Bunny the Newshound got a chance to meet Alea Surender, Youth Coordinator for the Mattie Rhodes Center. A Wichita, Kansas native who came to Kansas City via Kansas University, Surender’s typical day involves planning various health and wellness programs for clients of the Mattie Rhodes Center at 148 N. Topping in the Indian Mound neighborhood.

Surender has been with MRC since August and enjoys reaching a part of the community that is often overlooked by others. “I like to help people,” Surender said. “Especially people that don’t have access to resources that others do, so I came to this community because I know that need is there.”

Under the current situation with the COVID -19 restrictions, she’s had to pivot her focus to a more virtual presence, offering programs online and through informational flyers circulated with The Northeast News that are chock full of fitness and wellness information and health-conscious recipes for the entire family.

When asked about her favorite part of working in the Historic Northeast community, the answer was simple. “The people,” she noted. “They really trust our organization, and so it’s really nice to be able to help the people but also have that relationship with a lot of them.”