This blog post is a follow-up to a post I first wrote two years ago. I want to keep you apprised of our work that provides alternative loans to families that would otherwise turn to toxic lending operations.

I still don't care for payday lenders, as you can tell through my tone in my September 2016 blog post. However, my rhetoric has softened (just a little), and I've focused my attention on the lack of short-term credit options in America.

When it comes down to it, if a bank charged me... Read the rest of this post...

Check out a picture slideshow of our progress! Read a past CEO blog post about the work that went into the making of BlendWell.

CSL is pleased to announce that Cindy Isabel started August 1 as CSL's Chief Development Officer. Cindy most recently was a major gifts manager at Harvesters-The Community Food Network.

Many of our supporters interfaced with Nicole Underwood, who served as CSL's Major Gifts Manager from 2015-18. In June of this year, Nicole became full-time, stay-at-home parent, and we're excited for the next phase of her life!

	Cindy with her family

Cindy's new role at CSL marks a commitment to expand our engagement with individual donors, and to use philanthropy to drive innovation and growth in our Integrated Services and Community Initiatives. Dena Morrison, Special Events Manager, and Jessica Kelsey, Development Assistant will work with Cindy on agency-wide development goals. Doug Cowan, President & CEO, and Lynn Rose, Senior Vice President, take on development tasks as a big part of their leadership roles.


Cindy and her husband, Dave, have called Blue Springs home for many years, along with their children, Cody and Josh. The Isabels have been involved in many civic, school, and church events over the years.

To connect with Cindy, you can reach her at (816) 491-2011 or via email .

While school is out for the summer, the 60 days between school years are critical at CSL! With your support, we've been able to ensure 2,500 students will have the necessary tools to be successful in the classroom in the Fall! Filling backpacks with school supplies, and stocking shelves with brand new pairs of shoes is top of mind at seven CSL locations. 

CSL kicked off a 60 Days of Summer Campaign to raise support for our upcoming Back to School Fairs. With your support, we placed more than 60 collection barrels at area businesses, churches, and other locations across the metro to collect school supplies, backpacks, and tennis shoe donations for this year's Back to School Fairs! Thank you!

Follow us on Facebook to join us in thanking our barrel partners!

C SL  believes in transparency, and we work to make information available about our operation and our finances. We encourage you to review our Charity Navigator profile where we received a four-star rating (the highest rating available) for the second consecutive year!

Also, check out our 2017 Annual Report for the highlights from Year 101.  Please contact our development team at (816) 912-4490 or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions about our work.

Thanks for your incredible support in 2017 and 2018!