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

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awarded a $105,023.82 Project Grant to the United Way of Greater Kansas City, Inc. under the AmeriCorps Seniors Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP, CFDA 94.002). The grant will support approximately 75 volunteers over a one-year period from April 2021 through June 2022 to provide services focused on Healthy Futures and K-12 Success. Specifically, volunteers will assist food pantries and food banks to increase access to emergency food; provide transportation and companionship to isolated seniors to allow aging in place; educate the public on opioid risks and safe medication disposal; and tutor students to improve academic performance in math and literacy. Outcome metrics will track indicators such as increased food security, enhanced social support for seniors, expanded public health knowledge, and gains in student achievement. The funding combines $75K from CNCS with $10,333 in matching funds and $22,818 in grantee cost share from United Way of Greater Kansas City.

UWWC has sponsored the rsvp of wyandotte county 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 and the merger allows US to expand rsvp in the metro area with rsvp of jackson county, MO. IT is proposed that an estimated 75 rsvp volunteers will serve with the requested funds of $75,000. Of this number, 75 rsvp volunteers will be placed in outcome assignments with the any additional volunteers will be 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, 22 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, volunteers, trained though the county health department, 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 $75,000 will be supplemented by $10,333 matching funds and $22,818 in excess of non-federal resources from UWGKC.