One Heart McKinney will pool its resources to become a one stop shop for those in need. (Courtesy of One Heart McKinney)
McKinney officials and businesses announced in November the official formation of One Heart McKinney, a community collaboration aimed at providing support to those in need.
One Heart McKinney was first launched as a website in 2020 during the pandemic. The website provided a central location for people seeking help and others looking for possibilities of help.
Since then, One Heart McKinney has raised and distributed nearly $ 200,000 in grants to those in need, according to a press release.
Now the original project has evolved. Leaders of the McKinney community are collaborating “in a more formal way to coordinate those who seek to meet the continuing needs of the community, as well as to stay mobilized for future crises as they arise,” Fuller said in the statement.
Scott Elliott, executive director of the Community Lifeline Center in McKinney and a former McKinney City Council member, will step in to become the executive director of One Heart McKinney. Elliott will assume his new role from February 1
In 2019, the Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas conducted a study for the city of McKinney that identified the five basic needs for maximizing everyday well-being. These needs include food and hygiene; mental, physical and spiritual health; lodging; economic stability; and education, City Manager Paul Grimes said in the statement.
“As the UTD study identified, the McKinney community currently has many resources to meet these five basic needs, but there is a significant opportunity for us to better coordinate our efforts to maximize the impact of these resources,” Grimes said in the statement. . “This is the main objective that led to the creation of OHM. “
Rick McDaniel, McKinney ISD superintendent, said One Heart McKinney will seek to streamline all aspects of seeking support for those in need.
“[It] starts with creating a single admissions process, ”McDaniel said in the release.
Local organizations already involved in One Heart McKinney include Christ Fellowship, Town of McKinney, Community Lifeline Center, First McKinney Baptist Church, Hope Clinic, Huge Cafe, Little Free Pantry, Love Life Foundation, McKinney Chamber of Commerce, McKinney Fire Department, McKinney ISD, McKinney Police Department and The Wells Group, the statement said.
“One Heart McKinney has come together to unite all who wish to work together to create a thriving community that benefits us all,” said Lisa Hermes, President and CEO of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce, in the communicated.
Organizations interested in getting involved with One Heart McKinney can contact Scott Elliott at [email protected] More information is also available at www.oneheartmckinney.com.
