River of Refuge newsletter, September 2024

River of Refuge Volunteer Installs Dozens of Security Cameras Around Campus

Set back from Raytown Road, River of Refuge’s building and grounds are tempting targets for illicit behavior.

Improved exterior lighting is one way River of Refuge has deterred squatters, burglars, and vandals. And thanks to Hunter Shoptaw, one of its most dedicated volunteers, River of Refuge has electronic eyes watching activity inside and outside its campus.

During the past nine months, Shoptaw has installed approximately 45 cameras around River of Refuge’s main building and the former hospital tower that is attached. Shoptaw estimated he had donated at least $20,000 worth of installation work. River of Refuge purchased the cameras with a $5,500 grant from the H & R Block Foundation.

Introduced to River of Refuge through a board member, Shoptaw devotes his time to River of Refuge because he likes the staff and can identify with the families it serves as someone who grew up poor in the South.

“I know how hard it can be a struggle and I love that they are giving people an opportunity beyond that struggle to get a leg up in their life,” he said. “I feel like people deserve to feel safe. You can’t, you can’t really do anything in your life if you’re constantly living in fear.”

The cameras have recorded people prowling in the parking garage around doors leading into the basement of the building and have also captured a resident who thought it was funny to turn off the lights in the hallway. The cameras have 60 days of storage, which preserves evidence for police investigations.

In one instance, Shoptaw installed a camera on the hospital tower in a position that a previous contractor said could not be done. The camera provides a view of a spot where people used to prop up ladders and climb into the building through windows.

The old camera network covered only about 30% of the area that needed to be watched, Shoptaw said, and it was not user-friendly because it had three different systems. All the cameras in the new system can be monitored from a desktop computer in the administrative offices.

Shoptaw, 44, lives in Kansas City, Kansas with his wife and three children: two boys (ages 16 and 13) and a 15-year-old girl.

He is a manager of a Mastercard mission control and operations center located near the Kansas City airport. His work schedule allows him to spend Thursdays volunteering at River of Refuge.

In addition to the cameras, Shoptaw works on other IT projects for River of Refuge. That work includes upgrading the digital signage at the entrance to the building.

Shoptaw’s children volunteer with him at River of Refuge as part of the principles outlined in the family crest Shoptaw has tattooed on his right shoulder. The crest’s four quadrants represent service (or servant), leader, teacher, and warrior.

Everything flows from service.

“So we serve by teaching, we serve by service, we serve by fighting and standing up for people,” Shoptaw said. “Everything has to follow the service ideal, whether that’s picking up a broom or standing up to people who are being hurt.”

 

ROR Announces Winner of Gala Raffle

River of Refuge is thrilled to announce Steven Mesh with Krigel Mesh Diamonds in Leawood Kansas, as the winner of a 20-year-old bottle of Pappy Van Winkle whiskey through the raffle in advance of next month’s gala.

The raffle raised approximately $10,400, and River of Refuge is so thankful for all the participants.

The gala is Oct. 25. More details and registration information are below.

See you next month!

 

 

 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

As many of you know, Authentic Life Clinical Counseling & Wellness opened a new office in our facility in May. They are our partner in providing mental health services for our kiddos and families, thanks to a grant from the Children’s Services Fund of Jackson County.

As we move forward, we discover more that we can do together to better serve the families in our program. One such “aha” moment came after therapy began with several of our children.

The primary therapist assigned to our families is Caitlyn. In discussions with her colleagues and our staff, she determined it would be great if we offered a weekly class regarding parenting from the mental development lens.

With that discovery came a six-week advanced parenting course, which soon evolved into a twelve-week course.

River of Refuge has always had mandatory parenting classes on Wednesday evenings. In late June, we paused parenting and assigned all adults in the program to the new twelve-week course.

All new families begin parenting in the advanced class, so there are always two parenting classes running in two different spaces each week. We’ve had great comments from parents about the switch-up.

Five families have completed the course and have resumed the regular parenting class taught by Mike and Sebrina from Renders Hope. They have been great partners for the last three years.

With the cool mornings heralding the arrival of fall, thoughts of the holidays have crept into my mind. The additional parenting assistance we are providing will certainly be valuable during the holiday season, which can be stressful for all of us.

Partnerships and collaborations are always key in the nonprofit world. We cannot solve all of the problems and challenges that families experience, but with other agencies and even for-profit organizations, we can be part of the total solution.

Until Next Time,
Pamela Seymour, Executive Director

P.S. Don’t forget, our annual fundraising event is October 25. You won’t want to miss it.  There will be a buffet dinner with drinks at Grand Street Café near the Country Club Plaza, a program, live and silent auctions, and a testimonial from a recent River of Refuge graduate. Come join us!