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Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) recently received a grant for $75,000 from the Hancock Family Foundation to support the Learning to Earning program. Learning to Earning is a client-focused education and employment services program for those without basic job readiness skills.  Clients work with a Program Managers in three main areas, including Education, Employment, and Finances.  Clients work to get their GED, doing preparation work in balance with their work schedule and family commitments.  They work with Program Managers who design an individualized process for each client to guide them through employment services, focusing on resume assistance, life skills, and assistance with leads and interviewing.  They work to develop an individualized financial plan, focusing on needs versus wants, the benefits of bank accounts, and develop a monthly budget.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) recently received a grant for $500 from the Harley Davidson Foundation to support the Welcome Home Program.  This program assists adults with Severe Mental Illness in transitioning to safe and dignified housing by providing necessities such as sheets, towels, cookware, and other household items.

Genesis Promise Academy recently received a grant for $152,767 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City to support the partial salaries of four counselors and the time of a Family Resource Specialist. The Genesis Counseling Program provides individual, group, and psycho-educational group therapy to approximately 290 students per year ages 5-14 at the school. The goal of the program is to help children cope more effectively with the impact of trauma and psychosocial stressors at home and in the community.

Avenue of Life recently received a grant for $25,000 from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City to support their Impact Wednesday event.   Impact Wednesday is a collaboration between numerous community organizations created to alleviate homelessness for youth and their families in the Kansas City, Kansas Public School district. Avenue of Life’s Equipping Center serves refugees, low-income families, and people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds experiencing unemployment, underemployment, and homelessness.

The Whole Person (TWP) recently received a grant for $15,000 from the State Street Foundation to support the delivery of Employment Services Program. TWP provides ongoing Supported Employment services to clients for additional assistance both on and off the work-site. Supports from job coaches may include addressing work performance, social interactions that negatively impact employment success, conflict resolution with coworkers/supervisors, maintenance of job skills, and motivation retention to ensure continued engagement with the program. Long-term vocational support is an individualized service, provided as often and as long as the person needs it for the purpose of maintaining a job. Job intervention may be needed as well as support for developing skills for promotion and career development that lead to personal growth and financial stability. 

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) recently received a grant for $416.000 from Jackson County COMBAT Treatment Program to support their Addiction Recovery Services Program. The program promotes abstinence by providing residential, outpatient day treatment, and supported recovery services to men and women over the age of 18 with drug and/or alcohol addictions. Staff seek to help clients improve their functioning, make progress on their treatment goals, and demonstrate positive life changes through trauma-specific services. Services also assist many clients in reducing or eliminating criminal behavior and improving their employment or educational status. The program encourages a high level of family involvement to support participants’ health, improve family relationships, and strengthen their recovery support network.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the American Century – Community Partnership to support their Child Advocacy Program. CASA will use funds for its Child Advocacy program that will provide 450 children with 185 Volunteers who advocate directly for children involved in the court system due to abuse, neglect, or divorce-related custody and visitation disputes.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from American Century Investments Foundation to support CASA’s Teen Advocacy program. CASA’s Teen Advocacy program grew out of a need to provide specific training for CASA advocates working with youth ages 14-18 most likely to age out of the court system without anyone to help them transition to adulthood.