River of Refuge Kicking Off Adopt-A-Family Drive for Christmas These are just a couple of the bikes generous organizations donated as part of last year’s adopt-a-family program. “Kids are supposed to have presents to open on Christmas,” said Jacki Ezell, River of Refuge program director. As coordinator of River of Refuge’s adopt-a-family program, Ezell ensures…

Police Use Old Hospital Tower to Train for Hostage Rescue Kansas City police officers inspect a door as part of a hostage rescue exercise they conducted last month in River of Refuge’s old hospital tower. Dimensions of the door help determine the amount of explosives officers will use to breach the door without hurting the…

Generous Donors Scare Up Great Back-To-School Brunch Saturday’s back-to-school brunch could have been mistaken for a Halloween party. The skeletons that appeared to be roaming the community room were really adults and kids wearing moisturizing masks applied by volunteer beauticians — all part of the program to provide our families a fresh start to the…

ROR Graduate Returns as Case Manager ROR graduate Michelle Baker, right, joined River of River in May to work alongside Dianna Poston as another case manager. Rock bottom came for Michelle Baker when her Independence, Missouri, home had been robbed, her car repossessed, her electricity shut off, and her will to live sapped by a…

ROR Clears Hurdle in Pursuit of Mental Health Funding ABOVE: This file photo from Facebook, featuring donated art for our community room, reminds us of how mental health counseling for ROR families could also brighten their lives. The drive to work part-time at McDonald’s is an excellent attribute for a teen, but we advised against…