Chicago Ave. ProjectAt the Columbus Foundation

Five years ago I showed up at the City Life Center lost and broken.”

An Invitation

From KatieI grew up in the Franklinton neighborhood with a single mom. I have four siblings, all from different dads. At six years old I realized that my mom was selling prescription medications and marijuana. When I was 15, a SWAT team stormed into our house. Mom was at work, so my brother ended up in jail. We moved in with my friend’s family. I thought maybe she would stop selling drugs, but my mom’s customers just followed us there.

I began taking drugs with my mom and selling to people at school for her. I began dating an abusive guy who was in a gang. I stole from just about every store I walked into. And when all of that didn’t make me happy I would cut myself.

A friend invited me to the City Life Center. The first night there I met a staff member named Dre, who explained that God had a better plan for my life. Then, I began a mentoring relationship with another staff member, Erica. Through the City Life Center I made the decision to become abstinent. I also became a Volunteer-in-Training (VIT)

where I help younger kids who have experienced a lot of the same issues that I have. I’m now a staff member at the City Life Center.

My story isn’t unique among our students. They have similar stories – and sometimes even worse. I want to show them that it doesn’t matter what somebody has done to you, or what you’ve done in the past or anything you’ve been through, God has a great plan for you and He has role in your story.

Five years ago I showed up at the City Life Center lost and broken. God used the people there to change my life. And I can’t imagine my life any other way. Today we want to increase the number of kids involved. And, we want to add a high school that will help kids succeed with their education. That would make a huge difference for kids from my neighborhood.

Katie

Their dedication to, and success in,

leading lost young people into lives

of hope, wisdom and productive

endeavors is unsurpassed. An

investment in The Chicago Ave.

Project has the power to truly

transform this community.”

Evan & Nancy Williams, Donors

CEO, Franklin International

The Community Need

In 1797, Lucas Sullivant planned for a community where people would work together and support one another toward a better future. Hence was born Franklinton, the oldest neighborhood in Columbus.

Today the neighborhood has drifted far from this vision. While many wonderful people and institutions remain, it is also true that poverty, substance abuse, low educational levels and a host of other social ills exist at a higher than average level.

Proven Effective Strategies in Franklinton – gleaned from 25 years of investmentThe Biggest Driver for Positive Change is Relational – Young people who have troubled relationships with family and other adults have difficulty making headway with schooling or jobs. Rebuilding a sense of positive community and relationships with a teen creates the foundation and the motivation to make lasting changes in other life areas.

Short-Term Solutions and Projects are Ineffective – Residents of Franklinton have seen so many ineffective, short-lived plans that they are skeptical of any program without long–term “staying power.” City Life’s longevity in Franklinton, combined with ever-increasing results, proves that they are an established and trustworthy neighbor.

The Focus Must be the Whole Person – Young people with interwoven life challenges need solutions that address their struggles together. Matching a young person with a mentor without helping them complete high school is not enough.

<40% of Franklinton residents 25+ years old have graduated from high school

Franklinton has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Franklin County

Franklinton ranks third highest in felony rates for teens in Franklin County

40% of teens use drugs and/or alcohol

AVERAGE NEIGHBORHOOD TEENS

The Federal Community Disadvantage Index rated 2 of the 3 Franklinton census tracks 10 out of 10 (10 = most disadvantaged in the U.S.), with the third scoring 9 out of 10.

The Family & Children First Council study showed Franklinton is the worst at-risk neighborhood for youth to grow up in Franklin County.

Franklinton has the lowest per capita income in Columbus at $9,951. Ninety percent of students are TANF-eligible

Our company has been a part of Franklinton for almost a century. The guiding hand the Chicago Ave. Project gives to the youth today enables them to become productive members of our society tomorrow.”

Steel Hutchinson, President GFS Chemicals Inc.

Who We AreThe Chicago Ave. Project at The Columbus Foundation

The Chicago Ave. Project is an initiative of key community leaders who have banded together to support this worthy grassroots effort.

We Believe …... a holistic educational and vocational approach tailored to the needs of Franklinton teens is the best strategy to break their hopeless cycle of drop outs and joblessness.

... that every student should be directed toward a career that can provide for a family for a lifetime. For some that means college, for many it means real-life training and opportunities.

... in the educational model and successful track record of the Franklinton Preparatory Academy (FPA) leadership team to equip each student to thrive.

... in the legacy of effective character development, mentoring and life transformation emerging from Central Ohio Youth For Christ’s (COYFC) work in Franklinton.

... this collaborative project will significantly benefit our community for generations to come.

We invite other community leaders to join us in this innovative strategy to transform this community.

We have worked with YFC in various ways for 10 years and have found them to be an organization that delivers consistent, reliable, quality results. As a funder of many organizations in central Ohio, we believe our investments with YFC into the Franklinton neighborhood have made a lasting difference in the lives of its residents.”

Lisa Schweitzer Courtice, Ph.D Executive Vice President, The Columbus Foundation

City Life CenterFor 25 years COYFC’s City Life has served Franklinton teens and families with three organizational focuses:

Leadership Development – Equipping young people to serve others. This growth occurs through individual mentoring woven throughout the social, educational, spiritual and vocational skills programs offered after-school each day.

Strengthening Families –Serving the most vulnerable families through our Teen Parents program. This poverty-bound path is re-routed when dozens of young moms finish high school, pursue college or a career, and develop healthy parenting, relationship and life skills.

Impacting Community– A neighborhood is changed when organizations reinforce vision, hope and the expectation of success. City Life contributes to this transformation through collaborative efforts including a robust elementary school tutoring program, hosting a free medical clinic, feeding the

homeless, and working closely with the new FPA charter high school.

Each year 650 teens 12-18 years old, participate in City Life Center Programs:

• YFC Wheels Automotive Job Skills Training

• YFC Promotions Job Skills Training

• Computer Lab & Tutoring

• Economis Financial Literacy

• Sports & Recreation

• Camps & Retreats

• Community Service Projects

• Bible Study Groups

• Mentoring

• Teen Parents

98% of participants stay in school or obtain their GED

98% of females did not become pregnant or males did not become fathers in 2010

95% of teens report no involvement with juvenile justice delinquency programs and 85% do not use drugs or alcohol

REGULAR CITY LIFE ATTENDEESa division of Central Ohio Youth for Christ (COYFC)

Franklinton Preparatory

Academy

Mission: To promote academic achievement along with hands-on community engagement as a means to enable the successful pursuit of each student’s post-high school plan. We do this in an environment where students are safe, accepted and where diversity is embraced.

Franklinton Prep will be:• A tuition-free, public charter high school

serving grades 9-12, specifically tailored to meet the abilities and needs of students in Franklinton, the Hilltop and the West Side;

• A school where students are charged with charting their own post-high school paths into college, technical school, a skilled career, or the Armed Services;

• A school that partners with local businesses and manufacturers to prepare career-bound students for living wage employment upon graduation;

• A school that teaches financial literacy as an integral part of the curriculum;

• A school that promotes rigorous academic achievement, personal integrity and character;

• A launching pad for success after high school; graduation isn’t the ceiling – it’s the floor.

Revitalizing the historic Chicago Avenue building with an information age teaching and learning culture has engaged all my experience and imagination as a professional educator.”

Dr. Douglas Brooks, Ph.D.Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Dropout Costs are High• Dropouts experience a poverty rate of

30.8 percent. (Dept. of Education)

• A dropout will end up costing taxpayers an average of $292,000 over a lifetime due to incarceration and how much less they pay in taxes. (Dept. of Education)

• Dropouts are not eligible for 90 percent of the jobs in our economy. (“School Dropout Rates add to Fiscal Burden”)

• In the U.S., high school dropouts commit 75 percent of crimes. (“Facts About High School Dropouts”)

Proven Leadership: More than 30 years of designing and operating successful charter schools with at-risk student populations.

Sustainable & Efficient: FPA’s business model includes grants and community partners for in-kind support.

Accountable: Fiscally sound business model employing an independent State of Ohio Licensed Treasurer.

Opening in fall 2013 for 9th and 10th grades. Grades 11 and 12 will be added in 2014 and 2015. Total enrollment = 350 students (75+ per grade level).

FPA will fully occupy the 2nd and 3rd floors of the renovated Chicago Ave. School building.

The 1st and 4th floors will be multi-use shared space with FPA, COYFC and other community groups to provide safe social space, arts programming and job skills development to students during school and after school.

Hands-On Holistic Education – Collaboration is Key

Specific Programs include:• Audio & Video Vocational Training• Cosmetology Vocational Training• Arts, Textiles, Music and Movement Classes• Weight Lifting and Exercise Area• Homework Help and Study Areas• Financial Literacy Training• Performing Arts Space• Small Group Meeting Areas• 21st Century Workplace Skills Development • Safe “Hang Out” Space after school with

game tables, lounge areas, café, computers, etc., staffed with volunteer youth mentors

“College-for-all has been a major blunder. One size doesn’t fit all. The need is to motivate the unmotivated and to forge closer ties between high school and jobs.” James Rosenbaum, Sociologist Northwestern University

“69% of jobs don’t require a post-high school degree.”US Labor Dept. 2010

wHAT yOUr Gift will accomplishMore youth being impactedWe expect to provide an exceptional high school educational opportunity to 350 high school students each year through the Franklinton Preparatory Academy (FPA). In addition, we expect the City Life Center after-school programming will serve 100 – 200 more participants from FPA students remaining at the site for after-school activities, bringing their annual impact to nearly 800 teens.

More students succeeding academicallyWe expect to see the high school graduation rate for Franklinton students attending FPA to increase from the current level of 40% to at least 90%. We also expect 95% of high school graduates to pursue college, a trade school, the military or enter directly into a skilled, living-wage career track.

More community building effortsWe plan to continue to collaborate with community organizations and programs that would positively impact the neighborhood by offering the use of the facilities for a weekly free medical clinic and outreach to the homeless members of the community.

More programming in career areas and arts programmingWe expect to expand participation in vocational training to a total of 150+ students each year with an additional 300 students involved in economic and financial literacy training. Finally, we expect 200-250 students involved in one of the planned arts programming options each year.

The Chicago Ave. Project Fund at The Columbus Foundation can receive transfer of gifts within The Columbus Foundation or direct gifts in the following forms:

Cash investments – These may be lump sum gifts or pledges for up to five years.

Gifts of stocks and other securities – Appreciated stocks, securities, or real estate held more than one year can be donated, with the donor receiving tax credit for fair market value.

Your Response MattersDeferred gifts – These include trusts, life insurance, wills and other forms of investment.

Dedications – We will present, upon request, a variety of dedication or memorial opportunities through which you can remember a relative or friend in a significant way.

The campaign budget and giving table included with this brochure shows our projection for the contributions that will make this project a reality.

As a businesswoman in both manufacturing and the oil and gas industry, I’m very concerned with the shortage of skilled young people leaving school with the technological training required in today’s modern manufacturing and energy business. I’m particularly pleased with the Chicago Avenue Project approach as it will equip Franklinton’s teens with invaluable skills to help them navigate their often challenging lives.

The collaboration of these two proven organizations -- YFC and the Franklinton Preparatory Academy -- will exponentially impact this community. It is in keeping with the American idea of the “pursuit of happiness” to provide an education allowing for the possibility of success, regardless of one’s origin. My company has committed a matching challenge grant to encourage corporate leaders to join this invaluable opportunity for positive change.

I invite you to join me and community partners like the Ohio Finance Fund, Huntington Bank and The Columbus Foundation to help Franklinton’s youth thrive in their education and in life.

Karen WrightCEO, Ariel Corp.

I’m very concerned about the shortage of skilled young people.”

The Chicago Ave. Project Fund at The Columbus Foundation1234 East Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215www.columbusfoundation.org

Chairperson – Beverly Foxbevfox@columbus.rr.comPROJECT ADDRESS: 43 Chicago Avenue, Columbus, OH 43222

Franklinton Preparatory Academy (FPA)614-668-1298www.franklintonprep.org

Michael Reidelbach, CEOMichael@mjrenterprisesinc.com

Central Ohio Youth for Christ (COYFC)3630 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214614-848-4870Scott Arnold, Executive Directorsarnold@coyfc.org

Contact Information

The Chicago Ave. Project Fund at The Columbus Foundation1234 East Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215www.columbusfoundation.org

Chairperson – Beverly Foxbevfox@columbus.rr.comPROJECT ADDRESS: 43 Chicago Avenue, Columbus, OH 43222

Franklinton Preparatory Academy (FPA)614-668-1298www.franklintonprep.org

Michael Reidelbach, CEOMichael@mjrenterprisesinc.com

Central Ohio Youth for Christ (COYFC)3630 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214614-848-4870Scott Arnold, Executive Directorsarnold@coyfc.org

2012-2013 BUDGET

Expenses:Purchase: $1,058,500Renovation: $4,865,188Finance Costs: $227,645NMTC Legal/Acct: $495,000Contingency & other: $255,000Furniture & Equip: $200,000

Total Expenses: $7,151,333

Income (as of Sept. 2013):New Market Tax Credits $2,574,0002012-2013 Gifts/Pledges Rec’d $2,180,000

Total Income: $4,754,000 (66%)

Gift Opportunities:

1@500K = $500,0003@250K = $750,0005@100K = $500,0008@50K = $400,00010@25K = $250,000

Total $2,400,000

“COYFC has an outstanding record in our community and their collaboration with an additional educational program will allow them to provide the children of our community with another much needed service. It is my belief that the Franklinton Prep Academy in Franklinton will have a profoundly positive impact on our community and will positively shape the lives of children in a way that would otherwise not be possible.”

Michael StinzianoState Representative, District 25