Caring For Kids KC

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Such a great way to end kickoffs for the week! Thank you Raytown partners and staff for an amazing Kickoff! Next up… GRANDVIEW!

08/28/2026

Dear Shawnee Mission Community Partners and Staff,

We are just one week away from our Shawnee Mission School Partnership Kickoff Celebration. We’re so excited to bring principals, school liaisons, key staff, and community partners together once again for an amazing time of relationship building and collaboration.
Doors open at 7:30, breakfast will be served, and the program will begin at 8:00.

It will be an amazing time of coming together and collaboration. We will celebrate all that was achieved last school year while welcoming plans for this fall as students return to school.
Dr. David Stubblefield, Deputy Superintendent will share with you the vision for 2026-27 and discuss the vital role that community partners play in serving schools in the Shawnee Mission School District.
There will be information on how to get involved in mentoring and volunteering in the schools.
Half of our Kickoff time will be spent in partnership breakouts, where you will learn principal goals and begin planning projects for the upcoming school year. Head over to our site to register today‼️

08/27/2026

Dear Raytown Community Partners and Staff,

We are just one week away from Raytown School Partnership kickoff Celebration! We’re excited to bring principals, school liaisons / key staff, and community partners together once again for an amazing time of relationship building and collaboration. Doors open at 8:30, breakfast will be served, and the program will start at 9:00.

We will celebrate all that was achieved last school year while welcoming plans for this fall as students return to school.
Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, Superintendent, she will share with you the vision for 2026-27 and discuss the vital role that community partners play in serving Raytown C-2 School District.
There will be information on how to get involved in mentoring and volunteering in the schools.
Half of our Kickoff time will be spent in partnership breakouts, where you will learn principal goals and begin planning projects for the upcoming school year. Head over to our website and register today ‼️

08/19/2026

Happy Wednesday! We’re super excited to announce our new team member Veronica Turner. Veronica is our Executive Administrative Assistant for Caring for Kids Kansas City. She has served as Consuming Fire Ministries, Kansas City, Administrative Assistant for 10 years. She grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She has been married to Dwayne Turner for 26 years. Veronica and Dwayne moved to Kansas City in 2003 and now reside in Grandview, MO. Veronica has a love for serving her family, church family, her community and any family that are in need assistance. Veronica has been actively serving caring for kids as a sponsor through Consuming Fire Ministries. Servicing Irving Elementary School, and John Sharp Early Learning Center for the last 5 years. Her hobbies include spending time with family, baking and creating delicious desserts in her newly launched business, V’s Kingdom Cakes, shopping and fellowship with Women’s Ministry, and praying for everyone.

08/17/2026

We are just 3 days away from our Crossroads School Partnership Kickoff Celebration. We’re so excited to bring principals, school liaisons / key staff, and community partners together once again for an amazing time of relationship building and collaboration. We will celebrate all that was achieved last school year while welcoming plans for this fall as students return to school. Doors open at 8:30 am and breakfast will start at 8:45 am. Kick off will start at 9:00 am.

08/15/2026

Today is the day all donations are due! We can’t wait to celebrate the support you guys have rallied around the Hickman Mills community ✨

08/07/2026

Happy Friday! ☀️We’re super excited to welcome Pastor Dennis Lester to the Caring For Kids Network Board!

Reverend Dennis Lester Jr. is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and a lifelong member of the Church of God. He answered the call to salvation at 18 and to ministry two years later. A graduate of Georgia State University with a B.A. in English and a Minor in Political Science, he later earned his Master of Divinity from Anderson University’s School of Theology.

Before coming to Kansas City, Reverend Lester served more than a decade as Associate Minister and Youth Pastor at Martin Street Church of God in Atlanta, and later as Executive
Pastor at Community Church of God in Macon, Georgia. In 2018, he was called to serve as Senior Pastor of Bethel Family Worship Center, where he continues to lead with the vision, “God’s Church is the Hope of This World.”

Pastor Lester also serves as Executive Director of the Hickman Mills Community Empowerment Center, leading initiatives focused on sustainability, education, and
empowerment. His leadership extends statewide as Chair of the Missouri Ministries Governance Board and nationally as a Leadership Focus Credentials Coach, Advancement Team Ambassador, and Intern Academy leader within the Church of God. Guided by Proverbs 3:5—“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”—Pastor Lester remains committed to building the church, strengthening families, and transforming communities for the glory of God. He and his wife, Jenelle, have been married for over twenty-two years and are the proud parents of three children: Princess, Dennis III, and Belle.

08/04/2026

KCPS‼️ We can’t wait to see you this Thursday 9:30am. Please head to our website and register. Looking forward to seeing you there.

07/30/2026

Caring For Kids Network is stretching its legs into the Wichita area! Yesterday was their first official kickoff and what an AMAZING turn out! We can’t wait to see and hear about the great projects that will come about from this partnership!