With help from Will Katz (left), director of KU’s Kansas Small Business Development Center, restaurateur Hilary Brown (right) created Local Burger in downtown Lawrence.
Kansas and Beyond
KU lends a hand, builds bridges, transforms lives
Service and outreach comes last in KU’s mission statement, following teaching and research. But for many people, it is the primary face of KU, the part that benefits them most directly.
Across the university, students, faculty, staff and volunteers work with people in Kansas and beyond to meet specific needs. Often, the work happens behind the scenes: in neighborhoods, city clinics and public school classrooms, even in other countries. Often, it is inextricably tied to learning.
KU’s dozens of service and outreach programs range from Kansas Public Radio to the JayDoc Free Clinic in Kansas City, Kan. They include law clinics, social welfare offices, the Natural History Museum’s science summer camps for kids, and the Army Wounded Warriors Education Initiative.
But that service doesn’t happen for free. Programs must meet costs for office space, materials, equipment and transportation. Many rely on donors, who quietly serve by contributing to help meet costs.
Visit kuendowment.org/service/ to find collected links with information on many of KU’s service and outreach programs. Or contact the area of KU closest to your heart to learn about a program there that could benefit from your support. You can give to any program by visiting kuendowment.org/givenow/ and typing in the program’s name.
The full version of this story profiles three specific projects from the long list of KU service programs. To see the full version of this and many other stories, please download Issue 8 of our magazine, KU Giving.