Written by Elena Chan, Community Development Director
One of Adelante Thrift’s values is generosity. We strongly believe that generosity has the power to transform individual lives as well as the entire community. For the past three years, the store has been blessed by the outpouring of the generosity by people and organizations who have served alongside us in our community. One of them is Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB), located right here in Kansas City, Kansas, less than two miles from Adelante Thrift. Each week during the academic year for almost three years, the store has hosted a group of teachers and students that come to serve. They are very familiar with our staff; they know exactly what needs to be done; they learn new things about the store’s operations; they get to meet other groups of volunteers.
As stated in their mission statement, KSSB has a very clear aim: “We build local capacity throughout the state via strategic partnerships to ensure learners with visual impairments are able to assume responsible roles in society and lead fulfilling lives.” The school teachers seek project sites that are able and willing to accommodate their students with visual impairments and allow them to learn and improve their social and physical skills at a pace and manner suitable for them. Another consideration is the site location, which, because of the store’s proximity to the school, allowed it to be considered as a potential site. After visiting the store with the students for the first time, the decision was made to approve the store for the group’s regular service.
Besides serving on a weekly basis, the school has also become a donor of goods. Earlier this month when the school underwent a major facility renovation, they donated 30 beds and dressers to Adelante Thrift that all sold within two weeks!
It’s truly a blessing to have partners within the community that are generous and with whom Adelante Thrift can enjoy a reciprocal relationship. Thank you, Kansas State School for the Blind, for your hard work making your vision a reality in our community, and for fostering your students’ ability to assume responsible roles in society and lead fulfilling lives.
Visit www.adelantethrift.com/volunteer to learn more about serving at Adelante Thrift!
