River of Refuge newsletter, August 2024

‘This is not an opportunity that happens every day’

Federal Grant Would Fund Energy Upgrades at River of Refuge

Imagine opening your electric bill and finding that it was about 140% higher than the monthly average you had paid the previous year and was two-thirds higher than the same month a year ago.

River of Refuge Executive Director Pam Seymour had that unpleasant scenario play out in July and August with electric bills of approximately $5,400.

ROR houses its families, operates its administrative offices, and hosts business tenants in a building that dates to the late 1970s. The electric bills were another reminder to Seymour and Facilities Manager Gregg Relaford of the costs of operating an antiquated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Help could come from a federal grant opportunity available through the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). MARC is coordinating a competitive grant process that is expected to provide up to $200,000 to each winning applicant.

Part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill enacted in 2021, the Renew America’s Nonprofits program aims to reduce carbon emissions, improve health and safety, and lower utilities costs at buildings owned and operated by nonprofits.

Seymour kept close tabs on the MARC process because, she said, “This is not an opportunity that happens every day.”

Relaford estimated that ROR could reduce its energy consumption by as much as 20% through the improvements it would fund through the grant—equalling reductions he has already achieved through time-intensive manual processes he has implemented during his six years with the organization.

For example, at the change of seasons, and sometimes daily when temperatures fluctuate greatly, Relaford climbs a ladder throughout the building and moves dampers that control the flow of hot and cold air.

With Renew America’s Nonprofits funding, ROR would consolidate the four systems now controlling its HVAC system into one computer program that Relaford could operate from a computer terminal or his cell phone. The HVAC system heats and cools 45 zones throughout the building.

The biggest energy saver through that improvement would be that the system could moderate airflow into different areas of the building based on temperature needs. The system now runs continuously to maintain a comfortable temperature in some areas while making other offices or spaces too hot or cold.

A computerized system would also give greater control over heating and cooling non-congregant areas like closets and hallways.

Computerization would “make everything so much more efficient because we are not overworking everything,” Relaford said.

ROR would also use the grant funding to replace an aging three-way water valve in the boiler room. Relaford said a catastrophic failure of the valve would send tens of thousands of gallons of water into the basement and destroy the power system.

In addition to making ROR a better environmental steward, Seymour would redirect the cost savings from the energy upgrades to hiring a fundraising manager and making the administrative assistant position full-time.

ROR operates a 24/7 organization with just four full-time employees (and two part-time positions).

Seymour said the fundraising position would help ROR find dollars to upgrade the playground for the families. She also said it would be beneficial to have money to set aside for unplanned maintenance issues.

“A building this age, you are just going to have that,” she said. “There is always going to be something wrong with it.”

Seymour said better climate control would also improve service to ROR families by ensuring temperatures within the units are conducive to kids concentrating on homework and parents working from home.

A modern HVAC system would also better serve families when the system shuts off in severe weather, Relaford said. A summer thunderstorm or winter snowstorm can leave units very hot or cold by the time Relaford gets word that he needs to come to the building and restart the system.

With an upgraded system, he could monitor and restart it from home.

It can take Relaford as long as a week to adjust all the dampers in the building when changing from one season to the next. That is not the best use of his time.

“It takes me away from prepping the units to get families in, fixing things for the families,” he said. “It takes me away from the reports I have to do. It just takes me away from the rest of my job.”

 

Church Volunteers Help River of Refuge Building Sparkle Inside and Outside

River of Refuge owes a huge debt of gratitude to two church groups that spruced up our building and grounds during separate volunteer efforts within the past month.

Our friends from Grace Church in Texas made their tenth visit to ROR at the end of July, and about a dozen volunteers split the work between painting our large gathering room and weeding the lower part of the parking deck. The group worked for a day and a half.

Church members noted one 15-year-old volunteer who has made every trip with the group.

On August 3, nearly 100 volunteers from Radiant Church in Overland Park, Kansas, spent the morning on several projects, including weeding and replacing mulch around the parking deck. Other volunteers painted a stairwell on the administrative side of the building, sorted school supplies for kids living at ROR, and organized our pantries.

This was Radiant’s third year volunteering at ROR. The group included about 20 kids.

ROR Executive Director Pam Seymour said the church groups make a huge difference.

The outside work is vital to making the grounds inviting for the families working the ROR program and visitors, she said, and organizing the pantries is another task that means a lot.

“The time they spend here is invaluable,” Seymour said. “What they can get done on a Saturday morning or a couple of days by having the masses here is really unobtainable by the current six staff members who are working hard with the families.”

 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

We all know that life is full of ups and downs, and this past month has reminded me of how true that is.

On July 24, I had the extraordinary opportunity to sit in the Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat at the Royals game. Scott Walz, an ROR founder and board member, nominated me for the honor. I received four free tickets and chose my people carefully! My husband and his 93-year-old mother were on the list, of course, and I couldn’t help but include Scott and Sheri Walz. We all had a wonderful time, and it was my mother-in-law’s first game at Kauffman Stadium.

According to the Royals’ website, the Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat “continues to be one of the greatest Kansas City honors for individuals impacting our community. While Buck loved baseball, his love of this city and its people will always be at the forefront for all those who knew him.”

O’Neil’s seat is the only red seat in the stadium, and it is where he sat when scouting.

Our seats were close to home plate in the Diamond Club section and the treatment by staff made me feel like a princess!

It was a true privilege to sit in the seat. Thank you Royals and Scott Walz!

And then, a little more than two weeks after my wonderful experience at Kauffman Stadium, I and the rest of the ROR staff experienced a profound loss with the death of our beloved weekly volunteer, David Showalter, who had been with us for more than four years.

He died at his home on August 11, according to his online obituary.

He was a retired licensed clinical social worker and spent his Wednesdays with us scheduling life-skills classes, conducting mental health assessments with all new adults that entered our program, conducting bi-annual surveys with graduates of the program, and providing free counseling on the weekends to adult family members who needed help.

His obituary noted that David “had a great sense of humor. He was ornery and fun-loving around his friends. He did like to tease and think of a good joke to play on a friend or sister.”

We certainly saw that side of him. Every week we braced ourselves for what he was up to on that particular Wednesday. David and I met when I was at Shepherd’s Center and he was getting ready to retire and was interviewing non-profits where he might want to volunteer.

The rest is history and while we are so sad about his passing, we can all enjoy our memories of times with David. RIP, David!

Until Next Time,
Pamela Seymour, Executive Director