Most all the refugee resettlement network non-profit offices are located within several blocks in downtown Wichita. 700 N. Market Street in Wichita Kansas is the address for not only the Norvus Orsa Ministries but also for the Immigration Law Office. Norvus Orsa provides refugee services.
The immigration attorney, Anani Sandrine Lisk-Boydston is also the creator and spokeswoman for Immigration Advocacy in Wichita. Lisk received her law degree at the University of Kentucky. She was admitted to the bar in 1995. She is also a member of AILA – the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Lisk has another Wichita address listed at 532 N. Broadway. This address has been the home to numerous non-profits over the years. The non-profit that is currently connected to Lisk’s name is called the Food Network for Children. Dennis J. Molamphy is another attorney listed at the 532 N. Broadway address. He works in the areas of child custody, divorce and criminal law.
The 532 N. Broadway address is also the office for the Foster Grandparent Program as well as the The SNAP Emergency Services run by Catholic Charities, Inc. Catholic Charities also has a phone crisis center at this location manned by volunteers. An interpreter service is also listed in the business pages for this address. I could find no property records for the address. It is no doubt owned by the Catholic Church, which would make it exempt.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas. It covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Ellsworth, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick, Sumner, Wilson, and Woodson counties in south central and southeast Kansas. The diocese is home to 120,527 Catholics in 91 parishes. It is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
Since the 990 for the Wichita Catholic Charities did not provide a complete listing of offices they administer and since the Wichita Catholic diocese is exempt from revealing its sources of funding, I ran a search under “Catholic” at the federal contracts website. This turned up a number of grants to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). (Kansas office)
CORPORATION for NATIONAL and COMMUNITY SERVICE
CNCS
According to President Obama: “Local communities, and states, are on the front lines of building welcoming communities, but their capacity is often limited. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will inject energetic AmeriCorps VISTA members into communities to help them increase capacity, expand multi-sector networks, and develop and implement local integration plans.”
Kansas CNCS State Offices
Molly Turner
2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 650
Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816-426-2079
You will not find specific categories named “refugee or “immigrant” on their website. Instead they are "hidden" under categories such as "faith-based-based", "community initiatives", "neighborhood partnerships", "social innovation", "social responsibility", and even general terms like health and education.
See Also:
Kansas CNCS
From the pamphlet:
In 2015, the Corporation for National and Community Service will commit more than $7,710,000 to support Kansas communities through national service initiatives. CNCS invests in cost-effective community solutions--working hand in hand with local partners to improve lives, expand economic opportunity, and engage citizens in solving problems in their communities. Serving in many of the state's most impoverished communities, CNCS provides vital support to schools, food banks, homeless shelters, community health clinics, youth centers, veterans service facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations at a time of growing demand for services. Through a unique public-private partnership, this federal investment will leverage an additional $3,320,000 in other resources to strengthen community impact, build local support, and increase return on taxpayer dollars.
Most AmeriCorps grant funding goes to the Kansas Volunteer Commission, which in turn awards grants to nonprofit groups to respond to local needs. Most of the remainder of the grant funding is distributed by CNCS directly to multi-state and national organizations through a competitive grants process. Other individuals serve through AmeriCorps VISTA, whose members help bring individuals and communities out of poverty by serving full-time to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, and increase housing opportunities
Wichita State University VISTA Recruitment information.
KVC - Kansas Volunteer Center
AMERICORPS
Brittany Stiffler Crabtree
She has been busy in non-profit work since high school where she was very active in Wichita Promise Youth Council and the Wichita Promise - Alliance for Youth. (see her resume at the hyperlink above)
She is very involved in Americorps and is still active in many aspects of its work. The list includes volunteer work at the Harvesters Community Food Bank and for the Numana Haiti Relief project. She worked as a constituent liason, assistant press secretary and policy team member for Kathleen Sebelius (2007-2009). She was the state program specialist for the Kansas and Missouri Office of CNCS. She is now the current director of education and marketing for LeadingAge Kansas (formerly KASHA).
Brittany is also a member of the Kansas Leadership Center (20-5953542). Ex state legislator, Ed O'Malley, is the director.
Crabtree is is fond of listing herself as co-founder of Blnx Consulting although I could find no information in the Kansas Secretary of State business or non-profit filings. There is a London based tech media company by the name of BLINKX but I could find no connection to her. Perhaps she used their services.... However, I did stumble across Binx Consulting which has offices nationwide and generally in places where there is refugee resettlement.
Binx is a privately help company. One of the Houston offices is directed by a registered nurse. Their main consulting activity seems to be acting as certified Life Care Planners. They obtain this certification from ICHCC.org which is the International Commission on Health Care Certification. I definitely plan to dig deeper into Obamacare related health care services that promote "social responsibility." One particular company, United Healthcare, favors foreign born doctors on their provider lists. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?
KANSAS: Sunflower Community Action
Their motto: “Helping people help themselves”
And believe me, they help themselves to money, jobs, housing and education that most Americans must work hard for. Maria Arteaga is the Kansas organizer and firmly backed by the Catholic Social Service of the Dodge City diocese. The Sunflower network also has offices in Wichita. Their work focuses on refugees and immigrants and they work for their rights.
The Sunflower Community Action org (EIN 48-1126805) includes ties to KanVote and Kansans Count. The 501c4 Lobbying arm of the SCA is the Kansas People’s Action group. (EIN 46-0640082). Both are located at 1751 N. Ash in Wichita. Sandrine Lisk, the immigration advocacy attorney is on their board. Thousands of dollars from both groups are spent on lobbying efforts.
They partner with Interfaith Worker Justice. I am Kansas – an affiliate of Welcoming Kansas – is their fundraising group. These are supported by and receive funds from the USCCB (Catholic Bishops Conference). The PICO National Network is often called in to help and they are funded by Catholic parishes nationwide. The Community Creating Opportunity (CCO) nonprofit is a member of the PICO network.
