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Greetings!
This is the November 12th edition of a weekly report to the LINC Commission. Our board is deeply interested in our work and wanted to learn about -- and share with others -- the great things LINC is helping to accomplish.
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LINCWorks initiative open and serving the needy in Kansas City
As of Oct. 1, a new LINC initiative is helping welfare recipients move toward self-sufficiency.
LINCWorks is a new system of non-profit community partners and organizations helping individuals who have been approved for cash assistance from the state of Missouri through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
LINCWorks case managers will help find employment for participants who have skills and are job-ready, training for those who need work skills, and support for those with obstacles making it difficult to work.
LINC case managers are already serving clients, along with additional case managers from Community LINC, Housing Authority of Kansas City and Jewish Vocational Services. Other partners in the initiative include the Missouri Family Support Division, Full Employment Council, Bishop Sullivan Center, Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), Mattie Rhodes Center, and Gillis Center.
The main LINCWorks office is located at 3100 Broadway, Suite 325, Kansas City, Mo. Five additional office locations are open to serve clients in Clay, Platte, and Jackson counties.
The work is possible because of a contract award from the state of Missouri. The annual contract value is $3.9 million.
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Palestine gets grant to create a Community Learning Center
This October, the Palestine Neighborhood Development Corporation (PNDC) was awarded a $150,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the City of Kansas City, Mo. to be used for renovations of the Palestine Resource Center and creation of a Community Learning Center.
The PNDC plans to use the grant money to convert a vacant house into a modern learning center available to the community and nearby Central High School students. Several different activities and programs will be housed in the center including the RISE UP school-aged afterschool program, high school educational opportunities, and adult literacy classes.
Through a partnership with the Full Employment Council the center will also be used as a Shared Network Access Point to give people more resources to look for jobs and assistance. The Missouri Reentry Program will also provide a literacy program for ex-offenders based out of the center.
Renovations on the Resource Center will make it more energy-efficient. DeWayne Bright, Palestine LINC Site Coordinator, hopes to reduce energy costs by 70 percent, "We're spending around $4,500 a year in utilities." In doing so PNDC will reallocate funds currently spent on energy and redirect them into programs and services for area residents. The ultimate goal is to be a model for small commercial and residential renovation.
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Home Depot partners with LINC Sites
The Center School District LINC Caring Communities have a new partnership with Home Depot.
Every other month Home Depot will bring their "Kids Workshop" to the afterschool programs to create fun, educational projects.
In October students made a fire boat; in December students will make a 5x7 picture frame.
The workshops are at both Boone and Center Caring Communities sites.
Home Depot provides supplies and aprons for 30 students per project, and project pins are given to each student after completing the activity.
Home Depot will also be at Topping Elementary in North Kansas City on Thursday, Nov. 16th for workshops at that school's Winter Wonderland celebration. Students have the opportunity to make crafts, and the first 200 get to keep the Home Depot toolkit.
Kids Workshops are also offered at every Home Depot on the first Saturday of the month from 9am to noon.
Workshops offer useful, educational projects and in the past have created toolboxes, mail organizers and more. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment.
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LINC staff learn and present at Kansas City child care conference
Over a dozen LINC site coordinators and staff are attending the
 | | LINC Coordinators Rochelle Owens (left), Adrian Wilson, and Kelley Harden |
Missouri School Age Community Coalition professional development session this weekend in Kansas City.
Over 200 individuals are attending the annual professional development institute organized by MOSAC2.
LINC has held leadership positions in the statewide organization that supports and unifies professionals in providing quality out-of-school programs.
LINC presentations included the fencing program at Butcher-Greene Elementary (Hickman Mills), a presentation on social media and entertainment from the Kansas City area LINC programs including Afrikan Centered Education Collegium Campus.
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Longfellow offers computer classes for adults
Basic computer skills are a necessity in the professional and academic setting. Longfellow Caring Communities hopes to help adults attain those skills by offering free computer classes.
The Wednesday afternoon classes began in October and continue through the end of the school year (May 2011).
The class introduces students to the basics before gradually building and adding on to a proficient level. Curriculum includes navigating the internet, graphics, and using Excel spreadsheets.
The class targets parents who wish to help their children study and adults wanting to improve their résumé while seeking employment.
Freddie Cheirs is the Longfellow LINC Site Coordinator.
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Faith-based organizations support LINC Sites
Partnerships with faith-based organizations are a huge help when supporting a community.
In the Kansas City, Mo. School District they have played an even more important role with the recent changes in boundaries. Though schools may have changed, many families still associate with the same congregation.
At Wendell Phillips Caring Communities, two churches help students grow in their character and with their studies. Paseo Baptist Church supports students with the Good News Club and Bethel A.M.E. Church provides piano lessons and mentoring.
At Primitivo Garcia Caring Communities, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Overland Park will sponsor five families this winter. They will provide household items, clothes, toys, food, and personal hygiene items.
These are some examples of growing partnerships with faith-based institutions at Caring Communities sites.
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November LINC Commission meeting set for Nov. 15
The LINC Commission will hold its last regular meeting of the year on Monday, Nov. 15 from 4-6 pm at the Kauffman Foundation.
The public is invited.
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Contact Information
Brent Schondelmeyer, Director of Communications
phone: (816) 410-8350
email: bschonde@kclinc.org
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