Area coalition forming to serve families
August 12, 2020
Sheila Harris
Three area women who have a passion for helping children and families in need are working to bring local service providers together to form a central hub for the dispersal of information and resources. The group is called Southwest Missouri Coalition of Charities and Community Services (SWMO-CCCS). Although the name is long, the concept is simple.
“Our idea,” said business owner, Rachel Luebbering, from Purdy, “is to create a resource guide for residents, business owners and not-for-profit groups in Barry, Stone and Lawrence Counties and beyond. With a compiled resource guide, any one organization can give referral information for others in the area. As it is, now, some of the groups are not even aware of the existence of some of the others. We’re working to change that.
“In rural communities in Barry, Lawrence, and Stone Counties, many people live below the poverty level from one generation to the next,” Luebbering said. “But we also have a lot of people and organizations willing and capable of helping. By the formation of a coalition, organizations can pool time and resources with each other on behalf of those they serve.”
Luebbering has worked with various charities serving children for many years. A few months ago, she put her head together with those of Robyn Chrysler, of Kiddie City in Monett, and Katie Velazquez, of the Family Advocacy Center in Monett, with the idea of creating the central hub.
As an initial step, the trio of women planned a carefully orchestrated Zoom conference titled “A Community Conversation” on Thursday, July 30, to float the idea to interested attendees who were each allotted two-minute time slots to speak. A variety of service providers of all types were represented, including Drury University, Crowder College, OACAC Neighborhood Centers, Life 360, Clark Community Mental Health Center, the Family Advocacy Center, Tri-County Pregnancy Resource Center, Kiddie City, 4-H, Workforce Development Center, and His House, among many others.
In addition to organizations, political candidates were also on hand to share ideas for helping those with needs in our area.
Mike Moon, Senator-elect for Missouri’s 29th District, said he was recently made aware of reductions in staffing for Children’s Division, which adds to the workload of continuing employees, making it difficult for them to cover all bases.
In reference to families receiving benefits from the state, he indicated that many times a pay raise will knock them out of bounds for those benefits, so making changes to the benefit structure might be in order.
All of the participants in the Zoom conference were united in their desire to help families - specifically, children - in need.
Danny Boyd, Sheriff-elect for Barry County, believes a youth program for young teens might stop problems before they begin.
“In my experience in law enforcement,” he said, “when a kid commits a crime, the parents are the ones who usually pay restitution.
“Why not make the kids work to pay it off?” He questioned.
Boyd would like to see law enforcement personnel and churches team up for mentoring programs, perhaps at the YMCA.
Many of the representatives from the various organizations participating in the community conversation were unfamiliar with His House, in Shell Knob, which provides residential life services for certain individuals in need, typically a single parent with a child or children.
“We are not an addiction-recovery center,” director, Trina Colwell, said. “We are more of a centralized program to help people get back on their feet if they’ve been through difficult times and have nowhere to turn.”
A primary concern for Robyn Chrysler, owner and operator of Kiddie City, a day care in Monett, is the shortage of childcare in the area, as well as the shortage of foster parents.
“It’s hard for parents to work, let alone get ahead, when they can’t afford to pay a babysitter,” she said.
According to Chrysler, although there is state compensation available for child care, it’s typically not enough to meet the expenses of the providers. She would like to see local churches consider partnering with child care providers to increase availability of child care for working parents.
The initial Community Conversation was deemed a success by those in attendance.
“The next step,” said Luebbering, “is the creation of a central website where the contact information of service providers can be easily located.”
For those interested in more information about this newly forming coalition, they can be reached any time by telephone or text at 417.772.3611.
They can also be found on Facebook at Southwest Missouri Coalition of Charities.
Another Zoom meeting is scheduled for September 24 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Three area women who have a passion for helping children and families in need are working to bring local service providers together to form a central hub for the dispersal of information and resources. The group is called Southwest Missouri Coalition of Charities and Community Services (SWMO-CCCS). Although the name is long, the concept is simple.
“Our idea,” said business owner, Rachel Luebbering, from Purdy, “is to create a resource guide for residents, business owners and not-for-profit groups in Barry, Stone and Lawrence Counties and beyond. With a compiled resource guide, any one organization can give referral information for others in the area. As it is, now, some of the groups are not even aware of the existence of some of the others. We’re working to change that.
“In rural communities in Barry, Lawrence, and Stone Counties, many people live below the poverty level from one generation to the next,” Luebbering said. “But we also have a lot of people and organizations willing and capable of helping. By the formation of a coalition, organizations can pool time and resources with each other on behalf of those they serve.”
Luebbering has worked with various charities serving children for many years. A few months ago, she put her head together with those of Robyn Chrysler, of Kiddie City in Monett, and Katie Velazquez, of the Family Advocacy Center in Monett, with the idea of creating the central hub.
As an initial step, the trio of women planned a carefully orchestrated Zoom conference titled “A Community Conversation” on Thursday, July 30, to float the idea to interested attendees who were each allotted two-minute time slots to speak. A variety of service providers of all types were represented, including Drury University, Crowder College, OACAC Neighborhood Centers, Life 360, Clark Community Mental Health Center, the Family Advocacy Center, Tri-County Pregnancy Resource Center, Kiddie City, 4-H, Workforce Development Center, and His House, among many others.
In addition to organizations, political candidates were also on hand to share ideas for helping those with needs in our area.
Mike Moon, Senator-elect for Missouri’s 29th District, said he was recently made aware of reductions in staffing for Children’s Division, which adds to the workload of continuing employees, making it difficult for them to cover all bases.
In reference to families receiving benefits from the state, he indicated that many times a pay raise will knock them out of bounds for those benefits, so making changes to the benefit structure might be in order.
All of the participants in the Zoom conference were united in their desire to help families - specifically, children - in need.
Danny Boyd, Sheriff-elect for Barry County, believes a youth program for young teens might stop problems before they begin.
“In my experience in law enforcement,” he said, “when a kid commits a crime, the parents are the ones who usually pay restitution.
“Why not make the kids work to pay it off?” He questioned.
Boyd would like to see law enforcement personnel and churches team up for mentoring programs, perhaps at the YMCA.
Many of the representatives from the various organizations participating in the community conversation were unfamiliar with His House, in Shell Knob, which provides residential life services for certain individuals in need, typically a single parent with a child or children.
“We are not an addiction-recovery center,” director, Trina Colwell, said. “We are more of a centralized program to help people get back on their feet if they’ve been through difficult times and have nowhere to turn.”
A primary concern for Robyn Chrysler, owner and operator of Kiddie City, a day care in Monett, is the shortage of childcare in the area, as well as the shortage of foster parents.
“It’s hard for parents to work, let alone get ahead, when they can’t afford to pay a babysitter,” she said.
According to Chrysler, although there is state compensation available for child care, it’s typically not enough to meet the expenses of the providers. She would like to see local churches consider partnering with child care providers to increase availability of child care for working parents.
The initial Community Conversation was deemed a success by those in attendance.
“The next step,” said Luebbering, “is the creation of a central website where the contact information of service providers can be easily located.”
For those interested in more information about this newly forming coalition, they can be reached any time by telephone or text at 417.772.3611.
They can also be found on Facebook at Southwest Missouri Coalition of Charities.
Another Zoom meeting is scheduled for September 24 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.
