Thrive: Spotlight
9.28.2020
- 11.27.2020
| 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
For the past three years, LISC Greater Kansas City has hosted Thrive, Kansas City’s signature community development celebration. With the support of our generous sponsors, we’ve been able to honor many incredible organizations and individuals who tirelessly invest in Kansas City communities and people. These honorees work to make our neighborhoods better, safer, and healthier places to live, work, and play.
This year is different. COVID-19 and widespread civil protests have called for re-evaluation of organizational focus and accountability, as well as individual duty. Some have taken that re-evaluation and put it into practice, focusing on providing services in the midst of a pandemic and others have demanded redress of disparities in social justice, healthcare, housing, education, and economic empowerment.
We can’t gather in person, so this year, we’re hosting a virtual Thrive: Spotlight. Over the course of nine weeks starting September 28, LISC Greater Kansas City will spotlight organizations and individuals that have gone above and beyond, been on the front lines, and ultimately are some of the unsung heroes in Kansas City.
We have already begun planning Thrive for Fall 2021 when we hope to see everyone in-person. We look forward to gathering then to once again celebrate our community heroes and the 40th Anniversary of LISC Greater Kansas City. In the meantime, we look forward to shining a light on some of the incredible work that's happening in our region.
Thrive: Spotlight
Mark Woods & Lolita Willis
Frontline workers, Lolita a US Postal worker and Mark a KCATA operator, have been on the frontlines since day one. Here we spotlight these two incredible people who are working with huge hearts and smiles, every step of the way.
Thrive: Spotlight
Chris Goode
Chris Goode, CEO and founder of Ruby Jean’s, is making a difference in racial justice in Kansas City. As a Parks and Recreation board member, he used his position and voice to create momentum around equity.
Thrive: Spotlight
Juan Mendoza | Juanito’s Cleaning Company
One and a half years ago when Juan started his cleaning company, his goal was to generate enough income to support his love of international travel and to earn a degree in chemical engineering.
Thrive: Spotlight
Denise St. Omer
Denise St. Omer, the Vice President of Grantmaking & Inclusion Initiatives at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, is making a difference in racial equity in Kansas City.
Thrive: Spotlight
Care Beyond the Boulevard
LISC Greater Kansas City is spotlighting an essential organization that has stepped up to continue to provide services to the public. Care Beyond the Boulevard (CBB) is providing vital and quality health care to those in the Kansas City metro who are homeless, uninsured, or otherwise vulnerable.
Thrive: Spotlight
Grandview Park Presbyterian Church
Thrive Spotlight, Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, which is nestled in the Prescott neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. The church was started in 1889 and has continued to be a cornerstone to the surrounding community.
Thrive: Spotlight
Heartland Center for Jobs & Freedom
Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, the only organization in the region that actively empowers low-wage workers with the tools they need to fight back when their rights are violated.
Thrive: Spotlight
Guadalupe Centers
Guadalupe Centers, founded in 1919 as a settlement house for the Mexican immigrants that came to Kansas City to work on the railroad. Guadalupe Centers’ mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals in the Latino communities of Greater Kansas City.