River of Refuge newsletter, June 2026

Super Volunteer Brings Lived Experience to River of Refuge

If there’s anybody who can identify with the hurdles our families are striving to overcome, it’s Tiffany Buckley, one of River of Refuge’s most ardent supporters and its pro bono green thumb.

She is 36 years old now, working as a professional photographer (with nearly 300 weddings under her belt), and running Volunteer KC, the nonprofit she founded in 2019.

But a decade ago, she was living in her car after overdosing on antidepressants. Her young adult years also included a stint in jail and inpatient mental health treatment.

Before that, the foster system placed her in six homes over three years, though the disruption did not prevent her from graduating early from Lee’s Summit High School.

Her road to recovery began at Hope House, a domestic violence shelter in Lee’s Summit.

Perhaps her family life would have been different if her parents had the support of a program like River of Refuge, Buckley said. Keeping families together is invaluable, she said.

Buckley maintained ties to her biological father, who battled an addiction to methamphetamine. He died recently.

“I came to terms with his addiction and disease a long time ago,” she said. “There was a choice involved at some point, but eventually it became not a choice.” Buckley knew her dad loved her.

Buckley’s foray into volunteerism began with an underwear drive for the women at Hope House. That drive snowballed into others, and Buckley stood up Volunteer KC with the assistance of a volunteer attorney.

Volunteer KC connects people with volunteer opportunities around the city, including at River of Refuge (See story below).

Buckley’s father always had a small backyard garden when she was growing up, and that experience — plus others as an adult — has benefited River of River.

She works with River of Refuge families to maintain its produce beds, an idea River of Refuge Executive Director Pam Seymour planted with Buckley.

The community garden started with four small raised beds in 2021, and the Lowe’s home improvement store in Roeland Park, Kansas, boosted the program in 2022 by donating staff time and supplies to add a dozen more larger raised beds.

The first harvest of this year recently yielded 40 pounds of produce, including kale, onions, lettuce, and rainbow carrots.

Buckley’s commitment to the garden includes wading through some “elephant-sized turds” during her annual trip to pick up Zoo Manoo, an all-purpose soil conditioner from the Kansas City Zoo.

There are a lot of things to love about River of Refuge, Buckley said, including a dedicated, upbeat staff.

“But if you’re looking for a ‘holy cow, this-is-why-I-do-this moment,’ it’s when the kids harvest the food,” she said.

There’s nothing like watching the looks on their faces when they pull a potato out of the ground.

“The knowledge of where food comes from is just so mystical,” Buckley said.

 

Never a Dull Moment at River of Refuge

As always, we have a lot going on these days. Such as:

A Volunteer KC group rolled into River of Refuge late last month to clean bathrooms, sanitize the children’s playroom, and spruce up the grounds.

“From pulling weeds to planting and beautifying outdoor spaces,” they said in a Facebook post, “every shovel of dirt and every drop of sweat was a reminder that meaningful change often starts with getting your hands dirty.”

And we’re sorry if we seem a little obsessed with our chickens, but they’re a continuous source of joy for the staff and families. After a recent excursion, we doubled our flock to a dozen.

Of course, we only planned to add just four, but that’s what happens when you get to pick out your own for the first time. (A donor gave us the initial flock.)

Among the 10-month-old newcomers are a Silver Laced, a Buff Orpington, two Speckled Sussex, and a Rhode Island Red.

Two other important items of note are:

Don’t forget River of Refuge is offering paid parking for fans heading to World Cup games at nearby Arrowhead Stadium. You can learn more and sign up here.

We have set the date for our annual gala. Mark your calendars for Oct. 16. We are holding the event from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Muehlebach Suite at Boulevard Brewery.

 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

The produce from our vegetable gardens is not the only bounty we reap at River of Refuge when temperatures heat up.

Our summer harvest also includes bushels of warmth from church volunteers, many of whom are groups of kids and their chaperones from out-of-state congregations. This month alone, we’ve hosted groups from Illinois, Iowa and Texas (in addition to two local church groups).

Visitors included members from Graceway Church, our neighbors just down the road from ROR, who are pictured in the photos accompanying this column.

The groups applied some serious elbow grease to our building and grounds, but one incredible gesture didn’t involve any supplies or sweat. Here’s what happened:

While painting a hallway in our family wing, one of the out-of-state groups saw a teenager moving in with her dad and siblings. The group was so touched by the reunion that they asked the case manager if there was anything they could provide for the girl.

The case manager told them that the teen loved to bake, but that we didn’t have many pans or supplies. The next day, one of the church members returned with a bag packed full of baking pans, mixes, and frosting.

Granted, that’s not as healthy as the kale or carrots from our garden. But I think we can look the other way this time! Everything in moderation, right?

But back to the hard work.

Here’s what the volunteers accomplished:

The first-floor hallway in our family wing was painted with a lighter color after 10 years of a drabby brown and lots of hard use.

The overgrowth in our lower park was cleared so that our families can use the walking trail with the iron bridge that crosses over the lovely creek. We have wanted to clear this area for a long time because it is such a perfect area for families to enjoy the outdoors.

The top parking deck flower beds were weeded, trimmed, and filled with fresh mulch.

In addition, the volunteers got our new playground ready for use by moving picnic tables, securing the gazebo, and spacing out other items.

What makes all this hard work even more appreciated is that projects were mostly done by 8- to 16-year-olds. Hard-working kids lending a hand to people they just met.

Three of our own interns from the Center for Developmentally Disabled even joined the group on the final day. How great is that!!!

Enjoy your summer, everyone!

Until Next Time,
Pamela Seymour, Executive Director