Finish the Job For a New Generation

Message from Dr. Bob Drummond
President and CEO of KidsTLC

The vision of our founders, Johnson County Young Matrons, took a giant leap forward with the opening of facilities made possible by our last capital campaign in 2005.

Because of this tremendous effort, KidsTLC was able to increase the number of children we serve who have emotional and behavioral needs by more than 200 percent.

In addition, the provision of more training space for our Resource Family or Foster Care parents has helped make a big impact in this community by providing more foster homes for abused and neglected children.

It is so gratifying to know that our friends helped KidsTLC truly narrow the gap in needed services. Our facilities and our staff are second to none.

Now it is time to finish the job! KidsTLC is in a unique position to establish the Children and Family Institute that is specifically designed to serve three community-wide needs where services are difficult to come by: autism, outpatient services to children with psychiatric conditions, and support for their families.

The high-risk children we serve also struggle with good health, self esteem, impulse control and understanding how to find balance in their lives. We plan on building a state-of-the-art wellness facility as part of Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing our Journey capital campaign.

However, what is important is not so much the facility but what goes on there: evidence-based treatment that will teach our children and young adults new life skills. These skills will help them become successful in developing a healthy lifestyle emotionally, physically and psychologically.

With your help, we can finish the job!

Bob Drummond, Ed. D.
KidsTLC President and CEO

Questions and Answers

What is the “Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing Our Journey” capital campaign?

KidsTLC’s Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing Our Journey capital campaign seeks to raise $6.95 million to acquire and develop property to provide an array of new services to children and families.  The property will be developed as follows:

Children and Family Institute. KidsTLC believes it is time to establish a Children and Family Institute to serve the children, youth and families in the Kansas City metro area.  The Institute will serve children who are struggling with autism spectrum disorders and will offer an outpatient program of psychiatric, marriage and family therapy for high-risk children, youth and their families.

Wellness Center. The Wellness Center will provide a valuable venue to create and develop healthy lifestyle practices for children served by KidsTLC.  The Wellness Center will include a traditional gym as well as a small theater serving a variety of program purposes.  Our Wellness Center will also be used for high-risk children and youth in our community.

Outside Exercise Area and Maintenance Building. This area will be used to develop new services for children, youth and staff to exercise and just have fun.  Our current maintenance building will be re-assembled on an adjoining parcel of land.

This capital campaign is the capstone to the highly successful first campaign. Compelled by the magnitude of the need among the most defenseless and vulnerable in our community, the campaign seeks to address the following needs of children and youth in the Kansas City community:

• Shortage of Autism Spectrum Disorder Services: Due to the explosive growth in the autism population nationally and locally, families experience extensive delays in evaluation. These delays occur during a crucial time, the onset of symptoms, when treatment has been proven to be most effective for the growing number of youth diagnosed with these disorders.
• Shortage of Outpatient Mental Health Services: Youth destabilize during the waiting periods found at county mental health centers after leaving residential mental health treatment. Youth and families in Johnson County, Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri need outpatient group counseling for emotional management, substance abuse, weight loss and parenting support.
• Shortage of Physical Fitness and Wellness Activities: Youth, such as KidsTLC clients, who have experienced trauma and mental health issues, are at greater risk for physical health difficulties including obesity, Type II diabetes, and exercise induced asthma. More structured wellness activities are needed to prevent long term consequences for their health and the overall health of community.

Why is the campaign necessary?

KidsTLC believes now is the time to establish a Children and Family Institute to serve children, youth and families in the metro area struggling with developmental disorders such as those on the autism spectrum, as well as children suffering from a range of psychiatric disorders.  Autism is a complex developmental disorder that is best diagnosed before 3 years of age to maximize therapeutic opportunities.  It is estimated that one in every 110 children is currently being diagnosed with autism.  Autism is more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined; and is estimated to be increasing in our population at a rate of 10 – 17 % annually.  Clearly, this is a crisis in our community.

KidsTLC’s belief, based on the current evidence, is that early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can help children affected by autism lead more satisfying and productive lives, and thus be better able to assimilate into society as independent adults.  It is our intent to provide an array of intervention, therapy and education to a highly under served population of children and youth in the Kansas City Metro area.

In addition our children and youth need a Wellness Center where they can be taught the basic principles of exercise and diet, and how to find balance in their lives – emotionally, physically and psychologically.

A recent survey assessing risk factors for Kansas youth found:

• 45% of youth had sex in the past 30 days with 36% taking drugs or drinking alcohol before having sex;
• 45% of youth are trying to lose weight with 25% either overweight or at risk for becoming overweight;
• 30% of youth participated in a fight in the past 30 days with 18% carrying a weapon such as a knife or club;
• 42% of youth drank alcohol in the past month with 15.3% using marijuana during the same time frame.

KidsTLC kids are high-risk children and youth whose life experiences place them in the highest category for dangerous behavior.

Finally, we want to collaborate with new partners for training, consulting and conducting workshops, and reach further into our community to offer wellness programs to disadvantaged children and youth, including the youth currently served by KidsTLC.  We feel an obligation to our community to bring together highly trained professionals to assist families struggling with childhood developmental and psychiatric disorders.

Didn’t KidsTLC just finish a capital campaign?  Why another one so soon?

The first phase of Bringing Our Children Home campaign addressed several pressing issues confronting our community.  Through the previous campaign we:

• Dramatically increased beds available for psychiatric services;
• Increased the days available for children needing foster care.

The Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing Our Journey capital campaign is the capstone to the highly successful first campaign.  Compelled again by the magnitude of the need among the most defenseless and vulnerable in our community, the campaign seeks to:

• Provide a new set of critically needed services to children affected by autism and their families
• Provide a new set of counseling services to children and families who are diagnosed from a wide spectrum of mental health issues
• Provide wellness education and activities to the children and families we serve

What is KidsTLC’s plan to raise these funds?

The Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing our Journey capital campaign is one of the most significant in KidsTLC’s history.  The data analysis supporting a capital campaign was shared with KidsTLC’s board of directors, and the board approved the campaign in January 2010.

KidsTLC is very proud that the Honorable Peggy Dunn, Mayor of the City of Leawood, Kansas, and her husband and area businessman Mr. Terry Dunn, President and CEO of Dunn Industries, agreed to serve as honorary chairs.  The Dunn’s have a rich history of charitable work in the Kansas City metropolitan area and are held in high regard among corporate and foundation leaders alike.  The Hon. and Mr. Dunn are long-time supporters of philanthropic endeavors in the Kansas City metropolitan area including agencies such as Catholic Charities, the Truman Medical Center, the Jewish Community Relations Bureau, and KidsTLC.

The Honorable Barbara Allen, former Kansas State Senator, was recruited as a co-chair for the capital campaign.  This business leader is influential in the community and has many years experience in both fund raising and advocating on behalf of charitable organizations.With her leadership, a capital campaign cabinet was selected consisting of 51 volunteers who meet monthly to review and report progress toward goals.  These volunteers lead the solicitation process, help identify future prospects, serve as advocates for the campaign by hosting cultivation events, and continue to recruit additional cabinet members as necessary.

What is the goal of the campaign?  How long will the campaign last?

The goal of Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing Our Journey capital campaign is to create an environment conductive to providing critically needed services to undeserved children and families affected by autism spectrum and psychiatric disorders, and plant seeds of Wellness in our children and youth.  These seeds of Wellness will nurture self-respect and self-esteem, bringing hope for the future!  In summary, we will be a regional resource for education, therapeutic intervention and training for families in crisis.

KidsTLC’s Bringing Our Children Home: Continuing Our Journey capital campaign seeks to raise $6.95 million to acquire and develop property to provide an array of new services to children and families.  The initial phase of the capital campaign kicked off June 25, 2010.  Our goal is to complete the fundraising portion of the campaign in 2012 with construction starting in 2013.

How will it affect KidsTLC’s current mission and programs?

KidsTLC (formerly KidsTLC for Children and Families, Inc.) was founded in 1972 by the Johnson County Young Matrons to fulfill an unmet need for an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. Over the years, KidsTLC’s mission has expanded as we have stepped forward to further help children and youth in crisis. The mission of KidsTLC is to “provide opportunities that transform kids and families in crisis while ensuring a safe environment”. KidsTLC strives for the preservation and healing of families by providing services, to the extent allowed by our resources that complement existing community services. From it’s beginning, KidsTLC has responded to community needs by implementing new programs to meet them.

How can I/we help?

KidsTLC relies on its community partners to assist us in cultivating relationships with the business community.  Our ability to maintain, expand out campus and to provide services is directly related to the financial support we receive from the community.  We kindly ask your help in introducing KidsTLC to your friends and business associates.