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Thanks to our community partners for
helping make the Opening Day
tailgate party a huge success!
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People often ask me how Bright Futures is different than any other human service agency. We're different in many ways, but perhaps the most important is that our goal is not just about meeting the needs of our kids - but about engaging our community to come be a part of true collective impact.
One of the founding principles of Bright Futures Joplin is that every person has something he/she can do to make the life of a child better - through time, talent, or treasure. Sometimes that looks like tennis shoes and coats and backpacks. Other times, it looks like a sack of food going home for the weekend. Or maybe even sitting down and having lunch with a kiddo who needs some extra support. And sometimes it's throwing a tailgate party for teachers on their first day back so they'll be a little more encouraged to start the year off on the right foot.
Bright Futures Joplin isn't about a small team of staff members taking care of kids. NO! It's about ALL OF US joining together to take care of kids. If you haven't seen the most recent head count, there's nearly 8,000 kids in our district. If only 10% of them have hard things going on in their families where they need extra supports, that's 800 kids. Often our staff know what our kids need, but there's simply not enough hours in the day or resources to meet those needs. But we believe that right here in Joplin, the time and resources DO exist - in YOU.
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Freeman Health System was a huge
help with
a backpack drive
- thank you Freeman team!
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The truth is that none of us can do everything. But ALL of us can do something.
Will you join us?
Serving together,
Melissa Winston, MSMFT, PLMFT
Bright Futures Joplin Coordinator
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