The Village Initiative provides Alcohol &/or Substance Abuse Evaluations & Counseling. Of course,…read moreno one ever wants to end up with a DUI, but life happened, & as a result, so do things like this. I have a friend that was so happy & full of life, but who has been dealt a pretty rough hand in life, including dealing with a medical diagnosis for a disease that is incurable. Life combined with this ordeal have not made getting through life very easy for her lately, to say the least. Her diagnosis has definitely impacted those of us around her. She was court ordered to do a Drug & Alcohol Assessment, due to the pending DUI. The courts give you a list of court approved places to chose from. Said person was going through court in Jo Co, but some of them had disconnected phone numbers or were closed permanently. None of the ones on the initial list had available appointments for several days. She asked if there were any additional places, & was sent a bigger list of places that were more spread out throughout the metro. She looked up reviews online & contacted the Village Initiative, among others. She was able to get scheduled here in 2 business days. The anxiousness of everything court related had definitely been building the day of the appointment. When we got close, I was thinking I hope that chosing this place wasn't a bad idea. (It's off of 27 & Brown near in KC, KS, which didn't use to be the best area, but it has drastically improved throughout the last several years.) When we walked in, the place was very clean & we were promptly greeted & asked to sign in. We never once felt unsafe while here, or in this area. Her Eval was scheduled with Mr. Riley Lockridge. When I tell you that this man genuinely cares about the people that come through that door, it's a huge understatement. He was so kind, non judgmental, & encouraging, which, sadly, I don't think either of us expected. Her Eval went wonderful & it was made it clear, that it was his goal for his clients to be able to have the tools & resources to succeed. She has been so hard on herself not just for getting the DUI, but for getting in trouble period. Mr. Riley's heart, passion for helping others, & how much he just simply cared, compared to how I've watched her be treated by everyone related to this process, is something that will forever stand out in my mind. After all I've witnessed, it absolutely renewed my spirit to watch someone in any position, related to this, be so kind & encouraging. I think in a way he has even somehow lifted her spirits, as well. We drove a ways to get there, but I'm so glad that we skimmed reviews & ultimately ended up there. You couldn't ask for better care, professionalism, compassion, or service. We had no clue, but apparently, what punishment, classes, etc. that the court ultimately assigns you are a direct result of this evaluation. So, choosing where you go to have your Eval done actually ended up being very important in relation to what your sentencing is through the court. The people here have hearts in the right place & it shows. They are also a non profit, so you can rest assured, they are not in this field for the $. They're in it to help better the lives of those around them. Highly, highly recommended. I'm attaching Mr. Riley's card, the initial list we were given, as well as the 2nd, as a tool to possibly help others.

I had never visited and knew nothing about the Hope Center until the KC Open Spaces Arts Festival…read more The Hope Center is a not for profit center that supports activities and assists families and youth on the east side of KC. Part of their property includes an abandoned Catholic church that was transformed in the fall of 2018 by world renown artist and Missouri native Nick Cave, into a mesmerizing piece of art entitled Hye Dyve. A 15 minute loop of sight and sound flooded the cathedral and created a dizzying and overwhelming multi-sensory experience. Maybe the most awe inspiring art installation I've ever witnessed. Very cool that Mr. Cave used this out of the way center to showcase a world class exhibit and give Hope Center some exposure too.

From the owner: The Hope Center KC is a faith-based youth and community development organization serving Kansas…read moreCity's eastside. We provide asset-based programming including after school programs for K-12th grade students, family and adult programs, community outreach, and so much more

I've only been to this location a couple of times but it's never disappointed me. I'm glad that…read morethey relocated to this place. It's a beautiful location. This organization is probably one of my favorite ones in Kansas City. My children have participated as littles and we've always been well taken care of. The staff here are very caring and open. We had a situation with one of our bigs ghosting my child but they quickly handled the situation. It seems like they are constantly growing and doing new things. They stay in contact with us on a regular basis. They make us feel like we matter and that's a wonderful thing. I often find myself encouraging people to volunteer to this company. I love them and can't say enough good things about them.

After hearing bad and good reviews of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, I decided to take a…read morefurther look on my own.... I've officially became a member of the program and matched with my "little" and could not be more happy to be involved with such a great organization. Throughout the process it's been extremely comfortable and easy. My reasoning for wanting to become part of the program is because I missed being around kids and this was a great opportunity to change that. BBBS makes you remember how great an organization truly can be.

This place is heavily under staffed, and the staff are really stressed. As someone who went here, I…read morethink, if the situation allows, you should try to have your kid go to a different place. It would be beneficial for both your child and the staff. (When I say under staffed, I mean a one to 15 kid ratio. The doctors also can't afford to check on the kids as often as they should) PLEASE LISTEN

If I decide to ever foster, I will not the through KVC. I am a relative on a child in need of care…read morecase. KVC has been nothing but rude to our family. If it wasn't for the GAL we wouldn't even have visits with my relative in care. I have found out that KVC has done so many things wrong. I only found this out after I read DCF's guidelines. They never used reasonable efforts to place the child with relatives, and placing children with relatives is supposed to be the #1 priority when placing a child out of their home. Now, we are trying to adopt our relative, but the case worker obviously shows favoritism for the foster family. You can not trust that these people know what they are doing, they are very inconstant. Their policies even vary by case worker.