United Way Awards Grant to D2 Center
The D2 Center is pleased to announce it was recently awarded a $40,000 grant from United Way of the Midlands (UWM). Thanks to the generosity of UWM donors, a Youth Academic Navigator (YAN) will continue to reengage and support high-risk youth ages 15-21 who are struggling to finish their high school diploma. YANs build a caring relationship and help students focus on attendance, academics, and connections to needed resources in the community.
This funding was awarded thanks to a dedicated group of community volunteers who meticulously reviewed applications and highlighted our program’s vital role in fostering a thriving community. Their commitment and insight underscore a collective effort through UWM to address pressing local needs, ensuring that this funding will directly contribute to meaningful, positive change.
As Omaha’s only reengagement center, the D2 Center’s primary goals are to get students back into school, keep them in school, and support them to finish their high school diploma. Each YAN serves as a case manager for about 50 high school youth voluntarily participating in the D2 Center program. These high-risk youth may not graduate on time, are attending an alternative school, or have dropped out. After completing intake/assessment, students are assigned a YAN, who checks in with their students frequently and communicates with other adults who care about the student’s progress. The D2 Center has a contract with Omaha Public Schools (OPS) to do outreach to students who withdraw from school but are eligible to enroll, and YANs attempt to reengage these youth to reenroll in school.
With the help of this grant, the D2 Center can provide a mentor/academic coach for disengaged and struggling high school students to help get them back on track to earn their diploma. In the past school year, 133 students participating in D2 Center services earned their diploma.
When Maria’s high school counselor referred her to the D2 Center, she was a junior and had failed about half her classes the first two years. Attendance was a major barrier along with problems at home, transportation, and working. On days she attended school she was usually late and missed all or most of her first class. Her Youth Academic Navigator, Evelia Gutieŕrez, soon discovered that Maria lacked the support she needed from her mother for her education to succeed. When Evelia offered to teach Maria how to ride the city bus to school, her mother felt it wasn’t safe; however, her mother and older sister were also not reliable sources of transportation. As Maria got further behind in school due to absences and tardiness, she felt defeated before she even had a chance to try.
Evelia was a source of hope and someone who would listen and console her when needed. She recalled many days when Maria felt overwhelmed by her situation and would break down in tears, not because she didn’t care about school, but because she felt hopeless. She worked five nights a week at Walmart from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., so being in school and keeping up with schoolwork was difficult. Maria would tell Evelia things like, “I’m trying but no one sees that… I want to do better, but I don’t know how to fix this.” It seemed only Evelia understood the real obstacles she was facing and encouraged her not to give up. In the summer before her senior year, Maria moved in with her father and things changed for the better. She was in a more stable and supportive environment, and her attendance and grades reflected what she knew she could achieve at school. She attended summer school, took make-up classes after school, and earned two D2 Center elective credits.
As Evelia reflected on Maria’s perseverance and the obstacles she had to overcome, she was extremely proud of her on-time graduation in the spring of 2025. As Evelia states, “Maria wasn’t looking for excuses—she was looking for a way forward.” One of her last texts to Evelia was “I do want to say I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I’m so thankful you were there for me and never gave up on me.” Maria plans to get her CNA and then possibly start working on a nursing degree to become a traveling nurse. Evelia referred her to a D2 Center Career Navigator for assistance in reaching her post-secondary goals.
“The support of the United Way of the Midlands for the D2 Center YAN program is much appreciated. This collaboration truly makes a difference to young people in our community, and we are thankful to everyone who contributes to the United Way,” said Greg Emmel, D2 Center Executive Director of Programs.