Community Services League raising funds for brighter futures

It’s highly encouraging that the Community Services League is already close to two-thirds of its way toward raising $2.5 million to build a new main facility and make other improvements.
The agency rolled out its “Brighter Futures” campaign this week at its annual fundraising gala in Blue Springs.
The agency has served Eastern Jackson County for more than 90 years. It runs food shelves and provides backpacks and pencils for school kids. It gives help with utility bills and help with employment training. It does this consistently well, especially given the resources at hand.
And the demand for services, as would be expected in rough economy, has shot upward.
CSL has offices in Buckner, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, south Independence and Fairmount. Its main office, just off the Square in Independence, is cramped and old, and it needs to be replaced. It keeps CSL from doing all of the things it could do to help people have a better today and work for a better tomorrow. The capital campaign would pay for a new building and allow for program improvements in Blue Springs and Oak Grove. This is a major step forward to the agency and for the community.
A key step came this week when the agency won a $172,000 challenge grant from the J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa. The agency has raised more than $1.5 million of the $2.5 million it needs.
Thumbs up for the community’s long-time support for the CSL. The need, both for services today and the capital campaign, is substantial.
Thumbs up as well to the many individuals and organizations that have come to the aid of the Salvation Army, which briefly had to shut down its food shelf in Independence earlier this month. The Examiner, followed by other area media, reported the problem two weeks ago, and people responded.
Boy, did they respond.
The food shelf is open, and food is overflowing to the store room floor. That’s a good problem to have. It also shows the character of the community.