How Rebecca Welsh founded the organization that’s changing the lives of homeless youth.

Although Rebecca Welsh was born in small-town Monett, Missouri, a portion of her childhood was growing up in Jefferson City. After graduating from Jefferson City High School, she then attended the University of Missouri — Columbia, where she began feeling her destiny was to help make a positive impact on the world through giving back. Rebecca credits a months-long working assignment in Honduras with MercyShips as the impetus for starting the non-profit organization the HALO Foundation. During her time in Latin America, she witnessed children experiencing homelessness, and it left a lasting impression on her. After she returned back home to Missouri, Rebecca began teaching martial arts to children in Kansas City and shared the stories of the children she’d met in Honduras with her class. Compelled by the stories, the students raised money to help the kids in Latin America. After learning about the needs in her own community, she used additional funds raised by students to form HALO.

HALO, which symbolizes a radiant circle of light to represent the positive transformation and hope the foundation aims to bring to the lives of children in need, serves over 3,000 homeless youths ages 16-21 annually through its work with partner organizations. In addition to providing necessities, like food and shelter, HALO also provides education and assistance with life and career skills. Rebecca was only in her early 20’s when she founded the organization that now serves Jefferson City and Kansas City, Missouri. They also serve youths in other countries, such as Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda.

From day one, Rebecca operated the non-profit like a business. Before HALO had an office or staff, she worked out of a makeshift space in a closet in her home. However, Rebecca knew that she would need a large group of volunteers if the organization was going to be successful. She soon began looking for volunteers from all backgrounds —from people who worked in marketing to accountants and attorneys. She often asked friends and family to pitch in with their particular skill sets, and those individuals would then ask their friend groups to help. Eventually, the volunteer base started to grow by word of mouth, and HALO volunteers began going to various homeless shelters around Kansas City, looking for ways for HALO to expand to other cities and help as many children as possible.

“The need was presented, and it took on a life of its own,” Rebecca recalls. “It really started as a family of people who were like-minded, and it grew from there.”

In addition to not having a full-time staff or a brick-and-mortar building to operate out of during those early years, Rebecca also had to confront a lot of misconceptions to keep HALO moving forward. She recalls how many people viewed her as being too young and idealistic to make any sort of lasting impact.

“I was told over and over that I should just get a corporate job and stop doing this,” she says. “People told me the kids we intended to help were past the time in their lives where they could be saved.”

Her determination and belief in the resiliency and worthiness of the kids kept her going, and it’s one of the things that still drives her. In addition to her own resolve, she attributes the longevity of the organization to its volunteers and others involved who continue to share HALO’s story with the community and to the dedicated team that helped keep the non-profit going when Rebecca had to step away for an extended period.

“The need was presented, and it took on a life of its own. It really started as a family of people who were like-minded, and it grew from there.”

Rebecca Welsh

In 2015, 10 years after HALO was founded, Rebecca had a stroke and spent a year in recovery. During that time, she was not only determined to get her health and independence back for herself, her husband, and their children, but also for the kids that needed HALO’s services.

“I knew my work on Earth wasn’t done when I had my stroke. I remember thinking that there were so many kids that we’ve helped, but there are so many more who need to be helped.”

Looking back on it now, Rebecca believes that her time away recovering presented an opportunity to build the organization into something that would thrive. And that feeling she had about her destiny has proven to be true, as HALO continues to transform lives.

Today, the organization maintains a staff in addition to their hundreds of volunteers, who help keep its Kansas City headquarters and other facilities running smoothly. During the early days of the organization, HALO volunteers went to various homeless shelters around Kansas City, looking for ways to help as many children as possible.

In Jefferson City, the HALO Girls Home is one of a few housing options for young girls experiencing homelessness in the Central Missouri area, and the HALO Learning Center puts teen boys on a path to a positive future. Most recently, HALO opened a Kansas City facility on 37 acres that features a learning center and on-site homes for boys and girls. After nearly 20 years, HALO is still continuing to make a difference in the lives of young people.

1994 Rebecca moved to Jefferson City
1997 Graduated from Jefferson City High School
2000 Crowned Taekwondo world champion
2001 Graduated from the University of Missouri
2002 Served with MercyShips in Honduras
2005 Founded HALO, started supporting orphanages in Africa, India, Nicaragua, and Mexico
2007 Began supporting youth in Jefferson City and Kansas City
2008-2015 Married Eddie Welsh and had three children — Klaebel, Chedon, and Evietta
2014 Opened HALO JC Girls Home in Jefferson City
2015 Suffered a stroke, had open-heart surgery, and received the “Inspiration to Action” award by Variety magazine
2019 Opened HALO JC Boys Program in Jefferson City
2024 Opened HALO Village in Kansas City with boys home, girls home, and learning center

Volunteer: https://haloworldwide.org/volunteer/