Central Missouri Community Action is taking proactive steps to engage and motivate the community to fight towards ending poverty. Since recently changing their name from CMCHDC, one essential part of their new approach is to conduct Point of Entry (P.O.E.) informational sessions.

These invitation luncheon meetings are held once a week at alternating CMCA counties, as a way to spread awareness and create a call to action specific to each county. These sessions are CMCA’s first steps towards obtaining unrestricted financial support from local community members and businesses. Each of the 8-counties in CMCA’s service area will host a total of four Point of Entries through October, 2007.

Since implementing these sessions, Cooper and Moniteau county have had successful P.O.E.s. Linda Sappington, Cooper County Community Services Coordinator, welcomed various community leaders such as Mayor Dave Nicolas of Booneville, Cooper County Commissioners, a Councilman for City of Booneville, a WINGS Domestic Violence for Women & local CMCA board member, an Ameren representative & local CMCA board member, the President of Council of Agencies, an Isle of Capri representative & local CMCA board member, Caterpillar representatives and a CoMo Electrical representative. Marcia Garber, Moniteau County Community Services Coordinator also had a diverse group of attendees including a representative from Center for Human Services, a local CMCA board member, representatives from USDA Rural Development and a local reverend from the United Methodist Church

During the luncheon guests watch CMCA’s influential PowerPoint entitled, “A Case for Change,” and Executive Director for CMCA Darin Preis, gives a speech on CMCA’s mission and answers questions. Bookmarks made by students enrolled in Head Start, one major program supported by CMCA, are also given out for each attendee.