August 2015

Creating a Promising Future for the Individuals and Families We Serve.
Horizons and Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS) are celebrating our merger and you're invited! Please plan to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and brief news conference at Horizons on Wednesday, August 5, 2:00 p.m. Refreshments will follow the program. 
 
Amy Johnson Joins Horizons Staff

Amy Johnson joined Horizons in July, as Vice President and Chief Development Officer. Amy brings nearly three decades of professional experience to her position, including careers in the media, communications and development fields. Most recently, Amy served as Vice President of Development at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. Amy has volunteered at many non-profit agencies in our community and is a previous member of the Horizons Board of Directors.
Fuel Up for Summer Fun Success
NTS Driver Cassandra Land hands a meal out to a child at Daniels Park
 in Cedar Rapids.

The Meals on Wheels kitchen has served free meals as part of Fuel Up for Summer Fun to hundreds of kids across the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area this summer. Approximately six thousand meals have been enjoyed by children each month at public sites in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion, along with Kids On Course and the Youth Leadership Program.  

 

Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS), Horizons' newest program, has assisted in the delivery of summer meals. Six drivers have delivered meals to the various sites and filled the role of site supervisor on a daily basis. FREE meals will be served each weekday this summer until August 21. 

 

Helping College Students Stay Financially Healthy
School will soon be starting and so will work the Horizons Financial Health & Wellness team does with area college students. Our partnerships with Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa are one way we reach out to provide financial education and budgeting assistance to students as they prepare for life after college.

In August, financial counseling sessions are available to students in Kirkwood's K-PACE (Pathways for Academic Career Education & Employment) program. University of Iowa students can get free budgeting assistance on site every Thursday and Friday afternoon at the Iowa Memorial Union (Room 260B). Walk in or call 800-826-3574 to schedule an appointment. Any student can contact Horizons Financial Health & Wellness Center at 319-398-3576 for help with money management. Learn more at www.horizonsfamily.org.

 Youth Mental Health First Aid
   

Horizons and Tanager Place invite you to join us for aYouth Mental Health First Aid certification course on Friday, August 14 8:00am - 5:00pm. This course will educate you about the potential warning signs and risk factors of mental health problems in youth and the 5-step action plan to help in a crisis. Click here to download a flyer or go to: www.horizonsfamily.org 


 


Karl's Corner

The organizational goal of Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, is to create opportunities for positive and healthy change in the lives of the individuals served, by offering hope for their future. The existing programs each address specific needs. Often, clients are utilizing only one service when they may be in need of multiple services. In an effort to take a more systematic approach to ensure our services are being provided in concert with one another, Horizons is focusing on overall wellness.

 

The individual services provided by Horizons have been an integral resource in the community for many years. However, as needs have begun to intersect among clients and the community at large, a more all-encompassing holistic approach is needed to meet these "new" demands. In addition, and just as important, current and potential clients in this community are facing the same food and nutrition issues facing the nation and world. In order to incorporate healthier living, the approach must allow us to look at the whole person.

 

To meet these growing needs, we have established Healthy Horizons as a focus of the organization. Everyone should possess the basic survival tools with which to sustain themselves. This multidisciplinary and holistic program is designed to incorporate all aspects of health in each of Horizons' programs. The overarching theme encompasses various aspects of health and nutrition. Horizons can positively affect the citizens of the Cedar Rapids Creative Corridor by providing them access to information, resources, skills, and healthy food.

 

Horizons oversees the implementation and growth of food-related activities in each program. As the focus grows, we will utilize all available resources to execute health education program planning, implementation and evaluation. We will rely heavily on collaborative efforts interdepartmentally and within the community.

 

-Karl Cassell, President/CEO

  
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Our Mission: 
Instill hope, change lives, and brighten futures.