Upper Room Enriches the Lives of Urban Children and Enhances Community Connection

When Nancy Simons learned about the Upper Room summer reading program, she knew that her three grandchildren should enroll. Simons wanted them in a safe and educational environment while their parents were at work. Now six weeks into the program, the long-time resident of the Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood is convinced the program works and is beneficial to neighborhood families as well.

Greater Kansas City LISC has provided a $2,511,000 bridge loan to Swope Corridor Renaissance Upper Room, Inc., enabling them to enroll up to 2,700 students at 28 sites in the bi-state area – up from 2,000 students at 20 sites in 2009. Upper Room offers an eight-week summer educational program free of charge to elementary and middle school students in low-income communities. This is the third consecutive year that LISC has provided the bridge loan.

“If the Upper Room program didn’t exist, there would be a lot of kids left at home during the summer without supervision,” said Simons. “I know a lot about the area, and the Upper Room is a safe haven for my grandchildren and other kids, too.”

Greater Kansas City LISC is a charitable lender that invests in projects vital to the community, most of which would not be possible without LISC support. This is the case with the bridge loan to the Upper Room. “If not for LISC, we could not run the summer program year after year,” Jerry McEvoy, Executive Director of the Upper Room, said. “In one of the toughest economic climates, we have not only maintained the program,   but thanks to LISC we have actually expanded it.”   

“Improving access to quality education is a major goal for us and our flagship program called NeighborhoodsNOW,” said Julie Porter, Greater Kansas City LISC Executive Director. “The Upper Room is an excellent example of our mission in action.”

NeighborhoodsNOW is a multi-year initiative that leverages funding and resources to accelerate comprehensive redevelopment in six targeted neighborhoods in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan. Many of the Upper Room sites are located in

NeighborhoodsNOW target areas, including Ivanhoe and Scarritt Renaissance neighborhoods in Kansas City, Mo., and Douglass-Sumner and St. Peter/Waterway neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kan.

This year’s bridge loan is a $500,000 increase over 2009, paying for operations, teacher salaries, educational materials, and field trips. Repayment of the loan will come from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education funds in the fall. 

An unexpected benefit is the community connection the Upper Room generates among residents and program sites. “Our neighborhood is comprised of families with small children. The church has been an Upper Room summer program site for the past two years, and we’ve become a hub of activity for the neighborhood,” said Melrose United Methodist Church Pastor Charity Goodwin-Rosario.

Most importantly, Simons has seen her grandchildren – Ronnie, Marissa and Chyane – blossom with better reading skills, greater self confidence, and more friends from the surrounding neighborhood. 

NeighborhoodsNOW - Improving Access to Quality Education