Success Stories

Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) recently received a grant for $25,000 from the Goppert Foundation to support the development of a new Northland Service Center. A new 4,300 square foot Service Center will be created through a renovation of the former sanctuary of St. James Lutheran Church.  Over 3,460 square feet of the former sanctuary will be renovated for the new Service Center and an additional 840 square feet will be added through construction to the existing space.  This Service Center will have locations for food storage, three offices for case management, a reception and waiting room for clients, a bathroom, additional storage space, and room to grow.  A dock and ramp will be added to aid food deliveries.

Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri was recently awarded a $2,500 grant from the BNSF Railway Foundation to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming. Funding will be used to support program areas, including: Troop Leader Training; Community Partner Programs; Camp Programming; and the Outreach Program. Major costs associated to provide these core program areas include: program supplies, program center hosting, and staff salary and benefits. Staff are integral to the STEM Program. For example, the STEM Program manager's expertise is critical for guiding and creating program curriculum, training volunteers, and developing STEM activity guides for the four camp properties.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) recently received a grant for $34,980 from the Mid-America Regional Council to deliver mental health services to the elderly residents of northeast Jackson County, Missouri. CMHS will address critical mental health issues of elderly individuals through the following services:
  • Mental health evaluation and assessment;
  • Individual therapy;
  • Group therapy;
  • Case management;
  • Information and education services; and
  • Community support services.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) recently received a grant for $1,223,950 from the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund (JCCMHF) to expand the Health Care Home program to include uninsured/ underinsured individuals whose incomes are 138% of the federal poverty level. CMHS will provide coordinate care so behavioral and primary health care is provided in one cohesive system.

CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte County recently received a grant for $22,384 from the Kansas Health Foundation to recruit, screen, train, and supervise volunteers as advocates for children involved in the Johnson Country District Court system. CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties’ (CASA) Child in Need of Care Program will provide volunteers to act as advocates for children involved in the court system due to maltreatment. CASA volunteers work one-on-one with children to develop relationships and ensure that the children receive the support and services they need. Children who have suffered trauma as a result of abuse or neglect often require mental health services to address the effects of the trauma. CASA volunteers dedicate themselves to the best interests of the children, tenaciously lobbying for the children’s access to the needed mental health services.

CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties recently received a grant for $3,000 from the Ira and Florita M. Brady Foundation Fund to support the advocacy of children involved in the court system due to abuse, neglect, custody, or visitation disputes. These funds, which supported CASA’s General Operating Expenses, were very useful in providing advocates to uphold the best interests of abused and neglected children in both Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.

Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the State of Missouri Department of Corrections, Community Reentry Fund to support their Learning to Earning employment program. Learning to Earning is a client-focused employment services program. Clients can take job readiness classes to learn how to improve their resumes and their interview preparation.  Staff teaches clients about strategically searching for appropriate positions and about the online application process.  MLM provides computer skills training to those who need it in order to complete these applications.  Staff help clients fill out applications and track their job search progress through logs.  A phone bank is available to clients to make follow up contact to potential employers to call about the status of application and try to set up interviews. Frequently, clients need to be encouraged to take this step and guided on how to do this without seeming pushy.  Bus passes are available to clients who need to travel to and from interviews.

The Whole Person, Inc. recently received a grant for $31,997 from the United Way of Greater Kansas City to support their Independent Living Services program. The Whole Person provides its Independent Living Services in accordance with the guiding principles and best practices required of all federal Centers for Independent Living.  The theory and guiding principle is that people with disabilities should be able to live just like anyone else:
  • Make decisions about their life (whether service providers agree with the decision or not, it is the inherent right of any citizen to fail, and it is typically from failure that we learn the most)
  • Live where they choose (beyond institutions and group homes to their own homes if that is their choice)
  • Pursue activities of one's own choosing (to be limited only in the same ways that citizens without disabilities are limited, not because the recreation area is inaccessible, or because there is no transportation)

Metro Lutheran Ministries (MLM) recently received a grant for $35,000 from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation – Linscomb Foundation to provide funding and support for the Community Care Program at MLM Northland. For over 30 years, MLM Northland has provided emergency assistance to poor and needy families and their children who are facing financial crisis and live in Clay and Platte counties. This assistance includes food and commodities to help feed these children and families as well as emergency payments to landlords or service providers for families facing eviction or who are in imminent danger of losing their utility services.  Through these payments, which are issued directly to landlords and utility service providers, families are able to stay in their homes, keep their utilities on and keep their children safe.