Gratitude Report 2023

A dream came true in 2023

as an expansive white brick wall overlooking our playground turned into a beautiful mural, providing the perfect backdrop for little ones running, jumping and exploring.

Designed by Hallmark artist Matt Kesler, the artwork tells the story of a child at The Children’s Place. From the darkest storms of trauma, to the stable embrace of a family, with seedlings of hope emerging while still navigating the ups and downs of life. Rudy Bear, the welcoming symbol of The Children’s Place, offers a smiling face amidst the caring team of support for children healing from traumatic events. Childhood is restored.

Watching this mural come together felt emblematic of the last three years of expansion and deepening our roots. In 2023 we stabilized and continued to evolve. The year brought an authentic and intense focus on embedding our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion with the addition of a new Vice President of People & Culture. Caregiver groups were launched to provide a more involved way for caregivers of the children we serve to connect with each other after the isolation of the pandemic and learn new strategies from our team. For the first time in 45 years, our Board of Directors approved the launch of therapy services for adults, specifically caregivers of the children we serve, to address the mental health needs of the entire family.

Every day the mural overlooking our playground reminds The Children’s Place team that we all experience storms during the journey of life, and with support of others, we can emerge stronger and more hopeful. Thank you for partnering with us in this vital mission.

Ann Thomas President & CEO

To protect the privacy of the children and families we serve, The Children’s Place secures written permission from the parent and/or legal guardian of all children featured in our photography.

ART THAT TELLS A STORY

A symbol of The Children’s Place in 2023, the mural painted to overlook our playground tells the story of the children who walk through the doors at The Children’s Place, with each element carefully chosen to convey part of this experience.

Seedlings and Flower

Hope begins with just a seedling, small and vulnerable at first. With the care of gentle raindrops and sunshine, the seedlings of hope grow taller and stronger. Throughout the mural is the symbol of a pair of shapes, one big and one little. For the young children we serve, much of the world is big to them while they are little. These symbols show that even though they are small, they are strong.

Storm Cloud

The children who walk through the doors of The Children’s Place have experienced traumatic events, some of the darkest storms of their lives. From abuse to neglect or a caregiver’s struggle with substance abuse or their own mental health, sometimes darkness comes into our lives. Through mental health therapy, these children have the opportunity to heal from their hurts and find hope.

Bird Nest

A nest is a powerful symbol at The Children’s Place, of safety, security and nurturing, and we even have a nest incorporated on our own playground. Many of the children we serve are in state custody, so home can change often, but The Children’s Place can be a safe and consistent place for them. An intentional decision was made for the birds in the nest to be different colors, because we recognize that every family is diverse and individuals in a family may not always appear similar.

Holding Hands

The Children’s Place is here to walk hand in hand with children who have experienced traumatic events. A last-minute change was made when the artist noticed that he had originally designed both hands to be the same size. As another incarnation of the big and little concept, he changed one hand to make it child-sized.

Waves & Curves

The design flows in a wave, with curves integrated throughout, to show that life is full of ups and downs.

Butterfly

Butterflies go through transformations, providing a symbol of change, which is something children at The Children’s Place experience often. By learning new coping skills and strategies, children can become more resilient and capable of regulating their feelings.

THANK YOU TO…

Rudy Bear

This friendly green bear greets everyone who enters The Children’s Place. The first hello and the last goodbye every day, Rudy Bear is a symbol of belonging at The Children’s Place. Each child receives their very own plush Rudy Bear when they complete services, so this huggable bear will go with them on the next step of their journey.

Hallmark Corporate Foundation and Mary Lockton for giving generously to make our dream of a mural possible, along with Hallmark artist Matt Kesler for designing the artwork. The passionate painters at Evolution Mural skillfully executed the design, a feat that involved painting overnight.

OUR IMPACT

children & families served 387

ASSESSMENTS & SCREENINGS

FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES DAY TREATMENT

COUNSELING CENTER

Mission

The Children’s Place: where children and families heal from life’s deepest hurts.

Vision

Childhood restored. We tirelessly pursue, find and celebrate healing for young children in our community who have faced trauma, enabling children to lead happy, healthy, hopeful lives.

The Children’s Place is here for children who have experienced some of the biggest storms life has to offer. Pursuing mental health healing is a step of bravery and perseverance. Our staff is here every step of the way as young children heal from traumatic events. We are dedicated to providing in-depth relationships, high-quality education, and the vital mental health services each client needs to heal and thrive.

100% of families reported that therapy has helped their child heal.* professionals trained by our staff through workshops and professional development

170

80% decrease of children’s traumatic symptoms

100% of families reported their race, ethnicity, culture and language are respected by staff*

*Data is compiled from our caregiver survey, distributed twice annually to the families we serve.

43

Rudy Bears distributed

Rudy Bear is the beloved green bear who welcomes all who enter The Children’s Place. When a child completes services at The Children’s Place, they receive their very own plush Rudy Bear. The same Rudy Bear who was there to greet them every day at The Children’s Place will be right there with them for the next step on their journey.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

The work we do is only possible because of the support of so many individuals and groups who give generously to our mission. Thank you especially to our five auxiliary boards, Angel Board, Young Ambassador Board, Teen Board, Board Alumni Club and Guardian Angels, who provide so much support for The Children’s Place, raising funds and building awareness for our cause.

311 total number of volunteer hours

number of volunteers and corporate partners who have interacted with children

1,505

The Angel Board

The Young Ambassador Board

The Teen Board

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Thank you to the community leaders who comprise our Boards and champion our programs, giving generously of their time and talents to make things possible for the children and families we serve.

Molly Hunter, Chair Gates Westering, LLC

Danelle Bender, Vice Chair & Treasurer Dairy Farmers of America

Mike Ensz, Secretary KPMG

Amy Allen Emery Sapp & Sons

Brad Boeshaar Bank of Blue Valley

David Emley Commerce Bank

Katie Erwin FleishmanHillard

Matt FitzGerald UnitedHealth Group

Lindsay Ford The Voter Network

Karen Glickstein

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Katie Gound Community Volunteer

Kristen Harrelson Kobel & Co.

Elizabeth Hastings, MD Children’s Mercy Hospital

David Hellen Accenture

Rhonda Holman Community Volunteer

Laura Jones Community Volunteer

Mike Levitan LANE4 Property Group

Rudy Liggins The Children’s Place, Retired

Kevin Martinez Distribution By Air –Kansas City & GreenvilleSpartanburg

Dawn McPherson CAPTRUST

Bruce Pendleton Swagelok Kansas City

Mitch Peterson Tinno USA

Mabel Tinjaca, Ph.D. Community Volunteer

Katie Wasserstrom Mariner Wealth Advisors

713

total number of volunteer hours given by the board

ASSESSMENTS & SCREENINGS

When young children experience adverse life events, the stress can overwhelm the rapidly developing brain and can lead to developmental delays that affect their cognition, language, social, emotional and motor skills. Our diagnostic team offers developmental screenings for hundreds of children ages six weeks to six years old. Assessments & Screenings provide a reliable report to gauge a child’s developmental abilities to evaluate whether additional intervention is recommended through our programs or at one of our community partners.

The agency serves as a partner for the Children’s Division. When children enter the foster care system, they are referred to a medical exam with a local pediatrician and a developmental assessment at The Children’s Place to evaluate their mental health needs, social, emotional, cognitive, speech and motor skills.

A highlight for the year...Development assessments are now offered to all children on the waiting list for services in our Counseling Center. This is an important first step to evaluate the whole child and ensure the family and therapist is as informed as possible when therapy begins.

211

assessm ents completed in 2023

6 weeks

6 years -

ages served

The First Step In Care

Imagine you are a foster parent welcoming a pair of young brothers, removed from their biological home because of concerns for their health and safety. Limited details are known about the two preschoolers, but they are each referred to The Children’s Place for developmental screenings.

In one appointment, a diagnostician meets with each child to evaluate his developmental abilities. Can he stack blocks? Does he know his name and how old he is? Can he identify colors and shapes? Can he jump? The diagnostician makes it fun and encouraging while keeping the process straightforward and without distractions. Simultaneously, the child’s caseworker completes an extensive questionnaire to fill in additional information about the child’s health and development.

Following the appointment, the diagnostician provides you with a comprehensive written report, helping you understand if these children are meeting milestones and recommendations for additional community services needed. Suddenly, a little clarity emerges about how you can best help these young boys in your care.

DAY TREATMENT

Our most comprehensive program offers children who have experienced traumatic events the opportunity to receive mental health, occupational, speech, music and art therapies set in an accredited early education environment.

72

children were enrolled in Day Treatment

15,062 backpacks of food sent home

bus trips to transport children

1,896

A highlight for the year:Zoe was terrified to get on the school bus each day to drive to The Children’s Place for Day Treatment because of the past traumatic experiences she endured. Our staff recognized this, and one morning Zoe’s teacher and therapist drove to her house to meet her and ride the school bus with her. This small step by grownups she trusted helped her feel protected and not alone. She felt brave to handle something that was scary in the past. Tiny moments like this make a huge impact on the children in our Day Treatment program throughout the year.

“I don’t know where my child would be if it weren’t for The Children’s Place, it has helped him feel more confident, more loved, and more secure in who he is.”

– Family MEMBER of a child i n our Day Treatment program

Day Treatment’s 7 classrooms serve up to 50 children daily, with an 18-month average length of stay. In a single week , a child can experience:

A group occupational therapy session (additional individual session if needed)

One hour of vital mental health therapy

10 meals prepared in-house by our cook

5 days of highquality early education

One expressive arts group session like music or art therapy

A group speech therapy session (additional individual session if needed)

COUNSELING CENTER

Whether a child experiences a single event, like losing a close family member, or multiple events, The Children’s Place is here to providing the mental health treatment they need to heal. Our Counseling Center offers individual and family therapy services for children ages two to eight. This year the program staff expanded greatly, with five therapists now offering a range of therapeutic modalities.

A highlight for the year is the addition of adult therapy services for caregivers whose children are involved in one of our four programs. This monumental addition to our programming is an acknowledgement of the importance of strengthening the family unit in addition to the young child who has experienced a traumatic event. By giving caregivers support strategies to care for their own mental health, they are better able to walk alongside their children on this healing journey.

9 a.m.-

7 p.m.

8 - monday - thursday

Therapy sessions offered during a wide range of times to accommodate families’ busy schedules

2 years old

ages of children served

Meet Taylor

In her first few years of life, Taylor experienced more than many do in a lifetime. Now five years old, Taylor is a graduate of our Day Treatment program, where she was able to receive comprehensive social, emotional and developmental services so she was ready to head to kindergarten last fall.

Taylor is now thriving in elementary school and has continued her mental health therapy. During her first session in this new program, Taylor used big emotion words to describe how she feels now compared to before starting at The Children’s Place. She described herself now as happy and excited all the time, no longer scared or lonely. Taylor had previously held trauma in her body with tense emotions that led to big behaviors. Her time in Day Treatment taught her how to navigate her feelings and experiences. She loved to visit “the Place with the Rudy Bear.”

Several months into therapy in our Counseling Center, Taylor has opened up even more to her therapist to explain how she feels safe and cared for, and that she’s also able to be herself. She said that she used to feel a little sad, but she’s now able to talk about when she’s feeling mixed up inside. Her emotional vocabulary has greatly increased, and she’s able to trust others in the world. Sharing both nightmares and successes, she was able to learn the skills she needed to succeed in kindergarten and life.

FAMILY SUPPORT

Family Support Services exists to offer coaching, support and community to caregivers of children who have experienced traumatic events. Led by our Parent Educator, Rhonda Parks, who has worked at The Children’s Place for 37 years, the program offers additional tools for caregivers to learn how to recognize the impact of trauma on their children and develop the skills they need to build family relationships and support their child’s emotional growth.

A highlight for the year has been the expansion of our caregiver groups, in collaboration with our Individual and Family Therapist. These groups offer regular opportunities for caregivers to gather and build community while learning new parenting skills together.

One group of five families has developed such deep community that they continue to get together outside of meeting times, gathering for birthdays, cookie decorating over winter break and more. True community has formed.

31 caregiver group meets twice a month

families served

Meet Kingston’s Family

The journey to parenthood came later in life than Bartley and Terri imagined, and the path has been far from linear. When their son, Kingston, entered their life, they knew that he had already faced challenges beyond what many experience in a lifetime. Now four years old, Kingston spent more than two years in the Day Treatment program before transitioning to an early education center in his school district in December.

“I don’t know where we’d be without The Children’s Place,” Terri told us.

Beyond weekly mental health therapy, Kingston has had the chance to receive high-quality early education along with individual and group speech therapy services, group occupational therapy, art and music therapies and more. The individualized treatment plan, created in partnership with Bartley and Terri, constantly evolved to meet Kingston’s needs, helping him heal from his past, and preparing him for success when he heads to kindergarten.

Beyond Kingston’s experience, his parents have also participated in caregiver groups through Family Support Services, where they have connected with others who are also raising children who have experienced traumatic events while learning new ideas for interacting with Kingston.

“I’ve loved being able to openly talk in the different caregiver groups that I’ve done, and I know that not only do they have Kingston’s best interests at heart, but they have ours as well,” Terri said. “The speech therapist, Mr. Denny, told me that I know my child better than anyone. I so appreciate The Children’s Place helping me see that I know more than I think I know and I need to rely on my own heart and gut, that has meant the world.”

In the sometimes lonely world of raising a child who has experienced traumatic events, they have found community and healing.

DEMOGRA

FAMILY STRUCTURE

Children come to The Children’s Place from families of all kinds. During the last ten years, the number of children living in a traditional foster family has steadily declined as the Children’s Division has focused on reunifying families and keeping children in kinship placements. We now see a greater spread represented amongst a variety of family arrangements:

living with kinship/ extended family/ guardianship living with biological parents or in the active visiting stage of reunification

AGES

average number of traumatic events children in our programs have experienced 5 TRAUMATIC EVENTS

IMPACTFUL PEOPLE

Our work is only possible because of so many generous people who believe in these children and give selflessly to our mission. We introduce you to a snapshot of some of these inspiring staff members, donors and volunteers.

NEW V.P. OF PEOPLE & CULTURE!

D.J. Barnes

A new leadership position was added this year to oversee human resources and deepen our focus on organizational culture with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. D.J. Barnes, who started with The Children’s Place in 2022, was promoted into this role.

“This new role of Vice President of People & Culture will ensure that there will always be a person who has the BIG people at The Children’s Place’s best interest at heart,” D.J. said. “I work to help keep the leadership at The Children’s Place accountable and make sure that we always look through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion with all decision-making.”

D.J. continued, “The role of culture at the Children’s Place is of the utmost importance. For a culture to be healthy and productive it always starts with the people in it. The people have to be allowed to be their unique selves, to know that they have a voice that will be heard, and to know that they will be seen. Culture is something that always has to be worked on; there isn’t a completion date.”

Impact Partner DISTRIBUTION BY AIR

For more than 20 years now, Distribution By Air has hosted a pumpkin patch on site at The Children’s Place each fall, decorating for Halloween with dozens of pumpkins and fun inflatables. Distribution By Air also loyally gives to The Children’s Place as an Impact Partner, helping to leverage their connections to bring in additional support for our mission.

Healing Hero IVAN NUGENT

Ivan Nugent has loyally supported The Children’s Place for more than four years as a Healing Hero monthly donor. “The Children’s Place stands ready to comfort, hug, support, provide words of positive affirmation, a place to play, and provides a safe place to work through challenges not caused by the children themselves,” Ivan said. “Donating is essential because anything we can do to heal our children’s hurts is essential.”

Volunteer SHEILA DAVIS

For more than six years, Sheila has volunteered weekly in our Day Treatment program, currently serving in our youngest classroom. “Every Friday, I look forward to spending the first part of my day with ‘the babies’ in the Blue Butterflies classroom and I walk out feeling like I have received so much more than I have given,” Sheila said.

“ When I came here first I was shy, mad and sad. Now I’m happy and brave . ”

OUR DONORS

Thank you to all of our donors who support The Children’s Place. For the purpose of this report, cumulative gifts of $100 or more have been listed. We strive to be accurate in every way and apologize for any unintentional error or omission.

$250,000-$499,999

Community Mental Health Fund of Jackson County

Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education -OOC

Missouri Department of Social Services (VOCA)

$100,000-$249,999

Children’s Services Fund of Jackson County

Shane and Jenn Cordes

Fore The Kids Foundation

Health Forward Foundation

Kansas City Area Transportation Authority

Midwest Air Traffic Control

$50,000-$99,999

Brad M. Johnson

Donald and Janet Beets

Charitable Fund

Ewing Marion Kauff man Foundation

Jerry Jackson & Scott Quinton

William T. Kemper FoundationCommerce Bank, Trustee

KPMG LLP

Oppenstein Brothers FoundationCommerce Bank, Trustee

United Way of Greater Kansas City

$25,000-49,999

CAPTRUST Community Foundation

Stanley H. Durwood Foundation

Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc.

H & R Block Foundation

Kao Family Foundation

Don and Patty Kincaid

Missouri Department of Transportation-MEHTAP

REACH Healthcare Foundation

Stueve Family Foundation

$15,000-$24,999

BMO Commercial Bank

First Business Bank

Kappa Kappa Gamma Holiday Homes Tour

Kiewit Energy Group

Kompass Kapital Foundation

Kompass Kapital Management, LLC

Maureen and Jayson Kuti

Dan Lolli

The Research Foundation

The Sosland Foundation

$10,000-$14,999

AssuredPartners, Inc.

Danelle and Chris Bender

Alyson and Greg Bennett

Bernstein-Rein Advertising, Inc.

Dan Beutler

Bicknell Legacy Foundation

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

Centric

Constance M. Cooper Charitable Foundation

Mike and DeAnna Cordes•

Dairy Farmers of America

Distribution by Air

Ron and Joan Edelman

GEHA

Steve and Patricia Gound

Hunt Family Foundation

David and Cathy Larrabee

David and Lauren Larson

Joseph D. Monello

Nueterra Companies, LLC

Dana Reda

Trent and Whitney Schairer

Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation

Raymond W. Sonnenberg

Kevin and Jennie Strathman

Jim and Ann Tinsman•

U.S. Bank

UMB Financial Corporation

$7,500-$9,999

Lindsey and Terry Anderson

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City

The Commerce Trust Company

Kansas City Pre-K Cooperative Fund

Dr. Charles Robinson

John and Kathy Schirger•

$5,000-$7,499

3-E Safety Services

Ash Grove Cement Company

Bank of Blue Valley

Block Real Estate Services, LLC

Richard and Emily Boeshaar

CNA Insurance

Clinical Reference Lab

DanaJames Charitable Foundation

Michael and Jennifer Ensz

Francis Family Foundation

Anne and Bobby Grant

Hallmark Cards Inc.

Molly and Mark Hunter•

Katherine Lee•

Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose Foundation

Mariner Foundation

PNC Bank

Jovanna and Cory Rohs

Gina and James Shibel

Vivian & Hymie J. Sosland

Charitable Trust

Lauren and James Sotos•

Mr. and Mrs. TJ Sotos

Jon and Babbie Styslinger

Steven and Kristen Swanson

Wells Fargo

$2,500-$4,999

Affinity Homes

Amy and Jason Allen•

ARC Physical Therapy + Bank of America

Sally Batz

Steve Becker

The Benevity Community Impact Fund

Brad and Claire Boeshaar

BOK Financial

Eric Buckman

Martha Carpenter Smith and Rusty Smith

CBRE

CFR Benefits Group

Children’s Mercy Kansas City Commerce Bank

Continental Disc Corporation

Cosentino’s Food Stores

Dr. Andrew and Anne Cusser

James and Diana Cusser

Ericka Duker

EPR Properties

John and Gretchen FitzGerald•

Laurence M. Frazen

G.A. Fischer Co.

John and Missy Giocondo

Karen Glickstein and Don Swartz

Greater Horizons c/o GKCCF

Trevor and Jessie Hansen

HOK

Enterprise Holdings

Elizabeth Hughes

Kansas City Orthopaedic Alliance

Bret and Erin Knighton

Amanda and Kirk Lambright

LANE4 Property Group

James and Karla Lee

• Indicates donors who are Healing Heroes, our group of monthly donors who provide sustaining support to The Children’s Place.

William and Babs Lowenstein

Kevin and Kristi Martinez•

Sarah McConnell

Morgan Family Foundation

Jenny Muntzel

Notion CFO & Advisors

Reardon Pallet Company, Inc.

Jeff and Nancy Robinson

Royals Charities

Bethany Schneider

Mindy and Meyer Sosland

Spring Venture Group

John J. Sullivan Jr. Charitable Trust

VanTrust Real Estate, LLC

Allison and Mike Waters•

Janet and Robert Wholey

Wildermuth Foundation

Susie and Chad Wollard

Kevin and Taylor Zitnik

$1,000-$2,499

AbbVie

Anonymous

Balocca-Clemens Family Foundation

Georgina and Daniel Bauman

Elizabeth and Martin Beerman

Katie and Matt Benge

Dr. Phyliss and Robert Bernstein

Heather and Bob Blacketer

James and Paulette Breitenkamp

Copaken Brooks

Cole Buckman

Kalinda and Bret Calkins

Harry and Kristine Campbell

Central Bank of the Midwest

Sarah and Tom Chaffee

Kristie and Mark Clifft

Shannon and Matt Cochran

Marvine Cole

Bohn Crain

Michael and April Crosser•

Curry Family Foundation

Amanda Davenport•

Peggy and Terrence Dunn

James Dwyer

David and Jane Emley•

Andy and Karen Fries

Andrew and Diana Gaddis

Katie and Bryce Gahagan

John and Carolyn Gates

Douglas and Hanan Gaumer

Lynn Gentry

Tom Godsey

Ryan and Katie Gound

Michael and Hue Tran Green

Chris and Stephanie Hafner

Scott and Suzy Hall

Donald J. Hall, Sr.

Michael and Claire Harrison

The Hartford

Rachel and Scott Herbig

Jennifer and Mike Hobick

Jeff Huggins

Robert and Michelle Hunter

Invest in Others Charitable Foundation

Jewish Community Foundation

Jeff and Sandra John

Kansas City Live Promotional

Kansas City Power & Light District

Lance Kappelman

Michelle and Paul Kaiser•

Jeff and Janice King

Joni and Quinton King

Knights Of Columbus

Kristi and David LaMothe

Chris and Lori Lancaster

Brett and Molly Lane

James and Patti Lisson

Lowenstein Family Supporting Foundation

Katherine Nelson and Rob Lyon

Tracy and John MacDonald

Richard Mattison

Dawn McPherson

Med Prairie, LLC

Mid-America Regional Council

Michael and Melinda Montague

Ashley and Rick Moyer

Meg Nohe

Ivan and Christina Nugent•

Pat and Elizabeth Panko

Ben and Kim Parks

Carrie and Clay Patterson

Performance Training Resources

Whittaker and Kelsey Potts

Will and Angela Potts

Lindsay and Sam Reagan

Whitney and Robert Reagan

Alexandra Rodriguez

Dorothy E. Rupp

Paul and Mari Schieber

Mark and Micah Schloegel

Rick and Mary Schultz

Aaron and Stephanie Siders

Henry and Mary Simpson

Grover and MB Simpson

Peter H. Sloan, Jr.

Nichole Spencer

Julie and Sven Sykes

Deborah Thomas

Gail Tieman•

Jennifer Timmons

Brent Vanderark

The Martin Wallis Fund

Nick Warren

Robert & Edith Young Family Foundation

Jen Zingg

$500-$999

Amazon Smile

Ameristar Casino

Whitney Anderson

Anonymous

Shelby and Aaron Bartelt

Elaine and Kim Beachner

Heather and Cameron Bennett

William and Maureen Berkley

Amanda and Jeff Blackwood

Bob Sight Ford, Inc.

Carol A. Bowers

Jeff and Erin Bradley

Grant and Wendy Burcham

Katie Carroll

Dr. Brian and Angel Carter•

Clark Family Giving Fund

James and Nancy Colley

Kathy and Trey Conlee

Derek Cox

Dr. Suzanne Crandall

Jeff and Mary Clare Crowe

Patricia and Bill Donath

Enterprise Bank & Trust

Katherine and Ralph Erwin•

Matt and Kristiana Evers

Angela and Addam Fera

Leah and Matt FitzGerald

Daniel and Kristen Fromm

Gena and Richard Gallagher

Maurine Gaynor

Britt Frank•

Brittany and Keith Gersh

Herb and Jill Giorgio

Bailey and Blake Goodman

Tamra Greenberg and Mary

Chris Blickhan•

Celeste and Brian Greenlee•

Kristen and Tyler Harrelson•

Drs. Matt & Elizabeth Hastings

Sheila A. Hayes•

Dr. Mary A. Hegenbarth

Paget and Thomas Higgins•

Joseph Hulston

Jamie and Mike Hurt

Doug and Eileen Johnson

Lisa and Bruce Kallmeyer

Joy and Jerry Kaplan

Connor Kelley

Margaret and Alan Leinen

Joseph Lester

Tracy Lockton

Luna, LLC

Mark and Carol Meads

Brett and Gina Monger

Kent and Sharon Mueller

Myers CPA

Bill and Nonie Newman

Joan Nunnink

Kate and Kevin O’Rourke

Lauren Packer

David and LilliAnn Parsons

Margaret and W. K. Pence

Bruce and Jenny Pendleton•

Mitchell Peterson•

Jonathan and Kristina Pope•

Nicholas Kuehn Powell Family Foundation

Cameron Range

Carrie Reiser

Paul and Carol Richards

James and Stacey Saladin

Oliver Schmidt

Megan and Chris Schumm

Brian and Kimberly Scott

Ashley and Zachary Sight

Scott and Kathleen Smith

Staco Electric

Dr. Nancy and Jeremy Stewart

Graham and Meghan Still

Rita and Steve Stollman

Erika and Zack Swanson

Ann and Rob Thomas

Kristen and Robert Tinsman

U.S. Bank Foundation

Ulah, LLC

Jake and Annie Vander Velde

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

Shanelle Varone•

Chris and Tracy Vogel

Wellner Architects, Inc.

Steven Winget

Russell Winn, D.D.S.

Kent and Traci Wittrock

Marie Woodbury

Robin Woods

Nicole Wunder & Barry Ogden

Emily and Mark Zastrow

$250-$499

Kyle and Jen Abernathy

Daniel and Melanie Allmayer

Jeffrey Alpert

Eric and Lisa Anielak

Anonymous

James S. Archer

Ethan Austin

Quinn and Jennifer Bass

Kathryn Bauman

Parker Beaham

Bel Fiore Farm & Floral, LLC

Vicki and Ben Biller

Jane Birch

Candis and Brian Boily

Steve Bouye

Chad and Melissa Bowles

Susan and Jim Brown

Lindsey and Brian Bruns

Shannon Cade

Steven and Linda Callahan

Barbara K. Christopher and Tony Wissel

Regan Coberly

William and Jill Coughlin

Lucy W. Coulson

Gary Crainshaw

Jeffrey Crowe

Kellen DeRuy and Renay Huff

Erin and Scott Duba

Meghan Dudek

Mike and Jen Eddings

Maddie Ehlers

Virginia and Roger Emley

Josh and Abigail Fink

Leon Fisher & Vladimir Grishin

Lindsay Ford• Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education

Rusty Gallagher

Grace Gawatz & Sarah Laskares

Brandon and Shanda Glass

Kyri Gorges

Matt Hall

Elizabeth Halsey

Lisa Hamrick

Patricia Hanssen•

Zack and Casey Harding

Hunter Harris

Jennifer Harris

William Hartong

David and Tiffany Hellen

William A. and Irma Lou Hirsch

Rhonda Holman

Polly and Cameron Howard•

Katherine and Steven Hughes

Kathleen Interian

Lindsay and Niles Jager

Elizabeth Janet

Dr. Dale Jarka

Bo Jones

Dr. Lowry and Laura Jones•

Kansas City Bier Company LLC

Kyle and Tom Kennedy

Dena S. Klein

Amy Koch

Megan Collins and Paul LeBlanc

Caroline Lerro

Peter and Alice Levy

Susan and Chucker Luetje•

John and Rudena Mallory

Judy Santa Maria

Molly Maxwell

Kaitlyn and Bryan Messmer

Cheri Milligan

Caroline Moran

Richard Murray and B. Michael

McFarland•

Beverly and Gary Nafziger

Katie Nazir

Mary Neis

Jane and Ron Nesemeyer

Robert and Mary Jo O’Byrne

Jay and Rita Oltjen

Margaret Oropeza

Keith and Shannon Peeples

Holly Pollard

Stephanie Quinn

Dr. Brian and Susan Ramza

Michael and Courtney Raupp

Jennifer Reintjes

Kelly and Tom Riordan

Julia Sanders

Elizabeth and Charles Schellhorn

Scoobie

Kendra Scott

Patrick and Susan Seib

Lori Sharp

John Shoebrook

Patricia Sibenaller

Sierra Winter LLC

Ryan Simpson

Temple Simpson

Nikki Sims

Charles and Jeanne Sosland

Jay and Carrie Southerland

Kerry Spake

Dori Stayton

Kimberly Sumner•

Rylie and Jackson Swain

Shari and Jeremy Taylor

Austin Thompson

Sasha and Dakota Topping

Craig and Diana Trice

Tom Turgeon

Clare and Bobby Vickers

Donald Waits

Dan and Jane Warren

Buzz and Janet Warren

Derek and Denise Whiteman

Wiles Family

Denton Williams•

Jim and Kathleen Williams

Sarah and Joe Wilmes

Brian and Riti Yager

Holli and Chip Zuck

$100-$249

Jodi Abbott

Kristina Aberle

Joseph and Maria Accurso

Jenny Agnew

Doug and Mary Albers

Abbie and Kent Allen

Doug and Amy Anderson

Monica and Adam Andreoli

Anonymous

Anne and Dave Aubuchon

Kelli Ayars

Mark and Karen Bailey

Stacey Bailey

Rachael Baldwin

Blair Ballard and Chris McNatt

Christopher Bannister

D.J. and Kelley Barnes•

Dr. Vincent J. Barone and

Kathryn Pieper

James and Dana Bartimus

Jacob and Leslie Bayer

Angela M. Bennett

Paul and Gina Bertrand

Brad Bicknell

Curtis Bicknell

Don and Gretchen Blackman

John and Diane Blanck

Richard and Annette Bloch

Family Foundation

Cindy Bobbitt

Vince Bockhoff

Joyce Bodenhamer

Deborah Borek

Anne L. Bowman

Nancy Bradley

Mary Brain

Tim and Julie Brake

Nathan and Sarah Brecheisen

Arthur and Heather Bridgens

Katie Bright

Stephanie and Travis Brovold

Emily Brown

Joey Brown

Mary Buda

Stacia Buda

Tammy Bui

Kathryn Burruss

Wesley and Mark Bush

Brad and Sara Butler

Paula M. Canty•

Elise Carpenter

Jennifer E. Casey

Cody Castagno

Rich Chartier

Kristina Christopher

Aimee Claassen

Lindsey Rood-Clifford

Judy Clouse

Jackie Cole

Scott and Nancy Collins

Lillian Cooper•

Betty A. Cortelyou

Stacey Craft

William and Ann Crampton

Linda Crosser

Dr. Thomas and Karren Crouch

Jesse Crupper

Sarah Curtis•

Thomas and Margaret Dakan

Ron and Jan Dake

Jim and Erin Darcy

Chelan David

Karen Davis

Dominique Davison

Nick Deason

Nick Deatherage

Ameet Deshmukh

Katie Devlin

Angela DeWilde

Kaitlyn Deyoung

Cali and Devin Donegan

Dawn Downes

Dr. David and Sarah Duethman

Overton and Sue Durrett

Kelly Eastwood

Marti Ehlers

Morgan Ehlers

Robin G. Ehlers

Greg Elliott

Katherine and Dan Ellis

Carolyn Ellspermann

Amie and Lance Emerson

Michael Eppelheimer

Leslie and Chuck Erickson

Lisa Feingold

Justus Fera•

Cheryl Fernandez

Michelle Fischer

Shelley and David Fishbach

Andrew Fleming

Linda Flynn

Amy Foley

Sarah Foltz

Ryan Foresee

Julie Frickleton

Jessica and Phil Gachassin

Leigh and Roger Gaddis

Dr. Hires and Gail Gage

Adrienne and Nathan Garrett

Patricia Garringer-Strickland and Scott Strickland

Patrick and Gina Gavin

Kristen Gefre

Jill and Brad Getman

Julie Gibson

Eric and Melanie Glassman

Melanie Glidewell

David Goff

Andy Goldberg

J Daniel and Natalie Golden

Lauren Gordon

Max and Harriet Gordon

Steve and Emily Gordon

Greg and Maggie Goss

Jae Gray

Laura Greenbaum

Rebekah Grieb

Thelma Guffy

Deb Halsey

Brenda Harden

Elizabeth Harding

Kate and Clay Hartman

Sarah and Travis Hattaway

Patrick and Rachel Haverty

Kevin Hays

Robb and Amber Heineman

Lacey and Jeff Helmig

Dr. Edward F. and Kimbrough

Higgins

Joy Hitchcock and Jerica Holt

Dr. Jay and Jill Hodge

Brigid Hornsby

Jenny and Casey Housley

Jen Houston

Carolyn Huffman

Allison Hughes

Bennett Hughes

Brandon and Sydney Hulet

Alex and Brittany Hungate

Michael and Blair Hyde

Michelle and Ronald Innes

Amanda Jackson

Tim and Paige Jardine

Elizabeth Jarvis

Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar

JE Dunn Construction

Ford Johnson

Maren Johnson

Marilyn Johnson

Laura A. Johnson and James M.

Threatt

Linda and Topper Johntz

Abigail Jones

Russell and Joy Jones

Jo Ellen Jung

Kara Kapitan

Kelly Kariker

John Keeling

Bruce and Anne Keil

Elizabeth Kennedy

Drs. John D. and Ann Kenney

John Kenward

Jack Klisares and Holly Noon

Jonathan and Stephanie Klock

Patrick Klug

Stacy Koelling

Michael Konon

Cindy Kuhlman

Beth Kuta

Mike Lafferty

Pat and Laura Lahue

Alex and Margaret Langford

Dennis and Bernadette Lee

Fran Lester

Barbara and Michael Levitt

Emily Levitt

Travis Levitt

Rudy Liggins

Dr. Victoria C. Little

Sarah and Andrew Lonard

Don and Debbie Lueke

Carla and John Mabry

Na’im Mabry

Anthony Macha

Grace Magott•

Lori Maguire

Melissa Mahoney

Nancy Manning

Jennifer Marino

Gilbert and Libby Marlowe

Laura Marriott

Andrew Martin

Kimberly Mattison

Paige McArdle

Lee J. McCarty

Sarah McCaul

Nathan and Kim McCombs

Michael McDonald

Matt and Suzanne McFadden

Madelyn McLear

Matthew McNary

Brendan and Jean McPherson

Erin Meade

Zach and Cortney Mendenhall

Joellen and Rob Messerli

David and Heather Meyer

Heidi Meyer

Libby and John Milkovich

Karen Miller

Joanne Montgomery

Amy and John Moore

Kailey Moore

Jack and Betsey Moreland

Martha Morgan

Greg and Holly Mosher

Ann and Jim Mueller

Paige Mulgrew

Brett Murawski•

Dena and Matt Myers

Bruce and Kathleen Myers

Marie K. Neenan

Colleen Neese

Lauren and George Nicely

Josephine and Mbugua Njoroge

Timothy Nunnink

Mark Nuss

Sandy Oaks•

Lauren O’Bannon

Rozanne Ochs

Mary Oehmig

Michelle and Bret Oettmeier

Michael O’Neill

Lisa Packer

Dr. Peter Parks and Sarah

Bremer Parks

Jocelyn Pearson

Buck and Hallie Peavey

Mandy Peck

Dylan Pell

Nancy Phelps

Jennifer Pickett

Chicken N Pickle

Kathryn Popper and Danny

Adams

Allen and Martha Potts

Nicholas and Mary Ann Powell

William and Catherine Powers

Amy Prendiville

Robyn Ratcliff

Kristopher Reeder

Francis and Lillian Reichart

Claire Reintjes

Amanda Rhodes•

Shelley Roberts

Brad Robson

Paula Rodriguez

Jack and Valerie Rusgis

Kelly and Sam Ryan

Keri Ryan

Pat Sargent

Doug Schieber

Hannah Schmidtlein

Karly Scholl

Valerie Schroer & Michael Brock

Kim Schwartz

Cara Schwarz

Stephanie Seger

Marilyn and Jamie Senter

George and Lisa Shadid

Drs. Vidya & Janardana Sharma

Marilyn Shea and Jon C. Cesla

Hannah Sheffield

Stacey Shoman

Sara Singleton

Haylee Slocum•

Hannah and Cameron Smith

Katelyn and Cole Smith

Mary E. Smith

Thomas and Vicki Smith

Nick Snorgrass

Michael C. Sonnenberg

John Southerland

Edward and Diana Speicher

Renee Steffes

Robert and Teresa Steinert

Brian Stewart

Susan and John Still

Colleen Stratman

Steven and Nan Streen

Tracy Strickland

Robert and Sue Strickler

Amy Sullivan

Rebecca Suroff

Laura Taylor

Jenna TeKolste

Kari TeKolste

Evan Thomas

Mark and Terri Thomas

Rob Thomas

Megan and Steve Thornberry•

Linetta Thurman

Jennifer Trusty

Debbie Tusher

Terry Uhl

Cassidy Unland

Kristie and Justin Van Voorst

Mallory Van Winter

Kevin Vanderweide

Dr. Irene R. Walsh

Andrew Warn

Max Wasserstrom

Eliza Waterman

Julianne Waters

Theresa Weaver

Dr. John W. and Mary Weigel

Emily Wellner

Julie and Dennis Wellner•

Casey and Evan Welsh

Lauren Welsh

Kevin White

Kari Wilcox

Sarah and Hunter Williams•

Tom and Renea Williams

Leslie Williams

Jennifer Wills-McCluhan

Nicholas Winter

Philip and Kim Witt

Lori and David Wittman

Dana Wolgamott

Kathleen Ybarra

Bill Unland and Rebecca S. Yocum

IN-KIND

Rob Barker

Katie and Matt Benge

Heather and Cameron Bennett

Bijin Salon and Day Spa, Inc.

Blind Box BBQ

Brad and Claire Boeshaar•

Brooksider Sports Bar & Grill

Browne’s Irish Market

Lauren Burns

Rafael Cambron

Clairvaux

Sarah Clark

Kristie and Mark Clifft

Debbie Coe

Tiffany Connolly

Dr. Andrew and Anne Cusser

Dawn Downes

Silvia Duckworth

Robin G. Ehlers

Katherine and Dan Ellis

David and Jane Emley

Encompass Wellness LLC

Michael and Jennifer Ensz

Farm to Market Bread Co.

Ryan and Katie Gound

Harpos

Kristen and Tyler Harrelson

HOLLYDAY Aesthetics Spa

Susan and Ken Hornung

Hotel Kansas City

Molly and Mark Hunter

Ford Johnson

JSH Home Essentials

Marjie Knust

Tony Krebs

Kristi and David LaMothe

Mike Levitan

Nicolette Loutsch

Lover Comestics

Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop

Made in Kansas City

Marriott Hotel

Kevin and Kristi Martinez

Gabby Martinez

Dawn McPherson

Monroe Hasselquist

Nell Hill’s

Katherine Nelson and Rob Lyon

Dr. Peter Parks and Sarah

Bremer Parks

Dana Reda

Marilyn and Bill Richardson

Jim and Diane Roberts

Paul and Mari Schieber

Rhonda Schmidtlein

Kirk Schnurbusch

Scratch Gourmet Kitchen

Chantal Stamos

Sarah and William Stapp

Studio Dan Meiners

Taco Naco KC

Tavern Restaurants

Charles and Tracy Tetrick

Tiffany Greens Golf Club

Jim and Ann Tinsman

Waldo Pizza

Max Wasserstrom

Susie and Chad Wollard