Dear Ankeny Community,

Fall is a great time to energize yourself and your family by taking a course to help develop a new skill, stay active and healthy, enhance yourself professionally, or just experience new things and make new friends. Ankeny Community Engagement offers courses in various locations as well as online courses. Many of you have suggested classes that are now a part of this catalog. Feedback from the community helps provide a wide variety of suggested courses for the Ankeny community! Ankeny Community Engagement is here to serve all ages of lifelong learning!

You might ask; how does Ankeny Community Engagement serve you?

Community service: Community Engagement builds a stronger community by supporting groups that provide scholarships, school supplies, clothing and food needs, prom dresses, and holiday assistance

Partnerships: Community Engagement collaborates with the City of Ankeny, Ankeny Art Center and other businesses and individuals to provide a wide variety of recreation, education and community programs at a cost savings to residents.

Courses: Community Engagement provides low-cost weekend and evening courses for students of all ages. Classes are available in the areas of exercise, personal finance, technology, dance, crafts, self-improvement and more!

Facility rental: Community Engagement offers access and opportunity for citizens to use school district facilities after school hours for a wealth of activities and events maximizing the value of the buildings. To rent a facility, please contact Ankeny Community Engagement during office hours (7:30 AM to 4:30 PM) or email at [email protected].

The Ankeny Community Engagement Advisory Council also prepared a Community Betterment Survey that was distributed in mid-2011 to the people of Ankeny in various ways. Over 1500 surveys were completed which provided the following useful insights: 1) Most of the Ankeny's residents are unaware of the role that Community Engagement plays in our city. 2) The growth of our community is the greatest concern of our residents. 3) Many residents are concerned about preventing bullying in our schools. 4) There is concern regarding the number of activities and programs that are available to the city's youth.

After completing the survey, the Ankeny Community Engagement Advisory Council proceeded to sponsor six stake holder focus groups to determine the level of awareness of the programs and services offered by Ankeny Community Engagement and their partners. The focus groups were comprised of seniors and retirees, city and chamber of commerce officials, school boards and educators, parents, non-profits organizations and churches, as well as, high school teens. The focus groups were also tasked with identifying the greatest concerns they have for the Ankeny community and for suggestions that my lead to resolving the issues identified. The suggestions and information gained allows for Ankeny Community Engagement and its partners to have a sharpened vision, shared goals, and actions.

Our office encourages you to familiarize yourself with Ankeny Community Engagement and engage your family in enrichment and volunteer opportunities in the future! Please visit our website at http://community-education. Ankeny.schoolfusion.us/


Ankeny Community Engagement

306 SW School Street

Ankeny, Iowa 50023

Office Hours: Monday-Friday

7:30 am to 4:30 pm

(515) 289-3960