Overheard at Kansas City Rescue Mission Each day at KCRM, clients, staff, volunteers and donors come together and make a difference in each others’ lives. Here’s some of what we’ve heard people saying around the Mission! From a Rockhurst teen to our volunteer coordinator after serving for two weeks at KCRM: “I don’t think having money will make me any happier than anybody else; I don’t think I can be happy unless I know how to give.” Between a staff member and a homeless man on January 24: “Friend, your fingers are black! They are frozen. We need to get you to the emergency room right away!” From a first-time guest at KCRM after dinner: “They wasn’t lyin’ when they said you could get a good meal here!” From C-COR graduate John Swanton, after receiving two master’s degrees from the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at UMKC: “Whatever I’ve achieved, I am nothing but a reflection of the people who carried me at Kansas City Rescue Mission.” From Pam who attended KCRM’s June 12th Women for Restoration Luncheon for the KCRM Women’s Center: “I am so very grateful for the opening of this shelter and for the loving people ready to care for these women and be the bridge to help them find a safe place to find themselves, find support, meet God and experience His power to restore their lives.” In our chapel as C-COR member Randy accepted his graduation certificate: “I was a man without a mission … God lead me to the Mission … and gave me a mission!” In an announcement from Olathe Christ Community Church: We’re glad to be part of this hand of God reaching our neighbors with love and compassion, encouraging and challenging them to believe in the One who created them with a purpose and a great deal of value in His eyes. From a donor who helped unload 6,000-plus rolls of toilet paper collected from Midwest Sports Production participants and coordinated by intern Reece Hammond: “It’s amazing what God can do “IF” we seek Him and allow Him to work through us.” During an exchange between two Christian Community of Recovery resident: “I came here because I needed a place to live.” “Hah! I came here because I wasn’t livin’ at all!” From a Facebook fan personally touched by KCRM’s ministry: When you help a gentleman regain his standing or footing, you are helping everyone they touch as well. In an email from a church leader who just heard about the new KCRM Women’s Center: I was excited to hear there was a program to get housing and care for homeless women of KC at KCRM. We are glad to be a part of this hand of God reaching our neighbors with love and compassion, encouraging and challenging them to believe in the One who created them with a purpose and a great deal of value in His eyes. From a C-COR graduate standing next to a bright red car: Do you like my car? I just got it! And I’m moving into my own place in Quality Hill next week. Man, God’s been good to me. In a phone call from a former KCRM guest: Please thank everyone for being there for me.I had no idea places like KCRM existed before two weeks ago. Thanks for helping me get home to St. Louis. In an email from Terri at Quest Diagnostics after an employee drive: “I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for. Dropping off everything made me realize this even more. There were quite a few men coming in while we were there. It’s very humbling to know what you have and realize they may only own what they are wearing. From Chaplain Joe Roberts after a former homeless guest’s visit: Mark showed up today driving a Cadillac! He said he’s been doing really well and is truly blessed. He got his CNA license to earn income while he finishes his degree in sociology at Park University and is going to church regularly. In a phone call from a homeless client to KCRM’s Nurse Liz: I’m so thankful you didn’t just give me a pill and send me away. Because you sent me to the hospital, I found out I have liver damage and need a transplant. I don’t even drink! In a volunteer essay comparing KCRM to the nearby Power & Light District: “There is a light that one can only see with his heart. There is a power that one can only receive when he feel hope, faith and love. Thank God for the Kansas City Rescue Mission. It is the power and light in this district.” From a former homeless guest to a KCRM case manager: “Hey, I’m doing well, really well! I’m staying sober and I have my own business, but I need prayer for my son — he’s not making great decisions right now.” From a former Hotline for the Homeless operator: “I worked on the hotline for eight years. I never had one complaint from a homeless person about KCRM! That says a lot.” After chapel from a client chatting with Chaplain Joe: “You know, I’ve heard more grace here in the past two days than I’ve heard in the past two years!” From Janet C. Baker during a volunteer meeting: “There is something miraculous about this place!” From a Facebook friend: “[KCRM has] an amazing team! From a resident during his C-COR graduation ceremony: I got ahold of Christ and I’m never letting go. From a donor who receives the KCRM e-newsletter: The new e-newsletter is fantastic, informative and professional … as well as “user-friendly.” Keep up the great work!
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Employment Opportunities It takes a team of dedicated, hard-working people, both paid staff and volunteers, to care for Kansas City’s poor and homeless. On this page are listed current job openings for paid staff. Click the links below to download the full job descriptions. Full-time Maintenance Supervisor At this time KCRM is no longer accepting applications for employment at the Women’s Center. If interested in assisting with the Women’s Center we encourage you to check out our volunteer section to learn about other ways to get involved. Before applying, please review the KCRM Mission Statement, Core Values and Statement of Belief To apply, you must send both resume and cover letter by mail or email to: Kansas City Rescue Mission Attn: Alisha Roberts, HR Manager 1520 Cherry Street Kansas City, MO 64108 *Please indicate what positions you are interested in on your cover letter. We are only accepting female applicants for the women’s center positions due to security and ministry needs at that location. Have you spoken to our HR Manager and been invited to fill out a complete Employment Application? If so please click below and return the form to the HR Manager at employment@kcrm.org or by mail. Word format l PDF format Looking for other non-profit jobs in the Kansas City area? Check out the following job-search resources: Nonprofit Connect: http://www.npconnect.org/page/search_jobs/ KC Jobs: http://www.kcjobs.com/index.cfm Want to get involved at KCRM but you don’t see an opening that is right for you? Check out our Volunteer section to learn more. Check out Who We Are or KCRM Ministries page to learn more. Still have questions? Call us at 816-421-7643
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Men’s Ministries KCRM Men’s Center • 1520 Cherry Street • Kansas City, MO 64108 • (816) 421-7643 Each year, more than 1,500 men seek services at Kansas City Rescue Mission’s Men’s Center. In a single year, our Men’s Center provides between 86,000 and 89,000 wholesome meals and 36,000 nights of shelter to hungry, homeless and hurting men, weary of life on the streets. Often we find that, once a man has received basic care such as food and shelter, he will consider making more transformative choices such as joining KCRM’s recovery community — a program that offers freedom from the past and hope for the future! Relief Services Emergency shelter and showers Balanced daily meals Healthcare and recuperative care Clean clothing and laundry service Chaplaincy, Bible study and support groups Case management and referrals Recovery Services Christian Community of Recovery (C-COR): A six-month residential recovery program offering Bible-based life skills classes, GED preparation, adult high school, and addiction recovery through one-on-one counseling, support groups and Bible study. Residents meet with their counselors weekly to complete a list of agreed-upon objectives and requirements before graduation. Reentry Services Graduates of C-COR may enter KCRM’s Transitional Living Program and stay for up to two years while completing schooling, seeking jobs, building careers and saving toward permanent housing. Graduates applying for disability may stay in the Transitional Living Program while working with a KCRM case manager to obtain benefits and find appropriate permanent housing. Transitional Living Program residents continue to meet with their counselors, have access to onsite adult education, are active in their churches and abide by C-COR rules as residents in this program.
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Community for Hope™ A Simple Plan to Bring Hope to the Homeless KCRM’s Community for Hope™ partners provide a strong financial foundation, ensuring we can meet the needs of the homeless now and in the years to come. With your faithful support, we can offer safe shelter, nutritious meals, medical care, case management, spiritual guidance and resident recovery programs for hurting, hungry and seemingly hopeless individuals every day of the year. Here’s how to get started: Review the giving levels suggested below, then prayerfully decide the amount you’d like to regularly donate. Giving Level Minimum Pledge Relief $20 a month or $60 a quarter or $240 a year Recovery $100 a month or $300 a quarter or $1,200 a year Restoration $500 a month or $1,500 a quarter or $6,000 a year Contact our development office any business day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to discuss your pledge. You may choose to mail your regular pledge gift or opt for electronic transfer of funds (EFT). EFT is the simple way to give, allowing KCRM to automatically withdraw your gift from your bank account or credit card on the 5th or 20th of each month, quarter or annually — whichever works best for you. EFT saves time and money for you and for KCRM! You don’t have to remember to write a check each month You no longer have to find — or pay for — a stamp or envelope KCRM saves bank processing costs KCRM receives regular gifts that provide a stable financial foundation However you choose to give, becoming a Community for Hope™ partner will bring hope to those who need it most! Won’t you join us? Contact information: Email: Julie Larocco Phone: 816-421-7643
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Kansas City Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving Outreach To make a gift now to help provide Thanksgiving meals and care, click HERE Hunger affects hundreds in Kansas City and KCRM wants to make it easy for you to reach out to our neighbors in need. This Thanksgiving season, KCRM and partnering churches will continue the tradition of providing feasts for the homeless through our onsite nine-day Celebration of Thanks. PLUS, KCRM invites you to join in a new tradition called Give and Take! Choose one or both of the community outreaches below you’d like to give to … and we’ll take the food you provide right to the door of someone who needs it most! This Thanksgiving, KCRM volunteers will deliver around 500 hot, single-serving, turkey dinners to poverty-stricken families, elderly and injured on Thanksgiving Day! Three different volunteer units will help cook the meals, assemble them and deliver them throughout Kansas City to folks who need a reason to give thanks. Don’t have time to volunteer? Donate food or cash to purchase food from our list below — we need lots! For many hurting familiesin Kansas City, having the means to purchase a Thanksgiving feast is unthinkable! Their meager incomes are stretched to the limit as they choose between paying for rent, utilities, food, medication, clothing, school supplies, transportation and other needs.That’s why KCRM is teaming up with urban churches to identify 200 truly needy families and provide each with a box brimming with holiday and everyday foods that will last for several meals! In the week before Thanksgiving, we’ll create an assembly line to fill our boxes then deliver them just in time for the holiday. We Need Lots of Thanksgiving Food! We’re counting on your help to supply the hundreds of pounds of food needed to provide 2,400 meals for hungry, poverty-stricken and homeless men, women and children through our three Thanksgiving community outreaches. Here’s a list of items you can contribute: Turkeys, hams Stove Top-type stuffing mix Boxed instant potatoes Packaged gravy mix Canned corn Canned green beans Canned fruit Canned cranberry sauce Canned yams or sweet potatoes Brown sugar 1-lb. butter in tubs or sticks Cake mixes Canned frosting Bisquick Brown and serve rolls Pumpkin and fruit pies, pre-baked Jello No time to go shopping? Please consider giving a cash gift to help. To make a gift online, simply click HERE. Thanks for giving! To learn more about volunteering for Thanksgiving, please first check our volunteer page to see what opportunities still remain. Then contact our volunteer department at volunteer@kcrm.org or call 816-421-7643.
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Pray Kansas City Rescue Mission is God’s work! And we need God’s people to pray for us as we minister to the lost and hurting homeless who come our way. The primary reason we have been successful and blessed in our endeavors since 1950 is because of the faithful prayer support of a host of people. Would you consider being one of our “faithful prayer partners”… regularly upholding the ministry of the Kansas City Rescue Mission in prayer? Please let us know by emailing us at prayerpartner@kcrm.org. While specific prayer needs vary from day to day, there are continuing areas that need persistent and fervent prayer. These include: The influence of drugs and alcohol on many who come to the Mission for help. This is especially destructive in the lives of those who have made recent decisions to change their lifestyle and follow God. The men who are participating in the Christian Community of Recovery (C-COR) … a multi-level residential community that helps residents break personal strongholds of defeat through recovery and Bible classes, personal coaching, community service and accountability. Residents in our Transitional Living Center who are now preparing to re-enter society. Those who come each evening for relief services. That they would truly find freedom from their past and hope for their future. The completion and funding of the Women’s Center. The women who will come to receive help and hope at KCRM’s Women’s Center. Our committed base of volunteers. That they would consistently find joy, refreshment and fulfillment through their service. The staff of the Kansas City Rescue Mission who compassionately reach out to the lonely and hurting each day so that those in need can find hope and healing. KCRM’s Board of Directors, a group of 12 volunteers who provide focus and direction for the Kansas City Rescue Mission’s programs and services.
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KCRM’s Guiding Principles We have a VISION of service to our community . . . Which is being realized through our MISSION . . . As we hold to our VALUES . . . God as our Source Great Commandment and Great Commission Dignity of the Individual A Holistic Approach Accountability for Success Integrity and Truthfulness Pursuit of Excellence
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Volunteers Make a Difference at KCRM! By joining the thousands of volunteers who assist in KCRM’s ministry to the poor and homeless each year, you can use your unique talents and abilities to change the hearts and lives of those who turn to us for help. Whether you are an individual or group, student or senior, church or corporation, we have a place for you! To learn more about specific volunteer opportunities and requirements at KCRM’s Men’s Center and Women’s Center, contact one of our volunteer coordinators: Ready to begin your application? Let’s go! Kansas City Rescue Mission Volunteer Ministry Statement of Purpose: The volunteer ministry’s purpose at the Kansas City Rescue Mission is to involve community volunteers with the Mission’s work in ways that support and strengthen the staff, enhance our client services and offer a positive and life-changing experience to our volunteers.
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Let’s Work Together! We’ve all heard it or said it before, “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Those words of gratitude have never been truer than when expressed by the staff of the Kansas City Rescue Mission to our donors and supporters! We absolutely can’t do it without the support of many caring individuals in our community. We need you! Our donors, supporters, volunteers and encouragers are true partners in this ministry to the hurting and homeless. Kansas City is the “City With a Heart” in the heartland of America. Your friendship to the poor and homeless through the ministry of KCRM is making a difference every day. Thank you! As you browse this section you’ll find many opportunities to continue and enhance your impact to help bring many freedom from the past and hope for the future. We enourage and appreciate your continued generosity to help our area’s most needy, and we also recognize that you want to offer the right kind of help in the right way. What should you do when approached by someone on the street asking for help, or holding a sign at a street corner? Below are some helpful tips, adapted from the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, that will give guidance in what to do… and what not to do… when approached in public. How to Best Respond to Homeless on the Street Generally, do not give cash to a homeless person. Too often, well intended gifts are converted to drugs or alcohol – even when the “hard luck” stories they tell are true. If the person is hungry, buy them a sandwich and a non-alcoholic beverage. Talk to the person with respect. Taking time to talk with a homeless person in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of dignity. It helps the person fight the isolation, depression and paranoia that many homeless people face. Share God’s love whenever you can. If Jesus were walking the earth today, He would certainly spend time with the homeless. He would speak with them, heal them, and help them. Today, Jesus chooses to work through people just like you. Pray for the homeless. Exposure to the elements, dirt, occasional violence, and lack of purpose all drain years from a person’s life. God can use your prayers to bring many of the broken to Himself. Take precautions for your own safety. Always be prudent while talking with street people. Stay in areas where other people can see you. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Encourage the homeless to get help at KCRM. Kansas City Rescue Mission offers food and care to any needing help and also provides overnight stay for homeless men. Support Kansas City Rescue Mission. KCRM receives no government funds. Most of our income comes from people just like you, who have a heart to help the poor and homeless. We are so thankful for your generosity and friendship.
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