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Indian River County High School Students Become Citizen Scientists

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Originally posted by Knowhere News.

A group of 15 high school students in Indian River County were recruited to participate in a unique, ongoing citizen science project.

The goal of the program is to involve them in hands-on science focused on benefiting the Indian River Lagoon while simultaneously exposing them to leadership training, according to a release from ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association).

The Team ORCA Citizen Science and Leadership Project, funded by the Link Foundation and the Community Enrichment Fund of Indian River Community Foundation, allows students from Vero Beach High School, Sebastian River High School, and Indian River Charter High School the opportunity to develop an ongoing citizen science program for their respective schools.

Teams of student citizen scientists will adopt and seasonally test sampling sites in the Indian River Lagoon with the intent of better identifying the sources of pollution and stopping them at their source.

To read the full article, please click here.

Watch, Learn What Board of County Commissioners Now Knows About Community Needs 

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Last week Community Foundation President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, presented the findings of the Indian River County Community Needs Assessment to the IRC County Commissioners. The 18-minute video of this presentation can be viewed below.

The IRC Community Needs Assessment was a culmination of efforts from local organizations, donor groups, County government, and community leaders who came together to assess the needs of Indian River County residents on a comprehensive basis. This report will serve as an important resource that can help stakeholders work toward effective solutions that improve quality of life and build a better community.

Click Here to Read the Community Needs Assessment

Effective Management: Ken Grudens and the Indian River Land Trust Get Things Done

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One of the eight local charitable organizations listed in Indian River Community Foundation’s 2016 Better Giving Index is Indian River Land Trust.  Here is an excerpt from our Measure of Our Mission:  2015-2016 Annual Report featuring one of the reasons why we believe the organization has been so successful in garnering regular financial support from our clients.

One look at the map of properties preserved and conserved by the Indian River Land Trust (“IRLT”), and it is clear that someone is effectively managing the organization. Since 2004, Ken Grudens has served as Executive Director, overseeing a vision to preserve the wildlife habitat, protect the scenic waterfront and provide public access for recreation and education on our Indian River Lagoon. The organization has been entrusted with millions of dollars in donations to acquire and care for approximately 1,000 acres and nearly 10 miles of precious lagoon shoreline.

Indian River Land Trust’s effective management can also be seen in the collaborations it has launched with other local charities. For the last two years, IRLT has partnered with FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to operate the Junior Scientist Fellows program, which provides young people with authentic scientific research experience in our Indian River Lagoon. Last year, IRLT stepped out of the water and into the art world, partnering with Vero Beach Museum of Art to bring artist James Prosek’s “Ocean Fishes” exhibit alive.

Donors today have high expectations that the leaders of the charitable causes they give to manage resources effectively to achieve their missions. In doing so year over year, Ken Grudens and his staff foster the kind of trust that makes Indian River Land Trust worthy of its name.

Measure of Our Mission: Vero Beach Rowing Seeking a Stroke of Generosity for New Boathouse

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Vero Beach Rowing (formerly Indian River Rowing Club) was founded in 2008 with a mission “to promote and teach the sport of rowing to the community in order to develop physical fitness, personal character, and an ethic of cooperation through competitive and recreational opportunities.”  Since its establishment, the organization has served disadvantaged youth, implemented a middle school rowing program and developed a successful high school rowing program which resulted in two indoor rowing world records and a state championship last year.

Last year, in preparation for an upcoming capital campaign for a new boathouse on the Indian River Lagoon in Vero Beach, the organization established the Vero Beach Rowing Boathouse Fund at Indian River Community Foundation.  The goal of this campaign is to raise approximately $2 million to pay for the construction of this new community facility.  According to Chris Ryan, who serves on the organization’s Board of Directors, approximately $750,000 is already committed to the project, and naming rights are being offered for a contribution of $1 million.

Vero Magazine January 2017
More information about this project can be found by clicking here for a recent article from Vero Beach Magazine.  Interested contributors may learn more by contacting a member of Indian River Community Foundation’s donor services team at donorservices@ircommunityfoundation.org.

Program Results: The Learning Alliance Makes Literacy Count

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One of the eight local charitable organizations listed in Indian River Community Foundation’s 2016 Better Giving Index is The Learning Alliance.  Here is an excerpt from our Measure of Our Mission:  2015-2016 Annual Report featuring one of the reasons why we believe the organization has been so successful in garnering regular financial support from our clients.

The business of philanthropy depends on charities to demonstrate results with the resources entrusted to them.  Results often come in the form of outcomes that can be quantified. While the early stages of programs developed and operating by The Learning Alliance demonstrate these types of results, some of their most important work cannot be counted at all.  It is felt . . . in the exuberance f a student who reads for the first time . . . in a teacher who finally breaks through with her class . . . in a parent who shares gratitude . . . in a system that works. 

Our community’s Moonshot Moment goal is to have 90 percent of all students reading on grade level. One of the most important contributions The Learning Alliance is making toward this goal comes through its “Moonshot Academies” operating at six elementary schools throughout Indian River County.  These after-school learning labs have provided hundreds of students with four to six hours of extra instructions time each week, and have given teachers a risk-free environment to practice techniques to bring into the classroom. Thanks to The Learning Alliance and all of the collaborative partners involved in the Moonshot Moment, we are making literacy count in Indian River County.