Grow Omaha
Non-Profit News

Partners for Livable Omaha, the nonprofit organization which manages the Omaha Mobile Stage, issued a Request for Proposals from qualified parties interested in acquiring the stage and continuing the program. The stage, which unfolds from the back of a truck, currently operates as a mobile, community venue to increase access to the performing arts throughout the Omaha metro.

The Visiting Nurse Association will host its 29th annual Art & Soup fundraiser Sunday, March 8, at the Omaha Design Center. Event attendees are encouraged to purchase art from local artists and bid on auction items while enjoying delicious soups prepared by some of the best chefs in the metro area. All proceeds ensure that VNA nurses continue to provide public health nursing services to more than 1,600 youth and adults in local homeless shelters, group maternity homes and domestic violence shelters.

The vinNEBRASKA Foundation announced that individual tickets are now on sale for the Saturday Night Grand Wine Tasting, Dinner and Auction Saturday, April 11. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with a two-hour Grand Wine Tasting, where attendees can sample an impressive selection of wines poured by generous and highly regarded vintners—many of whom return year after year to support this mission.

Following the tasting, guests will enjoy a 3-course dinner. Proceeds from the weekend benefit Completely KIDS, an Omaha-based nonprofit that educates and empowers children, teens and families through after-school and summer programs, food access and family support services. Funds also support the vinNEBRASKA Foundation’s culinary and wine scholarships.

More than 1,100 participants took an icy dip in Lake Zorinsky Saturday for the 21st annual polar plunge event. The fundraiser raised more than $350,000 for Special Olympics Nebraska.

The Bellevue Senior Citizen Center has changed its name to Bellevue Community Center. Located at 109 West 22nd Avenue, the building is owned by the City of Bellevue and leased to a nonprofit, which manages it. The center will continue to provide services for adults ages 55 and older.

The Omaha Municipal Land Bank is currently accepting applications from businesses in mowing, landscaping and snow and junk removal that are interested in joining land bank’s maintenance contracting team.

LiveWell Dress Well is hosting a “New Threads, New Starts” Community Partnership Event Saturday, February 21. Business owners and community leaders are invited to learn how to take part in sponsorships, donation boxes or partnerships in order to make a tangible local impact on the nonprofit’s mission to provide free professional clothing to individuals facing financial hardship.

The Omaha Venture Group (OVG), a giving circle facilitated by the Omaha Community Foundation, is accepting applications through 11:59 p.m. March 1. OVG supports nonprofits with annual budgets of $500,000 or less that are launching bold new initiatives or scaling innovative ideas. Focus areas include: Arts & Culture; Health; Neighborhoods; Civic Engagement & Safety; Workforce & Education; and Youth Sports

Audrey Woita and Sasha Patricia have joined the Hillside Foundation to support outreach, education and program delivery. The foundation works closely with Hillside Solutions, a regional provider of composting, recycling and zero-waste services, “to pair mission-driven programs with real-world waste diversion infrastructure.”

The Durham Museum will open its new traveling exhibit, the Negro Motorist Green Book, on February 7. The exhibit will explore how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for many African Americans in the United States. Visitors will interact with historic footage, images and firsthand accounts offering an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America.

The Rod Rhoden Foundation has pledged an initial $1 million to Metropolitan Community College for a scholarship that will continue Rod Rhoden’s legacy of supporting opportunities in Nebraska’s automotive industry. The pledge will establish the Rod’s Auto Tech Team Scholarship, which is available to students of all ages pursuing automotive technology certificate or associate degree programs, including MCC Career Academy completers. The scholarship is expected to impact an estimated 45-plus students per year.

Creighton University announced a donor-funded program aimed at promoting the mental and spiritual well-being, resiliency and life skills of students in every school and college on campus. The Fritz Family Office of Cura Personalis Services — established with a $3 million gift from Lance, HON’23, and Julie Fritz — is a mission-driven initiative providing additional support, resources and programming for students. The gift also establishes the Fritz Family Endowed Director of Cura Personalis Services. The director will lead a cross-divisional team of case managers. Cura personalis, which translates as “care for the whole person,” is one of Creighton’s core Jesuit values.

The Josh Place, a nonprofit aiming to create permanent housing for locals with chronic mental illness, is fundraising by hosting a raffle for a brand-new home valued at $455,000. A Kickoff Event will be held on March 30 to introduce the mission, housing model and community impact. The home will be raffled off at The GreenLight Gala Saturday, August 8.

Habitat Omaha was selected by an anonymous donor to participate in the Pope Leo Village initiative alongside 15 other cities nationwide. The program, launched in Chicago, will invite at least 600 new Habitat for Humanity volunteers to help build 20 homes over 20 days. A kickoff event will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, February 26, at the St. John Paul II Newman Center, 1221 South 71st Street. The first volunteer build day will take place in April.