Right now we are working to move to the next level of service. To do this we need your support. Below are the various programs and initiatives that Band of the Strong is currently doing as a way to serve the our community here in Nebraska.

OUR ASK: See what we do and if it resonates with your story, consider donating to ensure we can continue to grow and sustain into the future!

BOTS x The Collective for Hope

BOTS x Angels Among Us

THe Parent to Parent Podcast

Within the two years, we have partnered with Angels Among Us here in Omaha. In that time we have, and continue to work on two major projects, which we are hoping to expand. First, when working with Angles, we discovered that they needed extra support meeting the needs of the parents working to raise children who have cancer. Many parents struggle both during and beyond the journey. To this effect, we created the Parent to Parent Podcast. The podcast was created in recognition of a great challenge noted by many parents who said, "It was hard, I didn't really know how to parent a sick child." From this recognition, the podcast seeks to empower parents and experts who have walked the journey with a child who has cancer to provide 1) a platform where stories and lives can be heard and witnessed and 2) act as a place where parents who are currently walking the journey with their child can get advice. The response from parents has been immense appreciation, with one father noting to us, “Since my daughter got diagnosed, I have listened to every episode. They helped ease my fears and made me feel less alone.” This podcast can be found on Spotify and on our website.

As we expand these efforts, we hope that parents who have walked the journey may find peace in telling their stories, that families who are currently walking the journey may find practical advice to help their child, and that in general we may continue to learn about the experience of these people to be able to provide innovative services moving forward.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for Children and Families

Our second initiative has been working to provide Brazilian Jui Jitsu classes to children and families who are walking the journey with their children or families who have walked the journey. The program was borne from the recognition that many opportunities to heal are often surrounded by sessions where people share their feelings and emotions. Recognizing that one of the most underserved populations in these family units (Dads) don’t always grieve in a way that is emotional, we wanted to provide an alterative opportunity, where dads (and the rest of the family) could still find community and healing, while not having emotions be the main focus of the program. You can see the impacts of that here

BOTS x Munroe Meyer Institute

Melodies and Memories at MmI

Each year we put on a concert with the Munroe-Meyer institute at UNMC. The concert is meant to be something where young people with disabilities can both play and explore music, as well as enjoy music from a professional band. Music touches every heart and so should everyone have access to playing it. The event will be just for these young people and their families, where they will get a chance to experience the majesty of close-up live music.

BOTS Legacy Stories

Legacy Stories

We are currently in development of a program that would allow families to connect and find peace alongside those in their family who are at the end-of-life time. This is a signature program that will allow us to connect families with their elderly loved ones through the art of storytelling. We will extract those stories and transform them into a tangible book that allows the family to remember their loved one forever and find their way into grief with direction and peace. When the founder’s grandmother died, he found that this project was the only that him and his family could constructively embrace the elephant of death in a way that allowed everyone to end that chapter in life with dignity. It’s from these experiences that we aim to continue our work with others.

A current example of what these stories will look like can be found here. Its our hope we can bring this experience to any family who desires to connect with their loved one’s before they die.

BOTS x Emerging Partnerships and General Community Service

Over the years, we have been asked by more than our key partners to create programming for other vulnerable populations in our community. We do everything in our power to meet the needs of those in our community in ways that are unique and special those we work with.

We have create programs for children in foster care, children with disabilities, children with difficult home lives, and more.

Our Ask To You - Join the Band!

For the past decade we have done this work independently with the help of small donations and a few large ones. Our model is simple, we use our hearts and creative minds to bring joy, healing, and smiles to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. To continue to sustain and do what we do well, we must grow in capacity, add staff members, and ensure that we have enough to create experiences that young people and families will never forget. Its for this reason that we ask for your help.

We have begun a monthly giving program. Monthly giving, unlike annual fundraisers ensures that our organization will money that we can expect rather than money we pray for. This stability will ensure that we can focus our efforts more-so on the community and less on finding money to ensure we can sustain.

Your money is undoubtedly hard-earned. We are asking you to trust us with it, which is no small ask. Though, trust this - for the past decade we have created all the impact you find on this website and our social pages with only small donations, the sweat on our backs, and hearts that know we should help. Its been the love we have for kids and families, given freely. If you couldn’t stop us when we had nothing, imagine what we could do if we had everything and everyone we needed.

Below are the different levels of monthly giving. Its our goal in 2026 to find 250 people who are willing to give 50 dollars a month. Help us reach that number!

$20/month — The Rhythm Section

• “Every Band needs a strong rhythm. At $20 a month, you help keep the beat steady by covering the tools and materials that make creative programming possible — art supplies, writing journals, music kits, and more.”

$50/month — The Melody Line

• “At $50 a month, you carry a child or family’s story for an entire year. You provide the full cost for one child or family to receive Band of the Strong’s creative, story-centered programming that restores dignity and builds resilience.”

$80/month — The Harmony Builders

• “At $80 a month, you sustain harmony for children or two families. Your gift doubles the impact, helping twice as many kids or families turn their stories of struggle into stories of strength.”

$100+/month — The Legacy Choir

• “At $100 a month or more, you are part of the Legacy Choir  — the voices that ensure our mission echoes into the future. You create a lasting foundation of strength, ensuring we can expand, train others, and build sustainable programming that outlives us all.”