About Us
Many children throughout the Greater Kansas City and surrounding areas are living in poverty. Regardless of the barriers which hinder their ability to escape their circumstances the implications are the same; low self-esteem, low self-confidence, inconsistent school attendance, illiteracy & lower achievement in school, less participation in extra-curricular activities and a depth of long lasting social and emotional deficits.
According to the State of Children's Health; Community Health Assessment for the Kansas City Region, published 2019, it reports;
"a higher percentage of children under 18 years old live in poverty than the population as a whole. The percentage of children under 18 years of age who live in poverty has grown in every TSA county since year 2000. The highest percentage of children living in poverty is in Wyandotte County, followed by Jackson County, Clay and Johnson County".
Advantageous Afford is a nonprofit organization that was established with the sole mission of providing social-emotional aid to scholars, K-12, through monetary support, with the intention of building and maintaining their dignity, self-worth and striving to contribute to a sense of normalcy in their lives.
With the help of area Social Workers, Counselors, Teachers and advocates we will partner to identify K-12 scholars, actively attending school, who live within the poverty guidelines and that has a specific need.
Ad-van-ta-geous;
involving or creating favorable circumstances that increase the chances of success or effectiveness
Our Mission
Advantageous Afford is a 501(c)3 organization with the mission of supporting/aiding scholars, K-12, to live healthy and resilient lives through mental health education and social-emotional supports.
Our Founder
Alicia Smith, Licensed Master Social Worker, has been practicing Social Work in the Kansas City area for almost 10 years.
With A Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Development (Missouri State University), a Masters of Social Work degree (UMKC), along with an array of experience working with various at-risk populations, she knows all to well the importance of how feelings of belonging and socialization factors into a child's self-esteem. When both; psychological needs are met, coupled with stable and consistent basic needs ones ability to achieve their full potential is limitless.
Operating off of the premise that there are a number of nonprofit organizations in the area that aim to secure family systems by providing those basic needs; housing, food, safety, etc., there are not many, if any, that focus on the psychological hierarchy of needs for children.
It was then that Advantageous Afford was curated, as our way of contributing to the overall well-being of a better community.