About the Center
Board of Directors
- Alice Flanagan-Spiller, Crow, Chairman
- David Barnett, Muscogee (Creek), Vice Chairman
- Stoni Rae Osborn, Choctaw, Secretary
- Teddy Tatum, Red Lake Band of Chippewa, Treasurer
- George Biswell, Cherokee
- Nick Peroff, Ph.D
- Linda Link, Choctaw
- Meagan Barnett, Muscogee (Creek)
- Robert Prue, Ph.D, Sicangu Lakota
- Shelby Rose
- Melissa Winter, Choctaw
Staff
- Gaylene Crouser, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Executive Director
- Patrick Pruitt, LCSW, Chickasaw, Morningstar Program Director
- Kelly Walker, MSW, Three Affiliated Tribes, Social Worker, Morningstar Program
- Maria Boyd, Menominee, Emergency Assistance/Food Pantry Coordinator
- Lupe Krehbiel, Data Coordinator
Our Logo
The head of the spiritual being is synonymous with the eye of the eagle, and both watch over the smaller physical Indian, who is protected by two shades of spirit wings… representing traditional ways and modern life.
History
Incorporated in 1971, the Heart of America Indian Center, Inc., d/b/a Kansas City Indian Center operates as the Kansas City area’s only multi-purpose social service agency for American Indians.
Following World War II, with government relocation and training programs — and a formal policy in the early 1950s of reservation termination — American Indians were relocating to urban areas. To help sustain the cultural and spiritual beliefs of their tribes, local elders began a social club. The center was founded as a formal, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization in 1971 to accept federal, state, and private funds for social programs.