2025 Economic Impact Awards 36-74 Years in Business: Empower: abilities

Reaching 40 years in operation this year, the market footprint and service offering for Empower: abilities has grown significantly, officials say.

Last year, Empower: abilities delivered more than 7,000 services to its clientele of individuals with disabilities, covering roughly 40 different areas, such as home modifications, peer counseling, housing advocacy and assistive technology, says CEO Shannon Porter. The nonprofit’s service area covers Greene, Christian, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.

Operating at 1450 W. Cambridge St., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit also has a desire to expand its physical footprint to better meet growing demand. Officials say a capital campaign is being considered to aid in building a larger, more accessible community hub. Its current home is in roughly 16,000 square feet, according to the Greene County assessor’s office.

“We have identified a piece of property that we’re very interested in that has a pretty big dream around it of a location that would allow us to expand, to continue to offer services that meet the needs of the people in the community, but also have the potential of other partners that serve people with disabilities to join us on a campus and in the future to build accessible housing,” Porter says, declining to expand on ongoing real estate discussions. “We’re really, really hopeful we can put this deal together, but it is still in the works.”

Through a partnership with Convoy of Hope, Empower: abilities also receives commodities such as household cleaning supplies, shelf-stable foods and personal care items it turns around and donates to the community several times a week. Porter says a recent four-hour donation period this month nearly broke its record of 157 visitors in a day.

“That’s a lot of traffic coming through our building and we would like to be able to take more commodities from Convoy and expand that service if we have more space,” she says.

The organization also seeks grant funding to help grow its reach. Porter says a recent $1.7 million Older Adults Home Modification grant, funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, allowed the nonprofit to make safety and functional home modifications. The goal is to enable low-income seniors to remain in their homes by improving safety and accessibility.

“That really aligns with our mission,” she says.

Additionally, Empower: abilities serves as a hub for donated durable medical equipment, such as walkers and wheelchairs, provided to those in need at no cost. It also hosts free annual community events such as the ADA Block Party, held with The Arc of the Ozarks, which celebrates disability rights through education and outreach from dozens of local service providers.