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
Destiny Wealth moving HQ to KC; former football player owes debt of inspiration to mother
Grit and the gridiron might have helped shape Parker Graham’s business acumen, but it’s the influence of his coach in the game of life who inspired Destiny Wealth — his fintech startup that soon will move to Kansas City. “My Mom stretched herself so thin and sometimes it was hard to put food on the…
LaunchKC pivoting from annual grants contest to supporting industry verticals, accelerators
LaunchKC is expected to focus on specific business verticals in 2019 — an effort to bring companies to Kansas City that can fill industry gaps, said Jim Malle. A revamped version of the annual grants competition eventually would grow those verticals into individual accelerator programs, said Malle, business development officer at the Economic Development Corporation…
Cowboy couture: WH Ranch lassos dream of making the ‘best blue jeans in the world’
Ryan Martin sold his best cowboy boots to buy high-quality denim for his western couture brand, said the founder of Kansas-based W.H. Ranch Dungarees. “I was always describing [my product as] ‘custom made’ but ‘couture’ really describes it best,” said Martin, detailing the laborious process that limits production to an average of four pairs of…
Keystone Award forecasts potential job growth thanks to soon-to-open iWerx-Gladstone
A still-in-the-works coworking space already is inspiring economic development north of the river, said Bob Martin, partner at iWerx, bolstered this week by a Keystone Award for business impact. “Before even opening our doors in Gladstone, we had commitments for nearly 30 percent of the more than 75 offices,” Martin said ahead of the entrepreneurial…