Junior League of Cedar Rapids is an incredible group of women who volunteer their time to make a difference in our community. They focus their efforts on supporting and advocating for foster youth in Linn County, and do so through a variety of volunteer activities and programs.

Every year, JLCR hosts a luncheon and fundraiser for their core program, “Bridging the GAP.” GAP stands for "Guide", "Advocate", and "Provide." Each part of this program aims to help give the foster care community the support it needs in the appropriate ways.

This year, de Novo was tasked with creating a series of videos for the annual luncheon that would inform attendees of the work that Junior League of Cedar Rapids is doing through the Bridging the GAP program.

To create these videos, we coordinated with Junior League to interview key members who were informed on each of the programs. We also interviewed several young adults from the foster care system who had first-hand experience with the programs Junior League provides. 

To add additional visual intrigue to the videos, we also created some stop-motion video and captured b-roll at multiple Junior League events. 

The final products provide a general overview and understanding of the work that Junior League of Cedar Rapids is doing every day, right here in our community, to help support the foster care system and the children it affects.

GUIDE:

Project Guide works in conjunction with an organization called AMP to provide mentorship and resources for monthly meetings that they hold with foster youth. At the AMP meetings, Junior League of Cedar Rapids provides home cooked meals, as well as simple life-lesson demonstrations that will help the kids prepare for life after they age out of the system.  

ADVOCATE:

Project Advocate works to raise awareness about foster youth and the foster care system in Linn County. This year, JLCR created several projects that helped to accomplish this goal, including a “little black bag” initiative and a photo series of foster families. 

PROVIDE:

Project Provide helps to provide foster care children with the physical things they need to be independent after they age out of the system. Junior League of Cedar Rapids does this by providing children aging out with a fully packed suitcase of brand new items, as well as scholarships for other items they might need. 

de Novo loves telling the stories of our clients and our community partners. Video allows you to add a human element to your marketing communications (and better keep viewers' attention). If you're interested in working with de Novo to create a video for your nonprofit or company, don't hesitate to reach out.