February 2026 Coalition Meeting Recap
February 21, 2026 – The final third Friday KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion meeting brought together a full room of organizations tackling the digital divide from every angle — from high schoolers in STEM in Kansas City, Missouri, to seniors navigating doctor’s portals in Kansas City, Kansas to adults breaking into tech careers at zero cost. Beginning in March, coalition meetings will shift back to once a month on the first Friday.
Featured Presentation: Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab
Mary Esselman from Operation Breakthrough opened the meeting with an in-depth look at the Ignition Lab, now in its fifth year of operation. Located on the site of a former muffler shop at 31st and Troost, the Ignition Lab offers 12 workforce development zones, many of them technology-centered, and each designed to provide students with an entrepreneurial pathway and real-world credentials.
The Ignition Lab serves approximately 600 students bused in from partner schools during the school day, including Guadalupe, Frontier, Hogan, De LaSalle, Scuola Vita Nuova, and KIPP, with additional students participating in after-school and twilight programs. To make access possible, Operation Breakthrough employs four full-time bus drivers dedicated solely to transporting students to and from the facility.
Standout moments from the lab include a student who completed a real-world client project with the Kansas City Police Department in the 3D printing lab, and a Hogan student team who won judges’ choice at a regional wind turbine competition. Through a partnership with MINDDRIVE, students are currently completing the lab’s first-ever hybrid vehicle built from scratch.
One essential addition is Operation Breakthrough’s math integration work. Noticing that students with advanced technical skills, like proficiency in CAD, were arriving with math skills as low as fourth grade level, the team mapped all lab projects back to 12 core foundational math principles and launched a co-teaching algebra program with Hogan Prep Academy. The results have been significant, with students advancing to algebra and gaining the academic footing needed to pursue post-secondary education.
On the employer side, Operation Breakthrough has placed students with KCNSC, Black & Veatch, and a local electrical company that will take on five summer interns this spring. The team is actively expanding its internship placement work as more students reach the 17–18 age range that most employers require to participate in an internship.
Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab is open to visitors and actively seeking employer partners and internship placements for students. They also offer a Twilight Program (5:30-7:30 p.m.) for students who can’t attend after school, and students can earn stipends through after-school and summer programming. Learn more at operationbreakthrough.org.
Member Spotlight: Vernon Multi-Purpose Center
Helen Beteet introduced the Vernon Multi-Purpose Center, located at 3436 North 27th Street in Kansas City, Kansas inside the historic Vernon School — a former 1936 segregated elementary school built to educate African-American children in Wyandotte County. The building is the last remaining structure from what was once a thriving educational hub in the community, and Vernon has committed to preserving and activating its legacy.
“In 2026, digital literacy is literacy,” Helen told the group. “We are being called to meet a modern version of the same need this building was built to address.”
Helen grounded her presentation with a story: a senior who regularly attends Vernon’s congregate meals program missed a medical appointment not because of transportation or insurance — but because his clinic switched to an online portal he didn’t know how to navigate. “It was a lack of meaningful digital access,” she said.
Vernon’s initial digital literacy program, funded through the Black Community Fund as a six-week pilot, quickly extended to six months when demand proved overwhelming. That first graduating class confirmed what the team suspected: there was a deep and unmet need right in their neighborhood.
Now, Vernon has been awarded an Adopt 2.0 grant to distribute up to 700 devices to community residents. Classes will launch in the coming weeks, with in-person instruction and an online component under development. Vernon is also working toward providing five years of community Wi-Fi access to the surrounding area, pending matching funds.
Vernon is actively seeking:
- Community partners to spread the word about device access and the Adopt 2.0 waitlist
- Volunteer digital literacy instructors
- Organizations that can help connect residents in the 66101, 66102, 66104, and 66106 zip codes
- Funders to support the matching grant requirement for community Wi-Fi
The Vernon Multi-Purpose Center also houses a museum tracing the history of the building and the Quindaro community, including its role as a gateway to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Tours are available by appointment. Visit vernoncenterkck.org or email info@vernoncenterkck.org to connect, schedule a tour, or add someone to the device waitlist.
Member Spotlight: Avenue of Life
Rosie Rodriguez with Avenue of Life shared an overview of the organization’s work addressing family homelessness across Kansas City. Founded in 2013 through a collaboration between CEO Desiree Monize and KCKPS/USD 500, Avenue of Life was formed in response to a spike in family homelessness that saw more than 1,400 families identified in a single year. Within the first three years of the partnership, that number dropped by 50%.
Avenue of Life now serves families across four Wyandotte County districts (Edwardsville, Piper, Turner, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools), as well as Kansas City Public Schools on the Missouri side. Their model centers on intensive case management, collective impact “single-point-of-service” days (where multiple agencies come to one location so families don’t have to travel), and a required family education component that increasingly incorporates digital skills.
“A navigator isn’t just managing someone’s case,” Rosie explained. “They’re being a bridge — coaching families to connect with resources and address current barriers.”
Digital skills are woven into the education component at every level. Families learn to use financial budgeting tools and Excel spreadsheets in Financial Literacy 101. They’re introduced to AI platforms to find and apply for housing listings in real time. Employment 101 teaches resume analysis tools and job search platforms. And families learn to navigate school district parent portals to monitor attendance, a core focus given Avenue of Life’s goal of ending student homelessness through better school engagement.
A youth coordinator embedded at Wyandotte High School works specifically with unaccompanied youth and has driven graduation rates for that population to 98%.
Rosie noted that Avenue of Life is still in early stages with digital skills instruction and welcomed connections to instructors and peer learning opportunities.
Avenue of Life is also sounding an early warning: the upcoming World Cup is already driving housing costs up in Kansas City, with some landlords receiving incentives to renovate properties for visiting guests — pricing out the families Avenue of Life serves. Learn more at avenueoflife.org.
Member Spotlight: Per Scholas Kansas City
Cedric Deadmon of Per Scholas Kansas City presented on the organization’s mission: free, intensive tech training with a laser focus on job attainment.
Per Scholas is a 31-year-old national nonprofit that launched its Kansas City campus in May 2024. Nationally, the organization has trained 31,000 learners: 85% people of color, 65% without a four-year degree, and 40% women. Graduates earn on average three times their pre-training wages after completing the program.
The Per Scholas Kansas City campus in 2025 had an 81% job placement rate, the highest of any Per Scholas campus in the country.
The 15-week program is offered completely free with no tuition or fees ever required to participate.
Per Scholas recruits specifically from communities historically underrepresented in tech, and 20% of training time is dedicated to durable skills in communication, collaboration, and workplace culture, so graduates arrive on day one ready to fit into a team.
Kansas City employers who have hired Per Scholas graduates include Panasonic, Google, DHP Pace, Costco, Meta, and Children’s Mercy Hospital with additional placements made through TEKsystems, a tech staffing company. Recently, a graduate was hired by Tech Connect KC, a technology company helping distribute 575 Chromebooks and laptops through KC Digital Drive’s Digital Life Exchange Devices Program funded through an ADOPT 2.0 grant from the Kansas Office of Broadband Development.
Cohort capacity is 24 learners with approximately a two-week break between cohorts. Per Scholas is actively seeking community organization partners who can refer learners and help spread the word.
To refer clients, learn more, or explore a partnership, contact Cedric Deadmon directly.
Announcements
- MERS Goodwill (formerly Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas) shared that a recent merger with MO Goodwill has expanded their service territory from 80+ counties to more than 170 counties across Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. All existing programs remain in place, including the Mobile Workforce Unit, a retrofitted Winnebago with 10 computers that travels to communities to provide digital literacy classes, Northstar certifications, job applications, and job fairs. Note: Karen’s email address has changed with the merger, contact Leslie Scott for updated info.
- University Health Job Fair: Literacy KC is co-hosting a job fair with University Health on February 26. Contact Mary Kay through the coalition for details and the event flyer.
- AARP Missouri Community Challenge Grant: Shawn Kirkwood, Director of Outreach at AARP Missouri, announced that the 2026 Community Challenge Grant is open with a deadline of March 4 at 5 p.m. Grants range up to $25,000 and are available to nonprofits, government entities, and 501(c)3/4/6 organizations for projects completed by December 15. This year AARP has doubled its grant funding, and Missouri is historically underrepresented in applicants — meaning eligible KC-area organizations have strong odds. Grant categories include flagship community projects, capacity building micro-grants, and demonstration grants for things like high-speed internet access and pedestrian safety. Apply at aarp.org/communityChallenge. Shawn Kirkwood is available to answer questions from prospective applicants.
- Digital Inclusion Learning Circle – Leah Henriksen reminded the group that this instructor-focused peer learning community meets every first Tuesday of the month at 3:00 PM, hybrid at the Digital Services & Support Center LAMP Campus (1801 Linwood Blvd, KCMO). February’s session focused on teaching AI to community members; March will cover how to train digital skills trainers with Carol Meyers. Email Leah to join.
Want to Get Involved?
Visit digitalinclusionkc.org to learn more, sign up for updates, or watch past meetings. Membership is free — just complete the short form at digitalinclusionkc.org/join.
Next Coalition Meeting: March 6, 2026 (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM) — Note: Beginning in March, meetings move back to one meeting on the first Friday of each month. The March session will feature a roundtable on Net Inclusion 2026 and additional speakers. Contact Leslie Scott to be added to the calendar invitation.