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My Region Wins! (MRW!)
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My Region Wins! (MRW!)
    volunteer opportunities

    OUR INITIATIVES ARE A MOVEMENT

    They bring our beliefs into practice and confront social issues head-on. Our work lives at the intersection of the Arts, Nature, and Neighborhoods. We don’t wait for change—we create it—here, now, for the next century—shaping our neighborhoods, our environment, and our minds. Explore our initiatives and join the movement.”

    sponsor an initiative TODAY!
    Interns Wanted

    OUR PARTNERS

    OUR ASK: Exchange resources when available, keep one another in mind for opportunities, and connect each other to new contacts.

    BENEFITS: Logo listed above, visibility in front page slide show and our YouTube Channel.

    We are grateful for the partnerships, it shows we are not alone in our journey.  

    JOIN OUR JOURNEY TODAY!

    through the years

    2014

    MY REGION WINS! (MRW!)  nonprofit organization was established.

    2015

    Was a sponsor of  L.I.F.E. MINISTRIES SUMMER CAMP

    2016

    Obtained the first vacant lot (now BOON AREA 1) from KC Land Bank. 

    2017

    - Started hosting '2nd Sundays: a social-networking gathering at BOON AREA 1

    2018

    Was a sponsor of Imagine That! Kansas City's B-Side Festival

    2019

    Was a sponsor of SiStar's of Maat 2nd Annual Baby Shower.

    2020

    Received funds from Heartland Conservation Alliance for creating From blight to BOON!

    2021

    - Recognized as the  “Innovator to Watch” by Grinnell College

    - Began donating to the Noble neighborhood from revenue generated at BOON AREA 1. 

    - Supported the Yan-Koloba Program led by Baraza African Cultures Center in partnership with

    All World Languages & Cultures.

    2022

    - Held Dream Pursuit Cohort 1 & 2 Workshops.

    - Featured in Heartland Conservation Alliance's February newsletter.

    - Cultural Producer Grant recipient presented by the Charlotte Street.

    - Public Improvements Advisory Committee approved our request of a walking trail and the planting of native plants at Agnes Park. (PIAC Request No. 390129-District 5 Parks)

    - 'Conversation with Carl Stafford' on  Core Conversations 

    2022

    - Solarize Kansas City (“Solarize KC”) a public-private coalition.

    - Local co-hosted 'Redesigning Our Communities For Life After Fossil Fuel. (VIEW PRESENTATION SLIDES)

    - UN-DUMPSTER DAY.

    - Canvas Rebel Article

    - 'Conversations with Carl Stafford' was created by Voyage KC.

    2023

     - Panelist & tabled - Temple Buddhist Center Earth Day Event 

    - Co-host the Rockhurst University Neighborhood Environmental Symposium. - EARTH/WORK: ARTISTS & SUSTAINABLE LIVING FEAT. CARL STAFFORD

    - The Pitch KC article. "Boon Area 1 is a surprise community asset..."

    -  Received the 2023 Sustainability Community IMPACT Award given by South Kansas City Chambers of Commerce.  

    - Keynote Speaker at the Heartland Conservation Alliance Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nature Walk. WATCH SPEECH.

    2023

    -  ClimateGKC interview

    -  Appeared on KKFI - Urban 

    -  2023 Sustainability Award winner

    - POTENTIAL FUTURES: PROTOTYPES Exhibition.

    - Pro X Intern Project

    The Foundation for Regeneration Grant Recipient 

    - Shumaker Family Foundation Grant Recipient.

    - Community Capital  Neighborhoods Rising Fund Grant Recipient.

    - Charlotte Street Foundation Cultural Producer Grant Recipient

    - KC Organizational Sponsorship Recipient.

    -  AARP Community Challenge Grant Recipient

    - Solarize KC a public-private coalition

    2024

    - Keynote speaker at the HCA Rev. Dr. Martian Luther King Nature Walk

    - A speaker at Deep Roots - Plant It Native Landscaping conference.

    -  Appeared on EcoRadio KC

    - International students from Chile visited Noble's BOON AREA 1 a s part of a tour UMKC gave.

    - Appeared on URBAN CONNECTIONS

    - M.A.R.C. Water Quality grant recipient

    - SHUMAKER Family Foundation grant recipient

    - Panelist at the 3rd District Convention.

    - 2024 Resilient Ideas Pitch Competition winner

    2025

    - Keynote Speaker at MDC - Burr Oaks Center on NatureScaping

    -  Black Community Fund grant recipient

    - Evergy Hometown Grant recipient

    meet the board

    NATASHA WILSON

    NATASHA WILSON

    NATASHA WILSON

    JIM MCGRAW

    NATASHA WILSON

    NATASHA WILSON

    Community Volunteer 

    ALICIA DOUGLAS

    NATASHA WILSON

    ALICIA DOUGLAS

    Rockhurst College 

    robert woods

    NATASHA WILSON

    ALICIA DOUGLAS

    City of Kansas City, Mo.

    Jake Dahlstrom

    Jake Dahlstrom

    join the board

    Jake Dahlstrom

    Seeking candidates with an array of knowledge about fundraising and corporate engagement.

    Complete form

    TARIK HOPKINS

    TARIK HOPKINS

    VETERAN

    May 20, 1975 - May 22, 2024

    Rest Well & Thank You!

    About the founder / visionary

    Carl Stafford is an artist and the founder/visionary, and driving force behind

    MY REGION WINS! — a creative, grassroots, nonprofit reclaiming power through creativity, sustainability, and collaboration.


    Inspired by artists like Andy Goldsworthy and liberation thinkers like Toni Cade Bambara, Carl’s work lives at the intersection of the Arts, nature, and neighborhood.

    His projects and philosophy are rooted in a simple truth: creativity is how we reclaim what was stolen — and build what comes next... Read more.

    Recognized by Grinnell Prize Selection Committee as their 2021 Innovator to Watch

    (Scroll⬇page)

    THE VISION

    We are building a future where creativity rules, sustainability is non-negotiable, and diverse communities are beautifully woven together with each other and the planet. Don’t just imagine the future—help build it. Shape a world where creativity, sustainability, and all communities thrive together. 


    THE MOVEMENT BUILDS!

    MRW! was built on the belief that every person holds the power to shape their own future. What began as a spark to restore people’s aspirations, purpose, and possibility has grown into a living movement at the intersection of the Arts, nature, and neighborhoods, grounded in love for Kansas City, Missouri.


    The Vision is alive and thriving. People are recognizing their internal greatness, learning they have influence, power, and are acting in ways that champion this movement. The energy growing across Kansas City’s high-poverty zip codes proves that when people are seen, supported, and celebrated, they (WE) win.


    But we cannot mistake momentum for permanence. The same systemic disinvestment, environmental neglect, and cultural erasure that created these conditions still loom. If we do not continue to act boldly and urgently, we risk losing the fragile progress we’ve made.


    With our power comes great responsibility. We will honor the work that brought us here by pressing forward, not slowing down, not stepping back. This is the time to expand, connect, and uplift even more of our collective greatness and the work that has already been done by 'Our Region's Champions!'


    We will keep transforming vacant lots, practicing sustainable land care, and creating neighborhoods where residents don’t have to leave their neighborhoods to meet their basic human needs.

    We will keep elevating the Arts, nature and neighborhoods as foundational tools for social change.


    Because if we don't, if we allow this moment to pass without doubling down, neighborhoods will once again be left behind. We will not stop until every resident and visitor of this great city knows that

    MY REGION WINS! means OUR REGION THRIVES—but thriving is not guaranteed.

    It must be built. It must be defended. And it must be shared.


    MY REGION WINS!

    A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2014. 

    Copyright © 2025 - All Rights Reserved. Tax ID # 46-5527680  

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