Nonprofits Create Community is NIA’s theme for 2026, as we celebrate the ways that nonprofits come through for their communities in spite of all the challenges facing them. In this series, meet some NIA-insured nonprofits who share their stories of creating community in their own words.
Meet Empower Life Community Services of Chaffee, MO
Rev. Laurie White MRSS, Founder & CEO of Empower Life Community Services explains:
“At Empower Life Community Services, our mission is to support individuals, restore families, and build community.”
How does your nonprofit and your mission create community for the people and places you serve?
Providing a Popular Community Center Serving Many Different Groups
“We build community by offering a Coffee and Community Center, which resembles a very large family room with comfy leather furniture, various restaurant-style tables, ping pong, a pool table, air hockey, a retro arcade, several large TVs, and a full-service coffee bar.
We host various groups and activities, including family fun nights, arts-and-crafts classes, D&D and TCG nights, cooking classes, community giveaways, accountability breakfasts, recovery groups, and more.
We are open to the community five days and three evenings each week, with AA meetings on a separate evening.”
What are your nonprofit’s biggest challenges or obstacles to creating community?
Noisy, Unsupervised Kids in a Busy Community Center. Also, Funding
“The noise level within the community center is a continual struggle as we serve 45-60 individuals during family fun nights. We also sometimes struggle with adequate parental supervision of children.
And, like most nonprofits, we always seek new funding sources.” ch our resources, collaborate creatively with other nonprofits, and continue showing up for the youth who depend on us.”
