Jeff Gerhardt - Giving Back

Giving Back

Gerhardt became involved with teaching in the early 90's as a way of giving back to the community. He spent a number of years volunteering as a teacher and eventually began to teach professionally. By the mid 90's he was teaching at colleges and junior colleges in the Chicago area. Gerhardt's longest teaching job was with Northwestern College, formerly known as Northwestern Business College. While there Gerhardt was nominated multiple times and was the recipient of the Teacher of the Term Award.

This professional redirection toward teaching put Gerhardt into the world of Non-profit Organizations (NPO's). Gerhardt taught the Youth Community Technology Program (YCTP) with Rayshawn Nowlin, in Chicago, teaching inner-city youth about computer technology from 2004 through the end of 2006. The YCTP program was a project of the Community Education Department of the Chicago based Non Profit organization KACS.

Many of the people at KACS Community Education Department were very uncomfortable with the management change at KACS in mid 2006. In July 2006 a new executive director came into office and so a new policy on the methodology of grant management. This new policy was not well accepted by the staff and most of the programs moved.

Nowlin has since moved on and is trying to rebuild the YCTP program at the Albany Park Community Center in Chicago.

Gerhardt targeted his efforts on his own Focus On NASA set of programs and partnered with the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Clubs.