One Heart McKinney first launched as a website in 2020 during the pandemic. The website provided a central location for people looking for help and for others who were looking for opportunities for help.
Since that time, One Heart McKinney has raised and distributed almost $200,000 in grants to those in need, according to a news release.
Now, the initial project has evolved. McKinney community leaders are collaborating “in a more formalized manner to coordinate those seeking to address ongoing community needs, as well as to remain mobilized for future crises that occur,” Fuller said in the release.
Scott Elliott, executive director of Community Lifeline Center in McKinney and former McKinney City Council member, will step in to become the executive director of One Heart McKinney. Elliott will assume his new role starting Feb. 1
In 2019, The Institute for Urban Policy Research at The University of Texas at Dallas conducted a study for the city of McKinney that identified the five core needs to maximize well-being in daily life. Those needs include food and hygiene; mental, physical and spiritual health; housing; economic stability; and education, City Manager Paul Grimes said in the release.
“As the UTD study identified, the McKinney community currently has many resources in place to address these five core needs, but there is significant opportunity for us to better-coordinate our efforts to maximize the impact of these resources,” Grimes said in the release. “This is the primary objective driving the creation of OHM.”
Rick McDaniel, superintendent of McKinney ISD, said One Heart McKinney will seek to streamline all the aspects of seeking support for those in need.
“[It] starts with the creation of a single intake process,” McDaniel said in the release.
Local organizations already committed to One Heart McKinney include Christ Fellowship, the city of McKinney, Community Lifeline Center, First McKinney Baptist Church, Hope Clinic, Huge Cafe, Little Free Pantry, Love Life Foundation, the McKinney Chamber of Commerce, the McKinney Fire Department, McKinney ISD, the McKinney Police Department and the Wells Group, the release stated.
“One Heart McKinney has come together to unite everyone who wants to work in collaboration to build a flourishing community that benefits all of us,” said Lisa Hermes, McKinney Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, in the release.
Organizations seeking to be involved with One Heart McKinney can contact Scott Elliott at [email protected]. More information is also available at www.oneheartmckinney.com.
