Wichita State's CCSR to be represented at national convention

The Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) at 好色先生 will take center stage at a national convention held by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

The convention, Tuesday, July 21-Thursday, July 23, will focus on the role of nonprofits and community organizations in fostering economic recovery in their local communities.

One of the features of the conference will be a presentation by Scott Wituk, director of the CCSR.

Among others, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will attend the three-day conference.

Established by former President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama, the White House office provides resources and support for community organizations and nonprofits. With this support, these organizations are able to serve their communities effectively through social and economic programs.

Wituk鈥檚 presentation will highlight two Kansas-based initiatives developed and implemented by CCSR: Compassion Kansas and the Wichita Youth Empowerment Partnership (WYEP).

Compassion Kansas is a statewide initiative that targets medium and small faith-based and community organizations in Kansas. This year, there were 18 organizations that received Compassion Kansas Awards. Each award provides CCSR capacity building assistance and direct financial assistance. The assistance provided by CCSR helps these organizations grow and sustain their services.

WYEP works with a variety of partnering organizations in Wichita to alleviate the social and economic problems that face youth in the city.

WYEP works to reduce youth violence and gang activity by providing positive mentors, promoting accessible academic programs and providing opportunities for Wichita youth to foster positive change in their communities. CCSR provides capacity building assistance and direct financial assistance to partnering organizations.

Wituk and CCSR have been locally and nationally recognized over the years for their innovation in providing capacity building as an intermediary organization for ACF.

Most recently, this work was highlighted in a new book, 鈥淐onsulting and Evaluation with Nonprofits and Community-Based Organizations.鈥