Each year brings satisfaction knowing we had a part in helping to improve lives through these charitable organizations.
American Heart Association | $5,000
American Heart Association Heart Ball Ambassador Program serves an inclusive group of high school sophomores who participate in leadership development, community engagement, social and health education programs during the school year. This youth development program has been in existence since 2002. Students learn to be a “relentless force for a world of longer and healthier lives.” The Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation provides scholarships to enable at-risk youth in underserved populations to participate in this inspiring program. This is our second year of funding this worthwhile program for high school students.
Breakthrough (Episcopal Social Services, Inc.) | $3,580
Breakthrough Ministry of Episcopal Social Services works with people who are homeless, unemployed, under-employed, and those suffering from mental illness in Wichita. In 2021, Breakthrough received a donation of a box truck to assist with uplifting low-income adults and their families as they transition to a new beginning and the Jo Zakas Foundation provided needed funds for miscellaneous expenses. In 2022 the Foundation will help keep the box truck in working order by helping to pay for insurance, fuel, general maintenance, and tag renewal.
Children First CEO Kansas Inc. | $4,940
Children First programs focus on students in low-income neighborhoods. In the spring of 2022, Children First introduced a national program, Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World (Getting Ahead), locally. Developed as part of Bridges Out of Poverty construct, Getting Ahead is “for under-resourced people living in poverty or unstable situations who have a desire to build economic stability and a better future for themselves.” The Zakas Foundation will fund one of the six planned Getting Ahead classes in Wichita this 2022/23 school year. Each class takes 16 weeks with space for 12 people. Specifically, funds will provide students with both Getting Ahead workbooks, a $20 gift card used as an incentive, childcare during classes, and meals.
Cricket Alley Ministries | $4,500
Cricket Alley offers the New Start Program that provides apparel and beauty supplies and guidance to women in need. In addition, New Start offers long term mentoring to nurture self-confidence along with instilling hope and encouraging positive decision making. New Start offers personal styling appointments to women averaging 15 women per month. At each styling appointment they provide spiritual guidance, complimentary apparel (both new and recycled), fashion styling instructions, and beauty supplies. The Zakas Foundation will provide the equivalent of two-months of funding for their New Start program. These funds can be used in support of the program where needed.
Destination Innovation Inc | $5,000
Camp Destination Innovation is a multi-week camp for high school teens and internships for young adults in the Wichita area who are interested in entrepreneurship. The camp provides these young entrepreneurs professional knowledge in an interactive environment. With support from the Wichita business community, students get hands-on experience in business and have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with inspiring leaders in the Wichita community. This camp also offers internship opportunities for young adults to develop their own leadership skills. Interns gain hands-on skills by helping to organize and facilitate the camp program, serving as peer mentors to the teen campers, and networking with the camp speakers alongside the high school students. The Jo Zakas Foundation will be used to fund staff and supplies for Camp Destination Innovation.
Hope Ranch for Women | $5,000
Hope Ranch is “dedicated to empowering women who have been exploited and abused to rise above their circumstances.” They have three primary components of care to help women escaping and healing from the horrors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Hope Ranch has a residential program offering a safe environment for women to gain a future in freedom. Their Community Program matches women with a volunteer mentor, as well as a fulltime-paid staff case manager. Their Equine Program aids in opening the door for self-awareness, trust, learning, and growth available to both residents and their community program clients. The Jo Zakas Foundation grant monies will go to help Hope Ranch purchase a used car to transport their clients to jobs, counseling, and more. You can learn more about Hope Ranch on their video page.
ICT Food Rescue | $2,000
ICT Food Rescue’s mission is “to distribute unavoidable food surplus, sharing with the food insecure of Wichita.” They also raise “awareness of food waste and food insecurity and the environmental and economic impact of food waste sent to landfills.” There is a waiting list for their services. Currently their nonprofit partners “who receive surplus food include the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas, Breakthrough (Episcopal Social Services), Union Rescue Mission, HumanKind, Wichita Family Crisis Center, Ronald McDonald House, The Treehouse, and several foster homes for teens and group homes for recovering adult addicts.” The funds from the Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation will be combined with the Dwane Wallace Youth Venture Grant of $1,271. This funding will pay for the ICT Food Rescue’s Student Ambassadors program to create a traveling photo and video exhibition that documents food waste, food insecurity, and food rescue in Wichita. This exhibition will be featured at events such as Final Fridays, church mission programs, school field trips, in-school presentations, and other gatherings. Their Student Ambassadors are recruited from “non-traditional, under-represented populations not typically invited to participate in leadership and community service programs.” Students will be guided by a licensed counselor employed by Children 1st who specializes in youth counseling and art therapy.
Juniper Arts Academy, Inc. | $3,352
Juniper Arts Academy provides fine arts education providing youth in the juvenile justice and foster care communities with a safe space to learn music and to thrive. Students receive active mentorship through our Student Advocate program where volunteers participate in music classes alongside their clients. Through this mentorship, “students see and learn appropriate classroom behavior, and have positive social interactions that are reinforced through group activities and the need to work together in unison through music.” Funds from the Jo Zakas Foundation supported instruments for music classes, expenses for the group choir program, and purchases of additional sheet music for their Choral Music Library.
Kansas Hispanic Education & Development Foundation |$5,000
The Kansas Hispanic Education & Development Foundation provides scholarships and education initiatives to support young Hispanic students in the Wichita area. Their work begins with students in high school, follows their scholars through the high school to college transition, and college to career journey. Recipients are chosen based on financial need, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community service, and leadership potential. The Jo Zakas Foundation funds are integrated into the Kansas Hispanic Education & Development Foundation’s scholarship program.
Wichita Women’s Initiative Network Inc. | $5,245
The Women’s Network changes the lives of disadvantaged women through job readiness and work retention programs. These programs include: 1) Domestic Violence Employment Program, 2) Dress for Success Wichita, and 3) Getting Ahead in the Workplace. Funds from the Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation will support their Dress for Success Wichita Mobile Unit. In addition to free women’s work clothes, the Mobile Unit provides employment services in Wichita and surrounding areas to at-risk women, including providing wages for women to who work for the program — while uplifting them from the trauma of domestic violence. The driver is a social worker who has been trained to support clients in a variety of life situations.
Youth Horizons Inc | $5,000
Youth Horizons’ mission is to “empower children and their families to be healthy and productive members of society and to create an awareness of the needs of at-risk youth.” To achieve their mission, they have two residential programs that include around-the-clock services. The Kinloch Price Boys Ranch and Wren House for girls and young women. They provide care for youth with severe individual and family challenges. In cases where youth are unable to live at home or find a foster home, Youth Horizons is equipped to help. Their modern facilities offer fully staffed family-style group homes and each has a multipurpose education building. Youth Horizons offers four homes that serve boys ages 10 to 22 and two homes serving girls ages 13 to 18. This year, the Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation funds will be used on some of the construction projects needing to finalize the Wren House program which came on board in the summer of 2022.
