On March 3, 2023, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from John Goodwin, Executive Director of Malone Community Center.
John Goodwin is passionate. He talked about providing people with experiences that will encourage changed behavior.
He became Executive Director of the Clyde Malone Community Center in Lincoln in 2019.
He quoted the Vision and Mission of the Malone Center as it is today:
Mission: To eliminate multigenerational poverty in Lincoln.
Vision: Our vision is to create unity and prosperity throughout Lincoln while honoring our African American heritage.
Vision: Our vision is to create unity and prosperity throughout Lincoln while honoring our African American heritage.
He could see areas where the center could better serve the community - the entire community. Their program is not just for black youth, it is for all races, trying to reach those that are most vulnerable - those in poverty or impacted by traumatic experiences.
Shortly after John joined The Center, the world was traumatized - the Pandemic and the George Floyd incident challenged everyone. At the Center, they continued to grow the programs and thrive. One thing was to work to ensure we do not have an issue like what happened to George Floyd in Lincoln. He explained how the police and youth work together in new ways. They do project together and participate in recreational activities together. Coming together in these peaceful activities helps ensure that, if they are in a situation outside of the arms of the Center, that they may continue to feel at peace working together.
John explained that through the development of programs they are always keeping mind that they hope to enhance and impact everyone in the community.
He explained the challenge of eliminating multigenerational poverty. How do we do that. It is through programs. They provide an opportunity for youth to see what success looks like. If you ask parents and kids - anyone - we all have a different definition of what success looks like.
To have the greatest impact they added services and programs for pre-school. And then infants and even pre-natal assistance.
Everyone at the Center believes and understands "you are the person you are because of the experiences in your life".
This goes back to our very early experiences and continues through our life. Though we cannot undo what has happened in the past to bring a person to where they are today, we can provide new experiences and expose them to ideas that might take them in a different direction.
Everything starts with an experience. What you experience leads to your habits and behaviors which then produces the outcome. Your experiences form your habits and thoughts. How we change those habits and thoughts is through providing positive experiences. It is change in the mindset of the individual that will change the outcomes.
He shared stories of children who had behavior problems. They had been exposed to trauma and their behavior reflected that. Yet, when they participated in a project that provide them with a positive experience, there were no behavior issues.
The Malone Center has a new partnership with EduCare so that they can serve pre-school children. With that program they are starting to see children beginning to read in pre-school. They want to read - they want to learn - it is providing them with an experience which may lead them to success. Hopefully that will stop the cycle of poverty in that family.
Teens experience entrepreneurship and wealth management. John shared that, as a child, the word wealth was never mentioned in his house. He wants to expose more youth to the idea that they can better manage their future and their success.
They teach how to grow food and make healthy meals which the youth take home and share with the families. One team created a new protein bar. They competed on Shark Tank and, though they did not win and get to go on the TV finals, they had a great experience and saw some success.
Maternal Health - they are now serving 100 in Lincoln and Omaha - from birthing classes to birth to breastfeeding.
Malone Health and Healing - mental health awareness was not something that was addressed at Malone in the past.
Malone Athletics - provides opportunity for exploring talent in sports related activities.
And more . . . https://malonecenter.org/.
They are all over social media and he also invited us to visit the website - https://malonecenter.org/.
BIO:
As a Chicago, Illinois native John Goodwin has made Lincoln, Nebraska, his home since 1996. Since arriving in Lincoln, John has consistently involved himself within the community. John graduated from Bellevue University where he received a bachelor’s degree in security management. He worked for Lincoln Public School for twenty years as a Campus Supervisor and Football Coach. In 2017, John transitioned to the Malone Community Center as the Director of Operations and in 2019 became the Executive Director. With a strong mission to serve and passion for the community, John continues to be a driving force in the community for impactful change.
As a Chicago, Illinois native John Goodwin has made Lincoln, Nebraska, his home since 1996. Since arriving in Lincoln, John has consistently involved himself within the community. John graduated from Bellevue University where he received a bachelor’s degree in security management. He worked for Lincoln Public School for twenty years as a Campus Supervisor and Football Coach. In 2017, John transitioned to the Malone Community Center as the Director of Operations and in 2019 became the Executive Director. With a strong mission to serve and passion for the community, John continues to be a driving force in the community for impactful change.