Health and Human Services News

Transforming houses into homes

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Larra Alford believes people deserve to be proud of where they call home.  

“Four white walls with nothing to help you feel dignified is a shelter, not a home,” Alford said. 

Alford is the CEO and founder of the Passion House Project (PHP), a nonprofit that provides household essentials to those in need.  

But they provide more than the bare minimum. PHP helps people turn their houses into homes. 

An uphill battle 

Alford’s journey through life inspired her to create PHP. 

After an unconventional experience with her primary education caused her to stop schooling at age 13, Alford obtained her GED at 28 years old.  

“I spent several years at Ozark Technical College because I had to learn the information everyone else was taught from sixth to 12th grade,” Alford said. 

Alford moved on to Missouri State University to pursue her bachelor’s in psychology with a personalized minor.  

While she was in school full time, she was a mom of three and worked 60+ hours a week. 

“Missouri State saved my life. Coming back to college played a massive role in my journey,” Alford said. 

The beginning of something new 

During her time at Missouri State, Alford worked as a volunteer and mentor for the Drew Lewis Foundation (DLF). She is now employed as a personal development coach, serving on the advisory board for the Northwest Project/RISE.  

“Upon joining [DLF], I was deeply moved to see the work they were doing to support our underserved community. It sparked my passion for working with people.” 

“I graduated from Missouri State in 2019 and now here I am in 2022 opening my own nonprofit,” Alford said. “Goals — big or small — are attainable.” 

PHP’s warehouse and most current inventory have been donated by the Springfield community.  

“Everything has just fallen into place,” Alford remarked. “We have the kindest community.” 

Vandalism that occurred during the break-in of the Passion House Project
Vandalism that occurred at the time of the break-in.

Unfortunately, a devastating break-in and robbery forced PHP to postpone their grand opening from July 2022 to 2023. 

“We won’t give up,” Alford said. “We can’t wait to help people transform their houses into homes.” 

How can you help? 

If you want to help the Passion House Project, you may donate items, time or funds. 

Donations should be new or gently used. In addition to furniture, PHP accepts:  

  • Kitchen supplies. 
  • Cleaning supplies. 
  • Bedding materials. 

PHP is always searching for partners and volunteers. 

Connect with the Passion House Project 

Growing onward and upward 

The current PHP team consists of Alford and wife, Tess Alford, along with their three children. 

“I’m a big dreamer and I want us to grow as quickly as possible,” Alford said.  

Alford wants to set up as many PHP locations throughout southwest Missouri as their resources allow. 

For those who are itching to start their own nonprofit, Alford offers sage advice: 

“Keep dreaming. Keep chasing. Follow your dream. One day soon, your goals will become reality.” 

Explore the psychology department 

He gained the tools he needed to succeed in corporate health

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Matt Hancock earned a bachelor’s in exercise science, became a personal trainer and managed a gym.

The Springfield native eyed MSU’s health promotion and wellness management graduate program because he wanted to make change on a larger scale.

“I really wanted to get into corporate health,” Hancock said. “It has been blowing up over the past couple of years. There’s a lot of opportunity. Companies are realizing healthier employees are more productive, too.”

Working while completing his degree

Missouri State’s program was attractive because it was flexible and offered a mix of seated and online courses. He worked full time at Mercy and was able to go to school part time and tackle his degree in chunks.

“I really liked the core classes because they let me learn a lot more about the direct areas I was going into, such as how to build up a program, how to look at a population health approach. My undergrad was more studying facts. My master’s was more applicable to everyday life and translating into a working situation,” Hancock said.

As part of a clinical requirement for his master’s, Hancock completed a 420-hour internship at Bass Pro working for the company’s wellbeing program.

He added on a certificate in health education because Hancock felt it would give him an edge in the job market and it did.

Shortly after graduating in spring 2019, Hancock left Mercy and joined Prime Inc., as Driver Health and Fitness Coordinator.

Matt Hancock giving presentation at work.
At Prime, Inc., Matt Hancock oversees programs that improve employee health.

Making a difference

At Prime, Hancock was able to use the knowledge he learned in his master’s courses to directly impact driver health.

He revamped the wellness program and reaches nearly 8,000 drivers.

“In the past, Prime focused on a 13-week weight loss program for drivers,” Hancock said. “We have evolved to focus on a whole person virtual approach now. When COVID entered our lives, we had to look at our health initiatives in a different way. In-person services were no longer an option, so in October 2020 we began designing our own online wellness platform using a learning management system called Learn Dash.”

“The master’s program really helped prepare me for my career by giving me the base of knowledge I needed. I didn’t know anything about corporate health when I started. I learned a lot to prepare for the position I am in now.”

Through this platform they created health risk assessments, collected health data and designed and evaluated programs more efficiently to suit drivers needs based on the health risks that are prevalent in the occupation, such as fatigue and back pain.

A holistic approach to employee health

The platform will allow them to offer fitness, nutrition and mental health programs around-the-clock to fit drivers’ unique schedules over the road.

“All aspects will be gamified so we can create an engaging, competitive atmosphere by offering points to our drivers for completing certain health-related activities and tasks,” Hancock said.

Drivers can access virtual personal training and nutritional counseling with their registered dietitian.

Taking a holistic approach, they also addressed:

  • Mental health, which is so important during the pandemic.
  • Created a tobacco cessation program since 60 percent of drivers use tobacco products, said Hancock.
  • Formed a healthy driver task force and put together exercises that drivers can do at truck stops or using equipment on the truck
  • Showed employees how to make healthier choices on the road.

“Not everyone is interested in losing weight or eating right, but if we have several initiatives they can focus on, then we can let them hone-in on one that helps them lead a healthier life,” Hancock said.  “It has gotten a lot of traction. We are starting to see improvement in employee health. It’s really a rewarding job. This is what I’ve been wanting to do for many years. I want to make a big impact on driver health, satisfaction, happiness and lifestyle.”

Explore a master’s degree in health promotion and wellness management