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Health news and issues in the Ozarks.

Area Non-Profits Get Help from Mercy

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Several area non-profit organizations are receiving donations thanks to Mercy Springfield employees.  The grants come from Mercy Clinic’s Force for Good.  Twice each year Mercy clinic doctors and co-workers donate money to help a variety of local organizations. 

Tuesday (7/15), $17,500 each was given to OneSolePurpose, which works to provide new shoes to children in Springfield Public Schools’ Title I elementary programs and to Cents of Pride, which is another program in Springfield’s Title I elementary schools.  Kids can earn “pride bucks” by making positive choices, which they can spend on things like clothing, shoes and hygiene products.

The Salvation Army’s Back to School program, which provides basic school supplies to hundreds of local children each year, received $15,000.

Organizations receiving grants today (7/16) include Diaper Bank of the Ozarks ($4000), established in 2012 to keep babies healthy and happy by providing diapers to families in need and education about alternate diapering options; Great Circle ($6,600), formerly Boys & Girls Town of Missouri, which provides behavioral health services to children and families; Friends of Operation Us ($6,000), a community-based initiative that works to strengthen families by supporting a marriage-friendly culture; Women in Need of the Ozarks ($7,500), which provides short-term financial help for single, working women in Greene and surrounding counties who find themselves in crisis with nowhere to turn; Gift of Hope ($10,000), which works to provide essential and pathways to independence for families in Taney County.  The money will go toward its Backpack Club, which sends food home with 850 children each weekend.  The Phelps County Back-to-School Fair will receive $1,500 for the annual event that provides health screenings and school supplies for 600 area children.

 

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.