The C4 Group Programs
The Care Strategy provides a customized game plan for community engagement. It helps organizations build strategic partnerships to maximize their impact in meeting community needs. In 2012 The C4 Group mobilized The Care Strategy in 8 locations, spanning 5 states. The Care Strategy served 13,093 poor and under-served individuals through1,886 events with 5,057 volunteers serving 14,019 hours. 72 community organizations, businesses, schools, and government agencies collaborated in these events.
The Community Project: more than you thought is a free one-day community engagement experience involving leadership teams and those focused on positioning organizations to be at the center of solution in community. This experience provides insight, innovation, strategy, and resources to increase effectiveness. Participants leave with a philosophy and framework to maximize influence and enable the greatest possible impact.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
One of our Care Strategy locations recently partnered with The Chamber of Commerce and some of the local schools to offer a campaign centered around caring for kids. At the request of the Chamber of Commerce, they hosted a free community-wide family event providing a safe place for children. They also are working with two elementary schools to help meet the needs of children, as well as, continuing their focus on helping children that are part of the foster care system. Their community food pantry serves hundreds of individuals in the community.
We collaborated with Community Dinners, an organization that is in the heart of downtown Seattle and brought capacity to their efforts. Community Dinners hosts meals 5 times per week, about 33,800 meals per year, and are expanding to the 27 walking villages of Seattle.
“We weren’t showing up in the marketplace, and quite frankly we didn’t know how, we tried several things and failed. C4 came along and became a very significant partner. They brought people, they brought resources, they brought finances, they brought ideas and creativity and really helped us established our momentum. Now we show up in 5 different neighborhoods each week and C4 group has been a profound partner every step of the way.” –Verlon Fosner
We are seeking contributions, through GiveBIG Day, for two efforts:
(1) Offer The Community Project as a free seminar providing free resources to empower and inspire leaders in the Pacific Northwest in the area of community engagement as a way to meet real needs.
(2) Help end homelessness by partnering with BridgeTown, a non-profit organization in Portland.