(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – A Johnson County organization is taking a leap that is said to improve the lives of the county while also creating visibility for itself.
Johnson County United Way is working on a 10-year project that involves buying a building to bring the volunteer services of the county to one area.
Jennifer English, Johnson County United Way executive director, is leading the charge for the program.
“We want to provide a volunteer center where everyone in the community can come in and help, volunteer, train people, and the people getting services can volunteer,” she said. “It’s a community development project that we really want to do, not just providing services, but helping people.”
United Way has received commitments from three agencies it works with including Johnson County Food Center, Early Childhood Hunger Operation and Manna Harvest.
“Each of those agencies will be run by their own board, so they will be governed by their boards and have their own way of doing things, but in the facility, we will also have policies about the data that we need to collect,” English said. “We are all going to have to work together.”
Mary Beth Harper, vice president of the United Way board, said United Way is helping to strengthen relationships and make a sustainable change for the people of Johnson County.
“We saw that transportation was a huge problem in our county, and having a one stop shop would help those in need be able to get services in a centralized location,” Harper said.
She also said she believes this project will bring the agencies of Johnson County together with a common goal to have less community members in need of assistance.
“We want to be the one to unite our community to become one together, and it all starts with a facility that we are able to effectively serve and can begin to collect data on those that are being served,” Harper said.
United Way is currently in negotiations for a building in Warrensburg.
“Real estate negotiations aren’t actually final until you sign on that dotted line on the closing date,” English said. “We have a tentative closing in June. If all of that turns out okay and we’re able to get that then we are going to start the remodeling part as soon as possible and get basic assistance services within five to six months.”
English said the goal of this project is to focus on the specific needs of individuals who are using the facilities.
“Is it job skills that you need? If it is, we’re going to have a volunteer center where we can help connect you with some businesses in the area you can volunteer with and get some job skills that can translate into getting a job and then getting off of needing the services,” she said. “Is it a transportation issue? Let’s figure out how you can get a transportation solution so you can help your family then you can keep your job.”
English said it’s important to break the cycle that’s easy to get into when individuals fall on hard times.
“Some people use the services long term, so we want to be able to identify that and help them figure out what it is they need to get them out of that cycle,” she said.
English said the project will also be beneficial to the students of the University of Central Missouri.
“There will be a lot of different volunteer opportunities for campus organizations to get involved,” she said. “Long term, I can see where we can maybe have a clinic where nursing students can come and do blood pressure checks and stuff like that. Maybe we’ll have a kitchen where dietetic students can come and train people and teach cooking classes.”
She said this will be a way to give students experience for their future careers while also making life better for those struggling in Johnson County.
“Almost every college on the campus can probably use some sort of learning service through this, including tax assistance or budgeting for the kids in the business college,” English said. “There’s just all kinds of opportunities.”
English said the plan is an expensive one that will require hard work to generate revenue. She said one possibility for this is to open a thrift store.
“We’ll need two pots of money – one to finance the project, and one to run Johnson County United Way,” she said. “In order to build up this project, were going to have to be really strong financially.”
English said the project is going to empower those who need assistance in the community.
“We don’t want it to be a stigma if you need assistance,” she said. “We want it to be a transition time where we can help empower you to do what you need to for your family.”