Category: Blog

Winter 2015 Newsletter

Fall 2014 Newsletter

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Dear Volunteers and Donors,

The past year was filled with many challenges but also many incredible blessings fro the Uplift Organization. It is hard to believe that 2013 has come to an end, and we are into our third month of 2014.

After serving with Uplift the past nine years it is still hard for me to imagine anyone being able to survive the intense cold weather that we are having. We have had so many cases of frost bite this winter. Please continue to keep our friends on the streets in your prayers.

We were blessed by every single donation last year, along with 2,514 volunteers that gave 13,602 hours of their time making it possible for us to continue to reach out to the homeless of Kansas City. We were able to serve 23,214 people and we visited 5,340 camps.

We continue to receive support from our loyal and committed donors and for that I am thankful! Without your generosity we would not be able to continue reaching out to the homeless as we have for the past 24 years.

We have been able to complete our kitchen upgrade, bringing our facility up to code. We are very grateful to the William T. Kemper Foundation for their generous donation which helped make this possible.

There still has been no vote pertaining to the proposed new city ordinance. There were to be meetings in January, but that didn’t take place. I have no knowledge of when the meetings may occur, but I will post any decisions that are made on our website.

I don’t know what this year holds in store for us, but I do know that at each stop we make on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights, we will be greeted with grateful smiles and gratitude for what we are able to do for our friends that have nothing. I look forward to moving boldly into 2014 with your support. There are so many people in need and I know together we will be able to make such a difference.

“Every life deserves a certain amount of dignity, no matter how poor or damaged the shell that carries it.”

God Bless you all!
Kathy Dean

Only 5 days until SPRING!!!

Hello to all our doners and volunteers! As I start to write this message, I am amazed at how fast the time has gone since our last newsletter. Our seasons have shifted from hot to cold, which ushers in a whole new list of needs to help make our friends on the streets a little more prepared for what they will face in the coming months.

At this time, there has been no vote on the new proposed city ordinance, nor has there been a date set for the next meeting. We continue to serve the homeless with care and compassion, just as we have for the past 23 years.

Now that we’re in November, I was thinking of how much we have to be thankful for. I am thankful for each of you. I am thankful that the donations continue to come in, allowing us to reach out to those in need. I don’t like to repeat myself, but I think this deserves repeating: “The biggest mistake we can make is to do nothing because we can only do a little”. When we put all our efforts together it is amazing what we can accomplish. I am thankful for all our volunteers that go out and serve the homeless with such love and kindness. I am thankful for the gratitude of the homeless. It fills my heart each time I see the people waving and so excited to see us when we pull up to the stops. I am thankful for success stories. I walked into Home Depot and was greeted by a man with a beautiful smile. He said, “Hi, I have helped you before, haven’t I?” I knew he hadn’t but I replied “maybe”. I finished my shopping and was waiting at the checkout when he came running over and hugged me with tears in his eyes. He said “I haven’t helped you here; you helped me when I was homeless on the Plaza. You gave me food, and clothes and most of all you gave me kindness and respect. I am the department manager here now and I’m doing just fine. Thank you for helping me get to this point. What Uplift does for the homeless is wonderful!”

We have been blessed by God and by your generosity. Thank you for standing with us and helping us continue to move forward in our efforts to reach out to the homeless on the streets of Kansas City.

“Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.”

Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone you love!

Kathy Dean

We hope you enjoy the new look of the newsletter! Don’t forget to read the Spring newsletter as well – we were just a little late on posting it to the website. 🙂

Summer 2013 Newsletter

Spring 2013 Newsletter

The purpose of this post is to address the recent increase in media dialogue, discussion on the talk radio circuit and articles in the paper about homelessness in the Kansas City area.  The focus of these discussions has been on outreach providers and the various opinions that surround “why” outreach organizations feed the homeless.  The Northeast community, specifically Kessler Park was identified as an area of concern due to the size of the homeless camp.  The size of the camp at Kessler Park resulted in trash, concerns with small scale drug production and infringement on the people who chose the park for its intent: recreational purposes.   Although Uplift did not serve Kessler Park and the camp that was shut down, the event speaks to general concerns that outreach programs are contributors to the homeless not accessing local supports to combat their needs. (i.e. shelters, social service providers, case management, etc…)  Uplift staff evaluates our operations and the locations we serve in the community weekly.  We work to be respectful of the larger community that we serve in and mindful of the potential footprint we leave.

Uplift has been invited along with other outreach providers, social service agencies and the community to address the KCPD and Mayor’s Office’s concerns.   It is Uplift’s hope that this statement will provide clarity and insight to the work we do and the individuals we serve.  For the past 22 years Uplift has provided mobile outreach services in the Greater Kansas City Metro area.  We have been blessed to have done so uninterrupted and without Local, State or Federal funds.   We rely on the generosity of the many surrounding communities for financial support, food, clothing and other tangible goods that we deliver on a weekly basis.  Uplift’s purpose is simple; we work to deliver Care and Compassion to the homeless.  We do so by meeting people’s basic human needs, one person at a time.  We believe serving a hot meal conveys there is a group of dedicated individuals who care about their well being, without placing judgment or blame.   While providing food, drink and miscellaneous supplies we are extending compassion and building relationships.  Our volunteers acknowledge the many barriers that exist to those who are working to make changes in their lives.   Often times persistent mental health, drug and alcohol addiction, lack of job skills and training, personal loss and trauma are factors that have lead to their homelessness.  So often the support systems needed to overcome these barriers do not exist in the capacity needed.  We work to be the face of Care and Compassion to those experiencing homelessness.

Our leadership team looks forward to participating in more discussion in the coming week as additional meetings take place.  We anticipate gaining clarification, insight and understanding into the direction the KCPD and Mayor’s office intends to take the discussion.

We appreciate you taking the time to explore our site and learn about what we do.  It would be our hope to have your support.  Please know this can be felt in a variety of ways;

• Schedule to join us for a night on the trucks.  Contact our Volunteer Coordinator Jo Bustamante.  Her information can be found on our website.
• Attend a clean up day on the 2^nd Saturday of each month from 9 – 11 (no appointment necessary, large groups are encouraged to call in advance)
• Schedule to cook a meal.  Contact Margo Yerk.  Her information can be found on our website.
• Lead a collection through your church or school.  Phone to discuss this option with Kathy Dean, our VP of Internal Operations.
• Make a donation.  You can do so via PayPal account on our website or by P.O. Box.
• Write us a note of support via our website or Facebook Page.  We’d love to hear from you.

For those who have made the choice to support Uplift in any capacity we extend a sincere Thank You!

Respectfully,

Joe Kordalski

President, Uplift Inc.