New Community Clubs and Fun

Dawn sports her signature purple, enjoys a coffee and counts her change.

Summer is fast approaching which means the Learning, Enrichment, and Empowerment Program (LEEP) is gearing up for our busiest time of year. Like most people we are coming out of the winter slumber. However, this past year, LEEP came up with some new ideas to keep up the community involvement even in the slow winter months with the addition of a couple new clubs.

One of those new clubs is Coffee Club. A visit to the Goldie Floberg main campus will show that we are fairly obsessed with coffee around here. Our cabinet full of coffee mugs and two constantly rotating coffee pots in our main lobby make our love for caffeine clear, and the love is felt by LEEP staff and people served alike. With that in mind, Coffee Club was born. People served visit coffee shops all around the area twice a week to grab a cup of Joe (or maybe a hot chocolate) and practice skills of financial independence. This might include counting the amount of money needed to make a purchase, counting change to make sure it is correct, or identifying different coins and bills. After purchases
are made and money is counted, people served will often enjoy reading as a group. Because what’s a trip to the coffee shop without a good book in hand?

Another new addition is Fitness Club. This is also a twice-per-week club where people served head to the YMCA of Rock River Valley to learn the importance of health and physical fitness. People served have the opportunity to use various weight machines and stationary bikes, and the ever-helpful YMCA staff even added modified movements to their yoga classes to accommodate those served who may have limited mobility.

While clubs like these are a fun way to break up a usually busy week, they’re also a great way for individuals to get to know the community. They have gotten to know business owners and staff as well as coffee shop patrons and fellow health enthusiasts. At LEEP, we work hard to make learning things like financial independence and physical health fun, but anyone will tell you, the most fun parts are the relationships we’ve built along the way.