Foundation Update

The Kim Foundation has had an exciting few months as we capped off our 20^th Anniversary celebrations with the end of 2021. We were so grateful to each of our supporters, community partners, volunteers, board, and staff who made the yearlong celebration so meaningful and memorable! The Kim Foundation donated nearly $1.5 Million to more than 20 local organizations to close out an incredible two decades of service to our community!

As we transition into our 21^st year we have added two new team members that we are extremely excited to have on board! We welcome Colleen Eusterwiemann as our first ever Suicide Pre & Postvention Coordinator, and Sadie Hinkel who steps into the Outreach Coordinator role. Both ladies have hit the ground running and have been wonderful additions to our team. Tiffany Dahir, Assistant Director; Katie Zimmerman, Project Coordinator; and myself, round out the team, and all five of us are here and committed to furthering our mission in the community.

The Kim Foundation continues to partner with DHHS Division of Behavioral Health to create the work plan for the next statewide Suicide Prevention Plan for Nebraska. We have partnered with Emspace + Lovgren to conduct the focus groups and information gathering portion of the plan. We have identified 12 groups within our state’s population to target as we work to collect as much information and input as we can in forming this plan. Our hope is that the next Nebraska Suicide Prevention State Plan will represent the voice of all Nebraskans, with information, resources and tools that will be relevant and actionable no matter where you are in our state. If you have questions on the plan or these groups or are interested in participating, I encourage you to reach out to me!

Another exciting initiative we are working on is another year of the Nebraska School Mental Health Conference that we host in partnership with ESU3 and other community partners. The conference will be held in person on June 1^st and 2^nd at Embassy Suites & Conference Center La Vista. For the first time ever we are hosting four exciting keynotes, and more than 30 local experts on a variety of topics. We are focusing on making this year’s conference a celebration of all who work to serve the youth of our state each day, and for being able to get back together in person! Registration will be opening soon so please watch for more information on that. It’s going to be an incredible conference this year!

Our other programs continue moving ahead including More Tomorrows, LOSS, A Voice for Hope & Healing, and our daily community engagement work. We are doing free presentations in person and virtual if you are looking for presentations on mental health, suicide prevention, healthy coping mechanisms, community resources, or a combination of any of these. Please visit our website or reach out for more information!

Julia Hebenstreit, Executive Director of The Kim Foundation

Julia Hebenstreit is the Executive Director of The Kim Foundation. She received her J.D. from Creighton University in 2005, and her BS in Journalism from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2002. She has been with The Kim Foundation since 2011, and prior to that worked for local non-profits doing development, strategic planning, communications and advancement. She has a passion for helping people and improving lives, and serves on the Executive Committee for Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations, as the 2015 Hill Day State Captain for the state of Nebraska, and as an active member of the Nebraska Suicide Prevention Coalition, the Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, BHECN Advisory Committee, RESPECT Advisory Board, Connections Advisory Board and the Project Propel Planning Group.