Current Investees
Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery
Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery’s mission is to end child abuse and neglect and create strong, healthy families. The Crisis Nursery offers a 24-hour crisis line, crisis counseling, community referrals, parent education classes, a family support group, and overnight residential care for parents to place their children voluntarily – newborn through age six- for up to three nights while they address their crisis.
Under the 4th Day Home Visiting Program support by SVP, a Crisis Nursery field worker helps families set longer term goals and works on those goals with the family on an ongoing basis. This program now serves over 40 families at any given time and has helped over 49 families access subsidies and stabilize their housing since 2010.
In addition to funding, SVP has helped Crisis Nursery research and implement a database management system to meet their funding, information and tracking needs.
For more information visit: www.crisisnursery.org
Full Cycle
Full Cycle, a Twin Cities non-profit used bicycle shop, accomplishes its mission by delivering integrated programs to meet the needs of homeless young adults on a spectrum ranging from survival to independence.
Full Cycle sells high quality used bicycles and new parts and accessories and provides professional repair services to the general public. This earned revenue stream partially funds the programs serving homeless youth – the Paid Internship, Free Bike, Groveland Food for Youth, and the Street Outreach programs.
This approach allows youth to establish strong relationships with supportive staff members who connect them to community resources and support services, helping young people achieve independence and reach a place in their lives where they dare to dream about a future beyond the constraints of homelessness.
In 2011, SVP helped Full Cycle create a strategic and business plan to guide the development of both the program and the business, thus strengthening its mission, vision and earned income potential for the future. Over 3,400 homeless youth were served in 2011.
For more information visit: www.fullcyclebikeshop.org
Joyce Preschool
Joyce Preschool, a Spanish-English immersion school, has been providing quality early childhood education to children and their families for more than 40 years. Joyce is unique in its two-way immersion/multi-cultural approach. The program is one of the few preschools in the community that goes beyond a single language model, to dual language and cultural immersion.
Joyce is the only preschool to maintain a 50:50 ratio of English and Spanish-speaking students, with a policy of having 40-60% receiving scholarship assistance. The school also makes special efforts to involve families in their child’s academic success, including their transition from preschool to kindergarten.
Joyce Preschool is new to the SVP portfolio and is currently working with SVP to develop its 2012 capacity building initiatives.
Visit: www.joycepreschool.org
Rock Star Supply Co.
Rock Star Supply Co. is a nonprofit organization that improves educational outcomes for at-risk teens by engaging local college students and fun professionals in our tutoring program. We believe anyone who wants to change a teen’s life is a rock star, and since 2009, we have supplied those individuals to Twin Cities high schools. By bringing volunteer tutors (aka Rock Stars) to the classroom, RSS Co. provides support to teachers so they can more effectively engage their students. Our Rock Stars work with at-risk students so they can catch up on assignments, develop a passion for learning and meet interesting adults along the way.
In 2011, over 1,000 hours of in-school tutoring was delivered to 100 students by 60 volunteer tutors. Of the students served, 90% increased their GPA. RSS Co. is new to the SVP portfolio and will begin capacity building planning in 2012.
For more information visit: www.rockstarsupplyco.org
Urban Debate League
The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) serves over 400 primarily low-income and students of color from 23 schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Students debate complex governmental policy issues at local, regional and national competitions, while gaining critical thinking and research skills, as well as self-confidence.
The Mission of MNUDL is to empower students to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities.
Evidence of program success: While not a panacea, evaluation data of the MNUDL show that participation increases reading proficiency by as much as three grade levels, boosts self-esteem, decreases risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, and assists in graduating from high school and finding pathways to higher education. MNUDL has had 100% on-time high school graduation and acceptance to college in the last three years.
Minnesota Urban Debate League was chosen as SVP’s Spring 2012 Investee.
Recent Investees:
| Investee | Executive Director | Sector | Investee since |
| Baby’s Space | Dr. Terrie Rose | Early Childhood | 2008 |
| COOL Youth Center (SVP Teens Investee) |
2011 | ||
| Full Cycle | Matt Tennant | Youth Development | 2010 |
| Genesys Works Twin Cities | Jeff Tollefson | College Access | 2007 |
| Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery | Mary Pat Lee | Early Childhood | 2009 |
| Joyce Preschool | Sarah Clyne | Early Childhood | 2011 |
| Rock Star Supply Company | Emily Cook | College Access | 2011 |
| Students Today Leaders Forever | Irene Fernando, Guff Van Vooren, | Youth Development | 2007 |
| Josh Reimnitz | |||
| The Family Partnership (SVP Teens Investee) |
2012 | ||
| Urban Debate League | Amy Cram Helwich | College Access | 2012 |
