Ingram's December 2022

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PROFILES IN PHILANTHROPY

CLASS OF 2022

W hen it comes to vol unteer support for non-profits, says Dave Cun- ningham, “you don’t know how important it is until something happens that touches you personally. That’s when you really find out what giving is, the giving of time and of your person.” He and his wife, Peaches, encountered just such a personal touch when their son was diag nosed with autism. The Cunninghams, who are sen ior-living executives, imme

A André Davis is a man on a mission—not just a mis sion to serve but to make a real difference. The day job entails business-development chores for Built Interior Construction, but when he’s off the clock, he’s deep into tasks for regional non-profits. Among those are board roles with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City, PrepKC, and the Kansas City Tomorrow Alumni Association. History of engagement covers nearly a dozen roles with various organi zations. That service and what he learned in a 16-year stint in publications marketing, connecting with Kansas City’s executive community, has shown him that decades of talk about improving diversity haven’t come close to moving the needle. In pondering ways he could help change that, he drew on experiences attending corporate functions, includ ing some where suburban youth, usually white, were recog nized for community service. “And I thought, ‘Why would they be working like this when they could be playing?’” he says. “That sat on me.” It would inform his own goals with youth-oriented board service, promoting the need for similar engagement among minority youth. For Davis, it’s

PEACHES & DAVID CUNNINGHAM

diately threw themselves into the tasks of learning, then imple menting strategies to help him find a secure place in the world. And that journey eventually led to The Farmer’s House, which they co-founded along with a couple in a similar situation to help peo ple with developmental challenges acquire real-world skills. The Northland non-profit, operating on the site of an apple orchard they acquired a decade ago, exposes residents to every aspect of growing, harvesting, processing, and selling vegetables, fruit, honey, cheese, and related items. For Dave, philanthropy came as an awakening after college; Peaches says the roots of her service go back to her childhood. “My mom and my dad, and both grandpar ents, were all natural caregivers,” she says, whether through their church, assisting non-profits, or turning out spaghetti dinners for fund-raisers. “A lot of it always did revolve around food and the holidays and raising money,” she says. Their quest for information led them to the Children’s Spot when their son was diagnosed. “We just dove into anything with them that had to do with autism; that became our focus,” Peaches says, and that inspired work on behalf of similar organizations, such as the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education. They settled on the concept of a small farm to create a self-sustaining mechanism for residents, and it helped that Dave had grown up on a farm. Residents learned to plant vegetables, pick weeds, water them, then harvest them, pack age and label the jars, run the cash registers, and greet customers. From there, it has blossomed into an operation that has served several hundred residents, with programs that continue to expand under the executive leadership of Amy Allison, drawing on collab orations with nearly a dozen school districts. It’s been an education for the Cunninghams, as well. “What’s interesting,” Dave says, “is that every time we’ve had a change, and that can be difficult, we’ve always come out better on the other side. Like any great business, it happens with the support of family, friends, and volunteers who believed in what we were doing. When you have that and can take it and build from it, it makes something very, very special.” For Peaches, the lesson here can apply to anyone: “Don’t be afraid to start something,” she says. “People want to put their arms around good things. Once people found out about The Farmer’s House, we have had somany volunteers since day one, of all ages. People want to be a part of something—it doesn’t just have to be financial.”

about action, not talk, but when he does talk with influential figures in KC, the message is direct. “When I show up, I show up as André,” he says. “I’ve learned that you can be authen tic,” even if that means looking power brokers square in the eye and pointing out the lack of diversity in their organi zations. When he does, he says, the result is usu ally positive. “I was often in rooms where no one

ANDRÉ DAVIS

looked like me,” he says. “People who look like me, black or brown, we get into the room, we often have to bring our own table and chair. But we have to operate as our authentic selves, not shrink away because of the environment, own whom you are, and say, ‘If that’s not enough, I don’t need to be in the room.’ I found that many of those executives leaned in and wanted to know more about my experience.” Until someone finds a way to pack more than 24 hours in a day, there are limits to his own service, so Davis serves an evangelical role promoting minority board membership and drawing on extensive contacts to help steer that talent into meaningful service roles. “I try to introduce people who can help solve problems to organizations that need the help,” he says. “It really is that simple. Just a simple email to some folks, then step out and let them take it from there. I’m wired to bring people together. I tell younger professionals to get involved and serve for the purpose of serving,” Davis says. “There are so many opportunities that open up when you serve as a servant-leader.”

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December 2022

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