Meaningful Difference

Missy Andeel, Sheffield Place Board of Directors

The phrase “meaningful difference” has stayed with me since my very first encounter with Sheffield Place. When I was newer to the area and looking to get more deeply involved in the community, my affiliation with the Junior League of Kansas City provided me with Board training experience. On the last day of that program, we were visited by several leaders of non-profit organizations in the community with Board seats to fill. When I listened to Sheffield Place CEO Kelly Welch talk about the mission of Sheffield Place – to empower mothers and their children to heal from trauma and help them become self-sufficient – and when she said she needed someone to lend some Human Resources expertise, it felt like a perfect opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the agency and to the clients it serves. 

I have remained involved for a decade specifically because of the ongoing opportunity to make a difference locally. As a Board, we have supported expansion of the facility for the last ten years because the need is so very great. We opened a second house (SEVI) in 2021 to increase the number of families we could serve. For every family that moves in, there are dozens more on the wait list. 

Just weeks ago, we closed on a property and have embarked upon a capital campaign that will enable us to build a third facility with additional housing units for families, more office space for therapy and case management, and classrooms for skill development. All three buildings are within very close proximity, which allows the families to fully avail themselves of services while they live onsite and, importantly, to stay connected for essential aftercare even when they have successfully completed the program and moved into their own secure housing in the community. 

Missy Andeel and Mark Orr at Off the Wall

  

I invite you to get involved by visiting Sheffield Place for a tour or lunch (where you will likely meet a client and hear their incredible story). Or please plan to attend one of our annual special events, either the Golf Tournament on June 7, 2024, or Off the Wall, our art themed gala with dinner and live music, taking place on October 5. It’s extremely satisfying to know that whichever way you get involved, you will be making a meaningful difference in the trajectory of the lives of local families, now and well into the future.

Missy Andeel, center, pictured with Off the Wall attendees Heather Farha (left) and Christy Zehnder (right)