Americana Community Center, Inc.

“Where Louisville Meets the World”℠

4801 Southside Drive. Louisville, KY40214

(502) 366-7813 Fax: (502) 366-6382

Americana Community Center is a non-profit organization, which provides a spectrum of services for the many diverse residents of Louisville. These services enable people to discover and utilize resources to build strong families, create a safe, supportive community and realize their individual potential.

July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012 Annual Report

The mission of the Americana Community Center, Inc. is to provide a spectrum of services for the many diverse residents of Metro Louisville, enabling people to discover and utilize resources to build strong families, create a safe, supportive community and realize their potential.

Dear Friends:

It is a pleasure to share our Annual Report with you. The past year has been very productive for us as we work toward our goal of providing educational and enrichment opportunities for our program participants, community partners, and neighbors.

Americana Youth Program: A total of 523 youth were served in our after-school and summer youth programs during FY 2012. 90% served were refugee or immigrant youth. During the 2011-12 school year, an average of 196 participants were enrolled active in each quarter, with 104 (53%) attending consistently, at least three days per week. Regular attendance increases the impact of the program. Program highlights include:

  • Restructuring of Academic Services: Elementary students with higher English levels were moved out of JCPS English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and into classrooms facilitated by Americana staff and interns. This provided more targeted services.
  • College and Career Preparation: Structured activities focused on college and career readiness were offered during the Youth Program for middle and high school students including ACT preparation sessions, Junior Achievement curriculum, college and career field trips, and one-on-one assistance. We again partnered with KentuckianaWorks to provide 17 teenage youth with summer jobs at Americana.
  • Creative Arts Program: The arts are an amazing tool for growing and learning, and a Creative Arts Coordinator offered a variety of arts opportunities to participants four days per week, as well as monthly outings into the arts community. Special projects this year included a six-week film club in which participants wrote and created a film titled “Snakes and Pranks” and two mural projects led by the youth. New murals were painted on the inside and outside of the building.
  • Recreation Program: A variety of organized recreation programs were offered throughout the year, encouraging youth to engage in regular physical activity, as well as developing important social skills. Programs included basketball, soccer, modern dance, yoga, running and more. During the school year, two Americana teams participated in YMCA leagues for the first team. An elementary-aged girls basketball team in the winter, and a 10-14 year-old boys soccer team in the spring. The boys went on to win the tournament.

Family Education Program: 41 refugee and immigrant families were served this year, including 45 adults, 45 children under 5, and 40 school aged children, for total of 130 participants. 23 adult students completed the 40 ESL instructional hours required to complete a post-assessment. Of those who were pre and post tested, 15 out of 23 (65%) had a progressing score. All children in the Early Childhood classroom were assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire to determine whether they are where they should be developmentally. This was the first year this assessment was used and staff members found it useful and effective in ensuring children are prepared for kindergarten.

Another component of the program is Family Coaching. A full-time Family Coach works with parents in the program, called Family Leaders, to assist them in setting goals for the family’s success. The Family Coach acts as a support and resource, holding them accountable to their commitments and helping to remove barriers to reaching goals.During the 2011-12 program year 28 Family Leaders were active in coaching. All completed individual success plans and met one on one with the Family Coach. 30 goals were completed 45 steps made toward completing goals during the fiscal year. Goals set by the Family Leaders typically revolve around finances, jobs and education. Program highlights include:

  • We worked with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) to level the Adult ESL portion of program in both the morning and the evening classes. Adult participants are now placed in leveled classes instead of having multiple English language levels in one classroom which provides more targeted learning. The adults in the program are still together for Parent and PACT Time.
  • Americana staff members made a strong effort to restructure the school age component of the program, resulting in a significant reduction in behavioral issues and increase in positive learning behaviors. The elementary and teenage students were placed in separate classrooms.
  • Vocational ESL was integrated into all adult ESL classes offered at Americana this past year. Americana Family Education Career Training (AFECT) was an initiative implemented within the structure of the program It was made possible through a grant provided by the Department of Labor in partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy. Ten participants worked with a Career Counselor and benefited from completing job interest inventories, developing resumes and other necessary steps for job applications, attending special field trips to local employment sites, and completing employment action plans.
  • According to ESL test scores, four of our Family Leaders tested out of the highest level of ESL and are prepared to begin taking GED courses. This is a huge step towards better jobs with higher wages and benefits.

Adult Education: Adult Basic Education (ABE), GED preparation, and ESL classes were offered morning and evening in partnership with JCPS Adult and Continuing Education. In collaboration with Kentucky Refugee Ministries, a weekly citizenship class was held at Americana to prepare students to become U.S. citizens. In FY 2011-12:

  • 564 students enrolled in GED/ABE classes, with 409 (73%) completing at least 12 hours.
  • Of those completing at least 12 hours, 63% made an academic gain.
  • 831 students enrolled in ESL classes, with 621 (75%) completing at least 12 hours.
  • Of those completing at least 12 hours, 38% completed a level gain.
  • 54 students attending citizenship classes completed the process to become U.S. citizens.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA): Americana was a VITA site in partnership with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition and the IRS, offering free tax preparation for low to moderate income families and individuals. Our site was open Wednesday evenings and Saturdays during tax season, coordinated by a staff member with the support of 10 dedicated volunteers. Volunteer tax preparers work to educate the taxpayer so that they understand their return and increase their financial literacy, referring them to additional services when necessary.

  • 331 tax returns were prepared
  • $540,943 was generated in tax refunds prepared at Americana
  • Refunds included $227,491 of Earned Income Credit

Community Garden: For the 7th growing season, we offered a Community Garden on campus with ten large plots available to neighborhood residents. In addition to the community plots, there is a section for Family Education participants to utilize, and a separate Youth Garden area used as an outdoor education space to teach children about gardening. In 2011, ACC began the Bluegrass Global Growers Market through a collaborative effort with Kentucky Office for Refugees and two other local community gardens. This farmers market is located on the ACC campus and was open on Saturdays, accepting cash, credit and EBT cards. During the growing season, Americana also hosted monthly garden meetings to help growers understand the importance of organic gardening. Master Gardeners, local farmers, and other local experts present on a variety of topics related to healthier practices of agriculture, health and the environment. We are encouraging the international growers to work together, to build relationships and to improve their English language skills.

Community Events: Americana also serves as a facility for community groups to host a variety of events – from health fairs to ethnic holiday celebrations to baby showers. This fiscal year, 33 groups utilized our facility.

We also held the 22nd annual Americana World Festival on June 2, 2012 to celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood. This event features all day entertainment from around the world, ethnic cuisine, and a variety of craft and community resource vendors.

The following is an overview of Americana Community Center’s income and expenses for the previous fiscal year ended June 30, 2012:

Capital Campaign: We continued a capital campaign this fiscal year which began in 2010-11 for a significant renovation project which has been a dream for many years. Construction began on the first two phases in March 2012. The project includes the addition of an elevator, a restructured entrance and lobby to improve the security of the building, additional office and program space, and energy-efficient improvements entails an updated heating and cooling system and new windows. This project will enhance the sustainability of our building and lower operating costs.

The following is an overview of Americana Community Center’s income and expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012:

Total Support & Revenue:$1,141,785 (including capital campaign contributions)

Program Expenses: $604,050

Management & General Expenses:$97,400

Fundraising Expenses:$143,029

Total Expenses: $844,479

Total Assets:$2,842,744

Total Liabilities:$638,103

Net Asset Balance:$2,204,641

Board of Directors

J Barry Barker, Chair

Sharon T Landrum, Vice Chair/Treasurer

Kelly McDonough Smith, Secretary

Gregory Brotzge

Patrick Bouldin

Gregory Carroll

Cis Beam Gruebbel

Chip Hancock

John Johnson

Faustin Ndagijimana

David Owen

William Stone

Scott Wegenast

Executive Director: Edgardo N Mansilla, MSSW

Americana Community Center, Inc. is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Board: Barry Barker, Chair; Sharon Landrum, Vice-Chair/Treasurer; Kelly Smith, Secretary; Patrick Bouldin; Gregory Brotzge;

Gregory Carroll; Cis Beam Gruebbel; Chip Hancock; John Johnson; Faustin Ndagijimana; David Owen; William Stone; Scott Wegenast

Executive Director: Edgardo Mansilla, MSW