More local Funding Secured

The Labor HHS Appropriations bill was approved by the House of Representatives today, and I am pleased to report that I was able to direct funding to several local education programs.

1.) $150,000 for Graceland University in Independence

The Graceland University School of Nursing in Independence graduates 40 to 50 new nurses every year in the medical profession, currently experiencing worker shortages. This funding will help build a simulation lab on the Independence campus to assist students in providing holistic care for their patients.

2.) $200,000 for Guadalupe Centers Culinary Arts Institute Job Training Center

Founded in 1919, the Guadalupe Centers, Inc. was established to assist underprivileged Mexican immigrants who had settled in the Westside community of Kansas City, Missouri. The Guadalupe Center was one of the nation’s first social service agencies for Latinos. Currently, the Guadalupe Centers is “the longest continually operating organization serving Latinos in the United States.”

The Culinary Arts Institute is a 12 week job training/employment program that provides everything from culinary instruction to case management services and job placement career services including a follow-up component. The purpose for establishing this program is to help individuals become financially stable. They are given tools to become successful in their chosen career path

3.) $500,000 for Metropolitan Community College Sustainability Training Center

Centered on the Green Impact Zone, Metropolitan Community Colleges is starting a program to train individuals in the Kansas City area to become technical experts in the green industry. This project will develop the Sustainability Training Center (STC). During the initial three years, the center will create a clearinghouse of resources related to sustainability and measurement and reduction of carbon footprints for small businesses. Faculty, research associates and student researchers will provide assistance in conducting sustainability audits for small businesses and help them find cost-effective solutions for reducing their carbon footprint.

4.) $100,000 for the Polycyclic Kidney Disease Foundation

The PKD Foundation is the only organization, worldwide, dedicated to fighting polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The mission of the PKD Foundation is to: "Promote programs of research, advocacy, education, support and awareness in order to discover treatments and a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease and improve the lives of all it affects."