• 2009 Mental Health Pre-Proposal Conferences
• Healthy Lifestyles RFP Deadlines Approaching
• Meet Missouri's New Health and Social Service Directors
• HCF Elects New Board Membes, Officers
• Living on the Edge
• Grantee Spotlight: Niles Home for Children

2009 Mental Health Pre-Proposal Conferences

In 2009, HCF will invest $6 million in Mental Health grants. Eligible organizations are encouraged to apply. Letters of Intent are due on March 25, 2009, with full proposals due on April 29, 2009. Pre-Proposal conferences will be held on February 17 and 18 for applicants to ask questions and learn about the grant application process. Register here.

Healthy Lifestyles RFP Deadline Approaching

Letters of Intent for Healthy Lifestyle grants are due on February 11, with full proposals due on March 11. Click here for information on how to apply online.

Meet Missouri's New Health and Social Service Directors

HCF invites you to meet Ron Levy, the Director of the Missouri Department of Social Services and Margaret Donnelly, the Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

March 2, 2009
1:00 p.m.
Pioneer Community College Auditorium
2700 E 18th Street, Kansas City, MO

Registration is limited.

HCF Elects New Board Membes, Officers

At its January meeting, the HCF Board of Directors elected new board officers, four new members and approved the re-election of three incumbent members.

Larry Blankinship was elected to replace Mary Lou Jaramillo as the Chair of the HCF Board of Directors. Jaramillo served a one-year term as Chair. Other newly elected officers include: Norman Siegel, J.D., Vice Chair; Landon Rowland, Secretary and Bishop Steve Jones, Treasurer.

Current Board members Mamie Hughes, Senior Judge William Mauer and Rev. Nelson L. Thompson were elected to serve an additional three-year term. HCF also welcomed four new members to the board: Roberta Coker, Dan Couch, Karen Cox, PhD, and Sheilahn Davis-Wyatt.

Living on the Edge

What would happen if a car accident or a lay-off left you without a job and resources? Could you survive a month in poverty? We invite you to walk a mile in the shoes of those facing poverty by participating in Living on the Edge, a community action poverty simulation presented by the Missouri Association for Community Action. This simulation will dramatically demonstrate how much time and energy many families have to give just to survive day-by-day in poverty. The hour-long simulation will be followed by a facilitated discussion about public policy initiatives and what our communities can do to address poverty and improve the health of residents. Simulations are held in March and April. Click here to register.

Grantee Spotlight: Niles Home for Children

Niles is the only residential and education therapeutic treatment program in Kansas City’s urban core serving youth ages 6-17 who have suffered the trauma of neglect, abuse and abandonment.

In November 2005, HCF awarded Niles a $50,000 grant to implement a Hip Health program. Hip Health was initially designed to increase awareness and knowledge about the relationship between proper diet and physical activity, and provide health and wellness services that would improve the children’s overall health.

Since it began four years ago, the Hip Health Initiative has provided:

• dental education and treatment for up to 40 percent of the residents who had little or no previous screenings
• health screenings which detected a pre-diabetic condition, dehydration, untreated sexually transmitted diseases, and two confirmed pregnancies.
• annual physicals which confirmed cases of cardiac health-related issues, failure-to-thrive cases, scoliosis and obesity.

Read more.