Clyde Malone Center

Children are what makes a community, a community. They are the future of our community. Our future leaders, teachers, business professionals, and overall community members. There are countless numbers of programs throughout this city that provide care for children of Lincoln at after school programs, summer camps, and numerous other organizations. One, in particular, holds the core of the Lincoln community together by providing exceptional care and service to kids and their families. The Clyde Malone center, located right in the center of the city, is doing just that.

This children's center is not like every other after school program around. Located on 20th and U street, the Malone center's mission is to honor and strengthen the African American community in Lincoln and Lancaster County by serving as a cornerstone for educational, cultural, and advocacy programs for all people. You can't say that about every child care center. The Malone center really takes their service to heart. They strive to create a community where person develops to their full potential. The thing that sets the Malone center apart the most from other places, in my opinion, is the fact that they aren't just watching children for their parents, they are helping these kids grow and make sure they succeed in the future. They do so by honoring their four core values: Accountability, Diversity, Collaboration, Excellence.

The Clyde Malone Center also has a number of programs that they feel will contribute to their vision of bettering the African American community. A few that really stand out to me (but these aren't all of them! http://www.malonecenter.org/programs) include: Health Outreach Program, Talented Tenth, Moving Forward to End Domestic Violence, and Strong Courageous Girls Program. The fact that they strive to reach out and teach these kids about important issues that will shape their future speaks wonders to me.

My roommate had the pleasure of working at the Clyde Malone Center for two years as a Youth Worker. I decided to ask her a little bit about her experience there. When asked what the most rewarding thing about working there she stated that making a difference in a kid's life every single day was hands down the best part about the job.

"We really got to do a wide range of activities with the kids that varied every day.  We would help them with their homework, go on educational field trips around the city, and contribute to the multiple programs we had set up on site."

Lincoln may not be a city that is struggling much with their community members, but I honestly think that is because of great organizations like the Malone Center. Places like this should really get more recognition for the work they are doing for the kids of this community and their future. It's only going to reflect in years to come, and I can't wait to see what's in store for Lincoln.

Hear Nebraska

One thing that many people assume Lincoln lacks is a good music scene. With the addition of Pinnacle Bank Arena a few years back, that has brought a ton of new opportunities for concerts, and more popular artists to come to Lincoln for shows. Yes, I know that big concerts that come and go throughout the year don't really count toward the "music scene" of a city, but there's more to Lincoln that meets the eye. On this installment of Loving Local Lincoln, I am going to dive into an organization that makes music in Nebraska their priority; Hear Nebraska.

Hear Nebraska is a non-profit organization based in Lincoln that focuses on making the state of Nebraska a globally recognized cultural destination. The organization was created by at-the-time college graduate Andrew Norman, and his now wife, Angie. Hear Nebraska first started as Andrew's masters project in 2010, and blossomed into what it is today. The organization now has five full-time staff members, a team of nine on the Board of Directors, and eleven interns spanning across the state.

You may be thinking, what could a non-profit organization benefit in a farming-heavy state like Nebraska? They change the game in that aspect. Hear Nebraska's mission is to meaningfully connect and engage fans, artists, and communities through music journalism, education, and events. As I stated before, with the new Pinnacle Bank Arena, Century Link Center, Bourbon Theater, Sokal Auditorium, and countless other venues that span across this state, the opportunity for music in Nebraska, and especially Lincoln, is at an all time high.

Hear Nebraska sets out to do three things with their non-profit: Develop and provide exposure Nebraska's music, arts and creative industries, Illustrate and create reasons for young people to invest and stay in this state, And train and educate the next generation of Nebraska's leaders, while increasing arts appreciation and state pride. They have a ton of really great content on their website, (http://hearnebraska.org/) including articles written weekly about new events going on. 

One really cool thing that I have noticed about Hear Nebraska's blogging content is that they not only promote what's going on in our community, but they keep it very local. Promoting local bands that are aspiring to make it big is exactly what their mission is about, and they are fufilling that every single day. Not into the live music so much? They have content for that too. They make sure to not only provide exposure for bands and other music events, but they provide exposure for music outlets in communities as well. For example: they had a really great article about a local record store here in Lincoln.

Hear Nebraska is just another example of the many wonders lying here in Lincoln that many are not aware about. Who says Lincoln doesn't have a good music scene? Not me. Thanks to Hear Nebraska, the music and art exposure is at an all time high, and continues to grow every single day.

opendorse

Sports have always been a huge part of the Lincoln community. Husker football is the one of the most successful and nationally known programs in collegiate history. It's all thanks to the amazing fans, and continued support for decades and even into the future. Transferring that energy and enthusiasm to sources outside of the University would be easy, many people may think. What most don't realize, however, is that there are a lot of local businesses and start-ups that are using this energetic fan base of Husker sports to their advantage. On this issue of Loving Local Lincoln, I am going to explore opendorse, the local sports engagement start-up right here in the heart of the LNK.

Former Husker Football stars, Blake Lawrence and Adi Kunalic, started this company back in 2013. It started with an idea to make the world of marketing on social media easier for companies, athletes with endorsements with those companies, and everyone in between. opendorse is an online platform that connects, not only brands with their customers, but connects athletes with their fans as well.

The opendorse platform is fairly simple and easy to use for everyone. Brands sign up on the platform, agents of those brands choose an athlete that is a partner of opendorse to promote their brand, and then the final step of the process is the athlete accepting the deal, and sharing content on their social media platforms. Athletes, as well, can go on the platform to be a partner and start creating deals with brands. It's all a never ending circle of brands reaching out to a wider target audience, while athletes are engaging with their fans on a more regular basis. Another great thing about opendorse is the opportunity is sets for the athletes that are a part of it. They get a larger cut of the profit compared to doing these deals through a traditional agency, having to go through multiple steps before the paycheck comes.

opendorse has activated more than 1,500 endorsement deals and house over 1,000 athletes on their platform. You can check out some of the work that opendorse has done by visiting their website here: www.opendorse.com That number is growing each and every day, and is gaining momentum every time a new deal is created. Some big names that are partners of opendorse include: the NFL, the UFC, Husker Athletics, and many more.

opendorse just proves to be another local company that is doing huge things nationally and internationally, that not many people in this community are aware of. I may be biased because I work here, but this company is seriously changing the game in social media marketing. Being aware of what's going on around us is so important, because this community deserves a lot more credit than it gets. Just another reason why I love local Lincoln.

Bulu Box

You may have heard about the Silicon Valley. You know, the entrepreneurial start up place-to-be. This place resides in California. It's the home of tech-leading brands like Apple, Microsoft, GoPro, and many many more. What people, especially in Lincoln, don't realize, is that there is another start-up site that is gaining momentum by the day. They call it the Silicon Prairie, and it resides right here in Lincoln, Nebraska. In this installment of Loving Local Lincoln, I am going to take a look at the pinnacle of the Silicon Prairie, Bulu Box.

Lincoln has been receiving a lot of media attention as one of the best places in the country to start a business. We can thank that reputation to one local company that is defining the subscription box industry. Started by Paul and Stephanie Jarrett, Bulu Box concentrates on providing a wide range of heath and fitness products to consumers doorstep with ease.  They describe themselves as a discovery box, as they have many different options for products on their website. This company takes what you're insterested in, what your schedule is like, and what your body type is, and suggests the best products for you to ensure you will be feeling great all day long.

What sets Bulu Box apart from other subscription boxes is their risk-free trial feature. They offer products that you can decide to just try a sample of. Not sure if you will fully enjoy something that they offer? No problem. They will set you up with samples to try four or five times before you put any money towards it. How can you get any better than that? It's like a personal spa and vitamin shop catered directly to your body. Plus, it gets sent directly to you!

What I really want people to take away from Bulu Box is not only that they offer an amazing product, but more so the impact that they have set on Lincoln and the Midwest. This isn't the first amazing idea Paul and Stephanie have ever had, they created other million dollar start-ups, like Neebo. What makes Bulu Box so special, though, is the doors that they have opened up for everyone else in the future. They put Lincoln on the map in terms of economy, business, and importance with this successful idea. Think of all the possibilities young entrepreneurs have now, just because these two?

Bulu Box is yet another example of a hidden gem in Lincoln. There's always amazing things going on around us, but we're not always aware of it. Bulu Box provides an amazing local product for consumers, but also really ads to the reputation of our community. Check out more information on Bulu Box here: http://www.bulubox.com/