Press Release
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Greg Emmel and Carolyn T. Miller, Executive Directors
D2 Center
402-502-8534
info@d2center.org
For Immediate Release: July 30, 2025
United Way of the Midlands Awards $40,000 Grant to the D2 Center
to Fund Youth Academic Navigator (YAN) / Reengagement Specialist Program
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.
About United Way of the Midlands:
Since 1923, United Way of the Midlands (UWM) has served the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro by bridging the business and not-for-profit sectors and raising money to support our community’s most impactful health and human service programs. UWM’s funded programs and direct services – like 211 and JAG Nebraska – focus on four key areas to improve health and well-being for all, build financial stability and strength, help young people realize their full potential and address urgent needs today to advance a better tomorrow. Learn more at UnitedWayMidlands.org.
About the D2 Center:
The mission of the D2 Center is to connect out-of-school and disengaged youth aged 15-21 into an educational pathway with other resources and support needed to earn a high school diploma and prepare for post-secondary opportunities and a career. Our services are:
- Youth Academic Navigator: YANs are education-focused case managers who check in with their students frequently and help with issues as they emerge to ensure students are making progress and earning credits in school.
- Tutoring and Elective Classes: Tutoring is offered two afternoons a week and elective credit classes are offered in the summer. Certified teachers specialize in creating a small, caring classroom environment with a focus on individual students and their success.
- Career Navigator: Career Navigators assist students with postsecondary planning and connections for both career and educational opportunities. Services are also available to graduates.
- Reengagement Partnership: D2 Center staff members work closely with OPS staff to reengage students who have withdrawn from school but are eligible to enroll. Nearly all dropouts who choose to reenroll attend an OPS Multiple Pathways program.
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