Knoxville Rec Center Night Nov. 2021
On November 20th, 2021, PvilleYI rented the Knoxville Rec Center for a night of swimming and basketball for middle school and high school students. It was a TON of fun packed into two hours. Snacks were provided and a fun time was had by all! We hope to make this a regular event for students. They really enjoyed spending time together in a safe environment. Thanks Knoxville Rec Center!
Over 3,000 Meals Distributed to Pleasantville Kids & Teens
This summer, PvilleYI partnered with Knoxville Youth Food Initiative (KYFI) and St Pauls United Methodist Church to deliver free meals to Pleasantville’s Kids and Teens. KYFI delivered around 100 meals each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to Saint Paul’s Family Center where PvilleYI and church volunteers worked together to distribute the meals.
At the summer’s end, we had distributed over 3,000 meals in Pleasantville. This is an incredible blessing to the children, teens, and to their families.
We cannot thank KYFI enough for all they are doing in Marion County, and for letting us partner with them in this work. We are also so incredibly grateful to the folks at St. Paul’s, for not only letting us using their facility but for showing up each and every MWF to help. What an incredible example of being the hands and feet of Jesus!
We will continue to partner with KYFI for at least the next 5 years to supply Pleasantville kids and teens with much needed nutrition during the summer!
Halloween Family Dance 2021
We had a SpookTACULAR time at our Halloween Family Dancetacular!
Families dressed in all sorts of fun costumes attended this fun event.
We curated a list of songs that every age group could enjoy. There was also a huge Char-BOO-terie table filled with all kinds of sweets and savories!
We also had a fun photo backdrop for our guests to snap some photos to remember the night.
Thanks to all who made it possible, including the City of Pleasantville (for use of the Memorial Hall) and Cass Lester with Central Iowa DJ.
Homecoming Tailgate 2021
LET’S GO TROJANS! PvilleYI had a BLAST pre-gaming with the community! We served free Orange Crush Slushies and shared about our upcoming building project. We love getting out in the community and spreading joy!
Thanks to the Pleasantville Betterment Organization for putting on such a FUN event. We were so excited to participate!
Thank you to Bruce Crozier and Celebrate Youth at Celebrate Church, Knoxville for letting us borrow your EPIC slushy machine!
Middle School Dance Night 2021
What a FUN time we had at the Middle School Dance Night!
85% of Pleasantville’s 7th and 8th graders attended. We are blown away and humbled by that!
Teens enjoyed dance music, orange crush slushes, a mountain of Little Debbie snack cakes, every kind of Mountain Dew known to man, and of course we had water and bananas available, too!
Thank you to the City of Pleasantville for allowing us to use the Memorial Hall for this fun event!
We also want to thank Cass Lester at Central Iowa DJ for keeping the night humming along with awesome dance tunes.
And another big shout out to Bruce at Celebrate Church in Knoxville for letting us borrow the slushy machine!
Homecoming Parade 2021
As everyone in town knows, We LOVE a good parade! This year the school’s theme was the 1960s!
We chose to use the Beach Boys hit “Be True To Your School” as our float theme, and we had SO much fun blasting Beach Boys tunes along the parade route! We threw out tiny beach balls, Hawaiian leis, and of course, CANDY!
We love how our community comes together for Homecoming festivities! We thought the rain was going to slow us down a bit, but thankfully it stopped just in time.
GO TROJANS!
Homecoming Window Painting 2021
We are always impressed with the incredible creativity that Pleasantville kids put on display when they are given the opportunity!
We partnered with the PHS Stuco and the Art Department to have some awesome painted windows for Homecoming!
Each class sent in a design for approval. Then, teams of students from each grade came to paint their masterpieces. We absolutely LOVE all of them! If you drove through town, you probably saw them. But if you didn’t, here they all are!
Post Game Party 2021
Well that was fun! We had a BLAST at our 2021 Post Game Party!
We welcomed over 100 teens at our after game event.
Students had a blast dancing, eating snacks, and hanging out with their friends!
Thanks to Pleasantville Schools for letting us have our event in the PHS cafeteria! We are your BIGGEST fans!
Also thanks to Cass Lester at Central Iowa DJ for keeping the teens happy with tons of awesome music!
Water Balloon Event 2021
Ever played the game “Angry Birds”? We created two huge box towers and let teens attempt to knock them down with water balloon launchers! Of course it always ends with a big water ballon war, because, why not?
We also had fun with the giant beach ball!
Thanks to Celebrate Church, Knoxville for allowing us to borrow your 9-Square sets. The kids always love them!
Happy Fourth of July from PvilleYI!
Wow! We were SO excited to have our 4th of July festivities back this year. Covid-19 was on the rampage in 2020 but thankfully we can carefully begin to get back to some sort of normal again. We are super THANKFUL for all the many essential employees who have worked so hard during this trying time.
We are extra thankful for our freedoms, this year!
Happy 4th of July from PvilleYI! We loved tossing candy and fun patriotic novelties as well!
PvilleYI Chosen by 100+ Men on a Mission Red Rock for 10,450 Donation
We were beyond blessed to be chosen as the 100+ Men On A Mission - Red Rock’s Q1 recipient! This donation of $10,450 will be a seed to help us reach our goal of creating a headquarters for our work here in Pleasantville! Thank you to everyone who donated. We are GRATEFUL!
If you haven’t heard of this awesome organization, we encourage you to check it out! They have blessed many organizations right here in Marion County and will continue to do so. Awesome work!
Kick Ball at Pleasantville PigOut
We had fun playing kickball during the Pleasantville PigOut! Lots of teens came down to hang out a bit during the event. We had a great time!
Virtual Giving Envelopes: On Our Way To The First 250K
When our community comes together, things get done. It's as simple as that. We've seen it time and time again. And Pleasantville, it's time!
With the large amount we have to fundraise to make our building project a reality, we have to start with a strong base. Our first goal is a big one: $250K. This seed money will be vital. Most large donors and grants require a percentage of funds to be raised before an organization's application is considered.
To become eligible for big funding, we need your help. Would you prayerfully consider donating to one of these "envelopes" to help us launch our fundraising efforts in a big way?
Every donation makes a difference, and the clock is ticking. We want to get this place built and in action so that we can begin meeting the very real needs in our community.
Just this week members of our team have had dozens of conversations with community members, parents, and teens who tell us how desperately their children or friends need the kinds of programs and opportunities PvilleYI is preparing to offer.
Maybe you don't have teens yet. Maybe your kids are still young, or even babies! All the more reason for you to support this effort TODAY, for the future of your little ones who, before you know it, will be teens.
Maybe your kids are grown and out of school. Have you heard about the awesome things we are planning to do for the whole community? You'll want to give, because this project will positively impact the ENTIRE community.
We know our goal is big. But Pleasantville, we are going to do this. We are passionate. We are determined. We are equipped. We are READY.
Every single person who donates will have their name added to a beautiful mural we will paint inside our building.
To give, you can donate online on our website, on Facebook (zero fees!), or via Venmo: Pvilleyi. You can also mail a check to Pleasantville Youth Initiative PO Box 529 Pleasantville, IA 50225.
PLEASANTVILLE YOUTH INITIATIVE IS A 501 (C) (3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.
EIN IS 47-5099903
DLN # IS 29053252330009
Donation "Envelopes"
400 People donating $25
200 People donating $50
200 People donating $100
100 People donating $500
20 People donating $1,000
10 People donating $5,000
5 People donating $10,000
May Day Baskets 2021
Happy May Day! We continued our tradition of surprising each child at Pleasantville Elementary with a May Basket. We placed them on each desk before school, and we made sure the faculty and staff got one, too!
Competition For Kids Who Like Games 2021
It was SO great to actually get to have an IN PERSON event again! Covid has been hard for all of us. Thankfully we were able to have this outdoor event and have some fun!
Teens were split into teams and given a team color with matching bandana. Each team came up with a funny name, and team identity!
Teams competed in a bunch of games curated to match the different levels of interest of teens. From Basketball to Dodgeball to Improv and Trivia, there was a little something for everyone!
We had a GREAT time!
Thanks so much to all our volunteers! And thank you to Celebrate Church, Knoxville for lending us your 9-Square sets!
Creativity Challenge Winners
We are so IMPRESSED by all of the creative teens in our community. Our theme for this challenge was: HOPE: finding light in the darkness during 2020 and 2021. We were blown away by the beauty that these teens were able to capture and share with the world.
JUDGES
Our judges had a difficult job choosing a winner in each category. They took the time to look over every entry and provide encouraging feedback for each participant. (Feedback to every teen will be emailed out to them within a few days of this announcement). It was very important to our PvilleYI leadership team that judges came from outside of our team and board, since several of our team and volunteers have teens who wanted to participate.
THANK YOU to these wonderful people for being our Judges!
Anna Belzer
Carol Beier
Amy Core
Cass Lester
WINNERS
Here are the winners for our Spring 2021 Creativity Challenge! Each will receive a $100 cash prize. We will be in touch to get those prizes to you, winners!
Visual Art: SARAH MANN
Writing: ADONIAH KOENIG
The Girl With Her Hood UP
-Addie Koenig
Photography: JONAH SCHUMACHER
Music: ELIZABETH GOODALE
Dance: TARYN BRENT
Each of our participants will receive encouraging feedback from our judges, as well as being featured on our website! To see all of our entries, check out our Creativity Gallery!
Congrats to all our winners, and all participants! KEEP CREATING! We are SO proud of each and every teen!
Big News! Future Location of PvilleYI Headquarters
Our big announcement is that the old Pleasantville Grocery Store location will soon be PvilleYI’s headquarters!
Here’s a few things we covered in our live feed, if you missed it. Or, you can with it below!
1) This is not a youth center in the traditional sense. Although it will be focused on youth, the entire community will benefit from our work here.
2) We see ourselves as a Generational Enrichment Ministry. What this means is we believe that by impacting one person’s life in a positive way, generations around them and after them will benefit. This place will be a headquarters to carry out that ministry.
We want to make it clear that we also see ourselves as a SUPPLEMENTAL ministry. What this means is we have no intention of competing with youth groups and organizations that are already doing good work here. We want to connect kids with those, actually. This is why we will never host events on Sunday or Wednesday evenings during the school year. We love our local churches and groups and we want to support them as much as possible!
3) Our dream here is to provide classes like art, photography, music, cooking, and more. We envision hosting events and classes to help teens prepare for adulthood. Like life skills (how to fix a broken _____, how to change a tire, how to create a budget, and more). Entrepreneur and career planning will be on the agenda, too. We imagine bringing in Pleasantville alum to speak and inspire.
Optional Faith growth opportunities will be regular and we will help families connect with local churches, teach Bible reading skills (important for proper interpretation and application) and give out Bibles (to kids who express interest. This will never be forced or “required”).
This in addition to all the FUN stuff and events we’ve come to be known for around here!
4) Our entire community will benefit as well. From fun events (like our trick or treat on the square) to providing resources for parents and teens, to service projects. Research also shows that non profits like ours encourage growth and “livability” to a community! And beyond all that, we want to help bring some LIFE back to downtown!
5) How did this happen, how will it happen? This is a beautiful story involving our dear friend and board member Stacy Rowson, and her excitement about what we are going to do. Stacy is moving her Lakefront Living Custom Engraving & Gifts shop to a part of the location, and made it possible for us to begin this process. This is a beautiful story that we will tell in detail soon!
Currently, we are in the process of meeting with architects, engineers, and other building/construction experts. We are blessed to have board members with professional experience in this area, and they are doing their homework. This is definitely not something we have entered into blindly.
As we get more information, we will share it!
6) Call to Action
We need the community to do two things right now: 1) Pray. We need your prayer support more than ever! 2) Give. If you are excited about this project, we’d love for you to consider giving. Every little bit helps us to create a base to begin this protect. This is especially important at the early stages, as most grants we will apply for require a certain percentage of the funds to be raised.
7) WE LOVE this location, and we know the community does too. It has been nourishing Pleasantville for generations and our goal is that it will continue to. We love and appreciate the nostalgia surrounding Pleasantville Grocery, and we want to honor that history in many ways. We want to make sure the community understands that!
That’s it for now. We will keep all of you up to speed as this process unfolds! If you have questions, feel free to contact us! We’d love to talk!
If you want to know how to donate, you can see how here:
Art Supplies Donated to PHS
When we heard that the PHS CSD Art Department was in need of some supplies, we knew we needed to help! Creativity is such an important, God designed part of who we are. Fueling creativity in young people gives them purpose, gives them something to do, and helps them grow.
PvilleYI donated over $1,000 in supplies including sketch books, paints, colored pencils, and so much more. This was all made possible by the the incredible generosity of those who have donated to our organization! Great job, Pleasantville. Look what a wonderful thing you did!
The art supplies are already being put to good use. Look at these awesome Kindness Cards the students created for the residents at our local nursing home! We love this beautiful act of kindness, you guys! Great job!
We will treasure this beautiful, handmade thank you card!
Homecoming 2020
2020 has been a year for the history books. And not for good reasons. But we are all doing what we can to make the best of it! Even though we can’t have Homecoming the way we usually do around here, we found other ways to bring joy. For example, sure, we couldn’t throw candy during the annual Homecoming parade, but we found the next best thing: BUBBLES!
Our theme was “PvilleYI is Bubbling Over with School Spirit”! We had three bubble machines on high blasting bubbles around like confetti! We had a truck full of kids waving and we went all out in our orange and black!
We wore masks to be extra safe and comply to the school’s guidelines with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you saw Jennie without hers on, she wasn’t being rebellious, it fell off and landed in the bubble bucket. Oops. :)
We love our town’s fun traditions, and we were happy to get to participate this year even if it was a little different than usual.
Class of 2020 Gifts
The Class of 2020 had to give up so much due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We wanted to give them a gift to help bring something special to a group of graduates who faced an awful lot of disappointment.
Each gift included a personalized padfolio, class of 2020 leather pen, a 2020 Quarantine Award featuring the coveted toilet paper roll, class of 2020 mask, and a letter of encouragement from us.
We wish the class of 2020 the VERY BEST as they enter into a whole new world of possibilities!
