enFocus, Inc.
Bowman Creek Education Ecosystem (BCe2)enFocus, Inc.
Bowman Creek Education Ecosystem (BCe2)
Environmentally, Bowman Creek was the most impaired tributary of the St. Joseph River in the South Bend area. It traversed a neighborhood marked by concentrated poverty well below the median household income for the city of South Bend, the state, and the nation. By restoring it to support aquatic life, the grant applicants planned to use it as a unifying project springboard to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood.
The Bowman Creek Education Ecosystem (BCe2) was an innovative concept that would utilize a diverse mix of student interns, recommended by professors from local higher and secondary education institutions, to work alongside faculty and engage with neighborhood grass roots leaders to address this local problem. The project would simultaneously create valuable job opportunities, particularly for young interns in chronic underemployment/unemployment situations, while developing their Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) skill sets.
The Foundation, joining with other civic-minded organizations, approved a general grant to support intern employment and purchase needed tools and supplies.
