We are working with a family that is in need of assistance with their rent. Mom and Dad have recently started new jobs and are unsure if they will receive paychecks in time for March rent. They are also behind on other bills and feeling overwhelmed. We are asking for help in paying this family's rent which will put them a great start in getting back on track now that they will both have incomes. The family has stated that they are grateful for any amount contributed towards this need. Thank you for considering this request and for your help in keeping families together!

Hello! I have a teenager who is up next on the "Smiles Change Lives" waitlist, and will be getting braces soon. We are hoping to obtain assistance in paying for the deposit for this as she lives with a single foster mom/adoptive resource. This child's story is so heart wrenching-- she was forced to immigrate with her father from Guatemala, who eventually was arrested for physically abusing her to the point of her needing to be hospitalized. The father has since been deported, and my teen will be staying here in the US. She was such a scared and timid child who was really self-conscious about her appearance-- specifically her smile. She is SO excited for these braces, any help in paying for the deposit will be so appreciated!

Single mother of 4 has taken in her 3 God children, who came into state custody in Sept. 2022. The children's ages are 8, 12.13. 14, 15, and two16 year old's . She is needing her vehicle repaired or a donated vehicle with 7+ passenger capacity. She currently has a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe that needs a transmission and two catalytic converters to be operational. The transportation is paramount to assist the children to school, court, and required appointments (medical, vision, therapy, dental ). A working Tahoe or vehicle with similar capacity, would allow her to transport majority of the children at once instead of multiple trips or having to ask others to help transport the children. Placement works full time as a nurses aide while providing the children with their needs and emotional support. I am asking for assistance because the cost to repair the vehicle or purchase of another vehicle would take away from other finances obligations. The estimate : Transmission - New with 3year warranty $2,500 Catalytic Converter - $270 (two need replaced) Labor: $1760 Estimate total: $4,800 Thank you for reading. Best Regards

Single young mother with two small children in need of borrowing a car to take her driver's license test. Mother works overnights and can meet any time during the week in the afternoon to borrow car and take her test. Once this mom gets her driver's license, she can drive her car and take the children to appointments, she can go to work without using Uber or Lyft or catching a ride from someone else. This will help create more independence for this young mom. In the meantime, some Uber or Lyft gift cards would be helpful to this family until her driver's license is received.

Grandmother of three wonderful children who have been temporarily separated from their mom due to substance abuse and failure to supervise and protect, needs drywall work done. Grandmother was living on a fixed income and due to nature of case is not allowed to collect a stipend from the state or the children's disability checks. She has been caring for all three out of her own pocket, and has had to hold off on taking care of her own costs. Her home needs drywall repair and even having someone come out to do an estimate is too much of a cost. The drywall repair would aide her in keeping herself and the kids safe.

Over the past several years we have watched a young aunt, step up to raise not just one additional child, but her five nieces and nephews. She was already a young single mother of two small babies of her own, but when KVC asked if she would foster her oldest niece and nephew, she immediately said yes. Within 9 months, this aunt was raising 7 children under the age of 8 years old. With the help of paternal aunts and grandma, she has been able to make every doctor appointment and more with her big crew. When the time came, parents were unable to make the changes needed for the best interest of the children. Without question, this young aunt was ready to give the children their forever home. As we move towards finalizing adoption for this large family, we would like to ask some help from others to help this loving mother have a van or large vehicle to use day to day.

Two sweet little girls and their father need help with childcare expenses. The father is the primary caregiver and works later night hours when daycare facilities are not open. Father has been searching for a 24 hour daycare, but all the ones he has found have changed their hours to close at 6 pm. Father goes to work about 2:30 pm and arrives back home between 11 pm and midnight each night. A neighbor has been helping, but dad is worried about when neighbor goes back to work. The grandparents live out of state, but they did help for a couple weeks. This family needs help with childcare immediately. The father is ready to employ a nanny but needs help with finances for this cost until he can change his work hours. The average cost for a nanny on care.com is 15-25/hour for 40/hours per week. Any help is greatly appreciate to preserve the father caring for his little girls.

Good afternoon. I am requesting assistance to help a single mother with her transportation to complete court ordered services in Cass County, Missouri. My parent does not currently have a car and there is very little to no public transportation in the Cass County, MO area where she currently resides. The mother has been court ordered to complete a number of court services in order to get her children back and she needs some kind of transportation to be able to make it the locations to complete said services. We are asking if it might be possible for you to donate some money to purchase my parent a LYFT or UBER card in order to make getting around a little easier. This request will help to complete these said court services, travel to work, and help her make efforts to pursue reunification in this case. Thank you so much!

I have teen girl who is in need of a full size bed (frame and matterss) as well as a dresser. This kiddo is moving into a new kinship placement and does not have a bed to bring with her. Any help would be wonderful.

A single mom of five children has a past eviction on her credit report, that is interfering with her renting a new apartment at this time. She recently had to leave an abusive relationship and currently they are staying with different family members. The school has secured transportation to and from school for the children. Mom recently started a new job and working hard to try and pay the past eviction off, to be able to secure another home for her children.

Children's Division is currently working with a single mother of four elementary age children. She is working full time, but still struggling to pay her gas and water bill. All four children are in therapy currently and because of the time requirements, she is unable to get another job for extra money. Any help in assisting her would be greatly appreciated!

There are 3 children ages 1,2 and 6 that were recently placed with their great aunt and uncle. The children are bonded to their relatives and love them dearly. Their aunt and uncle really want to keep them in their home. They love the children dearly and want to provide a loving and safe environment for them. The family does need assistance with getting the children beds. They need a crib for the one year old and the 2 and 6 year old both need a regular twin size bed. This will help maintain the placement for these children and keep them with their relatives.

Good afternoon. I am a caseworker for the Cass County MO Children's Division. One of the families on my caseload is needing assistance in moving their mobile home/RV Trailer to a new location in the community. The mother currently does not have a vehicle and has very low income. She is needing help/volunteer with a truck/trailer hitch to move her current home (a mobile RV) to a new location nearby. The mother's RV has been sitting at a friends home, however it can no longer stay their. The mother has found a nearby lot that will accept her RV. This request will help preserve the mother's home stability and prevent her from being homeless. Additionally, once the RV is in a stable lot/location, Children's Division may be able to assess the RV as a possible home option for the mother's children to live in while the mother looks for other housing options. Currently the mother's two children ages 12 and 13 are in a foster home in Jackson County. The only cost for this request is a volunteer's time and maybe a small amount of gas money.