Brian Way, Coordinator
In October 2021, Community Connections partnered with the Polk County Health Center as a recipient of a Missouri Institute of Mental Health Mega Grant. This grant provided the organization’s first full-time employee that focuses on both Community Connections and substance abuse prevention focusing on vaping reduction amongst our county’s youth.
What is your education and experience?
I am nearly a life-long resident of Southwest Missouri. A Willard High School graduate, I hold three undergraduate degrees and am a proud alum from Ozarks Technical Community College (2018) and the Missouri Southern State University (2019) (thus the shirt!) I am currently finishing a master’s degree from the University of Central Missouri. Prior to joining Community Connections, I served as a police officer in various capacities in Southwest Missouri and Kansas holding a number of ranks, from patrol officer, detective, instructor and deputy chief. I served last as the Chief of Police in Morrisville, Missouri in summer 2021 in order to assist the city in reinstituting their police department.
How does your experience translate to working with Community Connections?
I loved serving my community and especially cherished the opportunities to go above-and-beyond what is normally expected of a police officer and create programs and services that worked to actively seek out the most disadvantaged in our communities. By working toward this goal and using the skills I had gained in my career, I was able to work to find solutions to difficult situations throughout the areas I served. I am thrilled to be able to bring these skills with me to Polk County and to help all of our wonderful services organizations and providers as we work to find solutions for substance abuse, poverty, violence and inequality in our community.
What’s your favorite quote?
This is a pretty easy one for me. I have many “enemies” in my position: Substance abuse, generational poverty, domestic violence, food and housing insecurity to name a few. With that in mind, this quote always sums up how I approach every day.
“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” – Winston Churchill
What does Community Connections do?
You might not know about Community Connections, but you probably know the projects and organizations who partner with us. House of Hope, Miles for Smiles, Salvation Army, Share Your Christmas, YMCA, Polk County Cares, First Steps, Polk County Schools, Community Outreach Ministries, University of Missouri Extension, Back to School Extravaganza, Senior Health Fair…and many, many more.
We are your neighbors; people who live and work right here in Polk County. We work together to improve life for all of our families. We find answers by meeting monthly to learn about Polk County programs and current events. When partnerships among Community Connections come together, such as churches, schools, government, healthcare, and businesses, to combine resources, time, and manpower, answers come together and problems are solved.
We don’t take credit for the success of our partners, nor do we seek to create new programs and projects. Instead, we seek to form partnerships to work together to help with needs in Polk County. If you have ideas to share, needs to be met or services to offer…you need to be a part of Community Connections.
Care to Connect?
Informative monthly meetings are held at 7:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month in the Community Room of First Christian Church – Bolivar located at 407 West Broadway Street, Bolivar. The meetings feature speakers on local events and programs as well as a convenient networking time to share about your group, plus learn about others. Everyone is invited and welcome. Breakfast is provided.
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Board of Directors
As a 501(c)(3) organization, we are proud to seat a Board of Directors who work to ensure financial oversight and compliance with our bylaws for the organization. Our current Board of Directors consists of:
Micah Titterington – Board Chairman, Community Outreach Ministries
Pastor Bill Nichols – Board Vice Chairman, First Christian Church, Bolivar
Carol Bookhout – Board Secretary, Polk County Health Center
Dr. Tony Berry – Board Treasurer
Linda Bunch – Member-at-large
Sandy Simpson – Member-at-large
Vacant – Member-at-large
Vacant – Member-at-large