Side By Side Kansas

We’d like to give a shoutout to Janice Wright and the YAC Organization for hosting a terrific event for the Emery Gardens community in the south end of Wichita, Kansas!

Our President had the opportunity to stop by and show support, and it was great to see the community come together in such a meaningful way!

At Side by Side, we are always committed to supporting families in need and adding value wherever we can. We appreciate the work being done to uplift and strengthen our communities together, we make a difference!

Please help us welcome Melissa Arriaga to Side by Side.

Melissa brings strong frontline experience serving youth, families, and vulnerable communities. From supporting foster youth and child victims of human trafficking to helping build safer school environments, she has consistently shown a deep commitment to service and change.

She is also the only certified Spanish/English-speaking Mental Health First Aid instructor in Sedgwick County.

We’re proud to have Melissa on our team and excited for the impact she will make.

Welcome to Side by Side, Melissa.

Side By Side Kansas

We are absolutely down with EmberHope.

They have been incredible neighbors and just good people doing hard work for kids and families every single day.

They need more foster parents, and we’re about to put some energy behind that because the need is real and the kids need people to step up.

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a foster parent, hit us up and we’ll point you in the right direction.

With EmberHope – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

I say it all the time, but it’s true: it takes a village. And what’s happening over here on 21st Street is exactly that. I call it the 21st St. Village.

Not gonna lie, winter had me down for a minute. But even in that, I could feel something starting to shift because I could already see what was being built around us.

We’ve got incredible neighbors in COMCARE Youth Services and our good friends right across the parking lot at EmberHope. These are people doing real work. Heavy lifting. The kind of work that changes lives. And they do it without a lot of fanfare, just showing up every day and making a difference.

That kind of environment matters.

When you get good people around each other, when everybody is pulling in the same direction, when kids and families are surrounded by real support, you can feel momentum building.

That’s what this feels like right now.

Seeing kids outside again and people connecting over here has honestly meant a lot to me. It’s a reminder that good things can still grow when the right people come together. I’m very appreciative of what’s being built on 21st Street, and I’m hopeful for what this spring and summer can become.



NEXT LEVEL Masters Mentors Drew SmallEsquaa T. Williams Sr.Jeran Landon Lee Trotter

We’re excited to welcome Aaron (AJ) Bohannon to ICT Case Management/Side by Side as our Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships.

AJ is somebody who was already doing meaningful work in the community long before this title was attached to his name. He has built a reputation through the way he shows up for people, the way he leads, and the way he pours into the next generation. He is a mentor, coach, encourager, and builder, and he brings the kind of energy that helps move people and vision forward.

He is also an innovative entrepreneur in his own right, with a strong heart for community, real relationship capital, and the kind of integrity that matters when you are building something meant to last. AJ understands people, understands partnership, and understands how to create momentum in a way that stays grounded in purpose.

As ICT continues to grow, we want leaders around us who can help strengthen community ties, build meaningful partnerships, and expand our impact the right way. AJ brings all of that and more.

We’re blessed to have him with us and excited about what we’re going to build together.

Welcome to the team, AJ.

There were some really big wins today. Real big.

But honestly, the best part of my day was this right here.

A big reason I started this was because I looked around and realized kids just are not outside like they used to be. They are not out there running around, competing, burning energy, and just being kids. That never sat right with me, and I felt like somebody needed to build something that brought that back.

People like to make mental health complicated, but a lot of times the simple things still matter. Movement matters. Fresh air matters. Connection matters. Especially for kids.

When the weather is nice, they need to be outside.

A lot happened today, and I’m grateful for all of it. But seeing this at the end of the day meant the most to me.

This is the kind of thing that reminds me why we started. We are building something good.