OUR MISSION

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The Max's Kansas Project embraces the philosophy of Mickey Ruskin, the creator of Max's Kansas City, and was established in his memory in 2001.  The foundation for the Max's Kansas Project was laid when Mickey Ruskin opened the doors to the legendary restaurant/bar/club in New York City on December 6, 1965.  He was a true patron of the arts who provided a refuge, a home-away-from-home for everybody who was anybody in the arts, many of whom are now famous.  Since Max's was known to cross boundaries of generations, to connect the old with the new and embrace the youth of the future as well as established artists, the Max's Kansas City Project has expanded its scope to include an interactive online cyber cafe for teens and adolescents, www.dropin2maxs.com.

Our mission is two-fold:

We are dedicated to providing emergency funding and resources to financially distressed individuals in the creative and

performing arts for housing, medical and legal aid. One time grants are awarded ranging from $500-$1000.  Special consideration is given, but  not limited to, Max's Kansas City's extended family, (those who worked at Max's or were Max's patrons).

We are also committed to empowering teens through the arts with a focus on substance abuse and suicide prevention by mentoring and motivating them to make healthy choices, offering an ongoing process to aid them in building the personal skills needed to inspire them to lead healthy, productive lives.  Our Fearless Youth Program is characterized by a positive skills building approach, introducing teens to the creative arts as an outlet to meet the challenges of life in constructive ways, mentoring them and raising awareness on the dangers and consequences of substance abuse and addiction.