Video: Operation Breakthrough helping kiddos reach their full potential
November 9, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Founded in 1971 by two nuns, Sister Corita Bussanmas and Sister Berta Sailer, Operation Breakthrough serves more than 450 children daily with a mission to provide a safe educational environment for children in poverty.
The has adapted through the decades to meet the needs of Kansas City’s low-income community, Operation Breakthrough CEO Mary Esselman said. Implemented three years ago, the makerspace includes such zones as textiles, studio arts, chef’s corner and construction/toy hacking, she said. It’s part of an effort to expand early childhood development beyond merely teaching toddlers how to pick up a book, Esselman said.
Welcoming select children from ages 6 weeks to 13 years, the center also includes such health-related programs as a USDA-approved meal program serving more than 1,000 meals a day, occupational and physical therapy, speech and language therapy, a dental clinic, and an on-site Children’s Mercy clinic.
Learn more about the center with the video below.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kauffman anchors $100M fund to boost minority-led ventures, access to capital
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News. A $100 million fund is expected to help close the wealth gap and better fund BIPOC-led ventures — thanks in part to Kansas City’s own Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Joining forces with Living Cities, the Kauffman Foundation has committed $10 million to…
Esports startup closes $19M Series B, solidifying position as scholastic esports leader
Generation Esports, a Kansas City-based, global community-focused esports organization and tournament platform, announced Tuesday that it secured an additional $19 million in financing, which includes the acquisition of a Santa Monica-based technology leader, Wizard Labs Inc. The Series B round was led by Bay Area-based early-stage investor Altos Ventures — the main investors in online…
Healium wins $50K in NFL pitch competition with play for pro athlete’s brain, heart health
Patrick Mahomes is no longer Missouri’s only MVP in the eyes of the NFL. The organization’s player’s association just crowned a Columbia-based startup the $50,000 winner of its annual pitch contest. In late April, NFLPA Pitch Day brought six diverse-led startups to Las Vegas to compete for prizes in its annual contest. Among them was…
KCSourceLink hires new senior director to champion Kansas City entrepreneur ecosystem
Michael Carmona has ‘led and lived’ the mission of KCSourceLink; now he’ll officially take the resource hub’s helm A longtime advocate for businesses across Kansas City — including some of the metro’s most underserved — Michael S. Carmona understands how entrepreneurship can elevate communities, said Maria Meyers. His new role as the senior director for…