Heartstrings Community Foundation

Heartstrings brings joy and purpose to the I/DD community in so many ways. I am honored to be a part of a great organization that puts people first!

Most rewarding job ever! I love seeing their smiles when they arrive!

Absolute best part of my Wednesday is when the heartstrings team comes around the office with their snack cart.

Heartstrings is one of the greatest organizations I have ever had the pleasure of being involved with. I worked there as a Team Leader years ago and cannot say enough great things about my experience. Amazing people and an amazing mission.

Heartstrings is an organization that just gets it. They do so much in the community, and their dedication and passion for helping people is evident.

Heartstrings is a phenomenal organization that has been making a positive impact in the community and changing lives for the better for decades.

They are awesome to be around! Always bring the energy

I’ve been involved with Heartsrings for 20 years. Their employees are awesome and Goody Delivery is the highlight of my work week!

Heartstrings is a model organization dedicated to providing adults with intellectual and developmental challenges with career and social opportunities. It’s done far more than help the disabled, but brings so much to all communities.

Such a great group of people who are focused on helping to bring awareness and understanding as well as lifting up the spirits of those they serve. Incredible work with the IDD and innovative ideas that really work!

Heartstrings community foundation is a wonderful nonprofit. The work they do with individuals with IDD(intellectual developmental disabilities) is truly a unique experience for our community. They truly make us all strive to be better human beings with their compassion and encouragement for the IDD community. Keep up the wonderful work.

Heartstrings community foundation is truly a remarkable organization. Unlike any I have personally seen. This organization is unique, heartwarming, and full of caring and compassionate individuals. Every time I see a post or an item that’s been made I just get so excited. I look forward to seeing more from them for many years to come. Keep up the amazing work! God bless you all!

I have been volunteering at Heartstrings for the past 20 years...I think that says it all! The staff are wonderful people, always professional and caring. And the mission is spot on for our community!

I LOVE HCF and their mission. They are always a joy to see!

Heartstrings is a wonderful organization that helps IDD adults find their niche in the community.

The employees that work at Heartstrings are always making me smile and make my day! They also have the best snacks on their Goody Delivery cart! The work they are doing is so impactful and is a joy to get to witness.

100% committed to providing quality service to their clients.

It is always a pleasure to have the Heartstrings crew come through with their Goody Cart!

As volunteer Chairperson of the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Board for the City of Olathe, Kansas, I have interacted with Heartstrings on several occasions . They have met with and presented to our Board and they have our full support. They are making a real difference in the lives of our intellectually and developmentally disabled citizens. Their products are outstanding and they are making great advances in disability awareness and in support of the disabled community around the entire Kansas City area. It is an outstanding organization!

As a team leader I have had the experience of working with the employees. The growth in their skills and social interactions makes me proud to be part of Heartstrings Community Foundation. An amazing and supportive organization.!

Interacting with the Goody Delivery sales people is the highlight of our week! You can tell they love their work! We usually get a good joke and a laugh! We are so thankful for Heartstrings Community Foundation and the great work they do!

There are so many ways that I benefit from my involvement with Heartstrings. From Goody Delivery visits to engagement with the staff, I always come away with more than I give. What an incredible asset for the Kansas City community!

When our Rachel was considered for attendance at Heartstrings Community Foundation, we thought, "Oh, they won't have room for her." But they found room! From that point on, Heartstrings has always found room for Rachel. She currently has osteoarthritis and dementia, but regardless of her level of functioning, they continue to find activities that fit her skills and meet her needs. We couldn't be more thankful for Heartstrings Community Foundation!

Heartstrings Community Foundation is an indispensable non-profit in the Kansas City area. It has lovingly & faithfully served members of the IDD population for decades and has provided my twin sister with the opportunity of having a productive & meaningful life. My twin was born with Down Syndrome, and for over 20 years, Heartstrings has created a sense of community for her and helped her reach her fullest potential.
There is not a day that goes by that my family is not grateful for the service Heartstrings provides my sister, and I'm absolutely sure my twin sister could not conceive of her life without Heartstrings.

I have been associated with Heartstrings Community Foundation these past 20+ years. I am their insurance agent. During that time, I have witnessed the training that they provide their clients. This training prepares these individuals to function in the workplace.This training is so thorough, that these individuals do not have accidents. They know how to do their work the right way. We never had a work comp claim.

Heartstrings really cares and works hard for their team members and ensures their success. It's great to see their passion and effort to provide a quality environment and a desire for everyone to be visible and happy. We look forward to a long association with Heartstrings as we know the vision and effort, they put into making everyone successful and happy.

I have worked at Heartstrings Community Foundation for over 12 years now. Coming to work daily and seeing the growth the employees have made in my tenure is amazing! The staff do a wonderful job of teaching the skills the employees need to be successful in the workforce community. Heartstrings takes pride in being an employment opportunity for adults with intellectual developmental disabilities.

I worked with Spence when he needed help from Heartstrings staff to get through the day. With that help he blossomed into a confident person who is not afraid to talk to anyone. We've remained friends and I'm amazed at the growth I've seen in him over the years thanks to Heartstrings.

Fantastic group of people doing. a wonderful job with disabled young people.

It is positively JOYFUL to witness the work of Heartstrings!

When Heartstrings arrives at our office the place lightens up. It builds comradery in the office when our people gather to purchase their fabulous goodies. They can turn a Bad Day into a good one. Thanks for including us at A L Huber Construction.

Joe Huber

A donation to Heartstrings Community Foundation® (HCF) is a tax-exempt investment in our community! Heartstrings Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and is a licensed provider of Day Service for adults with developmental disabilities in the state of Kansas. I became a supporter of HCF soon after it was founded in 1999 by Anne Hull. Anne & her husband Mack Hull had two children born with profound disabilities. Some parents may have accepted the fate of their children and settled for whatever resources could be found near their home, but the Hulls put their children first, moving their family from a rural Missouri community to Overland Park, KS, to take advantage of the programs in place for challenged children in the Blue Valley School District. However, once their children had outgrown those programs, the Hulls searched far and wide to identify an organization focused on maximizing the socialization experience of young adults with disabilities, only to discover no such entity then existed in this area. So Anne Hull, with her husband’s support, founded HCF!

Since its humble beginning, HCF has grown dramatically. in sum, its Mission is to assist adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities to live meaningful, independent, productive lives through interactions within the community. It pursues this worthy goal by providing a unique Employment Service enabling these challenged young adults to work on teams in the two businesses that HCF operates: Goody Delivery (https://heartstringscf.org/heartstrings-goody-delivery-service/) and Sacks on Santa Fe (https://heartstringscf.org/sacks-on-santa-fe-boutique-resale-clothing-store/). The 2017 Annual Report reflects that HCF’s 44 challenged young adult employees interacted with 15,000 customers at 122 businesses (including Wells Fargo) through their employment on Goody Delivery teams, and served 2,018.5 volunteer hours in the community.

I introduced HCF’s Goody Delivery to Wells Fargo’s legacy firm (A.G. Edwards) when I was employed there from 2001 to 2009, and when I returned to practicing law at the Parman and Easterday Law Firm in 2010, I had the Goody Delivery team visit there weekly. They continue to visit there even though I am now with Wells Fargo Private Bank. Throughout the years, I have developed personal friendships with many of the HCF employees. It never ceases to amaze me how well these challenged young adults not only remembered me from week to week, but asked about members of my family and shared with me their own victories and joys in life! My wife and I also support HCF by annually attending their Heartstrings in Bloom fundraising dinner each April, and make yearly cash donations, as well.

I have been taking pictures for Heartstrings over the past 12+ years. Being involved has brought so much joy to my heart. The employees are treated equally and valued in the community. I really wish they could expand so that more adults with special needs could have the same opportunities.

I always enjoyed seeing Heartstrings show up at our office and sell treats to us! Great attitudes and smiles. That's what inspired me to start helping out with Heartstrings!

Heartstrings Community Foundation is an amazing organization. They work with so many adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities to ensure positive employment opportunities while working with the community.

i have been involved with Heartstrings for the past 15 years and the positive contribution Heartstrings makes in the Kansas City community is astounding. The Heartstrings' employees and staff are wonderful and their Goody Delivery service is unique and allows for quality business interaction with Heartstrings' employees and the business community. Heartstrings has impacted hundreds of individuals in the Kansas City community and i look forward to seeing their continued success!

I have worked with Heartstrings for 7 years and have donated for 2 years. It's inspiring to see their dedication to their employees' success. They are always looking for new and better ways to help adults with I/DD gain independence and employment. These are some of the best people I know!

I started volunteering at Heartstrings when I was in high school which turned into a full time position during the summers between college. For two summers I was able to be a team leader and loved working with all the individuals here. I worked with a team of 3-5 adults, our tasks changed daily and the team of adults changed daily. Some tasks involved packaging food products for the Goody Delivery Service, going on Goody Delivery to businesses and selling those packaged products, fun activities like visiting Deanna Rose or the Marble Factory, we would workout at the local Jewish Community Center, deliver meals for Meals on Wheels, worked the store fronts for Sacks on Santa Fe and the main location. Everyday was new and brought a new experience or new memory. Once I graduated college, I was transitioning to be a Board Member but a move to New Jersey prohibited that. I will sometimes see a participant I worked with back in 2008 and 2009 and I'm amazed how much they remember about our time working together and how I made an impact on their life, just like they did for me. This Foundation will always hold a special place in my heart. I wish I could do more for Heartstrings and the positive impact and value they bring to the community.

Our son Blake has been an employee of Heartstrings Community Foundation since the day he graduated high school. Heartstrings has been a blessing in our lives and Blake's life every single day since then. Blake loves going to work and loves the people he works with. I hear from friends in the community all the time that they see Blake on the Goody Delivery service. Heartstrings gives Blake meaningful work every day and he has grown as a person because of this fantastic organization. I can't imagine our lives without Heartstrings Community Foundation.

We arrived in KC with our adult son with autism, expecting he would finish out the transition school program we'd so carefully researched, and he'd be successfully placed in a job that brought him satisfaction and some income. He is three jobs later now, well beyond school age. It turns out work is harder for him to keep than to find. The one steady star in our world has been Heartstrings Community Foundation. Heartstrings welcomed us and our son -- and he enjoys his work. At Heartstrings, he makes dog biscuits (his favorite,) packages goodies for delivery and sales, participates on cleaning crew, runs errands -- all the while, receiving support and training in interpersonal and other essential employment skills. Heartstrings understands that all individuals deserve and wish to spend their days performing a blend of meaningful work and activities. They deliver services with compassion, and we know how lucky we are.

Heartstrings has given my son the ability to grow emotionally and learn new skills while being active in the community. Heartstrings also gives him the opportunity to give back to his community by visiting nursing homes and building relationships with the residents. Heartstrings believes in developing abilities not limiting by disabilities.

Being a volunteer and Board member with Heartstrings Community Foundation helps me relate to what it means to the employees to be a part of their group. Employees with intellectual/developmental disabilities show commitment, pride and stronger self-esteem as they come and go from their daily work schedules and community involvement. Each employee is either taking part in the “goody” products sales trips to local corporate offices or assisting in the two Heartstrings shops and sales. Even taking part in maintenance of their shops goes hand-in-hand with spending time participating in health and fitness activities, and giving to others through outings at local nursing homes. Smiles are everywhere at Heartstrings because of what the organization has committed to our community’s special population and the employees’ pride in their group. Growth comes with community awareness, participation and giving. I’m so proud to be part of the Heartstrings group, and I know anyone who has an opportunity to review the offerings Heartstrings provides will be anxious to be a part as well.

Roseann

Heartstrings provides fulfilling and rewarding community-based employment opportunities for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. These wonderful employees produce a smile on the face of everyone that they interact with!

Heartstrings , through its various programs/businesses, does an excellent job of giving its clients meaningful, fulfilling , and dignified employment. The pride of the clients is palpable . Donors can be assured that their donations will be used effectively; HCF is a very tightly run operation.

My son has benefited from being part of Heartstrings for the past 9 years. They empower the individuals they serve by allowing them to choose their activities. Many times this is the first time the person has been given an opportunity to voice their opinion. My son has become more social, engaging and helpful while learning new job skills. He knows the value of greeting others with a handshake and introducing himself with a smile. Many of the tasks learned on the job can be put to work at home as well, such as doing laundry and cleaning. Life was such a struggle after high school graduation; finding Heartstrings was an answer to prayer. They are a unique organization that is worth of your support.

Heartstrings provides choices of employment, that are interactive with general public, for adults with intellectual /developmental disabilities

It is a great privilege to be a part of Heartstrings Community Foundation! This organization has an entrepreneurial attitude that creates unique opportunities for adults with I/DD. They are working in the community each day and building relationships through work.

I see the dramatic impact this organization has on our community every day and it makes me very proud to be a part of it! Adults with developmental disabilities are working in the community and making friends every day. It is amazing to see the "ability" in people labeled disabled!