News Stories

Students from Branson High School held a coat drive and collected over 200 coats and jackets for families and individuals in the city who are in need during the Christmas season.

The coats were given to Elevate Branson for their programs to help the homeless in the community.

“We’re so excited to get to provide warm coats to our neighbors and children in our community as the temperatures are dropping this holiday season,” Elevate Branson Kids Director Cathy Brown said in a press

BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) – Elevate Branson will hold its 14th annual “Love Your Neighbor” free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

Executive Director Bryan Stallings says there is a growing need for food assistance in the community. The organization is ready to serve those in need this holiday season.

“Thanksgiving is just a hard time for a lot of people,” Bryan Stallings said. “I mean, if you’re isolated in a motel room, you’re separated from family, it can just be very difficult.”

Elevate Branson is hosting a Thanksgiving Day dinner for the 14th year.

This year’s version will be a drive-through and motel delivery version of the meal because of COVID-19 concerns.

The “Love Your Neighbor” Thanksgiving dinner started in 2008 as a way to help those residing in weekly or extended stay motels, or who were homeless, in the Branson area. The event has continued through the help of donors and volunteers who produce the event.

Tiny-home development Elevate Community has a new benefactor in the O’Reilly family.

Brothers Charlie, David and Larry O’Reilly and sister Rosalie O’Reilly Wooten provided $35,000 to sponsor a home at the nonprofit Elevate Branson’s development, according to a news release.

“Providing not only housing but other tools to help someone get back on their feet is a wonderful gift,” Larry O’Reilly said in the release. “Our family has adopted this philosophy for generations, and Elevate Branson does a great job in fulfilling this need.”

Elevate Branson, a local organization addressing and helping solve the root cause of generational poverty, recently received a $35,000 sponsorship for their affordable housing plan.

According to a press release from Elevate Branson, they received a $35,000 sponsorship from James Leon Combs, a local citizen and supporter of the Ozarks, at the beginning of July.

BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson paid a visit to Branson on Monday for the announcement of a $2.9-million grant for a new housing development plan.

The grant is for Elevate Community, a developer of tiny homes. The organization’s efforts are geared toward improving affordable housing and workforce development.

Gov. Parson says right now is the time to capitalize on a tiny homes project.

On Friday, April 2, Elevate Branson invited the community to the Elevate Branson’s campus for their Autism Awareness Day.

According to Elevate Branson, this event let attendees learn more about Project Life Saver and Vitals Aware Services. These services help first responders track and monitor children or adults with developmental disabilities in the case that they are missing.

A newly announced grant for a tiny homes community in Branson is anything but tiny.

Elevate Branson is receiving $1 million through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, according to a news release. Branson Bank partnered with the nonprofit to secure the funding through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s Affordable Housing Competitive Funding Program.

After development of Elevate Branson’s tiny homes community started in earnest in August, the nonprofit has quickly secured $245,000 in pledges.

Nonprofit founder Bryan Stallings said seven donors, at $35,000 apiece, have committed funds for the 48-unit Elevate Community development that’s underway on 5 acres just north of the nonprofit’s 310 Gretna Road campus in Branson. Elevate Branson is seeking $35,000 sponsorships to cover the cost of the 400-square-foot houses, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Jamie, a member of the Elevate Work program, heads to class on Monday and Wednesday nights, learns valuable job skills and receives a hot dinner. On Tuesday, his daughter, Katie, attends the after-school reading program and eats dinner there with her friends. Jamie receives a hand-delivered sack lunch from Elevate Branson on Thursday. And on Sunday, he stops by for an optional church service and eats a hot breakfast.