Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri recently presented Kim Swaney, WIOA Youth Program Coordinator at Green Hills Regional Planning Commission, with the Outstanding Service to Community Action Award on April 5, 2017 at the Missouri CAN Annual Conference in Springfield. Each year, the Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN) presents the Outstanding Service to Community Action Award to individuals, organizations, and businesses that have made a considerable contribution to local Community Action Agencies across the state in their efforts to eliminate poverty.
 
Kim began working as the Youth Coordinator for CAPNCM's Employment & Training Department in March of 2015, and she immediately started having a positive impact on everyone around her. She went out of her way to assist each and every client to the best of her ability. Her education and drive to serve youth makes her an amazing case worker.  Once the Youth Program was transitioned to Green Hills Regional Planning Commission, she continued to reach out to the Community Action Partnership by sharing invaluable resources between agencies, as well as the community. “I love helping youth to overcome barriers and reach their goals.  CAPNCM is one of the great organizations that supports me in doing this!” Swaney says.
 
CAPNCM is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income northern Missouri residents through assistance programs and education. With local partners such as Kim, CAPNCM can succeed in their mission of helping people and changing lives in the community. 

​Bright Futures USA, a community-based collective action group who work to fill the needs of area children, has recently partnered with Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri to meet potential unmet needs for kids in the Trenton R-9 school district.
 
The Bright Futures initiative began in Joplin in 2010 and has expanded throughout the region as a means of helping schools and communities connect to meet student needs. Bright Futures now serves over 23 communities in the states of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Virginia and more than 100,000 children nationwide are reached through the Bright Futures network.  "We are pleased to continue expanding Bright Futures throughout the state," said Nancy Good, Chair of the Bright Futures USA Board of Directors.
 
The belief that each community has the ability to help every one of its children thrive is a core value of Bright Futures USA. Bright Futures USA provides a framework that enables schools to engage businesses, human service agencies, faith-based organizations and parent groups to rally together to meet the needs of their children. This framework partners organizations with schools in a way that helps them to quickly and efficiently meet students' basic needs, often within 24 hours. This allows teachers to focus on educating students and students to focus on learning and ultimately achieve success. Bright Futures USA operates under the belief that when communities invest their time, talent, and treasure in their children and schools, students are more likely to stay in school through graduation, have a higher degree of self-worth and confidence, and set and reach goals for the future. In turn, these students grow up to be better neighbors, quality employees and influential leaders in their communities. It is a win for all parties involved.
 
If you would like to learn more about Bright Futures USA, know of a student in need, or would like to get your school involved with this program please contact CAPNCM by calling 855-290-8544.

Pictured, left to right: Traci Fields, Aaron Franklin, Chasidy Boman of CAPNCM; Dan Wiebers, Terri Critten, Leslie Woodard, Jennie Boon of Trenton R-9

The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri recently partnered with the National Guard and Polo R-VII School to organize Youth Leadership Day. The event, held at the Community Center in Polo, offered fun activities and inspirational speakers. The day’s experiences covered topics like self-esteem, ethics, goal attainment, teamwork, problem solving, and communication.
 
Refreshments were furnished through a generous donation from The Hamilton Bank. Lunch was provided for the group by CAPNCM, and each student received a t-shirt and water bottle. Prizes were also given to participants by the National Guard. Thirty six high school juniors, six volunteers, and ten community action staff members participated throughout the day.
 
If your school or youth group would be interested in learning more about Youth Leadership Day, please contact CAPNCM by calling 855-290-8544 ext 1024.

​On April 12, 2017, Youth Leadership Day will be held at the Community Center in Polo, MO. Activities and speakers will be located in different locations around the park and Community Center. This event will cover topics like self-esteem, ethics, goal attainment, teamwork, problem solving, and communication. CAPNCM has partnered with the National Guard, Polo R-VII School, and The Hamilton Bank to bring this event to life!

Have you heard of Weatherization? Did you know CAPNCM offers Weatherization services across our nine counties?

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources responded to the energy crisis of the early 1970s by establishing the Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program (LIWAP). The program is currently overseen by the Department of Economic Development and operated by Missouri’s Community Action Partnerships.  The program provides cost-effective energy-efficient home improvements to Missouri's low income households, especially the elderly, children, those with physical disadvantages, and others hit hardest by high utility costs. The program aims to lower utility bills and improve comfort while ensuring health and safety. Today, weatherization is the nation's largest residential energy efficiency program. Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri is currently seeking home owners and renters/landlords interested in participating in the Weatherization Program.

All households interested in applying to receive weatherization services for their home are invited to fill out an application for the program. A program application is available online, or by calling the Agency office at 855-290-8544 ext. 1064 and requesting an application to be mailed or faxed to you. Rental homes also qualify for Weatherization (some conditions do apply, please call for more details).

If you, or someone you know, may benefit from the CAPNCM Weatherization program, please share this information with them. Contact the agency toll free, at 855-290-8544.

Just a quick reminder that winter liheap season will be ending soon, but the summer program begins June 1st, 2017.

For over 40 years, abortion rights and human life have been a political hot button in our nation and beyond. Since 1973 when abortion was legalized in the United States, over 50 million women have chosen that path. It is estimated that 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old.

CAPNCM Women’s Health Services hopes to help change those statistics.

The abortion rate among women living below 100% of the federal poverty level is nearly four times that of women above 200% of poverty. By providing low-income women access to low cost contraceptives and family planning information with the aid of Title X funding, the CAPNCM Women’s Health Services program has been helping to prevent unplanned pregnancy, and providing alternatives to abortion, for nearly 50 years. The program strongly advocates alternatives to abortion, giving women and teens other options when faced with what can be a very terrifying situation.

Not only does the WHS program help prevent unplanned pregnancy, it also helps to detect breast and cervical cancer, treat gynecological problems and infections, and help halt the spread of these infections.
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These services are open to everyone, regardless of income, and clinics are currently available in ten locations across northern Missouri. If you would like to learn more about this program, or schedule an appointment to visit with our on-staff nurse practitioner, please call CAPNCM at 877-611-7600.

Learn more about WHS by visiting their website.