The impact began with a Tuesday afternoon Bible Club for a few children on the steps of a local Lincoln church. From those humble beginnings, Brad Bryan and his wife, Carma Bryan, and several additional volunteers began to sow the seeds that transformed City Impact into what it is today. These seeds included:
- Bible Club: Hundreds of young urban youths in Lincoln have come together to learn about and worship God. Forming relationships with adult mentors and other kids in the community, our students have been able to find the structure, love, and support that allow them and their God-given talents to flourish.
- Impact Reading Center: Recognizing the importance of strong reading skills among young readers, City Impact formed the Impact Reading Center as a means of curtailing illiteracy in Lincoln’s urban schools and among our students. What started in one school has expanded to three schools and over 200 children with extensive success.
- Gifts of Love™: To make sure that every family has dignity at Christmas, City Impact coordinated donations from local stores and individuals; then, marking down the retail prices of these gifts by 70%-75%, Gifts of Love™ welcomed lower-income families to shop for the gifts on their children’s wish lists.
- Impact Leadership Academy: City Impact has grown with our kids, founding the Impact Leadership Academy to empower and to cater to the specific needs of teens and their families. We specifically work towards building a culture of servant-leadership among youth and families.
- Strengths for Life Mentoring: With numerous City Impact youths succeeding throughout their high school experience, we began Strengths for Life Mentoring, which seeks to ensure that under-resourced students have exposure to their interests, potential careers, and options for college.
Our impact in the past has laid the foundation for the ripple effect of our present and future projects.