CHWC will hold a fundraiser for community redevelopment at 5 p.m. June 28 at Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan.
At the event, the “Continue the Legacy” award will be presented to Craig and Karen Gaffney in honor of their dedication to Community Housing of Wyandotte County, and the Gaffneys’ philanthropic work in the community.
CHWC’s mission is to revitalize, stabilize and reinvest in Kansas City, Kan., neighborhoods through new and improved housing, homebuyer education and counseling, as well as community building and engagement initiatives.
Natives of Wyandotte County who now live in Bonner Springs, Craig Gaffney and Karen Sloan Gaffney both attended Bishop Ward High School, graduating in 1972. They have been involved with CHWC since its inception in 1997, when Craig was on the founding board. Gaffney was the first board chair of CHWC. CHWC has had a profound effect on the neighborhoods the Gaffneys grew up in.
The Gaffneys’ community efforts also include Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce and Bishop Ward High School.
Since CHWC’s founding through the merger of Catholic Housing of Wyandotte County and Neighborhood Housing Services of Kansas City, Kan., in 2002, CHWC has built or renovated about 300 homes with a capital investment of nearly $75 million in Kansas City, Kan., neighborhoods, according to a CHWC spokesman.
This year alone, thanks to strategic partnerships with others, CHWC played a vital role in building another 40-50 homes at an additional investment of more than $6.5 million, the spokesman said. These homes stabilize distressed neighborhoods and provide homeownership opportunities for Wyandotte County families seeking the American dream of homeownership.
However, CHWC doesn’t just build and renovate homes, it provides homebuyer education, housing counseling services, community building projects like renovating the once dilapidated and unsafe Waterway Park, in addition to art programs such as the Community Alley Renovation and Art on the Streets, thanks to CHWC’s Steve Curtis, who has coordinated these programs.
The investment in families through counseling, homebuyer education, as well as other community engagement initiatives, builds long-term sustainability to Kansas City, Kan., neighborhoods, the CHWC spokesman said. Drive through downtown neighborhoods and the lasting effect that CHWC has left on the community will be visible. New homes, renovated homes, minor home repair projects for existing homeowners, new streets, sidewalks, more than $200,000 investment in Waterway Park, EPIC Arts Studio on Strawberry Hill, the renovation of Historic Firestation No. 9, and the reuse of the former Donnelly College site at 12th and Sandusky.
On June 28, in addition to honoring the Gaffneys, the program will salute CHWC’s work during the past year.
The fundraiser begins at 5 p.m. June 28 with cocktails. Dinner, dancing, an auction and field activities will follow. Last year, the event raised nearly $100,000 for the organization. Individual tickets are $75, and table sponsorships start at $1,000. To register for the event, visit www.chwckck.org and click on the event button.
