Our Mission:
Sometimes our lives are changed by events beyond our control. For many, this happens as they sit at home. For others, the news comes over a phone call at work. Whatever the medium, the message is the same - one income instead of two, family assets frozen, and the absence of a father or mother from the lives of their children.
The families of the incarcerated are the unnoticed victims of crime.
Over 1.7 million children currently have at least one absent parent because of incarceration. The families left behind face shame, financial ruin, homelessness and emotional devastation. These conditions sow seeds that lead to these children being classified as "high-risk" by the Department of Justice.
Second and third generation offenders fill our prisons. We must touch these families before the risk is realized.
We exist to provide material and spiritual assistance to the families of the incarcerated and to ex-offenders in the effort to rebuild their lives.
The Gracious Promise Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1995 and serves the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.
Currently, Gracious Promise operates with three paid staff members who are supported by more than 100 volunteers each month. These volunteers are the backbone of our organization; together they generously contribute more than 18,000 volunteer hours every year.
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Our Services
We would be more than glad to help you with your needs. Please call us. Our services are by appointment only. Once your meeting is scheduled, we will work alongside you to rebuild the areas of your life that have been damaged by incarceration.
Staff
Shirley Miller, Executive Director and Case Manager
Shirley is responsible for bringing our wonderful team together and for finding the resources that we need in order to continue helping our clients. She oversees day-to-day operations, partnerships, volunteer efforts and guides the organization to meet the long-term strategies set by our Board of Directors.
Gary Kusek, Employment Director and Case Manager
Gary works with businesses in our community and our clients to find mutually beneficial employment opportunities. Gary has been certified as an Offender Workforce Development Specialist since 2005, and an O.W.D.S Instructor in 2008. He uses the skills taught within that training to provide employment assistance and the monthly series of Project H.O.P.E. Job Readiness Workshops.
Billy Miller, Operations Manager and Case Manager
Billy provides logistics support to our organization by implementing and maintaining all our technology infrastructure. He creates our promotional materials for print/web/video as well as preparing requests and reporting to grant funders.
All of our current staff work directly with clients to provide case management assistance.
Board of Directors
Rick Duwe, Chairman of the Board, Retired Training Director of Supervision, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Tom Hamill, Secretary of the Board, Lawyer J.D.
Doug Bohi, Developer
Jim Bohi, Retired Evangelist for 35 years & Business Owner
Mike Farmer, Commodities Trader, Kansas City Board of Trade
Tom Apel, Consultant
Adam Taff, Entrepreneur
