KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Friday morning, the Kansas City Center for Inclusion (KCCI) announced a planned merger between it and another LBGTQ+ aid organization, Our Spot KC.
KCCI’s support groups, events, and resources will all continue under Our Spot KC once the merger is complete.
On its face, this is just a simple merger in the name of efficiency, but look a little deeper and you'll find it's actually about years of growth and months of planning paying off.
"I think it's really been remarkable to see how much of the organic on-the-ground work that our community has been doing for decades has kind of transformed into this formal work in the form of organizations and nonprofits," said James Moran, with Our Spot KC.
Emily High with the KCCI remembers growing up in Kansas City when the grassroots organizations were still just seeds.
"This would've changed our lives if we'd have had this," High said. "You kind of can't overstate how much of an impact that has on people."
That life changing doesn't happen with the KCCI's numerous community programs, and it doesn't happen without Our Spot KC's social services and housing work.
Up until this announced merger, both organization's work had been completely separate.
"In our field, we have a tendency to work in silos and kind of not collaborate a lot," Moran said. "And when we saw the opportunity to join forces, we thought that was a great opportunity."
It's good timing too; Our Spot KC is renovating an old school building in KCMO's Marlborough East neighborhood to serve as headquarters.
It'll provide more space for social services, and more space for advocates and volunteers.
The merger is a big first step in consolidating and solidifying services for the LGBTQ+ community.
"Having the space and kind of putting us all under the same roof, I think that we are going to be just so much more effective," High said.
The opening of the new location is expected in August.
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