Johnson County Community Violence Intervention

05/19/2026

For the third year, United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Johnson County Community Violence Intervention, Salvation Army, Open Heartland, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County are collaborating to organize the Ready, Set, School! school-supply and backpack distribution for families in need.

The Distribution will take place on Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15 on the Johnson County Fairgrounds. We anticipate serving at least 2000 students.

Businesses and individuals are invited to support this effort in the following ways:

Donate funds (individuals)
Become a corporate sponsor (business and organizations)
Purchase supplies
Host a supply drive

More information and donation link can be found here: www.unitedwayjwc.org/backtoschool .

Businesses and organizations interested in sponsoring this event are encouraged to email Dina Bishara for more information: [email protected]

Inquiries about supply drives or purchasing supplies and backpacks can be directed to Raine Messamaker:
[email protected]

“This is a true, collaborative effort,” says Dina Bishara, Director of Community Engagement at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “We have been blown away by the community’s support for our previous two distribution events and are confident that with our community’s support, the 2026 Ready, Set, School! will be our most successful to date. We are extremely grateful to Scheels, who is our Presenting Sponsor.”

05/13/2026

Franklin Pastorino, a University of Iowa third-year student, had never heard a gun go off before. When shots were fired on the Pedestrian Mall on the April 19 shooting, Pastorino thought the loud sound was fireworks. It wasn’t until he heard people screaming that he realized something was horribly...

05/06/2026

We’re listening.

The Schools Out Youth Consortium is gathering input from:
✔️ 6th–12th grade youth
✔️ Parents/Guardians
✔️ Youth advocates

to better understand what’s needed in out-of-school time across our community.

This started with a simple realization: there are incredible people and programs out there—but they’re not always easy to find, access, or connect.

Your voice helps change that.

📝 Take the short survey: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2fLz62K8196Xefk

Don't forget to share with others!

05/01/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness month.

04/29/2026

We were thankful to be part of the therapeutic resource session at the IMU on Sunday. Quality time with therapy dogs, calming coloring books, and access to community resources were the theme of the day.

CVI is rooted in prevention, yet we recognize that our role extends beyond that - we are also part of the community's support system, walking alongside Johnson County residents and students in our most challenging moments. Thank you to the University of Iowa for creating this opportunity for connection!

04/28/2026

We had a busy weekend! On Saturday night we joined University of Iowa Campus Safety and Iowa City Public Safety downtown and connected with students and patrons while spreading the word about CVI. We also handed out glow sticks for a little added fun.

Many students were curious about who we are and what we do. They were thankful to know that we are working hard to prevent gun violence in Johnson County once they got to know us.

It was also nice to see the students thanking UIPD and ICPD officers for being downtown with them - they said they felt safe knowing the officers were present.

The partnerships between CVI and law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations, local government, and invested community members have been at work since the inception of CVI; it's time to make this work more widely understood by our community and make an even bigger impact moving forward!

04/27/2026

04/24/2026

12/21/2025

Seeds are being planted and progress is being made. Daily effort is the key! We do this for our community and families in need. Let’s work together.