We’ll be home for the Holidays
As much as we love traveling during the holidays, we’re feeling particularly thankful to stay home this year. We intentionally chose to base Great Range Capital in the Kansas City area and to keep our focus local because we genuinely believe the Midwest boasts not only some of the best businesses in the country, but also some the best people, period.
How do we know this? Well, to put a new twist on an old saying, the proof is in the putting of others first, and our local nonprofits are a case in point. The Kansas City area is home to some incredible organizations that have found creative, meaningful and loving ways to serve the needs of our neighbors.
This year, we were honored to be able to partner with Phoenix Family, an organization that works to empower people living in low-income housing communities so they can gain stability and achieve self-sufficiency. We got to play “Santa” by adopting two families headed by single moms who were brave and gracious enough to let us do some Holiday shopping for their children. We swapped our annual holiday party for a socially distanced gift-wrapping gathering, and not one of us was disappointed. (Ok, maybe a few of us were disappointed with our own wrapping skills.)
Phoenix Family is just one of many local nonprofits that could use your help – especially this time of year and with the extra challenges 2020 has brought. So whether you’d like to give the gift of your time, your money, your resources or your voice, here are some other organizations to check out:
City Year Kansas City This AmeriCorps program supports 66 full-time mentors and tutors serving more than 4,000 public school students with an overarching goal of raising the city’s graduation rate, which currently sits at around 70 percent. You may remember that while the 2020 City Year Idealist Gala was cancelled, GRC was still able to celebrate one of our own as an Idealist of the Year.
Harvesters Community Food Network Pandemic-related job losses and school shutdowns mean many more of our neighbors are facing food insecurity this year. Harvesters is a food bank that serves 26 counties in Missouri and Kansas. Its mission is to feed hungry people today and work to end hunger tomorrow.
Thelma’s Kitchen Thelma’s is Kansas City’s first pay-what-you-can cafe and is an initiative of Reconciliation Services, an organization that seeks to transform Troost Avenue from a dividing line into a gathering place through healthy community initiatives (like the cafe), social and mental health services, and economic opportunity creation. The easiest and tastiest way to support their work is to buy one of their fresh, locally-sourced box lunches.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City This organization provides housing, laundry facilities, showers and meals to the families of hospitalized children. While the gift of meal provision is always welcome, the holidays offer a special opportunity to surprise families with presents that lend some cheer and comfort during a difficult time.
Great Plains SPCA One of the largest no-kill animal shelters in the Kansas City area, Great Plains SPCA exists to save, protect and improve the lives of animals through humane sheltering, adoptions and behavior training. The ultimate way to support their efforts this holiday season? Take a look at who needs a home for the Holidays.
About Great Range Capital
Great Range Capital is a private equity firm based in greater Kansas City. It primarily targets controlling equity investments in companies with revenues ranging from $10 to $150 million that are based in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Learn more at www.greatrangecapital.com.