Along a Kansas City avenue, cars zip past a vibrant street-scape, shoppers flow in and out of stores, and happy, healthy residents stroll along one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. This is 31st Street and Troost Avenue, in urban Kansas City, Mo.
Unfortunately, this picture perfect world is just that a black and white, aged photograph hanging inside Reconciliation Services, a community outreach organization supported by the tireless efforts of Orthodox Christian nun and UMKC Nursing alumna, Mother Nicole Oakes, R.N., (B.S.N. ‘09).
For Oakes, it’s difficult to envision a return to Troost’s better days, but she’s putting her entire heart and soul into this effort.
“I became a nun in 1997,” said Oakes, who in an earlier time had planned to retire in Alaska. But, a longing for “something more” changed that idea. Instead, she ended up in Kansas City, working as a nurse in alcohol and substance abuse treatment and later in HIV/AIDS care. Today, she serves as
emergency assistance director, pastoral counselor, for Reconciliation
Services (RS), a five-year-old non-profit established from Reconciliation Ministries and St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church.
A longtime member of the Serbian Orthodox faith, she took her oath in 1997 and pursued a bachelor’s degree in nursing a few years ago. She and her abbess (spiritual leader) considered social work, but she came to the realization that, “really I am a nurse.” They selected nursing and investigated
the UMKC R.N. to B.S.N. program. “UMKC has a bachelor’s degree program, it’s online, and it will only take me two years,” she thought at the time.
“It’s a great program,” said the recent graduate. “I’m a firm believer in the B.S.N. being the entry program, for R.N.s to have that education.”
Now, armed with her degree and support from UMKC students, she’s looking to harness the energy and creativity that students can bring. This semester, she is working with UMKC students (online and in-person), who are assessing participants, the neighborhood and programs for Reconciliation Services as
part of their coursework.
Reconciliation Services is a place for individuals needing support, one-step beyond the place of last resort, said Oakes, who works alongside fellow UMKC alumnus, Father Paisius (David) Altschul, RS executive director, who received his master’s degree in Social Work from UMKC.
The facility sits at the southeast corner of 31st Street and Troost Avenue, in a long-since abandoned clothing store. Today, paint flakes from the walls; exposed ceilings show the effects of time, wear and tear; and wood and tile floors creak beneath. But within minutes, a visitor begins to only notice smiles, laughter and a youthful energy. This outpouring is demonstrated
through myriad services offered, including a fresh food pantry; document support; sit-down meals, where participants enjoy live music and five-star service; mental health and substance abuse counseling; and community
building activities, such as neighborhood festivals and community gardens.
Taking Control of Community
“How do we as a community take control of our community and grow,” asks Mother Nicole, dressed in a traditional black robe and habit. She hopes to continue to answer this question with the help of UMKC students, who this semester started performing assessments as part of coursework.
Though she’ll sit back and listen to students’ ideas, one gets the feeling that she’s eager to offer suggestions. “Ultimately, I want nurses in the community,” she said.
“I would love to see a nurse into the home. That’s what I do with folks right now.” She said she often visits clients in their homes and helps them with nutrition and transportation to the grocery store. She said she dreams of growing this into a program in which volunteer nurses are provided a
stipend to meet one-on-one, in the home, with individuals and families.
Always a Nurse
Before becoming a nun and pursuing a UMKC B.S.N., Nicole Oakes worked in the ER and later in HIV/AIDS care. “I set up a program to meet with each of the clients before they went on the medicine to be sure they were engaged,” she said. After years of this emotionally draining work, she said she still thought there was more she could do.
“I was looking for more to give,” she said. “A lot of it came out of working with HIV folks. I was seeing dying people every day, and I felt that I had a lot of knowledge and experience. I just wanted more depth, spiritually,” she said. “When I became a nun, I had no idea what would happen to my life.”
When she was younger, “My parents use to say, ‘when are you going to get married?’” she said, adding that she loved children but not the thought of marriage.
Today, she’s making a difference in the lives of countless children, men and women. And after just a few minutes with Mother Nicole, one senses that perhaps one day, the old Troost Avenue photograph hanging in the office might again reflect life outside the doors.
