Mike Montgomery
The labor community mourns the death of Mike Montgomery, retired Founder of Working Families’ Friend Working Families’ Friend was founded on April 1, 2003 to fill a need in our community that was not being met: providing emergency assistance to working, or recently unemployed, individuals who found themselves in an unexpected one-time crisis. Mike spent most of his working life in and around organized labor, where he saw so many people who worked hard and gave back to their communities, yet didn’t have a place to turn for that unexpected need. Prior to founding Working Families’ Friend in 2003, Mike was the labor liaison for many years for United Way of Greater Kansas City and then serving as the first President of Working Families’ Friend. Before 2003 there was a void in the social service network; Mike Montgomery filled that voidwhen he envisioned Working Families’ Friend. He knew that working people needed a voice, someone to speak up on their behalf when they didn’t have the time or tenacity to speak up for themselves. There was no better voice than Mike Montgomery. Mike retired in December of 2018. Over the 15 years that Mike captained Working Families’ Friend, tens of thousands of people found help and support who otherwise would have had nowhere to turn. Over 8,500 families received financial assistance totaling more than $3.5 million. Mike was able to retire knowing that he had built a strong foundation at Working Families’ Friend and that things were in place to ensure that people would continue to have a place to turn for much-needed help. “This agency was Mike’s pride and joy, it was his dream. I feel honored to have been entrusted with it and am driven to make it the best it can be in tribute to his legacy.” stated current President, Joan Putthoff. Our prayers are with his family, including his wife Lynn and his daughter Niki who currently serves as the Vice President of Working Families’ Friend.
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