At State Farm: Surveyed Deployment Specialists, Field Supervisors, and agents on a new way of filing auto claims that is rolling out gradually. We wanted to gather data on best practices for encouraging 
successful adoption of this Initial Loss Reporting (ILR) among agents that might be hesitant to use a new process. I presented these findings first in three different capacities.
At the YWCA: I worked on re-branding the YWCA’s child care services. We came up with a new name, I created a new logo for the new name, and I researched new and different ways the YWCA can reach the Bloomington-Normal community. I surveyed parents to better understand why they chose the YWCA for their children so we could better assess our strengths in relation to what parents want in a child care service.
Grant summary: YWCA McLean County strives to eliminate racism and empower women in every program it offers – including its child care services, which has recently been rebranded as the Young Wonders: Early Learning and Youth Development program. Countless studies have shown that diversity in early learning classrooms has a positive effect on the quality of learning, and better prepares children for entering kindergarten, as well as adult life. Our goal is to further promote YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting diversity among our youngest members. We propose a program called Young Wonders: I See Me that would occur in three phases: the first phase, which would be funded by this grant, would include each child care classroom reading a book on famous Latina artist Frida Kahlo, followed by an activity to create art like Kahlo – self-portraits. In the second phase, the artwork would be shared with the public through outreach events. Finally, there will be a mural painted at the YWCA that honors the work of many diverse, female artists. Each phase of the Young Wonders: I See Me program will depict diversity, unity, and empowerment – all elements of the mission of YWCA McLean County. We ask for a grant of $500 to be awarded to YWCA McLean County in order to fund this program.