Our Investment Strategy addresses six issue areas: Families and Neighborhoods; Health; Self Sufficiency; Seniors; Children; and Youth. Trained community volunteers evaluate programs and recommend funding priorities to an executive committee of the Board. This process assures our donors that the community, and not some bureaucrat, decides where and why funds are allocated. This year we invested over $2 million in 55 local programs that provide direct services. We also administer over $325,000.00 in grants for emergency food, shelter, and utilities distributed through our partner agencies.
In order to apply for funding, you must be a human services agency that provides services in Wyandotte County. You must have a current 501(c)3 letter from the IRS. For more details, click here.
Our Resource Development staff conducts hundreds of annual workplace campaigns and leads the community in collecting contributions. They rely on nearly 400 volunteers from business and civic organizations throughout Wyandotte County, Not only do these campaigns raise money, but they are an annual opportunity for our neighbors to learn about the great work our partner agencies do.
A popular feature of our Annual Campaign is the Caring Club, through which participating businesses provide a variety of discounted goods and services to our contributors. For more details, click here.
The United Way of Wyandotte County is unusual among local United Ways because of its sponsorship and administration of several grant-funded programs that address critical and underserved needs in the community.
Sometimes people get tired of asking, “Why doesn’t somebody do something?” and begin to ask, “What can I do?” Study Circles engages eight to fifteen (8-15) neighbors in a working group to identify local problems, discuss them, and then create a shared vision to solve them. This is a democratic forum where everyone’s opinion is invited and respected. The mission of Study Circles is to connect, revitalize, and empower community residents to create a positive change in their communities.
Study Circles’ long term success is in the participants achieving empowerment and making connections. Participants continue to contribute to their community -- they choose to be part of the solution. We see this when Study Circles participants take active roles in civic life, whether they join the PTA, vote, or pitch in with a local clean-up.
Our own Linda Quinn wrote a personal account of her experience with KCK Study Circles for the national Study Circles newsletter and web site. Click here to read it.
The mission of the Volunteer Center is to inspire, empower, and enable citizens to respond creatively and effectively to community needs through volunteering. We do this by working with local non-profits to identify their volunteer needs, then recruiting individual and group volunteers to fill those needs. We also provide technical assistance to non-profits to establish, maintain, and improve their base of volunteers. Click here to view the volunteer video.
RSVP is a nationwide volunteer program that invites adults age 55 and older to contribute their life experiences and skills to meet the needs of the community. RSVP volunteers give anywhere from an hour to 40 hours a week to local non-profit organizations and others in need.
Joining RSVP is free! There are no educational or employment requirements. All you need is the desire to stay active and get involved in your community. We provide RSVP volunteers with some transportation reimbursement, supplemental accident and liability insurance, invitations to special events, and more.
Whether teaching children or adults to read, creating a recycling program, or providing much needed support to non-profit agencies, RSVP volunteers are making their communities stronger. You can become an RSVP volunteer today by calling 913-371-3674, or e-mail Chandra Edwards. You are sure to get back even more than you give.
Since 2002, YouthBuild KCK has been rebuilding the lives of young people while they rebuild their community. YouthBuild KCK students between the ages of 16 and 24 build homes for low-income families and engage in community service projects. In the process they can earn their GED, learn professional construction skills, and be mentored in a variety of life skills.
The long term success of YouthBuild KCK is our graduates working in the community to foster hope and urban renewal. A successful Youthbuild graduate earns over $15.00 an hour in a skilled trade, and many volunteer in their neighborhoods. Our long term success is the transformation of a depressed and downtrodden community into a vibrant neighborhood of quality homes and skilled workers.
Smart Start is a nationally recognized program to foster quality in early childhood education. Tri-County Smart Start provides wage and benefit subsidies for more than 250 teachers at 22 early childhood education centers in Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. Since 2001, Tri-County Smart Start has been instrumental in decreasing teacher turnover in these centers by 55%. This staff stability supports ongoing professional development, which gives our youngest a better foundation for lifelong success. Click below for current reports on the success of Tri-County Smart Start:
Tri-County Smart Start Kansas raises expectations of and standards for Early Childhood Education by increasing quality and accountability, improving administrative practices, and supplying new technology and technical assistance.