SumnerOne Gives Back to Local Kansas Schools

SumnerOne does its best to do business guided by a set of core values. Integrity. Collaboration. Achievement. Service. Growth. Resilience. Giving. SumnerOne takes pride in being authentically engaged in the places where it works and lives. It enhances the health and well-being of its communities by providing time, talent, and resources to make tomorrow better.

Today, the focus of the giving value is on a charity partnership of the Kansas City office of SumnerOne with EMBRACE. EMBRACE (Enriching Many by Reaching All in Catholic Education) is an independent nonprofit organization focused on serving students with special needs attending Catholic schools across the state of Kansas. EMBRACE raises awareness and advocates for inclusive education, meaning they want safe places for children with special needs to receive the education programs they need. Ideally, once EMBRACE fulfills its mission, any child with special needs across the state of Kansas should be able to enroll in Catholic school and receive the best, customized learning he/she needs.

The funds raised by EMBRACE are given to schools in the form of financial grants. According to EMBRACE's website, schools that qualify can use those grants to:

• Assist with the cost to hire Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Social Skill Coaches, Instructional Coaches, Special Education Teachers, Physical Therapists, or other resources as requested
• Purchase materials necessary to provide appropriate accommodations and modifications to the curriculum

In addition to distributing grant money, EMBRACE provides community education and development through:

• Facilitating "open" professional development opportunities based on needs identified
• Partnering with outside organizations to provide services to qualified schools, with the understanding that the hiring and supervision of personnel remains the purview of the school principals

Carl Little, Director of Business Development at SumnerOne, started a partnership with EMBRACE, hoping to raise some funds to help the nonprofit. What ended up happening was even better. With the help of The Dunn Family Foundation, who pledged to match the funds that SumnerOne raised, they collectively ended up raising $400,000. The Dunn Family Foundation, the charitable organization association with JE Dunn Construction in Kansas City, has a mission to support education and education initiatives. Together, SumnerOne and The Dunn Family Foundation hope to raise even more money in the future for EMBRACE and the children it helps.

More information about The Dunn Family Foundation can be found here. There are application procedures and contact information available on their website.

You can follow all of the good work EMBRACE is doing on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Make note of the big checks that EMBRACE presents; those are printed and donated by SumnerOne, created using large format printing technology.