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Step-Up Omaha! seeks to connect 1,000 youth
to career exploration, job training, internships and entrepreneurship

Application open until March 7; more businesses needed to meet the demand

Over 50 business executives, elected officials, community partners, employers and others gathered on Thursday, February 25th for the official launch of Step-Up Omaha 2021.

Step-Up Omaha is headed into its 14th year of connecting youth and young adults ages 14-21 with career exploration, jobs, internships, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities.  The collaborative initiative of the Empowerment Network has connected over 6,500 youth with jobs and job training since its inception.

Youth and young adults are able to identify their career interests, develop skills to prepare them for the future, experience hands-on job training and generate a positive income.

Step-Up is still taking applications until March 7th at stepupomaha.com.  The partners are also looking to increase the number of internship opportunities available by working with large and small businesses, organizations and ministries.  The team will continue to monitor guidance from health professionals to determine the size of the program and best format regarding virtual and in-person.


“With the support of the City of Omaha, Lakin Foundation and other foundations, the business community and our partners, we seek to connect 700 to 1,000 interns this summer and 250 in the year round program,” said Willie Barney, CEO and Founder of the Empowerment Network.  “Together, we can make this our biggest and best year ever.”

Barney thanked major employers, American National Bank, CHI Health and UNMC for their long term support.

American National Bank, under the leadership Co-CEOs and Co-Chairmen John and Wende Kotouc, was the original corporate partner, hiring 6 to 10 interns every summer since 2008.  CHI Health and UNMC return again in 2021, each hiring 10 to 20 interns.

In addition to funding, the City of Omaha will once again provide internships in a number of departments including Planning, Police, Fire, HR&R and others.  Union Pacific joins for the first time in 2021.  Small businesses, non-profits and faith-based organizations also provide important worksite opportunities.  To become a worksite, employer or sponsor, go to stepupomaha.com.

The City of Omaha is the largest financial supporter of the Step-Up Omaha program.  Mayor Jean Stothert, Councilman Ben Gray and the Omaha City Council have invested between $900,000 and $1 million for the past four years.

“We invest more in Step-Up Omaha than any other job program in the city because we know it works,” said Mayor Stothert.  “The job placements, training and development opportunities provided by Step-Up and our business community provide valuable experiences and opportunities and that’s exactly what all young people need, a chance to be successful.”

“Step-Up also depends on the generous support of the business and philanthropic community to provide additional funds or jobs,” added Stothert.

Gray agreed.  “We can continue to do 700-800 jobs,” said Councilman Gray. “But, why not get more businesses engaged and reach as many as 1,000 or more.”

Gray emphasized the importance of providing these opportunities to youth in the community and the dividends it will pay to the city.  “We will keep more of our talent here when we invest and show them what’s possible for them in Omaha.  We know that what they see is what they will be,” said Gray.

Also announced at the press conference was the second year of a $1.8 million commitment from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation.  Steve Wild, President of the Lakin Foundation, provided their reasoning for such a large scale investment over three years.

“One of the greatest strengths of the United States is its diversity.  At the same time, this diversity has been underused as a resource,” said Wild.  “We also know over the years there’s been a shortage of African-Americans and people of color in senior management and executive suites in Omaha and the Council Bluffs area.  The area is suffering from brain drain and doesn’t have a large enough skilled workforce.  The Empowerment Network’s Step-Up Omaha program is one vital tool to addressing this long term.  It shows our youth what is available right here at home.”

Step-Up Omaha has not only gained local support, but has received national support from the Obama Foundation.  The Obama Foundation/MBK Alliance selected the Empowerment Network and City of Omaha as 1 of 19 out of 250 communities to receive a $50,000 seed grant in 2019.  Because of the Network’s continued success, the Obama Foundation/MBK Alliance has agreed to expand the support with an additional $67,000 in 2021.

Locally, the Kiewit Foundation has committed $50,000 for 2021 and other foundations are joining in to support the expansion of the program.  The Lozier Foundation has supported Step-Up for the past decade and the Holland Foundation one of the initial supporters also participated in the Obama Foundation/MBK Community Challenge.  The United Way of the Midlands and Office of Violence Prevention have also contributed between $150,000 to $250,000 annually.

Step-Up Omaha is successful because of the active engagement and support of many community partners.

Omaha Public Schools has partnered in a variety of ways since 2008.  OPS looks to extend summer school options to a much larger group of students this summer and will offer some educational related internships to students 16 and older.

Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan sees this as another opportunity to increase the number of youth gaining valuable work experience and continues to support the work of Step-Up Omaha in offering internships with local corporations, small businesses and organizations throughout the community.

Annique Clark, a former OPS student who currently attends college in Mississippi, also spoke at the press conference.  Clark has participated in Step-Up for five years, having the opportunity to work with a number of health organizations.  She stated that the program has helped her to determine her double major combining art and therapy, and also assisted with launching a business while still in high school.

“Clark is a great example of the brilliance we have in Omaha,” said Barney.  “She’s a double major and an entrepreneur.  We have talent right here at our front door.”

Step-Up looks to expand in a number of ways again in 2021:

  1. Entrepreneurship.  All of the participants ages 14-15 are exposed to the SocialPreneurship curriculum, learning how to turn problems into opportunities, develop business plans and experience the process of taking a product to market.  The youth work with Jaylen Bledsoe, CEO of Bledsoe Global, now in his early 20’s, who started as a teen millionaire; national consultant, Jamela Peterson, founder of SocialPreneurship; and Debra Dogba, CEO of Business Seals.
  2. STEAM.  As part of the commitment from the Obama Foundation, Step-Up Omaha expanded opportunities in STEAM including; robotics, drones, coding, social media and manufacturing.  All of these partnerships will be expanded including an enhanced program with the Tuskegee Airmen where participants will learn to build and fly drones.
  3. Trades.  In partnership with the Bryant Center and Metropolitan Community College, Step-Up will continue providing hands-on opportunities in 3D Printing, Construction, OSHA Certification, Culinary and other vocational fields.
  4. Internships.  More corporate partners and small businesses are working with Step-Up to provide opportunities in their respective career fields.  American National Bank, CHI Heath, UNMC, the City of Omaha and Union Pacific are major employers who have committed to developing and retaining Omaha youth by connecting with Step-Up.  Employers of all sizes, including non-profits, can participate.  Interested employers, sponsors and worksites, can learn more here.

    Moniki Cannon has joined Step-Up Omaha partner, CHI Health, as a Senior HR Business Partner.
    Cannon will continue to partner with Step-Up from an employer’s role.  A new Step-Up Omaha Director will join the Empowerment Network team in March 2021 to continue the expansion of the program.
  5. South Omaha.  The Step-Up Omaha team continues its city-wide expansion with even more outreach and partnerships in South Omaha and within the Latino community.  The South Omaha and Latino Advisory Council has been expanded and is already producing positive results.

    Ana Torres was hired as a full time South Omaha coach in 2020 and will lead efforts in the area.  Step-Up is also increasing outreach to the Asian, Native American and immigrant audiences.
  6. Council Bluffs.  With the support of the Charles E. Lakin Foundation, Step-Up will formally launch in Council Bluffs in 2021 after being put on hold last year because of the pandemic.  The Step-Up Council Bluffs application will open in March.

Step-Up Omaha is an initiative of the Empowerment Network and works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Girls Inc., Hope Center for Kids, Urban League of Nebraska and PACE as coaching partners. Youth are assigned to these organizations who then hire coaches to train and prepare the participants and partner with worksites throughout program.

Long time community partner, Thomas Warren, CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska, discussed the importance of Step-Up at the press conference.

“I have the privilege of working with affiliates of the Urban League in every major city.  This public/private partnership in Omaha is recognized across the country for the results it has generated,” said Warren.  “Very few communities have this type of partnership for youth employment.”

“We focus on helping students to thrive.  We are preparing the next generation’s workforce and it is important for us to retain our talent in Omaha.”

Youth and young adults can apply at stepupomaha.com and employers, worksites and sponsors can also use the site to partner with Step-Up Omaha!

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Coming Events

Aaron Johnson, owner of Oasis, nationally-recognized black-owned grocery store to speak at AALC

Aaron Johnson, owner of Oasis Fresh Market in Tulsa, Oklahoma, home to Black Wall Street, to speak at the Empowerment Network’s 12th Annual African-American Leadership Conference on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Johnson will share what it has taken to launch and grow the successful grocery store and more about his entrepreneurial journey.

Tickets available here:  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

Johnson is blazing new trails as one of the most innovative and successful black-owned grocery stores in the nation.

With the support of City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper and Rose Washington, CEO of TEDC, he established Oasis, a fresh food market in North Tulsa after a 14-year drought in an area considered a food desert.

People from across the country are flocking to Oasis to learn more about the model and how it can be replicated in their communities.

Johnson’s leadership style is highly enthusiastic and contagious.  The energy in the store is amazing. Plenty of high fives to go around for customers and employees.  He has also built a pathway where student employees head to college after high school.

He partners frequently with Charles Harper and Damali Wilson of World Won Development to host large events to connect Oasis customers to services including employment, job training, health and more.

The food selection and quality available in the store make it one of the best in the nation.  Always full with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Aaron Johnson

Aaron “AJ” Johnson is the Founder of Oasis Fresh Markets, the first full-service grocery store in North Tulsa’s historically black-neighborhood (once called Black Wall Street) in 14 years.

Growing up in Milwaukee, AJ saw the tremendous differences between resourced and under-resourced communities. After moving to Oklahoma, he learned that residents in North Tulsa neighborhoods have a life expectancy 11 years shorter than those living in other Tulsa communities.

Whether it was the school systems, playgrounds, or even access to grocery stores, many North Tulsa residents had to travel for miles to enjoy the same resources that non-distressed communities have readily available.

AJ also launched a non-profit called The Oasis Projects to provide wrap-around services, including rental and utility assistance, support for single parents, banking, workforce training, and health-related educational classes.

AJ believes the Oasis model provides a blueprint for under-served communities by equipping people for every aspect of a healthy life.

The African-American Leadership Conference which attracts hundreds of leaders will feature keynote, Eric ET Thomas, one of the nation’s top motivators, influencers, and New York Times best-selling author along with dozens of local and national speakers.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

The African-American Leadership Conference is presented by the Empowerment Network of Omaha and features local and national leaders along with allies from every sector.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

For more information on the Empowerment Network, please go to empoweromaha.com

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Coming Events

Frank Hayes, Founder of Hayes & Associates to share financial wisdom at AALC

Frank Hayes will share financial principles he has learned during his 40 years of advising clients at the Empowerment Network’s 12th Annual African-American Leadership Conference on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Tickets available here:  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

Hayes is the founder of one of the oldest and most successful Black-owned businesses in the state of Nebraska. Through his leadership, Hayes had established accounting and consulting offices in several states and has clients across the country.

Frank and his team have assisted thousands of businesses and customers over the years with establishing a solid financial foundation.  Through Hayes and Associates, clients have attained success through growth and expansion.

Beyond their day to day work with clients, Frank and his team have dedicated themselves to investing back into the community as volunteers, board members and support for churches, non-profits and small businesses across the community, but especially in North Omaha.

The African-American Leadership Conference which attracts hundreds of leaders will feature keynote, Eric ET Thomas, one of the nation’s top motivators, influencers, and New York Times best-selling author along with dozens of local and national speakers.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

 

Frank Hayes

Hayes is the owner and President of Hayes & Associates, LLC, a CPA and consulting firm he founded in 1983 in Omaha, Neb. He has more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, including previous roles as the Director of the tax department at Grant Thornton CPAs and an internal revenue agent for the Internal Revenue Service.

Hayes earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Creighton University in Omaha. He also is a graduate of the Small Business Executive Education Program at Clark Atlanta University and the Minority Business Executive Program at Dartmouth College.

Hayes has received numerous honors during his career including induction into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame in 2009. He was recognized by the 100 Black Men of Omaha as one of its Men of Honor in 2013.

He has also received the Nebraska Society of CPA’s Public Service Award; the Otto Swanson Spirit of Service Award, sponsored by the NCCJ; the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Community Leadership Association of America; the Rotary Club of Omaha Free Enterprise Award; and the Western Heritage Museum African American Award for Corporate and Community Leadership.

Hayes currently serves on the Creighton University Board of Trustees as well as the Business Ethics Alliance, Great Plains Black Museum, Kaneko. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Mutual of Omaha Bank and the Companion Life Insurance Company.

The African-American Leadership Conference is presented by the Empowerment Network of Omaha and features local and national leaders along with allies from every sector.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

For more information on the Empowerment Network, please go to empoweromaha.com

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Coming Events

Dr. DerNecia Phillips to share secrets to success in Corporate Omaha at AALC

Dr. DerNecia Phillips will share key secrets to achieving success in corporate Omaha during the Empowerment Network’s 12th Annual African-American Leadership Conference on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Tickets available here:  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

Dr. Phillips is a dynamic keynote speaker with innovative approaches for developing and maintaining strong, productive organizations.  Her presentations have received rave reviews.

She is an experienced consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the education management and leadership development industries. Phillips is highly skilled in communication, presentations, public speaking, project management, and strategy.

She is also known as a strong business development professional working with both small businesses and large organizations.  A champion of education, Phillips secured her Doctor of Education – EdD focused in Educational Leadership and Administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The African-American Leadership Conference which attracts hundreds of leaders will feature keynote, Eric ET Thomas, one of the nation’s top motivators, influencers, and New York Times best-selling author along with dozens of local and national speakers.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

Photo Credit:  UNO, Ryan Solderin

Dr. DerNecia Phillips

Dr. DérNecia Phillips is a professional educator, activist, strategist, poet, and consultant who prides herself on being a champion for both education and her community.

She has 20 years of experience as a public and non-public school educator with service in roles from teacher to principal-to-principal coach. She holds advanced degrees from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she received her doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Dr. Phillips leveraged her expertise to found DAL Education & Care Solutions, a consulting company providing coaching, leadership development, speaking services, and training to foster personal, school, and workplace thriving. She is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment, mentoring at all levels, education, equity, and community building—as evidenced by her recent leadership founding Identity Preparatory Academy, a girl’s middle school in North Omaha.

Dr. Phillips serves as a proud LeadDiversity alumna, member of the 2023 Class 46 of Leadership Omaha, and a 2023 Phi Delta Kappa International Emerging Leader in Education working alongside the other ten selected members to address national issues in education.

Her personal mission is to Nurture. Challenge. Inspire. those she encounters in order to affect positive change for our children and those who serve them. She is a woman of faith, a proud wife and mother, and enjoys reading, writing, mentoring, and spending time with her family, friends, and mentees.

The African-American Leadership Conference is presented by the Empowerment Network of Omaha and features local and national leaders along with allies from every sector.

Tickets available.  2024 African-American Leadership Conference (aalcomaha.com)

For more information on the Empowerment Network, please go to empoweromaha.com

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