PHASE ONE OF BUILDING PROJECT SET TO BEGIN APRIL 28, 2025
EXCITING NEWS! Phase 1 of Construction on our Building Project is SCHEDULED TO BEGIN on April 28th! This Phase will start with Demo, which will take approximately one week. The rest of Phase 1 will begin when Demo is complete.
A NOTE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS: A portion of Jefferson St. will be closed for approximately three months while construction is in progress. Please avoid the areas that are closed off and stay away from the building site during this time. (map below).
To learn more about this building project, go here.
This has been a long process of fundraising and hard work. We are so excited to FINALLY begin building a place to serve our community in so many more ways!
PvilleYI Christmas Dinner
In December 2024 PvilleYI hosted a Christmas Dinner Party for middle school and high school students. Over 80 teens attended the event! We served a Chick-Fil-A meal to each teen, coming to serve them directly at their tables. Dessert and drinks were also served by PvilleYI volunteers. We also passed out a gift to every teen, full of all kinds of fun and trendy items to celebrate them!
A huge thank you goes to our friends at Pleasantville’s St. Paul United Methodist Church for allowing us to use their Family Life Center to host the event.
summer 2024: 27,056 Meals Distributed in Pleasantville
In the summer of 2024, PvilleYI partnered with Knoxville Food Youth Initiative and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church to serve the teens in our community with meals. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from June 3rd to August 2nd, our volunteers worked together to serve an average of 200 bags per day. Each bag contained 4 to 6 meals for each child and teen.
In total, we distributed 5,794 bags.
This means that we distributed 27,056 meals to children and teens in Pleasantville!
We believe the success of the program in Pleasantville is in part due to our efforts to reduce the stigma associated with participating in a food distribution program. Our volunteers go above and beyond to greet children and make sure they feel seen and worthwhile, even if it’s only a brief interaction. We take time to welcome families with a warm smile and a kind greeting.
We are so grateful that we were able to work with KFYI and St. Paul’s UMC to provide this much needed service to our community!
PvilleYI hosts poverty conference in pleasantville
June 5, 2024:
In June 2023, PvilleYI Co-Founders Jennie Koenig and Emily Caulkins attended a Marion County Poverty Conference hosted by The Well, an organization in Marion County that serves those in need. The conference provided PvilleYI with a unique perspective that helped as we served our community members in Pleasantville.
Pleasantville's poverty level is 5% over the state level. In the last 20 years Pleasantville's poverty rate has more than doubled from 7% to 16%. And as of 2020, 25% of those under the poverty level were 6 years of age or younger.
With these statistics in mind, we worked with The Well to bring a Poverty Conference to Pleasantville. We invited leaders from our school, city, churches, and organizations to attend.
On June 5th 2024, our team hosted the Marion County Poverty Conference at Pleasantville’s High School Library. The conference was well-attended with representatives from nearly every church, organization, and leadership team in our community.
Jayson Henry, Well CEO, led the conference. PvilleYI provided a lunch for participants catered by Halftime Bar and Grill.
This conference is part of our effort to make Pleasantville a compassionate and welcoming community for people of all demographics. Thank you to everyone who attended and all those who helped make this possible!
Resources that were passed out at the event were:
A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D
PvilleYI Partners with treehouse
Pleasantville Youth Initiative strives to provide quality programming for teens and their families in Pleasantville. For this reason it is vital that the programs we will implement are evidence and experienced based. We have always had a goal to add mentoring and support groups to our list of offerings to Pleasantville, but we wanted to make sure we were trained to provide these services. This is why PvilleYI is thrilled to announce our partnership with TreeHouse!
What is TreeHouse?
TreeHouse has been serving teens since 1984, helping them build relationships and resiliency rooted in living hope. Based in Minnesota, TreeHouse has sites across the country. Each site hosts programs that give teens a safe space to find support and belonging. Through mentorships, support groups, and other activities, teens have the opportunity to build even deeper relationships with peers and caring adults.
TreeHouse Mission: To End Hopelessness Among Teens.
TreeHouse is more than just a curriculum. It’s a model that is designed to meet the spiritual, social, and emotional needs of teens in every community.
How will this partnership benefit PvilleYI?
Mentoring: Teens can develop deep relationships with mentors as they process life and develop faith. These will be one-on-one mentoring sessions with trained volunteer mentors. All mentors will be background checked and trained by PvilleYI using a proven model and materials provided by TreeHouse.
Support Groups: Students will learn social and emotional skills by processing their week’s emotions together in a faith-neutral environment. These groups will be faith-neutral so that we can connect with students in the school and be a support for them even if they do not share our faith.
Faith-Centered Groups and Events: TreeHouse believes that Christ is the center of the transformation we want to see in every teen’s life. And so do we! Curriculum to offer small group Bible Studies or large group faith focused events is included in our TreeHouse partnership.
Evidence-Based Training and Support
TreeHouse will provide training for PvilleYI’s directors as well as resources for our team to use as we train volunteers, mentors, and work with local partners. This training includes a 12 week cohort for PvilleYI Directors (which we have already started!).
TreeHouse is picky about who they partner with, and so are we! We began the conversation over two years ago and both we and TreeHouse have researched one another in the meantime. Recently PvilleYI met the high standards that organizations that partner with TreeHouse are required to meet.
An important note: PvilleYI is still PvilleYI. We completely keep our identity as an organization in every way. These specific programs will simply be powered by TreeHouse resources and training, which PvilleYI pays for from our budget. Which we are happy to say we can do so thanks to the generosity of donors in our community!
TreeHouse also provides PvilleYI with:
Policy and Organization Guidance
Best Practices Guides and Safety Checklists
Volunteer Training Resources and Guides
Materials and Resources for Mentoring Teens
Materials and Resources for Teen Support Groups
Materials, Resources, and Curriculum for Faith Connection Groups and Events
Materials, Resources, and Curriculum for Specialized Classes (College Readiness, Financial Management, etc)
Continued and Current Training in Specific Areas Impacting Teens
A Coach Assigned Specifically to our Co-Directors for Our Organization’s Unique Needs
Prayer and Accountability Support for our Leadership and Community
The Guidance of An Organization with 40 years Experience
How Soon Will These Programs Be Available?
Our goal is to begin offering one-on-one mentoring and some support groups as early as the fall of 2024. Once our building project is complete, we will be able to expand these offerings even more and offer faith building groups and events, as well as specialized classes, in addition to our current programming.
We are so excited about what we are already learning from a seasoned and solid organization like TreeHouse. We can’t wait to begin mentoring and supporting teens in Pleasantville!
To learn more about TreeHouse, you can can visit their website.
If you have questions for us about this partnership, please reach out to us at jennie@pvilleyi.org
Courtney/Cox/Calhoun Pitch Tournament Donation
PvilleYI received an incredibly generous gift in honor of some wonderful people! The Courtney/Cox/Calhoun Pitch Tournament Committee presented us with a $1000 donation toward our building project. Thank you! To see more about our building project, go here.
May baskets 2024
HAPPY MAY DAY! We dropped off 500 May Baskets at the elementary school on May 1st! Thanks to our helpers, and a special thanks to the Young Adult group at Celebrate Church for volunteering your group time to assemble these with us! Many teachers and parents reached out to share their appreciate for this small act of kindness. We believe infusing even small moments of joy in chidlren’s lives can make a HUGE difference!
Prom Prep morning 2024
We had a fantastic morning spoiling Pleasantville’s prom attendee girls! All young women attending prom were invited to stop by the Memorial Hall to grab an iced coffee or juice, some delicious carbohydrates from Panera Bread, and a goody bag from us! Bags were filled with prom day essentials like lip gloss, gum, bandaids, tissues, hair clips, and more.
Girls were also invited to reserve an appointment to have their hair or makeup done for free by talented volunteers! The spots filled up fast, but we also had volunteers on hand for walk-ins.
We had a great morning encouraging these young women with some pampering and fun!
Pville Pig Out 2023
We had some fun at the 2023 Pleasantville Pig Out! We set up our 9-Square set on the square and kids, teens, and adults had some fun playing the game! We love to bring a little fun to our community whenever we can.
Girls Prom Prep and Brunch
On Saturday, April 22nd, PvilleYI hosted a free girls prom prep day and brunch. We had five volunteers ready to do hair and makeup for girls for free. These were by appointment, and our volunteers were busy the whole day!
In addition, all girls attending the PHS prom were invited to drop-in for a prom day brunch. We served them a beautiful charcuterie-style spread complete with yogurt parfait, fruit, pastries, chicken salad sandwiches, meats and cheeses, and of course, Girl Scout cookies! Tables were also decorated with tulips picked from our very own gardens.
Girls were also welcomed with an ice-coffee bar and a delicious breakfast punch.
Each girl left with a gift bag containing a pura-vida bracelet, scrunchies, candy, gum, and a few items they may need in a pinch on prom day including some tissues, bandaids, makeup wipes, and lip gloss.
We absolutely loved to welcome these girls with open arms and bless them with some hospitality on their special day!
A HUGE THANK YOU goes to our hair and make-up volunteers: Holly DeGoey, Sierra Hutton, Taelor Sheets, Grace Hayes, and Chelsea Bender. Also to Brenda Goodale who donated acrylic nail sets for the girls to have! And to Tammy Clark for her help in set up, welcoming, and clean up.
Another HUGE THANK YOU goes to Ali and Mike Cranmer for donating pastries from jaarsma and Pella beef sticks/cheese curds.
Knoxville Rec Center Night
We had another great time at the Knoxville Rec Center on March 4, 2023! We love renting the rec center and inviting Pleasantville’s teens over to swim and play basketball. They love to socialize and get out of the house on cold nights! It’s always a hit!
The PvilleYI Very Merry Chick-Fil-A Christmas Dinner
On December 20th, 2022, PvilleYI hosted the Very Merry Chick-Fil-A Christmas Dinner! Middle and High School students were invited to attend. The event was held at Fairview Christian Church and catered by Chick-Fil-A. Teens were welcomed with festive tables and a small stocking filled with candy and fun items. Marcy Pettyjohn sewed each little stocking and donated them. The teens loved them!
It was a very fun night and everyone left with full tummies and a lot of great memories.
Rec Center Night
We had a great night at the Knoxville Rec Center! Teens were able to play basketball and swim. They had a great time! We provided snacks, of course!
Post Game Party 2022
We were so excited to have 120 students attend our 2022 Post Game Party! That is our highest event attendance to date. This event was, as always, FREE.
This event was for Middle School and High School students and took place after the PHS home football game. Students were greeted warmly (quite literally, it was COLD!) and welcomed into the Memorial Hall. Tons of snacks and pop were waiting for them, as well as tables to hang out at and a dance floor booming with music thanks to Cass Lester with Central Iowa DJ.
We had such a great time!
Our Middle School Dance was EPIC!
95 Students attended our annual Middle School Dance on September 23, 2022. That’s just about every 7th and 8th grader that attends Pleasantville Schools!
We had tons of snacks, funny giveaways, DJ and atmosphere, and of course our photo booth.
A huge THANKS goes to The City of Pleasantville for the use of the Memorial Hall, as well as to Cass Lester with Central Iowa Dj.
We danced the night away!
Homecoming Window Painting
Our building might not be done, not even CLOSE, BUT, we still have windows and hey, why not get them all painted for Homecoming!
We partnered with the PHS Art Department, who sent us four incredibly talented students to get the windows ready for Homecoming.
We treated them to, you guessed it, HAPPY MEALS because WHY NOT?
These young women did an incredible job, and we know our whole town loved seeing their work!
16,040 Meals Distributed: Summer 2022
This Summer, we helped distribute 16,040 meals to Pleasantville Kids and Teens! A total of 4,010 Bags were passed out, each containing two breakfasts and two lunches. Knoxville Food Youth Initiative has worked so hard to meet Pleasantville’s requested numbers, and we were so blessed to work with them to get those meals into the hands of our community members. They serve not only Pleasantville, but Knoxville, Melcher, and more!
Teens and kids showed up with parents to pick up their meals. They also came on their own, pulling wagons or riding their bicycles. We loved serving them and getting to say hello every Monday Wednesday and Friday.
Over the summer, we had many incredible volunteers who helped us! We would like to give a special shout-out to teens Reagan Murray and Adoniah Koenig who were present almost every day that we distributed meals. Also to the many little ones who came along with their moms or grandmas to help out!
A HUGE thanks goes to Pleasantville’s St. Paul United Methodist Church for the use of their facility, and for the women who volunteered each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Their hard work, hospitality, and joyful presence reminded us so much of Jesus, who they love and serve.
And we can’t forget to say thank you to our dear friend Jim Brees, who delivered the meals and took care of much of the heavy lifting every single day. Selfless, helpful, and generous, we looked forward to hearing his big booming “hello!” each time he arrived. His arms were always full of boxes and coolers, or popsicles he brought for the children who were helping.
We love our community. We were so happy to help serve them this summer!
Girl Scout Troop Mommy & Me Spa Day
On Friday, May 6th, PvilleYI was excited to be invited to help out at a very special Mommy and Me Spa Day hosted by Pleasantville’s Girl Scout troop! We provided a table where the girls could give their moms a luxurious sugar hand scrub, followed by some lovely lotions and perfume. We also donated a bag of goodies for each mom and daughter to take home with them. It was a FUN time!
Over $7,000 Raised At Silent Auction
On April 30th, 2022, PvilleYI hosted a Silent Auction fundraiser with guest speaker Van Harden. We had a great turn out and raised $7,440 to help fund our work over the next year in Pleasantville!
We are so thankful for all the hard work that our volunteers put into the event. We appreciated especially the help of our volunteer musicians, Mike Fust and his daughter Grace Fust, as well as our guest “amateur” auctioneer Mark Core.
And of course, we were more than honored to hear the kind and supportive words that Van Harden had to share about our work here! We were so encouraged by his stories and his daily prayer, “Tell me. Send me. Show me.”
We would like to say THANK YOU to all of the individuals and organizations who donated goods to our silent auction fundraiser. THANK YOU for helping us raise over $7,000 for our work here in Pleasantville! We are GRATEFUL!
Jerry & Pandia Bender
Paul Gordon
Midwest Wheel
Iowa Pork Producers
Iowa State Fair
Skip Jackson
The Galvin House
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Rubish to Rubies
Stubbs Propane
Angel Bingham with Young Living
Knoxville Aviation
Fireside Winery
Shivers Farms
Rejuvenate Rx
Iowa State University
Pleasantville Girl Scouts
Radiant Candle
Barb Pettyjohn
Brett Campbell
The West Place
Brian & Jerri Vestal with ABO Research
Sams Club
Oskaloosa Axe Club
Carly Hodson with Pampered Chef
Peoples Bank
Nancy Kelderman with Avon
Permanent Cosmetics
Lou Lane Soap Co
Michael & Jacque Moats
Tournament Tackle
Lakefront Living
Covenant Construction Services
Smokey Row
Iowa Cubs
Gilcrest Jewitt
Angie Hulsebus with Mary Kay
Kelsey Sutter
Mary Hampton
Elrod Timber
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
Justin and Stephanie Fehrer
Strawhat Farms
Checkerboard
Belzer Equipment
Margie Mix
Ky's Custom Woodworking & Restoration
Stringtown Seed Shop
Iowa Wild
Cookie Making Class
On February 15th, 2022, we had a cookie making class for a small group of middle school and high school students. PvilleYI co-founder Emily Caulkins taught the teens the basics of making large batches of sugar cookies. She showed them how to carefully measure ingredients (yes, you really do need to make sure that was 2 cups and not 3), how to mix the ingredients properly, how to roll the dough just right, and how to use cookie cutters and bake the cookies. The teens also made delicious frosting.
This class was for the teens to learn baking skills, but it was also an opportunity for them to give back to the community. These cookies and frosting were going to be used by our Pleasantville Girl Scout troop to use for their cookie decorating class, which Emily taught as well.
We served these helpful bakers some pizza while we waited for cookies to bake. During this time we were able to talk and learn about each other, see the teens incredible art in their sketchbooks, and laugh together.
It was a fantastic time. Thank you to Pleasantville’s St. Paul’s United Methodist Church for allowing us to use their Family Life Center and kitchen for this event!
