[CircleUp] Open house for Heart of America Indian Center 10-16-09

[Nancyblue37 at aol.com]

September 29,  2009                                                         
                                                      NEWS 
For Immediate  Release 
Contact:  Cheyanne Ingram, 816-421-7608, clingram at haicindian.com 

Heart of  American Indian Center: Home Away from Home 
October 16, 3-7  p.m. Open House Welcomes the Community 
KANSAS CITY, MO  – Cheyanne Ingram’s face is the face of the future at 
Heart of America Indian  Center – and that future is bright.  “We’re sprucing 
the place up for our open house,” she smiles, brushing a  strand of glossy 
hair from her forehead.  Around her, volunteers splashed with various paint 
colors bustle about –  cleaning, spackling, painting – to prepare for the 
October 16 event.  “We’ve been around for so long, but many  people don’t 
even know we’re here.  When we invite the community back, we  want it to look 
nice.”  Ingram, the  vibrant, young Executive Director of the Center, turns 
back to her work, dark  eyes reflecting the fresh color livening the walls. 
Since 1974, the  Heart of America Indian Center has provided health, 
welfare, and cultural  services to Native American individuals and families in the 
Kansas City  Metropolitan Area.  On Friday  October 16, from 3-7 p.m., the 
Center will reintroduce itself to the community  by hosting an open house 
featuring music, food, and artwork to showcase the  skills and talents of the 
people whom they serve. 
“We want the  Center to be a place where a person feels welcome,” says 
Board Member Teddy  Tatum.  “We take people as they are,  without any 
expectations, and we try to have respect for everyone’s  culture.” 
But the Center  also serves as a home away from home for many displaced 
individuals living  within the Metro.  “My family is  mostly in Minnesota,” 
sighs Tatum, a member of the Red Lake Band of  Chippewa.  “Now this place is 
part  of my extended family.” 
Indeed, the  original vision of the Heart of America Indian Center was to 
assist those who  needed help transitioning from life on the Reservation to 
life in an urban  setting.  But soon, staff and  volunteers realized that 
Indians already living in the city had other issues  that needed to be 
addressed, including job training, help in pursuing higher  education, emergency 
assistance for paying utility bills and medication  expenses, and resources for 
addiction recovery. 
Today, the  center provides all of these services and more, partnering with 
such community  resources as nearby KU Medical Center, as well as Johnson 
County Community  College, Harvesters, and the Greater Kansas City Community  
Foundation. 
The Heart of  America Indian Center welcomes residents of Kansas City and 
neighboring  communities to attend their open house on Friday, October 16 
from 3-7 p.m.  The Center is located at 600 W.  39th Street in Kansas City, MO. 
 For more information, please call 816-421-7608. 
###
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/circleup_lists.ournativecircle.org/attachments/20090930/9e0deb54/attachment-0001.html