Testimonials

YWCA - Omaha, Nebraska

Dr. Jeanette Harder awarded with 2006 Omaha Volunteer Award. [script]

First Coast Family Center, Parent Aide Program - Jacksonville, Florida

Jeanette,

         I would like to express my thanks to you and your students for your work this past semester through the research partnership program.  I was impressed by your students' abilities to take limited information about our agency and program and turn it into a great description of services provided.  I am extremely grateful to have been able to "dump" much of our data that is being collected through the database and get, in return, wonderful charts and analysis to help us better understand the clients we serve and their outcomes within our program.  The literature review information contained in the research reports and on your website will help with justification on grant applications that ask for links to evidence-based services.  The data analysis provided will also help with grant applications, which I will be using for continued funding for the program.  The data analysis also allows us to see trends with our clients...which lead to many questions.  These questions will certainly result in program enhancements and changes to continue our process of providing the highest quality service possible to our clients. 

         Thank you for the opportunity to have free research done on our program!!  I look forward to working with you again in the near future!  It is my hope that with this research, we will some day be able to call our program evidence-based!!

Thanks!!

Carrie

Carrie R. Cohan, LCSW

Director of Parent Aide

First Coast Family Center

Take Flight Farms - Omaha, NE

The Service Learning Academy at UNO helped to develop a connection between our nonprofit agency, Take Flight Farms, and Dr. Jeanette Harder, Assistant Professor in the UNO School of Social Work.  This association proved beneficial to our agency in numerous ways.

First, we were able to have our data examined for reliability and statistical significance.  This was crucial in order for us to determine the validity of our evaluation tools.  Secondly, we were able to create "ambassadors" for our organization among a number of students in the course.  In fact, we found that some of the students who selected our data were already familiar with our services and/or the clientele that we serve. 

Finally, we were able to establish professional relations with numerous contacts at UNO, including Jeanette Harder, other Social Work professors, and members of the Service Learning Academy.  We look forward to working with each one of these talented individuals in the future. 

Take Flight Farms would like to thank Carlynn Hartmann-Kurtz and Paul Sather in the Service Learning Academy.  The work they do on a daily basis greatly strengthens the tie in this community between students and nonprofit agencies.  We also want to thank the Social Work students who spent hours analyzing our data and were willing to present their findings in a frank and forthright manner in front of both their peers and our colleagues.  Above all, we are grateful that Dr. Jeanette Harder opens her classroom as well as her innumerable talents to small agencies like ours.  She is making a difference on a daily basis and we are honored to have worked with her.

Cindy (Janecek) Vaccaro

Assistant Director

Take Flight Farms, Inc.

1004 Farnam St., #400

Omaha, NE  68102

(402) 930-3037

http://www.takeflightfarms.org