Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Kurz.
Hi Jillian, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
For more than forty years, the mission now known as Manos Amigas has grown through compassion, partnership, and a heartfelt commitment to the families living in the colonias near Ciudad Juárez. What began in 1983 as a small outreach from St. Mark’s Parish in Independence, Missouri expanded into a lasting cross-border collaboration focused on listening to community needs and walking alongside the people of Anapra and Lomas de Poleo.
Mission work in the colonias took root in the 1990s under the name Guadalupe Association, concentrating on medical care, education, and housing. A major milestone was the construction of Casa de la Cruz, built on land donated by sisters Gregoria and Leonora de la Cruz. This mission house became a lively gathering place for volunteers and a center for tutoring and educational support. A school sponsorship program also began, connecting children in Anapra with sponsors in Kansas City.
The early 2000s brought renewed energy as volunteers from both sides of the border strengthened the mission’s work. After parishioners from St. James Parish visited Anapra, the community expressed the desire for a safe, joyful summer program for children. In 2004, the first Vacation Bible School (VBS) launched, serving up to 120 children each day and soon expanding with support from several Kansas City parishes.
From 2005 to 2008, VBS grew to more than 150 daily participants, with local teens and adults stepping into leadership roles. A new volunteer house was built, and the mission embraced a new name: “Manos Amigas para una mañana mejor” (Friendly Hands for a Better Tomorrow).
Even during years of violence that prevented U.S. volunteers from traveling (2009–2012), local leaders kept VBS alive, serving up to 200 children daily and celebrating the first college graduate from the sponsorship program.
When volunteers returned in 2013, they found a resilient community enriched by a new library and park. Today, Manos Amigas continues to build hope, connection, and brighter tomorrows on both sides of the border.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We’ve had our challenges for sure. The violence in Ciudad Juarez from 2009-2012 was hard on the Anapra community and challenging for us on the KC side because we had to prepare as much as we could to send to Anapra for our core team there to facilitate. This was a big change for all of us, Anapra and KC teams. But each year we pulled it off.
COVID introduced our next set of challenges; food insecurity, navigating virtual learning and losing a few friends to the disease. While things were crazy in the US, it was even harder in Anapra. Virtual learning and supporting the students was our biggest challenge. Students did not have internet at home, nor did the majority of them have laptops or devices or a printer. For the young ones we were printing their homework sheets at the mission house for families to pick up each day. The parents, many of whom did not complete school themselves, were trying to help their children with schoolwork, while working and submitting homework assignments to their teachers in WhatsApp.
The older students, high school and above, needed laptops and internet to complete their work. None of which many of them had.
We raised as much as we could to buy each family a tablet or laptop for thier students to use to complete thier homework. We also started a stipend program for internet access and connections in thier homes. There was a long waiting list for this across the community. Our Anapra team was coordinating with parents daily to ensure students got the help they needed. Including setting up tudoring hours at the little library.
Our newest challenge is navigating the recent death of our founder, Ross. Ross was the powerhouse behind this all from the very beginning. We miss him dearly and strive to continue what he started.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Outside of Manos Amigas, I am a director of user experience design for a large hotel company. My team and I focus on improving the experiences of internal applications, striving to make complex system easy to navigate.
I also love the outdoors! I have a large vegetable garden and recently started growing flowers for bouquets. I really enjoyed that this last season so I think a flower garden is in order now. My son also loves chickens! The chicken love runs deep, crochet chicken stuffys, hand drawn chicken comics. So real chickens are in our near future. I am currently planning out the coop and run area and how it will fit in with the garden plans.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love KC because its home and it feels like home. Sure it helps that my whole extended family lives here too, but its the community at large that I admire the most. We support each other, we listen, we help. And when our sport teams win, we celebrate!
KC isn’t short of its own problems though; affordable housing and navigating the constant changes from our elected officials. We’re a great city and I hope we can come together on this issues to improve the lives of our citizens and how we want to be.
Pricing:
- $30 a month to sponsor a student in Anapra
- $45 for a month of firewood for elderly
- $75 for Christmas dinner basket for a family in need
Contact Info:
- Website: https://manosamigaskc.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manosamigaskc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manos-amigas-kc/?viewAsMember=true
