The united way of greater kansas city (UWGKC) and the united way of wyandotte county (UWWC) will merge as of july 1, 2020 to better unify and serve the region

UWWC has sponsored rsvp since 1977 and UWGKC has a deep commitment to volunteer services in the region as well as supports programs that dovetail with rsvp priority areas. UWGKC?S mission is to mobilize greater kansas city's collective generosity for the greatest good. The rsvp volunteers are a vital resource for meeting community needs. IT is proposed that an estimated 162 rsvp volunteers will serve with the requested funds of $68,746. Of this number, 69 rsvp volunteers will be placed in outcome assignments with the remaining volunteers placed in other community priorities. Some of their activities will include food pantry support, senior transportation & companionship, tutoring students, and distributing educational information regarding the opioid crisis and medication disposal bags. The primary focus area of this project is healthy futures with a secondary focus in K-12 success. At the end of the three-year grant, 16 volunteers will be placed in pantries that assist in distributing food, 25 volunteers will assist seniors with transportation and companionship to allow independence, 4 volunteers will assist with outreach regarding the opioid crisis to increase public knowledge, and 24 volunteers will help tutor students with the goal of improving math and reading skills. For the healthy futures focus, emphasis will be placed on increasing access to emergency food through volunteers assisting with emergency food distribution at local pantries and completing day to day tasks at emergency food banks with an anticipated outcome of people with increased food security. Under healthy futures - aging in place, volunteers will provide much needed transportation and companionship to isolated elderly and disabled. Each interaction with a home bound individual will be tracked by the volunteer and a yearly satisfaction survey will be completed by clients with an anticipated outcome of seniors reporting increased social support. Also under healthy futures - opioid/drug intervention, trained volunteers will educate the public about the opioid crisis and the importance of securing or destroying unused prescribed pain medications through presentations and distribution of informational pamphlets and medication disposal packets. Surveys will be completed by participants with anticipated outcome that they have increased health knowledge. For a secondary focus, K-12 success will place volunteers within schools and community programs to help tutor students in math or literacy with anticipated outcome of students with increased academic performance in those areas. The cncs federal investment of $68,746 for 20-21L year, and a request for the 9 month period of july 1, 2020 to march 31,2021 of $52,663 will be supplemented by $14,580 of non-federal resources from UWGKC.