The start of a new school year can be expensive for families on a budget. The uncertainty of the new school year during the COVID-19 pandemic adds to the stress many families are facing. Students won't be able to share supplies, and teachers often wind up buying additional supplies out of their own pocket to ensure every student has what they need. Help set our Partner School students up for success with a donation to the Partner School Support Drive.

Online Donations

Your online donation to our Partner School Support Drive will allow our Partner Schools Ministry to respond to supply needs as they arise throughout the year. Donations will go further as we are able to purchase and distribute supplies in bulk.

• $15 buys 8-12 boxes of tissues
• $20 buys two large bottles of hand sanitizer
• $40 provides ear buds for an entire classroom
• $100 provides 5 school uniform outfits of khaki pants and polo shirt

Make a donation online today

Donation Drop-Off

If you are able and willing to pick up an extra item or two while you are shopping or ordering online, here is a list of the ten most requested items from our partner schools:

• Hand sanitizer (Large bottle)
• Disinfectant wipes (Large container 2-4 pack)
• Dry erase markers (4 pack)
• Tissues (Large box, 3-pack)
• Washable markers (8 or 10 count, broadline, classic colors)
• Ziplock bags (quart and gallon size)
• Inexpensive earbuds or headphones
• Copy paper
• Composition notebooks (Wide-lined)
• Navy blue uniform shirt, short-sleeved, collared (sizes 5-14)

To help protect our volunteers and donation recipients, please use proper hand-washing and sanitation techniques before you drop them off.

Upcoming Drop-Offs

You can bring your donations to one of our drive-up and drop-off donation events.

• Downtown: Monday through Friday 9a-4p (call 816-979-1344 before coming to arrange drop off)
  
• Downtown: Saturday July 18 | 9-11a
• Leawood, Building A Circle Drive: Monday, July 20 | 9am-Noon
• Leawood, Building A Circle Drive: Friday, July 24 | 9am-Noon
• Leawood, Building A Circle Drive: Monday, July 27 | 9am-Noon
• Leawood, Building A Circle Drive: Friday, July 31 | 9am-Noon

Do you enjoy practicing radical hospitality?  

A new ministry is forming which will develop hospitality opportunities to show appreciation and bless the staff of our partner schools.  The Partner School Hospitality team will meet a few times each semester to determine and organize the hospitality opportunities.

To learn more or to serve, please contact Sharon Forbach, 1supershopper1024@gmail.com or Linda Briscoe, lbriscoe3@gmail.com.

Tutor with children grades K-6 at one of Resurrection's partner school locations helping students improve their reading and math skills.

Serve Opportunities

Tutor or Reading Buddy: Assist students with reading skills, letter recognition and/or letter sounds.  Requires weekly commitment.

Classroom Assistant: Assist teachers in classrooms and work with individuals or small groups of children; help the teacher with other needed tasks. Requires weekly commitment.

Lunch Buddies: Be a mentor and build self confidence with children.  Enjoy lunch with a student each week while reading, visiting, or working on flashcards.

Ages: Volunteers must be 18 years and older.

Training Requirements: In order to provide a safe environment for all children, background checks and specialized training will be required prior to serving as a tutor. Please go to the Partner Schools Cultural Competency Training page for training dates and to register. Safe Gatherings certification is also required for those working in the schools. If you are not already Safe Gatherings certified (certification lasts four years) you will receive tips to help you quickly complete the required online training when you attend Urban Volunteer training.

Additionally, if you will be volunteering in one of the Kansas City Missouri schools (Troost, JA Rogers, Wheatley, Wendell Phillips or East High School) you must complete this KCMO Volunteer Application.

If you are volunteering in one of the KCK schools ( Welborn or Quindaro) please complete this KCK Volunteer Application.

Our Backpacks for Hunger program is kicking off for the 2019-2020 school year.

During the school year our Backpacks for Hunger program helps to provide supplemental food for children in our six partner schools who are at risk for weekend hunger. Each week it takes nearly 140 volunteers to pack and transport the bags of supplemental food for approximately 1,500 children. Explore the many ways you can help.

• Backpack Angel: Resurrection’s Backpacks for Hunger Ministry helps alleviate this issue by providing nutritious, child-friendly food to over 1,500 students a week. Students who participate in the program receive a bag with items such as cereal, a box of shelf stable milk, cup of fruit, can of soup and other non-perishable food that is easily prepared. You can provide food for a student for a year for $210, or $6/week. For more information contact Roberta Lyle at roberta.lyle@cor.org.

• Backpack Fills: Every Wednesday 4:00 pm pack bags and tubs for weekly school delivery. From time to time schedules may change based on the school calendar. Please register here to participate in one of our backpack fills. If you are able please bring along a donation of 14-16oz non-glass jars of peanut butter! It would be greatly appreciated! Families receive a jar of peanut butter every month and your donation helps to provide these for every student. Groups of 10 or more please contact Lauri at servebackpacks@cor.org to make arrangements. Children 8 and older may attend with parental supervision. One adult per 8 year old and one must participate per 3 children aged 9-12 please. Youth 13 and older may attend without adult supervision.

• Deliver Backpacks: Fridays 8am -12pm to Elementary Schools. Requires heavy lifting and possibly driving the church's box truck. Contact Bruce Gaddis at deliveryteam@cor.org

• Pick-up Empty Tubs: Tuesdays 7am -1pm from Elementary Schools. Requires moderate lifting and possibly driving the church's box truck. Contact Bruce Gaddis at deliveryteam@cor.org
  

• Do a Peanut Butter Drive: Peanut butter is a great source of non-perishable protein that can be used for quick meals, so families receive a small jar of peanut butter every month in addition to the usual food. Collect donations of non-glass, 14-16 oz containers of peanut butter. Please do not provide larger jars as these make the bags too heavy for some of the smaller kids and our delivery team. This is a great way to support this ministry and help struggling families at times when kids don’t have access to school meals. Donations can be dropped off in the donation area of building A (just inside the SW doors). Please be sure to place these items in the PARTNER SCHOOLS MINISTRY bin and label them BACKPACKS.

• Pray for the Children: Each week as they receive the supplemental weekend food.

All activities take place at Resurrection Leawood Campus, Building A, Lower Level Mission Space.

COVID-19 Update: We are currently reviewing our processes to be sure everyone is as safe as possible. Volunteers should be prepared to take precautions and answer a short questionnaire to help with this process.

Join the team of drivers and volunteers that keep the bookmobile rolling and help kids select books to keep and enjoy.

Drivers typically serve for 4-5 hours during regular business hours and occasionally some evenings and weekends. Serve as often or as little as your schedule allows. Must be 21 years of age with good driving record. Please contact Linda Warne to learn more about driving our bookmobile.

Bookmobile volunteers help students in need select a "just right" book they can keep and add to their home libraries. Contact Ann Carter to learn how you can serve with the Resurrection Bookmobile.

To get involved, please plan to attend an upcoming Cultural Competency Training and complete the Safe Gatherings application process. Both trainings are available online. Bookmobile volunteers must be 16 or older. More information & upcoming dates are available on our Partner Schools Cultural Competency Training page.

Using Psalm 4:8 as the guiding mission, the Beds Program provides new beds to children who don’t have beds of their own in Kansas City urban and suburban communities. Our purpose is to recognize and address the physical need for sleep, thus providing a sense of comfort, rest and peace. Through this coordinated demonstration of God’s love and provision, we will bring smiles and comfort to children and families. Our focus is to serve the children referred by Resurrection's partner school districts and specific mission partners.

Upcoming Serving Opportunities:

Beds Pick-up Parties:

Volunteers are needed to load/unload mattresses, greet participants and assist them in picking up linens and pajamas. This is a great serving opportunity for the whole family-appropriate for children 7 and older when accompanied by an adult. Please note this event takes place outside-dress accordingly!

• April 26, 2020 - Wheatley Elementary School - 1:00-3:00pm
• May 3, 2020 - Wheatley Elementary School - 1:00-3:00pm

Other Serve Opportunities:

Host a Linen Drive

Host a linen drive in your school, workplace, or neighborhood! New twin linens will be provided to school aged children who receive beds through the Program. If you need more information on the Program for your drive, please contact bedsforeverybody@gmail.com.

Slat Support Construction

Have access to free or inexpensive lumber? We are always looking for lumber to build our slat support structure. This structure is used in place of a box spring.

Sponsor a Bed

Don’t let a Kansas City child sleep on the floor tonight. Consider sponsoring a bed!

• $95 for a new twin bed (mattress, mattress pad, slat support and metal frame)
• $40 for a new set of linens
• $135 for a twin bed and all the linens!

Contact bedsforeverybody@gmail.com with questions.

Please visit the Beds Ministry Donations page for more information about how to support this ministry with donations.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. -Psalm 4:8

Grace United Community Ministries operates to better the community one person at a time in a holistic approach through basic needs, supportive needs and spiritual needs.

Grace currently offers an after school tutoring program for children Kindergarten through 8th grade.

When: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 3:50-5:45 pm.

Where: Grace United Ministries, 811 Benton Blvd, Kansas City, MO.

Approximately 80-90 students attend four days a week, Monday through Thursday from 3:50 to 5:45 pm.  The program follows the KCMO school calendar.  All students are tested to determine their reading grade level and math proficiency.  A retired district reading specialist coordinates the curriculum and after more than ten years of operating, the program has achieved success in helping these children reach grade level proficiencies.  Adults work one on one with students in a structured environment and normally tutor three students each session.

Passions and skills that are especially helpful for serving in this role are children, education, literacy, care & support, mentoring, underprivileged, justice and mentoring.

If you are interested in helping with this ministry, please contact Linda Anderson at randerson507@gmail.com or (816) 352-3741.

Bless the Teacher is a ministry where volunteers write a monthly note of encouragement to a staff member at one of our Partner Schools.  If you enjoy writing brief notes of support that will brighten and bless someone's day, this ministry is perfect for
you!  The commitment is monthly, September - May.  Please contact with questions or to volunteer, Roni Ahlenius, trahlenius@gmail.com or Linda Briscoe, lbriscoe3@gmail.com.

Cultural Competency Training

Cultural Competency training is required before serving in on-going Kansas City Mission programs in order to provide a safe environment for all those we serve in urban areas. Empowering and educational, this training will provide each participant with a heightened awareness about our neighbors in Kansas City's urban core. Those who need this training may be interested in serving on the bookmobile, as a tutor, or in a classroom at one of our partner schools. Additionally, individuals who may go into some of our partner agencies in urban areas should plan to take this training.

2020 Upcoming Training Dates (Registration is required)

Seating is limited and classes not meeting a minimum size may be rescheduled. Please be sure to carefully select an appropriate date.

Click here to register for any of the upcoming dates below:

• May 6 (Wednesday) - ONLINE TRAINING
• July 15 (Wednesday)
• September 16 (Wednesday)
• October 3 (Saturday)
• November 4 (Wednesday)

*August 15 date is tentative depending on need/interest. If these date interests you please email michelle.vanpelt@cor.org.

Training is held from 9am-noon in Building B, Room B149 of the Leawood campus.

Safe Gatherings certification is also required for those working in the schools or entering people's homes for furnishings pick ups. If you are not already Safe Gatherings certified (certification lasts four years) you can begin that process here.