special edition bright futures PARTNERSHIP 4 KIDS p4k CREATING BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR 30 YEARS partnership 4 kids • 1 mmagazine • speCiaL editiOn 2019 special EDITION “Partnership 4 Kids is really an organization that changes lives,” president deb denbeck said in summarizing the wide scope of programs partnership 4 kids (p4k) provides. as p4k celebrates its 30th anniversary year, denbeck also reflected on the impact the nonprofit organization has had on area youth and the larger community. “WHEN p4k works with a young person growing up you can show these young people how bright the in poverty, we broaden their thinking future can be if they get an education and try to and help them formulate a future of be good citizens, it changes lives,” he said. opportunity,” partnership 4 kids (p4k) president deb denbeCk said. "and to see he chose mcmillan middle school (now mcmillan that future Come alive is extremely magnet Center) because his niece norma deeb rewarding to me. we get to see them suCCeed. happened to be principal there. it’s a refleCtion of the hard work by the staff and volunteers and how meaningful “she got 20 kids together at mcmillan and we all the programs have beCome to the young sat on the floor in a circle. i’m sitting there in a and maturing students.” sport coat and tie, and as about out of place as you can get,” yanney said. he told the students fundamentally, p4k is a goal-setting and group he’d assign everyone a mentor and hoped to see mentoring program for underserved students them all graduate high school and maybe go on that helps them create a foundation for success to college. from their earliest days in elementary schools through the start of their careers. more than 90 the response was underwhelming, he recalled. percent of the participants come from low- when relating the experience to his wife, dr. gail income households and many face additional walling yanney, a retired anesthesiologist, she challenges such as language barriers and food suggested adding something more tangible. and housing insecurities. p4k helps youth overcome hindrances to success by facilitating “so i went back and talked to the same group, paths to academic achievement, promoting only this time i offered them a scholarship to any positive life skills, cultivating parent involvement, college or university in nebraska if they and inspiring hope for the future. completed the program,” he said. “it’s a program that takes you from very early in this time, their interest was piqued. your life all the way to your career,” denbeck said. “we do that through goal-setting, mentoring, “about two weeks later all 20 of them came down career exploration, and college access.” to my conference room and we had a nice little get-together and we signed contracts,” yanney the organization’s vision statement starts with said. “and that was the beginning of what was “to build a better community…” in reflection of yanneys’ kids.” its network of partnerships with omaha public schools, other programs, local businesses and individuals. more than 5,000 students from 22 of the 20 students starting in the original group, schools in the omaha public school district and a four were quickly lost to forces that had number of post-secondary institutions partner unfortunately already been at play, yanney said. with p4k. but 16 were still sticking with the program 90 days later. “i know all 16 of them graduated from yanneys’ kids high school, at least 12 graduated from college the origin of p4k stretches back three decades to and at least four of them went on to get their two couples who simply wanted to make a masters or phds.” difference. yanneys’ kids went on, too, growing into a full- in 1989, self-made omaha businessman mike fledged mentoring program over time and yanney started a mentoring program for middle- renamed all our kids. that program ultimately school youth, an idea he’d had for some time. “if led to partnership 4 kids. partnership 4 kids • 2 mmagazine • speCiaL editiOn 2019 stOry by KARA SCHWEISS • phOtO by JIM SCHOLZ • mmagazine beLOW: severaL members Of the p4k bOard Of direCtOrs TO CHANGE THE trajectory OF A YOUNG PERSON GROWING UP IN poverty 4REQUIRES5 A STRONG “ AND TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP, …TIME, consistency AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. CHANGE CANNOT happen TOO QUICKLY, THAT IS WHY THE length OF OUR commitment IS CRITICAL. ~ DEB DENBECK, PRESIDENT, P4K ” partnership 4 kids bright futures FOSTERING HOPE FOR 30 years p4k CREATING BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR 30 YEARS COntinued special EDITION FOSTERING HOPE FOR 30 years “When I started with 20 I had no idea if we’d have a or prizes. The prize wasn’t the motivating factor; it Accountability continues to be an important hundred or three hundred,” Yanney said. was the recognition of what they’d accomplished element in P4K programming today. and that they made their goal.” “You always hope for success,” Gail Yanney said. “We do teach our students accountability but we “Parents would come to school not because their kids teach the ‘why’: why it’s important to be in school, “I didn’t really set a goal for (numbers). My whole were in trouble but because they were celebrating why it’s important to work hard and get good grades, objective was to find out how we could change lives their kids’ productive success,” Cookie Hoberman said. why it’s important to learn about your community and how we could motivate them. So it’s very and give back,” Denbeck said. “Because at the end of pleasant to see,” Mike Yanney said. “It’s been one of She recalled one parent offering an apology several the day, when our young people graduate we want the most heartwarming projects I’ve ever done in years into the program for doubting and questioning to make sure they are good citizens and they’re ready my life.” if the Hobermans’ commitment would last. to go on and be part of the cloth of the community in a very productive way.” winners Circle “Trust comes late in the relationship,” she said. “I said, In 1995, another self-made businessman, Jerry ‘You were right to not trust us until Jerry and I important collaborations Hoberman, and his wife, Cookie, a communications proved ourselves to you that we were going to be In 2007, Winners Circle and the Yanneys’ program by professional, wanted to recognize Belvedere long-lasting and that we really cared.” then known as All Our Kids joined forces to form Elementary School (Omaha Public Schools) students what is now Partnership 4 Kids. The initial for their academic achievements. What began as an The program eventually expanded from Belvedere introduction of the Yanneys to the Hobermans was adopt-a-school relationship evolved into an to a dozen OPS elementary school. Years later, the facilitated by philanthropists and community achievement program called Winners Circle that was Hobermans still regularly cross paths with former leaders Dick and Mary Holland, who had supported modeled on a goal-setting and incentive system Winners Circle participants. both seminal organizations. Jerry Hoberman used to motivate his employees. “I’d be sitting in a movie and someone would come “Yanneys’ Kids worked with kids in middle school and “When we started the program, there were, I think, up to me and say, ‘Miss Cookie, is that you?’” Cookie high school. So if we could merge with them, we’d 56 or 57 elementary schools in the Omaha Public Hoberman said. have a seamless program that would help a child all School district. Belvedere was ranked 56th the way through high school,” Jerry Hoberman said. academically. In three years they were rated 15th in “Theirs was a terrific program and it was just a “I was eating at a McDonald’s once when a young a test that measured academic improvement,” Jerry natural merger. We all got together and decided it person came up to me and said, ‘Hi, Mr. Hoberman. Hoberman said. “My hope was to provide students was the thing to do and we formed that I’m still making my goals!’” Jerry Hoberman said. with the ability to demonstrate that they could partnership.” He added that another former Winners Circle keep up when given a fair chance and an even playing field.” participant the couple stays in touch with—now a “We were fortunate enough to meet Cookie and Jerry college graduate in a successful retail management Hoberman and their very fine program,” Gail Yanney Winners Circle engaged not only the students, but career—has told them, “I never wanted to let you said. “Albeit 5,000 students a year isn’t nearly as also their teachers, families and the community down.” many as there are that need help, our growth to toward a common goal of student success. “It was that number came from our wonderful liaison with very important that someone took the time, shook “The rewards were so much greater in the giving for Winners Circle.” their hand and believed in them and told them, ‘I Jerry and me than in what the kids were receiving. know you can do it,’” Cookie Hoberman said. To see their faces light up, to see the parents…” By all counts, the union was positive and seamless. Cookie Hoberman said. “You could just tell there was an esprit de corps. “There was never any kind of proprietary thought. There was a sense of pride in the students and in One success factor common to both Yanneys’ Kids Everything was about what we can do together to the teachers and it was an exciting thing to watch,” and Winners Circle was an expectation of help these kids,” Jerry Hoberman said.