We told you back in April about the Bestway team turning out for the gala supporting The Children’s Place – a wonderful organization that provides support and a variety of services to children up to eight years old who have experienced trauma. Founded in 1978, The Children’s Place operates as a specialized trauma center to help them heal from life’s deepest hurts.
That mission has become especially personal to Chance Pope, Bestway’s Director of Operations, who – along with his wife Kristina – has deepened his involvement.
“I was introduced to this organization by a former employer who is still very active in supporting The Children’s Place, and it just really spoke to me and my wife,” Chance said. “I’ve got three kids of my own and I’m blessed that they are all healthy, and I had the support network to raise them so they haven’t experienced traumas like these kids have.”
Chance and Kristina decided to volunteer at a number of The Children’s Place events throughout the year, including being Tastemakers for the upcoming Taste at the Place, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. on September 24 at the The Children’s Place headquarters at 6401 Rockhill Road. It will offer some of the best eats and drinks in Kansas City, along with shopping from local businesses, artisans and community partners.
Taste at the Place is a fundraiser through which 11 different Tastemaker teams look to raise at least $3,500 apiece for the organization. To date, just in a few weeks’ worth of fundraising, the combined efforts of the Tastemaker teams have managed to raise over $20,000.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give! Any amount helps, and anyone who donates $100 or more gets two tickets to Taste at the Place.
The funds raised to support The Children’s Place have always been put to good use, but especially in recent years as the organization has invested in new assets like a mobile therapy vehicle – fashioned from a remodeled short bus – that provides services to children who can’t make it to the facility.
And there are always other needs.
“They publish a list weekly of things they need,” Chance said. “There’s an Amazon wish list. Every Friday they send home a backpack full of food for the kids and their families, so they have always got a pantry that needs to be stocked, as well as school supplies and things like that.”
There are also volunteer opportunities of many varieties. Chance told a story of a recent occasion when he volunteered to show up and read to the children, but when he got there playtime had just started.
“There would have been a riot if they had stopped playtime to listen to me read,” Chance recalled with a smile. “So I just got down on the floor and played with the kids.”
Volunteers are also sometimes asked to help reach out to lawmakers to advocate for issues that are important to the children and to The Children’s Place.
If you’d like to contribute to the Taste at the Place fundraiser, you can e-mail Chance directly at chance@bestway-intl.com.
There will always be children who need help, so supporting The Children’s Place is a great way to make sure they can always get it.
