Welcome to LINC
The Local Investment Commission (LINC)℠ is a non-profit organization that works with state and local government, businesses, community and civic leaders to improve the lives of children and families in the Kansas City region. Learn more about LINC.
Bullying, says SuEllen Fried, never was and never should have been “just part of growing up. We now know children who bullied are more likely to commit crimes as adults. Mental health crises among youth are driving a tragic suicide rate. What the world needs now — and what LINC’s team of after-school programming supervisors and staff are learning — are lessons in empathy.
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Everyone who comes to LINCWorks “is on a journey,” said Program Director Sonny Williams. “It’s what shapes the person. And we walk with them.”
Somewhere on the other end of their walk, a job waits. It might be cleaning some tools, weeding a tomato plot, mending a fence. But no rush. The walk along a gravel path in these 10 acres under a south Kansas City summer sky is just as much a part of the BoysGrow experience.
Check out some of the sights — and sounds — of LINC’s Summer 2024. The rapping with Healthy Hip Hop, honing basketball skills at NBA star Christian Braun’s Champ Camp, water play at Phillips Elementary and drumming with the Urban Bucket Brigade Bootcamp were some of the highlights of an adventurous season of recreation, adventure and learning.
“We have a good heart,” said Faxon student Zykhale, 12. When his classmates began imagining making Faxon’s playground accessible for their classmate, Elvis, and other students with disabilities, “we all liked the idea and we went with it.”
LINC’s overnight adventure combines passion for sports with a serious mission to help young boys and men make strong decisions in life.
LINC’s Mighty Wild Eagles Drill Team and Drum Line got Independence’s Juneteenth celebration off to a raucous start at the Independence Uptown Market June 29, 2024.
“It’s real,” said Monica Henderson, of the violence that killed her 12-year-old son. She, Mayor Quinton Lucas and others joined the End Gun Violence rally with a message to everyone at risk of violence: “Your life is truly valuable.”
The Center School District’s Michelle Kruse and FOX 4 News reporter Kathy Quinn surprised LINC’s Caring Communities team at a recent monthly food distribution, celebrating the ongoing act of kindness with a $400 gift from the TV station’s Pay It Forward campaign.
A fabulous 2023-2024 school year came to a close with school and family celebrations with our partners across LINC’s Caring Communities. Here is a video glimpse at just some of the fun.