Build relationships to empower people, strengthen resilience, and improve quality of life for all members of the community.
VISION
CMCA envisions communities without poverty.
Community action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Central Missouri Community Action’s fiscal year starts October 1. With the change of season, I get to reflect on another year and consider the future. In 2024, we used the comprehensive community needs assessment we completed last year to formulate a new strategic plan. That is no small feat for an organization with the scope and breadth of a Community Action Agency. In our case, we have services in eleven counties, more than 225 employees, programs that range from pregnant mothers to seniors and everything it takes to support economic stability across that spectrum. We made significant strides in our last strategic plan. You will see these strides reflected by the stories and statistics spread throughout the following Gratitude Report.
We expanded our stake in the development of affordable housing, in economic stability via our Financial Opportunity Center® (FOC) program and our retail incubator called The Shops at Sharp End, by building new Head Start facilities, and by embedding a Family Pathways Framework into our Whole Family Approach for a more seamless experience for our members. We did not, however, complete all of the ambitious goals established in our last strategic plan. Most of the work we do at Central Missouri Community Action has a longer runway than three years. It took us three years from the purchase of land in Columbia to the point of breaking ground on a new housing development, and it often takes that long to change the trajectory of someone’s life from crisis to stability. For that reason, some aspects of our last strategic plan will carry forward into the new one. For example, Employment and Work Supports will remain a priority area even as the work evolves to expand child care opportunities, youth employment, and microlending for small businesses. Likewise, Housing remains a priority as we extend housing development into more supportive services designed to maximize the potential of housing stability on a household’s long term success.
New to the 2024-2027 strategic plan will be a refocus on health, and particularly mental health. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen increased signs of mental health struggles across the spectrum. Last, we have decided to pursue certification as an Agency of Excellence. Our National Community Action Partnership amended the Baldrige Excellence Framework to create a certification program specific to Community Action Agencies. This will be a multi-year endeavor but we want to show central Missouri that we are committed to the highest level of accountability, efficiency, and impact.
The following Gratitude Report is designed to thank you for supporting our efforts and to highlight the impact of CMCA in your community.
Darin Preis Executive Director
Board of Directors
It is hard to believe but very gratifying to have completed my first term as president of the Central Missouri Community Action Board of Directors and to have been elected to serve another. CMCA has a unique board structure called a “tri-partite” board designed to facilitate maximum feasible participation. This means that onethird of our board members represent the public sector as elected officials, one-third represent people with low-income and lived experience, and one-third represent the public sector with a variety of expertise including legal, fiscal, and early childhood education.
These diverse perspectives add a lot of value to our discussions and oversight. In addition to approving multiple grants, policies, and fiscal reports, we get to set the direction of the agency through the strategic planning process. Several of us engaged in committee work to select our priority areas, and all of us received regular updates on our progress in 2024.
When I think of our Gratitude Report each year, my first thought goes to our Board of Directors. Please join me in thanking them for showing their commitment to our agency with their time, talents, and treasures. Your support also helps us meet our mission to build relationships to empower people, strengthen resilience and improve quality of life for all members of the community. We hope that you will be pleased with the stories and statistics contained in the following pages. Thank you for supporting Central Missouri Community Action.
Jodi McSwain President
Cotton Walker Vice President
John Flanders Treasurer
Phillip Iman Secretary
Elizabeth Anderson Cole County
Michelle Barg Cole County
Khyeese Bethea Cooper County
Tiffany Burns Moniteau County
Delsa Byrd Callaway County
Karen Digh-Allen Callaway County
Stella Druml Moniteau County
Susan Hart Boone County
Jean Ispa Early Childhood Consultant
Kip Kendrick Boone County
Joe Lutz Moniteau County
Dwight Massey Osage County
Leslie Meyers Audrain County
Michael Pryor Boone County
Stephanie Schmidt Audrain County
Paula Sims Cooper County
Ruby Young Cole County
Theory of Change
Social Connections:
Community Organizing
Foster Grandparent Program
ShowMe Healthy Relationships
Head Start
BRIDGE
Missouri Women’s Business Center
Family Well-Being
Community Organizing
Weatherization
ShowMe Healthy Relationships
Head Start
BRIDGE
Eat Healthy Stay Active!
Housing Development
Financial Opportunity Center® program
Economic Stability:
Community Organizing
BRIDGE
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Weatherization
Foster Grandparent Program
Head Start
Housing Choice Voucher Program
Housing Development
Financial Opportunity Center program
Missouri Women’s Business Center
Skill Up
We live out our Theory of Change through our Whole Family Approach that addresses the interconnected needs of individuals. Rather than addressing one individual’s challenges, we aim to support the entire family unit, particularly in these three areas. Each of these areas is supported by our programs and services. When families achieve in these areas, they are more likely to become self-sufficient, positively impacting their own lives and the communities in which they live.
Through our strategic plan, we have adopted the Family Pathways Framework to embed our theory into daily program operations. The Family Pathways Framework outlines three primary paths through which families receive services, each with increasing intensity of service provision. Family workers spend intentional time building relationship with our families as well are our community parters to best provide comprehensive services to our members. Through this approach, we integrate services such as early childhood education, job training, financial coaching, health resources and more.
CMCA Members
CMCA doesn’t simply provide one-time support. Rather, members work with our staff to develop long term, sustainable solutions to help them become and remain financially stable. It truly is a partnership, and this is why we refer to those seeking our services as “members.”
Relationship Skills
14,041
These classes have helped me in so many ways, and the financial piece just really helped round it all out. I never thought about the impact of finances in relationships even though I knew that it could cause problems. When I watched the “Sliding vs. Deciding” video, it really hit home. I am taking a break from relationships, and I finally have a bottom line that includes finances. I am in the process of setting goals for my future, and I have already signed up to start attending nursing school in January 2025, something that I have always wanted to do but as a single parent, had never really had a chance to do. Before this class, I felt that I was too old to pursue my goals and dreams, but class has really helped me change my way of thinking. Class has really helped me with my parenting, and even though my daughter is a great kid, we are communicating better than ever. My daughter will be graduating high school in December, so we will both be taking college classes at the same time, and we are both really looking forward to sharing those experiences with each other. I am open to a relationship in the future, but I have come to realize that I need to work on myself and learn to love myself again. I would rate the class a 10+++ if I could!
345 people with increased knowledge & skills to build stronger close relationships
Civic Engagement & Community Involvement
“I never thought I would...”
Many of us don’t really know what we would do if we were facing the reality of poverty. Our poverty simulations are a powerful, immersive experience that help participants better understand the challenges faced by individuals living in poverty. Participants confront the difficult decisions that low-income families must make daily:
• Do I pay rent or cover groceries? What about my medicine?
• School is closed again. Can I afford to miss another day of work?
• Our only car is broken down. How am I going to get everyone where they need to go?
This simulation fosters empathy, deepens awareness of the systemic barriers that perpetuate poverty and hopefully motivates participants to advocate for solutions that support economic society.
“I’m walking away with a deeper realization of what my students and their parents may be going through,” one participating teacher said. “I need to be a safe person.”
325 people with an increased understanding of poverty
Show Me Strong Communities officially launched Community Plans in Audrain, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, and Osage counties this year. These plans were the culmination of the RBA process, wherein CMCA partnered with community members and partners to identify needs, explore root cause, create and prioritize strategies, and initiate action. Each county held a kickoff event, launching the plan and inviting more community members to the task forces.
Here are the result statements for each county:
• Everyone in Audrain County is safe and healthy.
• All people in Callaway County have sustainable housing to meet their needs.
• All people in Callaway County have access to affordable and quality childcare.
• All people in Cole County have safe, affordable, and sustainable housing.
• All people in Cooper County are food secure.
• All people in Cooper County have quality housing.
• All people in Howard County have quality, affordable housing.
• All families in Moniteau County have access to quality childcare.
• All people in Osage County experience health and well-being.
You can find these action plans in their entirety at showmestrongcommunities.com
Leadership Development
17 people moving to positions of leadership or advocacy
17 people with improved leadership skills
“Maybe I can do more. I’ve never lived further than poverty, so it’s a big obstacle for me. In the future, I’ll be able to combat that.”
This summer, five CMCA members completed twelve weeks of Building Strong Families, CAREERS, FOC, and Getting Ahead classes. These classes are designed to guide participants as they set goals, use effective communication, create resumes, participate in mock interviews, create and set budgets, and learn about resources in their local communities. Through these 12 weeks of classes and coaching, multiple CMCA programs came together to provide comprehensive support.
Additionally, Community Organizer Stefani Thompson leads Getting Ahead classes at Algoa Correctional Facility. “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World” curriculum helps individuals living in poverty to examine the impact poverty has on individuals, families, and communities. Throughout the program, participants analyze the themes of their lives, assess their own resources, build their future stories, make concrete plans for economic stability, and develop a solid plan to self-reliance.
“I’m always struck by how much human potential there is in our prison system,” says Executive Director Darin Preis. “It’s important we set up these individuals to achieve all they are capable of, regardless of the length of their sentence.”
Parenting Skills
Madi was in high school when she learned she was pregnant. She connected with Amber, CMCA’s homebased Head Start prenatal parent educator. Amber brought Madi helpful baby items and coached her parenting skills and to strengthen her finances.
Madi graduated on time and began working as a cosmetologist. When she had her second daughter, she continued working with Amber on parenting and other skills. Today, both girls attend Head Start, learning what they need to be ready for kindergarten. Madi is still a cosmetologist and has enrolled in barber school. She has created a five year plan and is already ahead of her schedule. She works hard every day to provide a better life for her daughters.
Strong families are the foundation for strong communities. Head Start prepares our most vulnerable children to succeed in school and beyond. While the kids grow and learn in the classroom, our programs help their families learn too.
Health & Wellness
275 People with improved physical health
456 People with improved mental health
168 hours of play therapy provided to children
6 People obtained health insurance
735 Children received physical exams
272 Children received dental exams
54 Children received follow-up care
81 Crisis requests fulfilled
Helping People, Changing Lives, through play
We know taking care of the whole person means mental health too. CMCA Mental Health Administrator Kishia Harms saw a need for more mental health care, especially for the kids we serve, so she went back to school and became a licensed therapist, and starting this year, began offering play therapy services through CMCA. Play therapy is a child-centered therapeutic technique that allows a child or family unit to work on attachment, emotional processing and more through play.
Many of the kids she sees are in foster care or have recently been reunified with their parents. “Play therapy allows us to really build attachment now that will set these kids up for lifelong success,” Kishia says.
Play therapy is offered one-on-one or with the family unit. Because of her role, Kishia is also able to help families with other resources.
“That’s my favorite part about it,” Kishia says. “When doing therapy with children, the health of the family unit is so important, so I love that I have the knowledge and resources to help them address certain stressors.”
She offers services at our Central Office in Boone County, but also travels throughout our service area. This is especially important because mental health resources, especially those for kids are so limited. For families with low income, community to Columbia for services isn’t an option. As we enter our new Strategic Plan, with a focus on health, we will seek to find ways to continue developing these services.
Cognitive Development
746 children enrolled in our Head Start Programs
95% of Infants & Toddlers with
Age-Appropriate Development
Kindergarten -Eligible Children Meeting School Readiness Goals at Beginning and Ending of the School Year
93% of Children entering Kindergarten are ready for school
It’s Takes A Village
Volunteer of the Year Fred Leuper helps hundreds of students improve reading skills
Mr. Fred Leuper was an easy choice for this year’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Mr. Fred volunteers at David Barton Elementary in Boonville, helping students in third through fifth grade strengthen their reading skills. Since 2012, he has volunteered more than 15,000 hours and is a well-loved figure at the school. He is often the first at the school and goes above and beyond, attending athletic events and band concerts to cheer on his students.
“Fred is a consistent smiling face and kind human to all students he has worked with,” says a David Barton Elementary teacher. “He has a fun personality and knows how to make kids laugh. He can connect with all of his students. Fred is dedicated to helping students and works hard every day planning and working with small groups.”
Fred learns his students’ interests and picks books he hopes will instill a love of reading. He says he likes to choose nonfiction books so students learn about places and people during their lessons. Teachers at David Barton are grateful for his support in increasing reading comprehension, and so are we!
Our Foster Grandparent program pairs seniors with Head Start Centers or schools to guide and mentor students toward higher academic achievement.
Foster grandparents and children play games, talk, read, and eat together. Eligible seniors receive a stipend as well.
Income & Asset Building
Indiana and her son, Luis, enrolled in the Financial Opportunity Center program this year, wanting to find ways to cut expenses and save money. Indiana worked part-time while finishing her degree at the university. Her husband worked full-time at Olive Garden, while Luis was a high school senior who worked to save money for a new car after graduation.
Working with her CMCA FOC coach Jamie Wallingford, Indiana worked diligently to find extra money in her family’s budget to contribute to her savings. Through our IDA savings program, we were able to match her savings. Through careful budgeting and significant cuts, she saved $800 in just under four months, totaling $1600 with our match. They put some of these savings into an emergency fund and used some to address maintenance issues on their car, which helped boost their momentum.
The family also made changes at home. Luis obtained his drivers license and drove his parents to and from work, eliminating the cost of parking passes. Indiana started experimenting with new recipes and hosting potluck dinners with her community to share the cost burden.
After graduating high school, Luis was offered a full time job with a mortgage company, where he is learning about the housing market and will be eligible to receive down payment assistance on his first home. His goal is to buy his first home within a year, providing a stable place for his family. As he continues to work with the FOC, we look forward to his bright future.
Vehicle Maintenance Program
For individuals with low-income, regular vehicle maintenance expenses are easy to put on the back burner, but when a car breaks down, it can create a significant obstacle to maintaining momentum toward self-sufficiency. In our rural communities, we see many members report owning a car but not having reliable transportation. Community Organizer Cheri Cherry found a way to address this program in Cooper and Howard Counties. She created the Vehicle Maintenance Program with funding from the City of Boonville. Through this program, participants learned how to save money by handling many of their vehicle’s standard upkeep themselves. This included fluid level, oil changes, and windshield wiper replacement.
19 New businesses started $695,091 in capital infusions
This year, we were excited to officially open The Shops at Sharp End, in partnership with REDI and The District. The official grand opening in January had Shops buzzing with excitement. Located downtown, this retail incubator allows aspiring entrepreneurs to sell their products in the store, while receiving coaching and training on retail business ownership.
The original Sharp End was located along Walnut Street and was a hub for Black-owned businesses, providing a space for entrepreneurship and economic opportunity at a time when segregation was still prevalent. Today’s Shops strive to honor this legacy.
Capital Access Program
We also launched our new Capital Access Program this year! Designed to support small businesses, particularly those owned by women, minorities, rural, and other underserved populations, the program provides access to capital that traditional lending institutions might not offer. Microlending is aimed at entrepreneurs with blemished credit who need smaller loans— ranging from $500 to $5,000 —to start or grow their businesses.
In addition to loans, recipients receive mentoring, business financial counseling, and other resources from the MoWBC to help them manage and grow their businesses. They have the opportunity to work with our Financial Opportunity Center program to ensure their personal finances are strong.
The combination of personal and business financial support, mentoring, and community focus makes this microlending initiative a powerful tool for fostering entrepreneurship and strengthening the local economy.
Safe & Stable Housing
56 Housing Units in Development
4,779 households received energy assistance, totaling $1,554,551 in benefits.
387 Households receiving housing assistance
3,150 households received crisis energy assistance, totaling $1,778,393 in benefits. 120
Weatherized
Chris, a Navy veteran, was a frequent guest at Jefferson City Room at the Inn (JCRATI) this past winter. While in the shelter, he disclosed to a volunteer that he was struggling with suicidal ideation. Due to his life circumstances and inconsistent housing, he struggled sustaining employment and his mental health was suffering.
Through the JCRATI, he learned of CMCA’s veterans housing outreach event in Jefferson City. Excited about getting his own place, Chris was the first in line at the outreach event. CMCA staff spent hours with Chris completing his application, and he was able to secure a Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher. Just five days later, Chris had the keys to his own apartment.
With secure housing, Chris’ mental health improved, and he was able to work consistently, save enough to fix his truck and reconnected with his daughter. This is what we mean when we say we are about providing a hand up, not a hand out.
It is no secret access to affordable housing is limited throughout our entire service area. We are committed to being a part of the solution to this problem and are leading the way in developing affordable housing. In addition to increasing the housing stock, we are committed to providing comprehensive services for tenants of these housing units, including access to our Financial Opportunity Program, SkillUp, and more.
Providence Landing will feature 14 units, in a variety of one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts, to be sold at an affordable rate with CMCA providing down payment assistance. This project is funding by the City of Columbia, Boone County, Veterans United Foundation, and Ambetter from Home State Health.
We completed the construction of two singlefamily homes on Hickman Avenue in Columbia. These homes were sold with 25% down payment assistance, all closing costs included, and a 2% buy down on the interest rate. First-time home buyers are now building equity they can afford.
We broke ground on Stronghold Landing in Jefferson City in 2024. This complex will feature 40 apartment units for rents, with almost all of the units for those with a qualifying low-to-moderate income.
Employment, Education & Skill Training
Elizabeth has always wanted to work in healthcare and came to the SkillUP program at CMCA to figure out how to get started. Balancing family responsibilities and life, she pursued medical billing and coding online. She enrolled in a program at a local college and dedicated herself to her studies. CMCA paid $3699 for her Medical Coding and Billing for Outpatient Services online training.
After completing the program and gaining her certification, Elizabeth started job hunting. Her hard work paid off when she landed a job with a healthcare provider, earning $27 an hour. CMCA rewarded Elizabeth’s hard work with a $100 incentive for receiving her credential and a $100 incentive for obtaining employment.
Because of her dedication, Elizabeth now enjoys a stable, fulfilling career that allows her to make a meaningful contribution to her family. Financials
