Serving Columbia at Granny's House

by Courtney Leeper, posted Oct. 28, 2011

The University of Missouri provides many opportunities for students, but MU also gives Columbia and its citizens valuable opportunities. Students getting involved in service organizations off-campus is one example of ways the university benefits the community. An organization students get involved in is Granny’s House, a Christian based organization that strives to show God’s love to children living in Columbia’s public housing.

Granny’s House began in the spring of 2001 when Pam Ingram, founder and director of the non-profit, saw a need in the community.

“I came here working with families, seeing kids roaming around, and not having the same nurture, and just life without a dad around,” said Ingram. “We just wanted to have a way to reach out to the kids and share God’s love with them in a very real, hands-on, tangible way to be reflections of the love of God to the kids.”

Ingram is affectionately known by those around her as “Granny Pam.”

When Granny’s House first opened, Ingram and one other volunteer served seven children. Today, there are dozens of volunteers and 160 children enrolled in the program.

According to Ingram, MU volunteers most often discover Granny’s House through service learning. She explained certain degree programs require community service hours. Service learning provides a list of organizations students can get involved with, one of which is Granny’s House.

Ingram said that service learning brings volunteers in, but it’s the children that keeps them coming back.

Hannah Calcote, a sophomore education major from Jefferson City, and Shannen Smith, a sophomore early childhood education major from Southern Illinois, are two Mizzou volunteers this semester.

Oftentimes, it is the ability for students to use their faith as their “calling card” that draws students to Granny’s House, according to Ingram. Both Calcote and Smith explained this was their reasoning for choosing Granny’s House over other organizations.

“Granny’s House is based on showing God’s love and that’s important to me,” Calcote said.

Smith agreed and said she chose Granny’s House because it would give her experience working with children in a different setting than what she’s used to.

While Granny’s House helps students reach their required community service hours, Ingram said students have helped Granny’s House in a unique way.

“For the past three years, we’ve applied for Greek Week beneficiaries,” Ingram explained. Granny’s House has received anywhere from $9,000 to $14,000. She attributes this in part to Greek students who have volunteered with the organization.

Granny’s House means a lot to its community and affects it in a positive way.
One mother, Melissa Riechers, said, “All my kids come, and they get upset if for some reason they can’t come.”

She explained that kids start impatiently waiting outside the building after school until the doors open at 4 p.m., even on days when school lets out early.

In Riechers' case, her children weren’t the only ones touched by Granny Pam and Granny’s House. Her experiences with the organization led her to get her GED and continue her education through courses at Columbia College this fall.

While it is typically a class assignment that draws students in, they often find that serving the Columbia community is an opportunity they can’t get enough of. Granny’s House is a place students can volunteer at, and students who serve here often find that both they and the community are mutually affected in a positive way.

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