Community Partnership Board of Directors
April 15, 2015
Minutes
The Community Partnership Board of Directors met on April 15, 2015 at noon at the Community Partnership
office located at 330 N. Jefferson Ave., Springfield, MO. The following members, guests and staff attended:
Members
Lawrence Anderson, Sheriff Jim Arnott, Greg Burris, David Cook, Spencer Cunningham, Bridget Dierks, Brad
Erwin, Dr. Bud Greve, Amanda Hedgpeth, Dr. David Hough, Dr. John Jungmann, Barbara Lucks, Anne Sallee
Mason, Jason McCutchin, Charlie O'Reilly, Leslie Peck, Carl Rosenkranz, Mark Struckhoff, Dr. Paul Thomlinson,
Chief Paul Williams
Staff
Janet Dankert, Debi Meeds, Sheri Lupton, Michelle Garand, Patricia Deck, Chris Davis, Michael Tonarely and
Kate Thieman.
Call to Order
Spencer Cunningham called the meeting to order at noon.
Welcome and Introductions
Spencer Cunningham welcomed all attendees and congratulated Bridget Dierks on her new baby boy Wilson. Best
wishes were extended to Bridget and her family.
Minutes – March (Action Required)
Spencer Cunningham asked for additions or corrections to the March minutes.
ACTION: Dr. Bud Greve made a motion to accept the March minutes as presented. Mark Struckhoff seconded
the motion; all members were in favor. Motion carried unanimously.
Financial Report – February (Action Required)
Copy of the February Financial Dashboard was provided at the meeting. Sheri Lupton presented the highlights of
the financial report to the Board. CPO Core – Statement of Activities for the 8 months ending 02/28/15 section
of the dashboard shows Actual YTD loss of $(32,479) compared to budgeted $(19,976). The actual loss has
decreased from January to February by about $12,000. The CPO Core Contributions section shows current
contributions at $22,761 compared to our goal of $35,000. The Fundraisers section of the dashboard shows
current fundraisers at $29,108 compared to our goal of $45,500. More CP Open money will be added to the
Fundraisers section of the report soon. CPO Board Giving is currently at 60%. Volunteer Hours and Leveraged
Dollars (ROI) sections of the dashboard remain the same. Grants Submitted vs. Received contains information of
the current grants.
The reverse side of the Financial Dashboard handout contains the CPO Statement of Financial Position for the 2
months ended 02/28/15. This page shows statement of financial position for the current month, prior month and
prior year so we can compare the numbers. Sheri Lupton informed the Board that CPO total cash is at $940,000.
There are no major changes in comparison with the last month’s report.
Spencer Cunningham thanked Sheri Lupton for the report and asked for questions concerning the February
Expenditure Report.
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ACTION: Dr. David Hough made a motion to accept the February Financial Report as presented, pending audit.
Jason McCutchin seconded the motion; all members were in favor. Motion carried unanimously.
Caring Communities Budget FY 2016 (Action Required)
Patricia Deck informed the Board that the Caring Communities budget has been level-funded for the last 10 years
and remains the same for 2016, which means that at this point we will not be able to provide staff raises and we
had to cut our managed IT services for the Caring Communities staff in order to balance the budget. Janet
Dankert reminded that the Caring Communities budget is the only budget that requires annual approval by the
Board, based on our DSS contract.
Spencer Cunningham asked for questions concerning the Caring Communities Budget FY 2016.
ACTION: Leslie Peck made a motion to approve the Caring Communities Budget FY 2016 as presented.
Lawrence Anderson seconded the motion; all members were in favor. Motion carried unanimously.
Grant to be Submitted (Action Required)
Janet Dankert informed the Board that we would like to apply for the following grants:
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City of Springfield – $153,000 for the Springfield Affordable Housing Center (SAHC). This funding will be used to
cover the 2 current positions of the SAHC Director and the Community Land Trust Director, as well as adding 2
new positions Housing Counselor and a part-time Crisis Call Center position.
City of Springfield – $62,671 for Great Neighborhoods. This funding will cover a part-time position for
neighborhood clean-ups as well as supplies such as dumpsters, promotions, etc. Per request of the Safe and Sanitary
Homes Collaborative, we added a request for new money to turn the part-time position into a full-time position that
will also coordinate the Safe and Sanitary Homes Hoarding Collaborative and help with some other neighborhood
revitalization projects.
SAMHSA– Youth Mental Health First Aid federal grant renewable for 3 years in the amount of $125,000 per year to
provide training across our region.
Spencer Cunningham asked for questions concerning the grants to be submitted.
ACTION: Jason McCutchin made a motion to approve submission of the grants as presented. Anne Sallee
Mason seconded the motion; Greg Burris and Barbara Lucks abstained; the rest of the members were in favor.
Motion carried unanimously.
NAP Tax Credits (Action Required)
Janet Dankert reminded the Board that we have been looking into buying the 330 N. Jefferson Ave. building from
United Way. We were waiting to hear from the City about whether the loan could be reduced or forgiven and
found out that it won’t be possible due to the type of funds that were used to purchase it originally. We have
started working with Empire Bank and Springfield First Community Bank on getting the financing. Charlie
O’Reilly graciously agreed to sign for our loan and we are very appreciative of that. Janet informed the Board that
we would like to apply for the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Tax Credits. This program is focused on
neighborhoods and providing direct services. The program allows applying for credits to purchase a property. If
we are approved, it will dramatically decrease our loan to purchase the 330 N. Jefferson building. It’s a 100%
match, which means if we ask for and receive $200,000 we will have to raise $200,000. The requirement is that the
purchased property has to be used by the non-profit for at least 5 years. The NAP application will delay our
purchase of the building but will save us money.
Leslie Peck informed the group that Charlie O’Reilly has been helping us with the building purchase since day one.
Leslie mentioned that she had a conversation Charlie who is the Trustee Administrator of his dad’s trust. Leslie
shared that she had the honor of knowing Charlie’s dad and he was a great guy. Charlie has met with his siblings
to discuss a donation to CPO for purchasing the building. Charlie and his siblings committed to donating
$100,000 to CPO. Their donation is not contingent on CPO receiving the NAP credits. Leslie thanked Charlie for
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the generous donation and encouraged CPO to apply for the NAP credits. Leslie recommended developing a
timeline for the process so there will not be a long delay in purchasing the building.
Charlie O’Reilly shared that his dad was always supportive of the United Way and the Community Partnership
concept where community comes together and solves community issues. Charlie mentioned that he is glad that
the O’Reilly family has these funds available to support CPO. Charlie expressed his hope that the Board will help
to raise the remainder of the amount necessary to purchase the building so CPO’s occupancy cost will decrease or
be eliminated. Janet reminded the group that the reduced occupancy cost would be a great help to lean budgets
like and will allow us to spend more funds on programming and service delivery. Leslie Peck asked Janet to give a
short timeline of the NAP tax credits process. Janet informed the Board that the NAP application is due on April
24th and starts on July 1st. The Executive Committee decided that we would cap it to July and August for raising
the matching funds so we will be fair to United Way and won’t delay the purchase any further. Janet shared that
she talked to Debbie Shantz-Hart and she drafted a legal agreement for the application, which will be reviewed by
both Janet and Debi Meeds. Once we’re approved for the NAP tax credits, we will let the Board know and we can
start raising funds.
Charlie O’Reilly asked Janet to thank Russ Marquart from Empire Bank and Rob Fogle from the Springfield First
Community Bank for their help with the loan application.
ACTION: Chief Paul Williams made a motion to approve submission of the NAP Tax Credits Application as
presented. Brad Erwin seconded the motion; all members were in favor. Motion carried unanimously.
Staff Highlights – Michael Tonarely
Michael Tonarely introduced himself and shared that he worked for the Burrell Behavioral Health for 10 years
before joining CPO. Michael was director of Bill’s Place for 4 years and has extensive experience working with the
homeless and the mentally ill population. Michael has been with CPO for year and a half and enjoys his job very
much.
Program Highlights – Action Trailer Relocation Efforts
Michael Tonarely presented the Acton Trailer Park Relocation Efforts to the Board. Michael informed the Board
that on March 3, 2015 54 residents at one of the Springfield’s trailer parks received a 60 day eviction notice. On
March 9th, water was shut off at the park, due to lack of payment by lot owner. Media reported on the situation,
which generated several contacts within the social service sector. On March 10th, CPO staff went and spoke to
several families and the next day Convoy of Hope delivered pallets of bottled water. Shortly after that, City
Utilities re-established water services. The following key barriers were identified by CPO staff:
• Age of trailers hindered moving to alternative sites
• No titles, no bill of sale
• Limited resources to fund costly moving expenses
• Undocumented immigrant status
• Large families living in extreme poverty
• Lack of rental history (other than the lot rent at the park)
• Mental health diagnoses
• Criminal history
After the needs and barriers were assessed, One Door staff created a housing plan for each residence, identifying
priority funding needs. CFO provided an emergency grant of $14,200 to assist with moving expenses for the
residents and the City of Springfield provided a dumpster for bulk waste disposal. Three trailers have already been
moved and five more are expected to be moved by April 20th. Two partner mobile home parks are providing
moving assistance:
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Cedarbrook Mobile Home Park
Homestead Acres
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Three households have found other rentals instead of moving their trailers. 17 families have been connected with
community resources:
- Interpreter Services
- VHA Loan Assistance
- Affordable Housing Search
- Legal Assistance
- Home Modification Assistance
- St. Vincent De Paul for Crisis Food Assistance
One Door continues to work with the remaining six families, as they have special circumstances that are proving
more difficult. Target households are in various stages of engagement with the case managers assigned to assist
with housing searches and advocacy through One Door and Caring Communities. One Door staff is connecting
families to mainstream resources:
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Food Stamps Assistance
Veteran Benefits
Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse Treatment
We are also connecting families to educational resources to reduce mobility and reduce trauma to young children.
The families are working with the SPS Homeless Liaison and our Caring Communities Social Worker.
By May 3rd, 2015 (“Eviction Day”) 10 community partners (agencies, businesses and individuals) will have come to
the aid of neighbors in need. More than $17,000 will be contributed (cash and in-kind).
16 families will have a new place to call home. This includes:
- 33 Adults
- 2 Senior Citizens
- 2 Veterans
- 7 Undocumented Immigrants
- 21 Children
- 12 Family Pets
Michael thanked his staff for handling many of his daily tasks and allowing him to devote time to work on the
trailer park project.
Janet Dankert added that this project is a great example of how the community comes together to resolve issues in
a collaborative way and also illustrates the importance of CPO and how we can be ready to respond when asked by
the community.
Spencer Cunningham thanked Michael for the presentation.
CP Open/Resource Development Update
Leslie Peck shared with the Board that the CP Open was a great event and we raised $30,000 in spite of the
inclement weather! Leslie thanked everybody who participated in the event and proceeded with the $25.00 WalMart gift card drawing. Dr. Paul Thomlinson won the card.
Janet Dankert informed the Board that the Resource Development Committee will be meeting right after the
Board meeting to discuss the Give Ozarks event, which will be on May 5th. We will be competing with 140 local
non-profit organizations.
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The Golf Ball Free Fall fundraiser is scheduled for August 27th. We have secured a helicopter for the event. The
Park Board has reserved a spot for us. There will be a scramble with the Board and friends in the afternoon, and
we will have golf balls dropped at 6:00 pm. We will start ticket sales and promotions in June. Janet thanked Jason
McCutchin and Midwest Family Broadcasting for working on securing cash prizes for the event.
Through a new contact Janet recently made, we got connected with the Lorenzo Williams Celebrity Golf
Tournament and CPO is now one of the charities that will receive a portion of the proceeds.
Amanda Hedgpeth asked for the date of the Big Rig event this year. Janet will confirm the date and will send this
information to the Board.
United Way Board Report
No report was provided at the meeting.
OFB Advisory Coalition Report
A copy of the OFB Advisory Coalition Report was provided to the Board at the meeting.
Collaborative Report
A copy of the Collaborative Report was provided to at the meeting. Barbara Lucks presented the report:
Council of Collaboratives: The Council of Collaboratives is focused on gaining a greater understanding of how the
different initiatives can work more closely together. At the January meeting, they viewed a webinar that showed
how Northern Kentucky aligned several of their initiatives through a cluster mapping activity. As a follow-up, at
the March meeting, each Collaborative chair led a few representatives from their Collaborative through the cluster
mapping process. The information is currently being compiled. Some of the Collaboratives will be taking this
exercise to their groups for further study and planning. At the April Council meeting, the chairs will reflect on this
process and continue to plan for a Council of Collaboratives Community Forum.
Child Abuse and Neglect Collaborative: The group has agreed upon a rough draft for a collective impact model around
children in the child welfare system. Major components of the plan involve Triple P, a best practice parenting
program, and MPOWR, a common case management system. The group has discussed applying to MFH for
funding to implement Triple P.
Environmental Collaborative: A representative from City Utilities gave a presentation on the site selection process and
groundwater protection measures relative to their coal ash landfill, addressing step by step, some of the concerns
that have been expressed in the media and clarifying what the project involves. They are doing extensive site
testing – beyond any required by regulators. The site adjacent to their current coal ash landfill, which has been in
place for 35+ years without any problems, is the site they are reviewing. A community advisory group has also
been formed to oversee the process.
Healthy Living Alliance: Thanks to the recruitment efforts of Greg Burris, we now have a leadership team. The plan
is to have a retreat in May. During this retreat, the group will establish priorities that can then be taken to a Healthy
Living Alliance Collaborative that will be involved in implementing the recommendations. The group also has
submitted a request for funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for $10,000.
Impacting Poverty Collaborative: Following the example of the CAN collaborative, Mark Struckhoff drafted a list of
proposed priorities and tasks. The group reviewed these priorities and discussed appropriate indicators for the
group. This information was further developed at the Council of Collaboratives cluster mapping activity and will
be reviewed by the group in April. The group is also waiting to see the recommendations from the Impacting
Poverty Commission, along with any details on what they can do to help implement the plan that is being
developed by the Commission.
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Spencer Cunningham thanked Barbara Lucks for the report.
President’s Report
Spencer Cunningham presented the report:
 We are pleased to participate in KY3’s Safe and Sound Saturday this weekend. Stop by and see us if you
attend the event!
 This Saturday is also Community Wide Play Day. We will be at Fassnight Park from 10:00 to 2:00 with
more than 40 vendors providing fun interactive activities and information for families, free books and free
food.
 The Regional Support Center just completed 1,034 tobacco visits to help educate merchants about how not
to sell tobacco products to minors.
 The annual city-wide Tire Toss collected 3,337 of waste tires, serving 712 individuals in 205 households.
 The Task Force on Gangs and Youth Violence will host a community forum on drugs and youth violence
on April 30th from 6-8 at Central Christian Church.
Executive Director’s Report
Janet Dankert presented the report:
 We received the Outstanding Community Service Organization of the Year Award from United Way of the
Ozarks.
 CPO was nominated for the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award. CPO is one of the 5 finalists.
Janet mentioned that the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award luncheon will be on May 6th and
we are making reservations so if anybody would like to attend, they should contact Kate Thieman.
Leslie Peck mentioned that it is organization-wide honor to be nominated for the Chamber’s Small
Business of the Year Award and recommended having all CPO staff attend the award luncheon. Leslie
informed the Board that the Executive Committee unanimously approved this recommendation and now
we are asking for the Board’s approval.
ACTION: Greg Burris made a motion to use CPO reserve money to pay for the staff luncheon. Anne
Sallee Mason seconded the motion; all members were in favor. Motion carried unanimously.
Janet thanked Brad Erwin for his help with the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award application
process.
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Janet thanked Anne Sallee Mason and Neil and Newman for the commercial that promotes CPO and
features Kate Thieman and her children.
Denim Day is coming up on April 29th. If anybody is interested, we have information materials and
stickers that can be taken to work places. For a $5.00 donation, your staff can wear jeans that day and
promote sexual assault prevention day. All proceeds from Denim Day will be given to the Violence Free
Families Coalition.
Spencer Cunningham thanked Janet for the report.
Other
Barbara Lucks reminded the group that the Prescription Drugs Take Back event is scheduled for May 2nd. The
event offers a safe way for community members to dispose of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter
medications which are a public safety concern due to abuse or even ending up in our water. There is no cost for
disposal, and all medications except sharps and inhalers are accepted.
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Chris Davis added that there will be 6 sites in Springfield and we will be sending more information about the event
via e-mail.
No other issues or topics were brought forth by the Board members.
Next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on May 20, 2015 at 12:00 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
_________________________________
_________________________________
President
Secretary
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