Background
On Thursday, December 14th, the RHC / Alive & Well Communities hosted a trauma-informed conversation seeking to address the holiday hardships that many of our neighbors and friends across the state face during this season. Following this important conversation on community wellness and mobility, we kindly requested that guests consider contributing to our donation drive by bringing an item from the suggested items on the Amazon wish lists, by donating winter clothing and accessories, or by providing a monetary contribution using a donation link.
Impact
In total, we raised nearly $1k in donations and were able to gift over 350 items. To download a full report on the event, including key takeaways from the conversation, click the button below!
Organizations Helped
This season, we chose to support three non-profit organizations across the region that are dedicated to assisting community members through the hardships of the holidays. Please take a moment to read a brief description of each organization below.
Sankofa Unity Center, established by Darren Seals, is a community-based organization situated in North St. Louis. The organization’s primary objective is to invest in the lives of young people through mentorship, providing them with viable alternatives to gangs, drugs, and street life. For several years, Sankofa has been organizing holiday activities and distributing gifts to children in the Walnut Park neighborhood. This year, the organization is seeking assistance to ensure the success of its Soulful Santa on the Block event. Your support will go a long way in helping Sankofa Unity Center achieve its mission of empowering young people and building a stronger community.
Lincoln University Cooperative Extension (LUCE) is committed to enhancing the quality of life for individuals throughout Missouri who have limited access to resources. The organization’s primary objective is to support individuals and organizations dedicated to community development and leadership, with a particular emphasis on underserved and underrepresented communities. One of LUCE’s programs is specifically designed to address the needs of small farm owners throughout the state. This program provides training in key skills related to sustainability, leadership, agricultural innovation, and more. By equipping farmers with the necessary tools to keep up with a changing economy, LUCE is helping them to continue meeting the needs of their customers in Missouri and beyond.
The Raytown Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) has been providing utility, rental, food pantry assistance to families and individuals within the Raytown C-2 School District boundaries since 1982.
They are excited to adopt area families for their 35th Annual Christmas Store. Their goal is to help 125 families with Christmas this year, and they need our help to do it! Please join us in purchasing items from our adopted family’s Amazon wish list to make their Holiday Season a little brighter.
General Donation Information
The holiday season can be a challenging time for many individuals, for various reasons. We chose to extend an invitation to anyone interested in taking steps to help alleviate the difficulties that our neighbors and friends may be encountering during this period. Any donation or contribution that you were able to offer to support organizations in need was tremendously appreciated.