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Kansas City's new community engagement coordinator wants to increase accessibility to funding

Gary Jones is the new community engagement coordinator for Kansas City, Missouri.
Gary Jones
/
Kansas City, Missouri
Gary Jones is the new community engagement coordinator for Kansas City, Missouri.

The goal of Kansas City's Office of Citizen Engagement is to raise awareness of grants and funds available to residents for community projects. The city's new community engagement coordinator, Gary Jones, is at the head of that effort.

KCUR's Up To Date was joined by Kansas City citizen engagement coordinator Gary Jones. Jones talked about how he got into public service, what he hopes to do with the Office of Citizen Engagement, and why he wants to be a "one-stop shop" for the people of Kansas City.

Jones says he hopes that his office, of which he is the only staff member, will cut through the "bureaucratic red tape" that makes it difficult for residents to utilize the city's resources.

  • Gary Jones, community engagement coordinator with Kansas City, Missouri's, Office of Citizen Engagement
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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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