Two locally-grown organizations are now working to serve a much bigger community.
Beacon for Hope Suicide Prevention has been developing a number of local community partnerships regarding education, resources, support and hope for years. Now the focus is going more statewide, according to Executive Director Melissa Owen. Work to go statewide began in earnest about nine months ago.
Audio PlayerOwen says this push comes as Beacon for Hope is seeing the fruits of its local community partner labors with drastically increased demand for connections. Owen estimates the last six months have seen a four-fold to five-fold increase in requests for information and help.
Meanwhile, Emporia Spanish Speakers is looking to go statewide — but founder and CEO LeLan Dains is also working on a regional outreach.
Audio PlayerOriginally started as a way for English-as first-language speakers to get better at speaking Spanish, Emporia Spanish Speakers now offers community engagement activities, bilingual resources, workshops and other activities for local Spanish speakers. It recently moved into an office location inside the Southeast KansasWORKS operations at the Humanitarian Center and is looking to add a community shared space for events as well as a residential space for short-term housing needs.
Information about Beacon for Hope can be found online at hopelinks.org. Emporia Spanish Speakers can be found online at emporiaspanishspeakers.com. Both organizations have several active social media platforms.
