Standing in the garden behind Sheffield Place, Karly takes in a deep breath and looks around—amazed to see lots of volunteers hard at work.
“It inspires me. It makes me feel so good because this place is so important to me and to everybody,” Karly said.
United Way of Greater Kansas City brought together a group of volunteers, along with two Kansas City Current players and team staff during Spring Seasons of Giving to support local nonprofits, including Impact 100 partner Sheffield Place. The team came together to refresh Sheffield’s garden space—pulling weeds, building and installing new raised beds and assembling outdoor benches.
“To see that there’s complete strangers—a group of people that are interested and involved in helping with the organization that helped me change my life—it’s amazing,” Karly shared. “I think it’s great and I think and I want to help in that way one day, too.”
Karly’s been on quite the journey. She says drugs took hold of her life. And for a long time, it didn’t feel like there was a way out.
“It was really bad,” she shared. “But when I got connected to Sheffield Place, everyone here has been so welcoming. They make you feel comfortable. But at the same time they will call you out on your stuff, and then applaud you when you’re doing right.”
Today, Karly is marking eight months of sobriety. She’s employed full-time at a hotel and is also working toward regaining full custody of her two-year-old daughter.
“I feel like I’m winning in life right now,” Karly said.
She moved out of the primary shelter at Sheffield Place and into the organization’s transitional housing. Karly looks forward to being independent in a home one day, a place where she can raise her daughter and maybe have a garden of her own.
“It’s beautiful. They dedicate their time and effort into us,” she shared. “It took me to almost be lifeless before I realized how important this life is. It just amazes me and I can’t get enough of it.”
When you support United Way and Impact 100, you’re ensuring we can sustain life-changing investments in the lives of moms like Karly. Your gift makes a meaningful difference, impacting 1 in 3 Kansas Citians each year.