I’m not sure who said it, or where, but someone remarked, “community is what happens when people behave as if they intentionally belong somewhere.” I think that’s a great way to think about our communities, and to think about the concept of belonging.

For 13 years, I have written scores of articles and letters about the growth and expansion of CSL’s programs and services. You might ask yourself, is CSL only about growing, expanding, and doing more? As we move in CSL’s 107th year in 2023, here’s how I would answer that question…

For Doug and Helen Hatridge, supporting CSL has been part of their lives for the last 30 years. Both of the Hatridges are retired educators, and they know, firsthand, the impact poverty has on young people. So, Doug and Helen have worked to help CSL grow its programs and services to help local kids and families.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to recognize and reflect on the stories of Hispanic peoples in our nation and community. For me, it is a great opportunity to share where I come from and my experiences as a Latina. I was born in Mexico and then moved to El Paso, Texas until I when I was eight years old. I moved to Kansas City, Kansas at age 15. I have lived almost my entire life as a Mexican immigrant to the USA.

In 2016, Jackson County voters approved the creation of the Jackson County Children's Services Fund (CSF), with a one-eighth cent sales tax that would sunset after seven years. A CSF is allowed, by Missouri state statute, to be created in counties by a vote of the people, and exists to improve children’s mental health and social-emotional wellbeing.

It is hard to believe that, according to the Pew Research Center, more than 13% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish and is home to the world's second-largest population of native Spanish speakers after México. The way the data is trending, by 2050, one in three people in the U.S. will speak Spanish (this data includes bilingual people who also speak English).

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich Latino culture, vibrant art, deep family values and positive contributions of Hispanics living in the United States. This includes indulging in the delicious cuisine offered by countless family-owned restaurants scattered across the nation.

Over the years, I’ve written a few blog posts about CSL’s work in helping connect families to wealth- and asset-development opportunities. As you can read here, most of our work in this arena has been part of HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program, and we’ve helped our neighbors at Hawthorne Place Apartments save more than $500,000 over the last five years. Twenty graduates have used their savings to buy a house which can have a multi-generational impact on wealth and asset-development.

Living in Independence my whole life, I’m fond of all things Harry S. Truman. President Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” My sister-in-law, Becca Alexander, was a voracious reader; something she did her whole life. She lost a heroic, four-year battle to cancer on December 27, 2021, at the age of 40.

Sometimes in life, you just meet people that have “it.” You can try to use a lot of adjectives to describe them, but when someone has “it,” you just know. Merideth Rose is one of those people.