Welcome to Whole Kids Outreach!
Our Center

Our Center is designed as an oasis of hope in the rural  Missouri. Whole Kids Outreach has continuously worked to create a safe haven for our families at the WKO Center in Ellington. The building and 10 acres that make up the “Center” have been owned and operated by WKO since 1999.

The Center stands as a tangible and bold reminder of how the health and wellbeing of families with young children MUST be a community’s priority if it is to be healthy and prosperous. The Center allows WKO to provide culturally sensitive, high quality programs for our service area through a myriad of activities.  By decreasing social and geographic isolation and providing opportunities to create community, our families can support each other as they form and nurture healthy families.

We are currently in the third of a three-year Neighborhood Assistance Project capital campaign which has allowed us to generate donations to renovate and enhance the buildings on our property to help accommodate the number of activities we are able to provide. This project is dedicated to the sustainability of WKO to provide a long term commitment to the needs of the community. Soon we will complete a cabin that will house up to 24 to accommodate our many volunteers and visitors, an archery/hunter safety building, and a hay/machine shed.

This newly renovated building is named for wonderful benefactors to WKO and is called the “Bergamini Blessing House”. It has an art center, bath house for our swimming program, four large offices, a multi-purpose room.

Whole Kids Outreach Swimming Pool and Riding arena—all made possible through grants and Missouri tax credit programs.

Whole Kids Outreach’s Center may be leased for private parties, club gatherings, field trips, and corporate/business retreats. The pool and/or riding program can also be utilized. Contact us for more information about availability and prices.

Programs

The Center-Based Programs (CBP), an outgrowth of the FEP, enables WKO to provide services at the Whole Kids Outreach Center for multiple members of the community. Services include recreational activities, and educational/support groups for parents and children facing those difficulties often associated with living in geographically isolated and impoverished areas.

Family Enhancement Program activities:

• Summer Day Camp
  Whole Kids Outreach's Day Camp strives to provide a carefully supervised and fun environment for children to build lifelong memories, friendships, and new skills. Our four-five-week wellness-oriented Day camp for area children ages 5-12 years old. The camp includes, among many delightful activities, daily horse riding and swimming lessons. It is a forum for both youth-volunteer activities and employment opportunities for teens and young adults who are hired as counselors and counselors-in-training.

  Through the summer Day Camp, WKO provides a broad base of mediums for teaching positive behavior management and parenting to those most likely to parent in the near future (e.g., counselors), as well as to the Moms and Dads of the campers, as they are invited to participate in some of the activities

  

• Moms Day Out
  The Moms that the WKO Outreach Specialists and RNs see in the home visitation programs can often feel isolated and overwhelmed. In our Moms Day Out program, WKO provides some much needed relief from the day-to-day pressures of parenting small children, while also giving Moms a chance to gather at the Center to share their stories and support each other. WKO provides free babysitting and help with transportation as needed. The Moms have time to learn some new things on topics such as child development, self empowerment, and budgeting. We also make lots of time for fun and laughter, art projects and make overs too!. contact us.(link) if you would like to participate or help sponsor this program.
  (Moms taking some time for themselves!)

  
  Volunteers taking care of the Moms’ children while Moms take the day off.

  The Moms that the WKO Outreach Specialists see in the home visitation programs can often feel isolated and overwhelmed. In our Moms Day Out program, WKO provides some much needed relief from the day-to-day pressures of parenting small children, while also giving Moms a chance to gather at the Center to share their stories and support each other.

  WKO provides free babysitting and help with transportation as needed. The Moms have time to learn some new things on topics such as child development, self empowerment, and budgeting. We also make lots of time for fun and laughter, art projects and make overs too!. contact us.(link) if you would like to participate or help sponsor this program.

• Whole Kids Riding Program
  Click here for Riding Program Information
  

• Hosting group or club meetings (e.g., scouts, rotary)
  The WKO Center is a great place to hold group or club meetings (e.g., scouts, rotary), birthday parties, family reunions, weddings, and other celebrations. We also link up with the Missouri Conservation Department to offer fishing days for area school children and other groups to enjoy our stocked pond. To find out how you can utilize the beautiful WKO Center for your next event, please contact us.
  
  

  

  
  
• Swimming
  From mid-May through mid-September the beautiful swimming pool at the Center is open for private and group water safety and swimming lessons. The campers that participate in the Summer Day Camp each receive daily lessons in small groups by qualified instructor(s). WKO also hosts the Senior Aquatics Program provided by Whole Health Outreach during August and September. contact us. if you would like to participate or help sponsor this program.

  
  (The WKO annual “Share a Toy” Christmas Store where parents can earn Christmas gifts for their children by doing a service for WKO or by making a donation. WKO helps to create an enchanting Christmas morning for over 400 children each year.)

• Community Events
  WKO annually hosts a Fall Family Fun Day in October and a Christmas Store in December. The "Share a Toy Christmas Store" provides needy families with a dignified means to “earn” gifts for their children by volunteering their services at the Center. Schools through Missouri teach their students to be true missionaries by collecting new toys and other gifts to stock the store that serves over 600 children each year. If you are interested in helping with this amazing project please contact us and watch for details in the local newspapers. (The WKO annual “Share a Toy” Christmas Store where parents can earn Christmas gifts for their children by doing a service for WKO or by making a donation. WKO helps to create an enchanting Christmas morning for over 600 children each year.)