Stowe Heights

03/25/2021

It has over 1 year since COViD-19 was declared a pandemic and Stowe Heights' inaugural year was put on hold. Looking back at posts from a year ago we were building excitement and momentum. We are happy to say that momentum is once again building as we head in the 2021 season.

With incredible support from our community of supporters, Stowe Heights is building a scholarship fund. The goal is to provide groups serving middle school and high school students to the opportunity to participate in Stowe Heights programming but may find themselves under-resourced.

It has been a challenging year and having opportunities in a space like Stowe Heights to come together, building communication, collaboration and cultivating community once again is especially valuable as we take steps forward in this new normal.

The deadline to apply for a Stowe Heights experience is April 23, 2021. Scholarships will be awarded in May for June and July programming.

Click on Google forms link below to apply:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfRLyrELtLhcGMlKKn-11ZecEHF0s-FqkCT3gA5fhQELHbmw/viewform

03/24/2021

Stowe Heights is getting ready for a new season. Take that step and contact [email protected] to learn more about booking a program for your group. It is a small step that can lead to a big impact.

03/18/2021

Community Youth Concepts

Would you like to work alongside some amazing people? We have some of the best staff at Stowe Heights and we are currently looking to hire additional staff for the 2021 season. If you, or someone you know, love being outdoors, are comfortable with heights and enjoy helping groups develop their teamwork and leadership skills, we have the job for you.
We are scheduling interviews now and training begins at the end of April. For more information, contact [email protected].

03/12/2021

This Stowe Heights memory marks the one year anniversary of COViD-19 being declared a pandemic.

We are happy to say excitement is brewing again as we make plans for 2021!

Stowe Heights will open in May! Contact [email protected] for more information and to book your group today.

Excitement is brewing for the opening of Stowe Heights. Thank you to our builder, Don, who was at the course yesterday and took time to talk with Stowe Elementary students.

12/02/2020

Community Youth Concepts

We cannot thank you enough for all of the support on #GivingTuesday yesterday and throughout this entire year! We cannot wait to get in a full season at the Stowe Heights Challenge Course in 2021, and we will leave our Facebook fundraiser open for the week in case anyone else wanted to support our scholarship fund for student groups to take advantage of this great opportunity! https://www.facebook.com/donate/211352917327633

12/01/2020

Community Youth Concepts

Huge thank you to everyone who has donated to C*C on #GivingTuesday so far!! Because of you we are able to provide 11 scholarships for students to participate in the Stowe Heights Challenge Course in 2021! We have three ways to donate to C*C today! (1) Venmo: @Community-YouthConcepts (2) website: http://cyconcepts.org/donate/ (3) or our Facebook Fundraiser: https://www.facebook.com/donate/211352917327633/10159000955132089/

12/01/2020

TODAY! Community Youth Concepts is raising funds to make sure the incredible opportunity of Stowe Heights is available to all. $45 sponsors 1 student to attend a program and Facebook will match any donations given TODAY on this #GivingTuesday.

Being able to get kids outside amongst the trees for a morning, afternoon or day of play with purpose is an incredible gift.

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! C*C is raising money to build a scholarship fund for student groups to participate at the Stowe Heights Challenge Course! Each $45 donations sponsors one student to attend - below you can hear from Becky, one of our amazing Stowe Heights Facilitators, about her experience with Stowe Heights this year! You can donate on our website or Venmo: @Community-YouthConcepts: http://cyconcepts.org/donate

10/13/2020

Had a great time breaking in the low course with Iowa State Gymnastics.

10/13/2020

Shout out to this gentleman right here who has been putting in hours helping Stowe Heights finish up some landscaping. Mandela’s hands are a set of the many we are thankful for.

10/13/2020

A beautiful sight to see these evergreens going in the ground. Beyond grateful to Lawn Ranger Lawn Care - Des Moines for the huge assist.

10/11/2020

Another fantastic day at Stowe Heights!!! This time we had the honor of working with this amazing group of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. They found out how a positive mindset can be a foundation to success. They also dug deep and found some grit and focus that made for an incredible day. Thank you to Julie Betts and Amy for bringing their troop out.

10/11/2020

What a beautiful day in October to be on the course at Stowe Heights working with this youth philanthropist board. UVoice is a group of 15 high school students who have come together to make a positive impact on the lives of young people in Central Iowa. It was a pleasure to be a part of their program this year.

09/26/2020

Big shout out to this volunteer group from Walnut Creek Church -downtown. They did some heavy lifting and planted 4 trees, 3 shrubs and helped spread grass seed and compost. This is a big deal and we are so grateful for the hard work.

09/25/2020

Stowe Heights visited the Cherry Glen Learning Farm today to pick up some compost and walked away with so much more! Feeling inspired. Ray Meylor gave us a tour and even let us try some produce as we learned about watershed mitigation. *warning: the “You’re On Your Own” Peppers are hot!

09/25/2020

It is tree planting season and Stowe Heights is getting ready! Thank you to Trees Forever for helping Stowe Heights source these new additions.

09/17/2020

Stowe Heights staff had a great time with this U12 Softball team out of Ankeny this past weekend. After a week of rain, it felt great to get back outside.

Stowe Heights will be open through October for the 2020 season. There is still time, but the schedule is filling fast.

For more information about the Stowe Heights experience, contact [email protected] or visit our website at www.stoweheights.org.

09/17/2020

Stowe Heights's cover photo

09/17/2020

Stowe Heights's cover photo

08/13/2020

Stowe Heights Challenge Course has lift off!

We had the privilege of working with the fantastic Youth Leadership Initiative of Des Moines class of 2020-21 over the weekend. What an amazing group of young people.

After a summer challenged by COViD-19, our amazing facilitators had the opportunity to show what they could provide and they delivered.

Stowe Heights is proud to provide quality socially distanced programming to the Greater Des Moines area that will enhance and reflect the goals of individual groups. For more questions and to schedule your group today, please contact [email protected]

Stowe Heights Challenge Course is a program of Community Youth Concepts

08/12/2020

It has been a busy few weeks (so busy we haven’t had time to share updates!) And then there was a derecho!

Thank you to the helpers and neighbors we got to meet while cleaning up. We know there is still a lot of clean up to do on the East side. A staff member will be out at the course this afternoon from 3-6 pm to answer questions about the course. If anyone could use a little assistance in the neighborhood, reach out!

Yesterday Dubuque Ave. was blocked just East of the course due to a downed power line so use caution and stay safe!

07/31/2020

Thank you Iowa Poison Ivy Removal for today’s adventure! Dan, Kelsey and Alec removed lots of poison ivy on the property starting with this healthy female vine and the seeds that birds like to feed on and spread.

07/27/2020

Stowe Heights: Painting Equipment Shed

We are looking for a few volunteers to help paint the equipment shed at Stowe Heights this coming Wednesday, July 29th from 9-11 AM. If you are available and would like to help out, please register through the Sign-up Genius link below.

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

07/24/2020

We began this week with our facilitator training and end it with a sided shed and a sign waiting to be installed. 🙌

A huge thank you goes out to everyone that helped raise this shed under the leadership of Mr. Ben Molloy.

07/22/2020

Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy at the University of Iowa

Today we'd love to highlight another nonprofit, Community Youth Concepts!

This has been a tough year for an inaugural opening and yet with the help of volunteers and our community, Community Youth Concepts (C*C) continues to make progress towards the launch of the brand new Stowe Heights Challenge Course. C*C's mission is to engage and connect Iowa students through youth development programming and to provide coaching, training, and technical assistance in best practices to youth-serving non-profits.

C*C plans to carry that mission forward with the development of Stowe Heights. Challenge course programming has long been an effective tool in team development, engagement, creative problem solving and building self-efficacy. The impact of COViD-19 on our communities has reinforced the value of the challenge course process and best practices. In these unprecedented times, it is not hard to draw from the experience and ask how it can be applied back in the real world.

Learn more by contacting [email protected] or visiting www.cyconcepts.org and www.stoweheights.org.

07/22/2020

C*C is hiring! Want to work with young people? Want to incorporate a challenge course into your life? 😊

Community Youth Concepts is hiring a Program Facilitator who will facilitate programming with upper elementary, middle and high school students to enhance the development of social-emotional and workforce skills by providing opportunities for youth and adults to work together, apply academic learning, and provide youth-directed service to the community.

If you, or someone you know, is passionate about working with youth and providing them with opportunities to learn skills that will help them succeed in school, work, and life - please apply! The position description and more information is available on our website: http://cyconcepts.org/careers/

07/21/2020

Stowe Heights

07/20/2020

Such an awesome day!!

And it’s wheels(chair) up on the closing day of facilitator training! Thank you to Experiential Systems, Inc. for this build and training.

07/20/2020

And it’s wheels(chair) up on the closing day of facilitator training! Thank you to Experiential Systems, Inc. for this build and training.

07/20/2020

If you need groceries, don’t forget this opportunity!

For the months of July-September, every time you use your own reusable bag at Whole Foods Market, you'll be supporting Community Youth Concepts with the One Dime at a Time program! These funds will go to support our C*C leadership development opportunities at the Stowe Heights Challenge Course when it opens this summer!

07/18/2020

Day 1 of Stowe Heights Challenge Course training! Getting closer every day!

07/10/2020

Thank you for amazing Bobcat drivers.

06/25/2020

A big thank you to the Neas family and this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail for making a visit to Stowe Heights today! This is hard work and they made it all more fun.

06/25/2020

3 cheers for Green Iowa AmeriCorps - Energy & Community and Green Iowa AmeriCorps - Sustainable Schools!! Planting and watering and tackling the last of 3 truck loads of mulch!
Forever thankful for the hard work and for Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity for the wheel barrows!

06/23/2020

C*C 2020 Summer Volunteers

Would you like to be added to a contact list for summer volunteering with Community Youth Concepts? The link to the google form is attached for ongoing contact.

If you would like to go straight to sign-up genius and register for this week's opportunities, here is that link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084ca9ac2ca0fd0-stowe1

We are in the process of creating volunteer opportunities that individuals and families can do while maintaining social distancing. We anticipate most of these opportunities will be outdoors either at C*C or the Stowe Heights Challenge Course! If you are interested in being on a list of volunteers t...

06/18/2020

One more step completed! A shout-out to our families who are helping us make this real.❤️ Next up: wooden fence per city requirements.