Challenge Accepted! John Knox Village Capital Campaign Receives Challenge Grant
John Knox Village is raising funds as part of a capital campaign to create a new Emergency Medical Services headquarters, which will provide comfortable accommodations for its EMS staff and protect its ambulance fleet and behavioral health transportation service vans from the elements.
As demand for emergency and non-emergent medical transportation increases across the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, local hospitals and healthcare facilities are calling on John Knox Village Emergency Medical Services to meet the need. JKV EMS anticipates it will answer 8,000 to 10,000 calls for assistance for people of all ages who are having a medical or mental health crisis – 87% of the calls for assistance are for people who live outside the Village campus.
To meet the demand, John Knox Village has added staff, ambulances and behavioral health care vans. While the growth has been positive, JKV EMS now needs a new headquarters that has the capacity to accommodate the larger team and additional vehicles. A not-for-profit entity that does not receive tax-based dollars, JKV EMS is reimbursed by private pay, Medicare and Medicaid.
“John Knox Village is committed to enriching lives and building community, and the outreach provided by our Emergency Medical Services program is an extremely important piece of our efforts,” said Dan Rexroth, John Knox Village president and CEO. “Our EMS team answers the calls of people in crisis who live throughout the Kansas City area while concurrently relieving the pressure on the emergency services and area hospitals in the various area municipalities.”
Challenge Accepted
John Knox Village is proud to announce a $500,000 challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Midland, Texas, which provides significant momentum and support for the capital campaign to create its new EMS headquarters.
The grant, intended to spark private giving toward the Village, will require the Village and its Foundation to raise an additional $1.7 million by January 14, 2026, for the project.
The John Knox Village Foundation has been raising funds for the project via a designated capital campaign and special event proceeds. Members of the Village community and those who live in surrounding areas have come together to make this project possible through their generous gifts.
The Mabee Foundation, established in 1948, has provided more than $1.6 billion in grant support to capital projects and major medical equipment, exclusively funding projects located in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas and Kansas. This is the first time the Village has asked for support from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation for a capital project through a challenge grant.
“We are grateful for the Mabee Foundation’s challenge grant and for the philanthropy they seek to inspire in our John Knox Village community through this generous investment,” Rexroth said. “Completion of this challenge will enable JKV EMS to serve thousands of people who live in Lee’s Summit and beyond each year.
The EMS headquarters capital campaign aims to fund the renovation and expansion of a former physician’s building located at 506 Murray Road on the John Knox Village campus. The project will include refurbishment of the building, staff quarters, offices, common space (kitchen, etc.), a designated training room, six pull-through ambulance bays and space for the behavioral health vans.
About John Knox Village and JKV Emergency Medical Services
John Knox Village is a life plan community in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. It established its Emergency Medical Services department in 1976. JKV EMS provides both emergent and non-emergent transportation to Village residents and members of the surrounding community, as well as to those who are suffering from a behavioral health crisis.
About the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation
The Mabee Foundation was formed in 1948 by Missouri natives (and Oklahoma residents) John and Lottie Mabee. John, who did not complete high school, and Lottie were hard workers, innovative entrepreneurs and shrewd investors. Starting with nothing, they built an impressive business and were gracious and generous as they shared their financial blessings with others through various forms of philanthropy. John and Lottie, who had no children, formed the Foundation and ultimately both left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation as to both require and inspire widespread public support. As such, Mabee Foundation challenge grants have enabled many organizations to finish projects in a timely fashion and, in the process, build their bases of support in such a way as to help ensure the long-term health of the organization.