When Janet Miles-Bartee relocated to Kansas City in 1997, she began her career as an elementary school teacher, believing that education was the most effective way to make a difference.
After volunteering with an after-school program brought to the school where she was teaching, through a partnership with Greater KC LINC, a community organization, her perspective was broadened.
Miles-Bartee realized the profound impact she could have not only on the children LINC served, but also on their families and the wider community.
Her dedication led her to take on a full-time role as a site coordinator at LINC and through years of hard work, she advanced to supervisor and eventually to President and CEO of the local nonprofit.
After decades of service, she takes pride in supporting the community through a range of programs that provide youth outreach, emergency relief, workforce development, and foster child skills training.
Recently Miles-Bartee sat down with The Kansas City Star’s culture and identity reporter, J.M. Banks, and talked about the transitioning into nonprofit work, finding a passion for helping the community and her fears these days about federal and state budget cuts.
Banks: Can you begin by telling me about your early life and upbringing?
Miles-Bartee: I was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and that is where I attended elementary, middle and high school. I even attended college at Philander Smith College there. My mom was a teacher and my dad was a preacher which played a lot into what I do today. My background is in elementary education and I moved to Kansas City back in 1997.
How did you transition from teaching to CEO of LINC?
LINC had an after-school program I started to work with at the school where I was teaching. I enjoyed working in the program and what was interesting was we were able to serve the whole child. If there were issues at home we would point to resources. If they needed food or whatever it was, we would help not only the child but put attention on the entire family.
So, after teaching school during the day I would be working at the after school program. The young lady who was running that program as the site director was going to take another job and she said you should apply for my job. I got the job and I was excited because I was able to do so much more for the children that we serve.
In the classroom you are limited. Yes you are able to reach them on an education level, but I was excited to serve the child, the family, the neighborhood and the community.
I took that job and shortly after I was asked to be a supervisor, then, shortly after I was asked if I would take the job of supervisor to the supervisors and I did that. I later became the first vice president that LINC had, so I truly started from the bottom and worked my way up.
Can you tell me about the work your organization does in the community?
We are a nonprofit and do a lot of social service work in the community. One of the things we are known most for is our work with the school districts where we provide them with a caring community site and we also do that before and after school.
We are in 54 schools in the Kansas City area and serve about 6,500 students a day at this time. We also do workforce development. LINC has case managers that serve 775 people with that program where we do anything to help people in the welfare system overcome barriers, like job training, whatever it takes for them to be self-sufficient. We distribute about $153,000 in incentives to that population.
We also have our Justice In The Schools program where we provide legal services for families. We have impacted about 197 children this year that have been represented through our program and connected about 632 families with legal aid.
We also have an athletic program where we work with the students in our program. We do emergency assistance where we help with lights, water, gas, whatever it takes for our families to thrive. We have a foster youth transition program where we serve about 600 foster youths and help them gain skills and confidence so they can become a productive citizen. We do early childhood support where we work with local daycare centers offering them training and we help to build a stronger safety net around those daycares. We do quite a bit.
What are the main challenges that LINC faces in achieving its goals?
We are state and federally funded so we do feel like we’re going to be facing challenges as we move into the upcoming budget year. We are being proactive rather than reactive, so we are already looking at whether cuts need to be made and where they can be made.
We are trying to look at other funding streams and looking at more private donors so we do have a plan in place. Just like everybody else out here who depends on state and federal funds, we’re just kind of sitting tight until we know more.
How do you feel your work impacts the community around you?
I think one of the things that LINC does that is really impactful is that people recognize us as a stable part of the community. Just the services we offer are offered with no judgment or with support without hitting a brick wall. A lot of times when people reach out for services they hit a brick wall because there is something they didn’t do, something they didn’t know, some piece of information they didn’t have and we really try to remove those barriers.
We have a website where people can reach out through. We are in 54 schools so most people know how to find us there. We are also housed out of Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center and Palestine Senior Citizen Community Center. So we try to be everywhere.
Why do you feel it is important for community organizations like LINC to form partnerships and collaborate with other groups?
I am a believer that we are stronger together than we are separate. When we collaborate together it brings more resources to the table that we bring to the community we serve.
What is your favorite part about the work you do in the community?
I think just having people acknowledge that if it were not for LINC in the community, they don’t know what they would do. So being able to remove those barriers and offer help.
Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that guides you?
I think I am a believer in the statement that I am my brother’s keeper. Growing up as a minister’s daughter I was taught whatever happens to one happens to all and make sure you are building up people.
What are your organization’s goals for the future?
Yes, a big goal we are really looking toward is senior care and what we can do in our community to offer more resources for senior population.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to follow the same career path as yourself?
One thing I say to our staff is that this is not just hard work, it is heart work. The person looking to follow a similar path needs to have the heart for the work and it needs to be truly something that they are passionate about.
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