programming, I get to observe a few students in two different atmospheres. Although the expectations for the students are the same for both Bible Club and ILC reading program, I am seeing the biblical, Christ-like behavior we are teaching in Bible Club carry over into the ILC. I am getting the chance, when talking about a student’s behavior, to ask the question, “Are you acting like a Kingdom Kid?”

A Kingdom Kid is a part of God’s heavenly family, and these students who understand that are not only worried about following the rules that are in place at Bible Club or ILC, but they are also concerned about acting in a way that would please their heavenly father. I find it much easier to explain the purpose of rules when that purpose is to represent Christ. I am glad to see the students are not only choosing to represent Christ at Bible Club, but the ILC and hopefully school and home as well. That helps motivate me to continue my purpose of glorifying God by teaching and encouraging these kids.

Meet Nathan Fries, Van Driver

By Nathan Fries


My name is Nathan Fries. My hometown is Dannebrog, NE (a little town 25 minutes Northwest of Grand Island). I am a student at UNL and majoring in Mechanical Engineering and plan to graduate in December 2009. I accepted Christ in March of 2004and have been on a wonderful ride ever since. I am the Van Driver for the ILC and Bible Club on Tuesday Nights.

Meet Jennifer Harrington, Program Coordinator

I was raised on a cattle ranch in Montana, where I lived until I left for college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I graduated from UNL in August 2007 with a degree in psychology and a minor in education. I plan to attend graduate school next fall to obtain a Ph.D in clinical psychology. I would like to work with children who have been abused and neglected.

In my spare time I like reading, painting, running, going to movies, and spending time with family and friends. I am currently involved in post-graduate research for the pyschology department at UNL. I am also actively involved at my church; I volunteer as a leader for the high school youth group and have had the opportunity to participate in a mission trip to Haiti over the summer as part of our missions team.

Hopes & Dreams-A Place At The Table

By Todd Bowman


In 2006, I was the featured speaker at City Impact’s annual Hopes & Dreams fundraising banquet. I spent over twenty minutes casting vision for the creation of a strengths-based after school program called the Impact Learning Center which we were hoping to unveil in early 2007. During my speech, I communicated a dream I had that City Impact students would be so engaged in their communities through the avenue of their strengths that they would one day both join me and even replace me at the podium. I didn’t want to just talk about the students in our programs; I wanted our students to speak for themselves.

This dream became a reality on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007, when five City Impact students were the featured speakers for this year’s Hopes & Dreams banquet titled “A Place at The Table.” Over 400 people packed into the Cornhusker Hotel banquet hall to attend this wonderful event and they responded with a standing ovation at the conclusion of the student led presentation.

These students spoke about their experience this summer in City Impact’s Teen Job Club program developing a beautification painting project at Hartley Elementary School. The names of these students are—

Alejandro – 7th Grade
Takeela – 9th Grade
KaDijah – 8th Grade
Addison – 7th Grade
VaDoll – 8th Grade

As City Impact moves into the future, we remain committed to developing youth leadership in all of our activities in order to truly fulfill our calling of providing a place a table.

The Lord has BIG plans for the kids at Bible Club

By Anna Zach

Over the past few months we have been planning and planning for the new Bible Club year. There has been this deep desire in me to help make Bible Club a really amazing place; a place where these kids know that we see how amazing they are, how much they are capable of, how talented they are, and how much potential is inside of them just waiting to be unleashed. I just know these kids are wonderful and I want them to know it too.

In October I went to St. Louis for the Annual CCDA conference. As a first timer I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was expectant. I found myself encouraged and affirmed in all the planning and thought that we have been taking for Bible Club. I was encouraged to sit in on speakers who passionately shared about God’s expectation for our young people. God has been in the habit of using young people to do amazing things- David, Josiah, Esther, Jeremiah – they were all teenagers when the Lord called them to insanely huge tasks for His kingdom. Does God still have amazing and huge things for teenagers to do? Does He have heroic works for our teenagers at Teen Bible Club? Do I believe it? Absolutely, one hundred percent, you bet your bibby He does!!! I am incredibly excited and expectant to be a part of what He intends to do as He reaches into the lives of our young people. These kids and teens have so much in them that God has wonderfully placed there. They have a power that He has given them, and we, if we allow it, have the chance to see it come to life. I am so excited for Bible Club to be a place where young people have a place to learn and use all that God has gifted them with.

Bible Club starts up for the 2007-2008 year

By Jami Spaulding


The first week of Bible Club was super exciting, but also a bit nerve wrecking too. Could 14 preschoolers really last in the auditorium for an hour? Would they understand the new routines in class? It turned out to be a great night indeed. The kids were so excited to be back. The LOVED the worship and talked and talked about singing and dancing for Jesus with the big kids.

The best part, however, was dinner. The preschoolers were fascinated by the idea of a host table. The kids chosen took each of their jobs so seriously and were thrilled to have a job. Those being served were very polite as they went through the line. It was darling and inspiring all at the same time. How cool, that they can learn to serve and to eat in a way that is pleasing to God. They loved the dinner questions. We took lots of rabbit trails, but I think they just loved being heard and were willing to listen so others could be heard too.

We are so excited about this new year of growth and structure in Preschool-Kindergarten class. I know God has big plans for the hearts of these little friends.

Kids' Enthusiasm Grows

By Jennifer Harrington

As the first session draws to a close I look back with fondness over the last nine weeks. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to interact with each student at the ILC. It was exciting to watch the kids bond with each other as well as with the teachers. I feel like I had the chance to get to know each student fairly well, and I enjoyed visiting with them about school, sports, friends, etc.

As the Program Coordinator I had the unique opportunity to observe each student in the various aspects of the program. I hung out with the kids and played games with them when they first arrived and monitored them while they had snack. After the students were in their classrooms, I got to pop in and out and observe the lessons. At times I acted as a listener for the older students as they worked to master stories, while other times I was a reader for the younger students during free reading time. Often I observed the students as they interacted with adult volunteers from the community.

It was exciting to watch the students' enthusiasm for reading grow as the weeks wore on. As they learned new techniques for reading and comprehension, I could see their confidence increase. I feel certain that every kid at the ILC has been greatly benefited and that they have been set on the right path to achieve academic success, which will help them use the strengths God has given them to improve their world.

Confidence and passion for learning

by Bethany Larson

On any normal day I am the Reroute Coordinator, but the past couple of weeks, I will be honest, I have not been working too hard during programming. Very few students have entered my room due to conflict. Believe me, I am not complaining!

When I enter the Read rooms taught by Miss Jami and Miss Ashley, I begin to understand why the students would not want to leave. Both teachers have done a wonderful job of engaging their students in reading activities and instruction. I have enjoyed stopping in and observing their classrooms.

This past Friday was the last day of the first quarter, which both classes took time to celebrate their accomplishments. I snuck into the 4th and 5th grade classroom, where they were reading Halloween poems. Each student picked a poem, practiced it, and read it aloud to the rest of the class. Student after student proudly read their poem with excitement in their voice. Though part of the excitement was due to the fun poems, another part was the students’ growing love and improvement in reading. Students, who a month ago were apprehensive about reading, stood confident in front of their peers. This made me realize that this reading program was much more than literacy. Here reading is a life skill that evokes confidence and a passion for learning. That’s exciting!

Reflections

By Ashley Larson

As we near the end of our first quarter of the Impact Learning Center it is quite obvious God has been working here. I have spent the last 8 weeks in the 4th and 5th grade classroom, and I’m excited to announce that almost all of my students have advanced at least one grade level in their reading packets! Even now as I write this blog I’m sitting in class watching the students quietly reading books of their choice, completely immersed in whatever adventure their book is taking them on. Anyone who has worked with this age knows how tough it can be to get them focused and quiet for long periods of time, especially on books. It has been our class goal though to make reading a fun experience, and these last few weeks these youth have been begging for extra long independent reading time! Each kid is unique in the books they like to read and it has been fun for me as their teacher to have book discussions with them. Quincy and Garett, two boys in my class, both love non-fiction books about volcanoes, snakes, sharks, and other animal and weather topics. They have been teaching our class a lot of interesting information in those areas during our weekly book discussions. Jocelyn is one of my favorite readers because she uses so much expression and does a great job acting out different character parts. Tabitha raises her hand many times during quiet reading to share all the connections she has with the books she reads. These are just a few of the students who have really started to take a personal interest in reading.

Besides reading, I feel as though these kids have really grown in other areas too. For instance, we have really pushed putting others first in our classroom and it is amazing to see them respect one another by listening, complementing, and encouraging each other during program time. There have been much fewer conflicts these last couple weeks. Instead I’ve actually had more issues of kids wanting to talk and laugh with one another during class time! That is a problem I have taken some joy in dealing with. Overall, the first quarter of ILC has been very rewarding and I look forward to meeting with a new set of kids next session.

Experience in the R.E.A.L. room

By Jenna Gerstenschlager

I had the opportunity this past week to work in the R.E.A.L. room and experience first hand what being a tutor is all about. I had the opportunity to work with both Madison and Simone. My first tutoring session was with Madison. I had a few jitters to begin with, but as soon as we started there weren’t any problems and the lesson ran very smoothly. I was really impressed with not only how well Madison read, but also her enthusiasm. The next day I worked with Simone. Once again I was taken back by how eager these girls were to read. At the beginning of our time together Simone read a story she had been working on for a few days, and to her delight she mastered it. Anyone could tell by the smile on her face that she was pleased with her work. She happily took the story out of her binder and placed it in the “stories mastered” section. With just that one success, Simone’s confidence grew as we continued to read.

Initially I was a little afraid that some of the kids wouldn’t enjoy the tutoring experience; that they would think it was too much like school. Instead I found that the kids have really developed a love for reading. I think that in the kids with the achiever or competition strength this program works really well because the challenge of trying to master a new story and move up levels keeps them going. For others, it’s just fun and has become a normal part of their everyday afternoon activities.

Appreciative Inquiry

By Anna Zach

This past spring was when I first heard the words “Appreciative Inquiry.” Intrigued and curious I began searching out what this concept was all about. As spring became summer and the ILC began to wind down and the summer programs were gearing up, we began to wonder about using this “Appreciative Inquiry” concept for the development of a summer project with our Teen Job Club. After a successful debut utilizing AI, the hunger to know more began to rumble.

The opportunity to dig deep came in the form of the International Appreciative Inquiry Conference. So this past week, I found myself in Orlando, Florida exploring a wide range of workshops about AI. One of my favorite breakout sessions was about Appreciative Intelligence. As I considered things like the ability to perceive the positive potential in situations, reframe stories, and appreciating the positive, I realized that many fellow saints of old have been experts so to speak in Appreciative Intelligence. Paul was able to see the good in the thorn the Lord had allowed in his flesh. It was God’s gift to him. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Corrie ten Boom, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, was able to see the good even in the fleas that occupied the straw mats they slept on (these fleas were the reason the guards would not come in their bunk houses). So, even though I was interested in all that was shared in the conference about Appreciative Intelligence, I have become even more encouraged by it as I have seen the spiritual side of it. I find myself now challenged to look for the good and hidden treasures in all the circumstances that the Lord allows in my life. I am learning to appreciate even the shadow.

God made me and loves me

By Jami Spaulding

Daddiz, Milandra, Madison, and Grace have fun dressing up and reading books.(Picture above)

I was so encouraged this week to hear the younger kids talking with the older kids as they waited for their rides to come. Sometimes you wonder if they are really understanding the things we talk to them about, or even if it's making a difference in their world. I heard them saying things like, "We're talking about schema, it's what you know," and "Our schema is getting bigger and bigger. We're really smart." It's exciting to see them begin to apply what they are learning and to embrace the potential God created them with.

On Friday, we finished up our mental image week. We ended with a lesson on God's mental image. We read from Psalm 139 and then a poem by Jack Pretulsky. The kids were a bit restless as the Psalm has a lot of vocabulary in it, but as we started to talk about each word and what it meant the kids started getting into it. Daddiz blurted out, "God's mental image of us is good!" It was like he finally understood that God made him on purpose and is crazy about him. The kids used that comment to have a discussion about how they know God loves them. We then looked at the illustrations in the poem and talked about how God made them each different and unique. As we did the art project afterwards, it was fun to hear them saying things like,"God made me responsible, he made me caring, he made me creative...." When we came together to share our projects the kids made the connection that God made them and loves them. Milandra said, "We should add that to our schema and then when people are mean to us we don't have to get mad becasuse we know what God thinks about us is true." Mickela said, "We cause our schema and remember God's mental image of us and then we'll remember to act like him, like be kind and respectful to everyone." Madison talked a long time about how God made her special and how He will help her reach her dreams.

It was exciting for me to hear my students using the language of reading and to apply it to God and their everyday lives. How I pray it will take root in their hearts and help them to love Jesus and choose His truth over everything else in their lives.

Seeing Progress

By Jennifer Harrington

I recently came on staff with City Impact as the ILC Program Coordinator. Although I have been with the ILC less than a month, I have already been so blessed by my short time here. Each day I can see God at work in the hearts of both the children who attend and the adults who are there to teach them. The smiles and laughter of the students remain in my mind long after we have all gone home for the night, and their hugs bring a smile to my face even on the worst days.

I have been blessed by my interactions with my coworkers. They are incredible, beautiful men and women who have welcomed me and helped me transition into the position. I can see their love for children in the gentle way they interact with the students, and I can see their desire to follow Christ in the love that flows freely from them.

I have been encouraged by the success that City Impact has seen in the past, and I firmly believe that we are making a difference in these children’s lives. I am excited about the progress that the students are making in their reading skills as well as the opportunity we are creating for them to have positive interactions with adults and with each other. The combination of these is setting the students on a path of success for the future.