Arms of Grace dba Center of Grace
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Boys and Girls Club
The Olathe Boys and Girls Club serves K-12 students before, after school and during the summer.The goal is to have each Club member graduate from high school with post-secondary plans in place.We are currently licensed serve 125 students.
ELL Family Preschool
Center of Grace currently provides a preschool for children whose parents attend JCCC English language classes. Preschool children and toddlers are introduced to preschool curriculum on a daily basis as they learn English and get ready for Kindergarten.
Community Dinners
The Wednesday and Thursday Night Community Dinner provides a free meal to anyone who is hungry or would like the fellowship of a meal with others. The leadership team plans the meal, does the shopping and lines up the volunteers to prepare and serve the meal. Those dining with us vary in their circumstance from people attending meetings at the Center to the homeless looking for a meal and a temperature controlled environment for a few hours. We mainly serve the working poor and families struggling to have enough food to feed their family, and the elderly who gather for a nutritious dinner and conversation.
Shoe Fund
The Shoe Fund provides new shoes for Olathe school age children, in partnership with the Olathe Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund. The need of the child must be verified through a school counselor, nurse or social service agency. It is often necessary to provide a new pair of gym shoes for a child or youth so they may participate and pass a gym classes.
Where we work
Awards
Affiliations & memberships
Boys and Girls Clubs of America 2012
Affiliate/Chapter of National Organization (i.e. Girl Scouts of the USA, American Red Cross, etc.) - Affiliate/chapter 1958
External reviews

Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The ultimate goal at the Center of Grace is to nurture children, strengthen families and build community, primarily in Olathe. We nurture children in our Migrant Preschool, where they are learning English and preparing for Kindergarten as they attend a quality preschool. We also nurture children and youth through our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. Currently we are serving 120 students K-12. The goal is that each student will graduate from high school with post-secondary plans in place. We also nurture children through the Kansas Reading Roadmap program, which works with K-3 students to make sure they are at or above reading level. We strengthen poor working families by helping them stretch their paycheck as we provide free community meals, clothing, and shoes for their children. We also offer free basic health screenings, dental services in partnership with JCCC, and a medical equipment loaning program. We provide community resource information so that people can access what they need. We strengthen families by partnering with Olathe Parents and Teachers and sharing information about child development. We strengthen families by providing a safe, educational place for their children after school and during the summer in partnership with Boys and Girls Club. We build community by providing a safe place in Olathe where people from all walks of life can gather. We build community when volunteers from all over the community come together to help in all the different activities and programs we offer. We build community at the Center because those who are in need as well as those who want to help come together and get to know one another, have conversation and learn about each other. We build community because we have individuals who get to know each others' names and stories instead of just being a statistic.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
JCCC has received a grant from the state, that we have administered, to offer the Migrant preschool. This grant ends in July of 2018. We have already secured funds to operate next school year and our plan is to continue to look for grants in order to continue to serve these children who otherwise will not be ready to start Kindergarten. The Boys and Girls Club is full and each school year and every summer we have students on a waitlist. The Center of Grace and Boys and Girls Club have agreed to enter into a long term agreement and undergo a capital campaign to renovate and repurpose the building in order to accommodate more students.We plan to continue to reach out to get more financial resources and volunteers to continue to offer those basic services that help those most in need in our community.We also recognize that in order for people to transform their lives, they need opportunities to grow and learn so we will be applying for grants to develop new programs that will give people the chance to be employed and get better jobs.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Arms of Grace dba Center of Grace
Board of directorsas of 2/9/2022
Mr Wayne Sims
Past President & CEO, KVC Health Systems (KVCHS)
Term: 2023 - 2020
Mrs. Tracy Hemsath
K-State Extension Office
Term: 2021 - 2024
Nanette Roberts
Senior Pastor, Grace United Methodist Church
Scott Dandy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Miguel Romero
Ntl. Association of Insurance Commissioners
Brent McCune
Coble McCune Wealth Management
Janice Blansit
Director Adult Education Johnson County Community College
John Nelson
BKD Accounting Firm
Bill Elvin
QC Holdings Inc.
John Parks
Retired
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data