Joplin, MO. – Ozark Center executives and employees make it a habit to volunteer wherever and whenever possible. Volunteerism, after all, is a core component of Ozark Center’s overriding mission. During the month of May, however, they went above and beyond expectations.

One hundred and 10 hours, or 6,600 minutes, is how many additional hours Ozark Center employees donated to local nonprofits during the behavioral healthcare giant’s “60 Minutes More” initiative.

Ozark Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, opening to the public on February 15, 1965.

“We started our celebration in February with a kick-off and then every month we’ve had something different planned so we can celebrate with our staff and our community together,” said Vicky Mieseler, Ozark Center’s Chief Executive Officer. “The month of May was ‘community’ month, and our charge to our 600 employees was to try and give back 60 minutes more. The reason we tacked ‘more’ on to the end of that is because so many of our employees are actively involved with volunteerism in our community all the time.”

Volunteerism highlights included:

• Creating a taco bar and serving meals to the kids at Jasper County CASA
• Assisting with disabled children and adults playing baseball at the Will Norton Miracle Field
• Serving lunches to disabled seniors at the Joplin Senior Center
• Socializing with dogs and cats and cleaning out pens at both the Joplin and Carthage Humane Society facilities 
• Pre-packing meals and school supplies for kids from underserved households at Bright Futures Joplin
• Prepping meals and cleaning rooms at Ronald McDonald House of the Four States
• Cleaning and organizing at the historic Phelps House in Carthage
• Removing obstacles from walking trails at Wildcat Glades
• Assisting kids with fun activities during McDonald County Water Safety Day hosted by McDonald County Community Coalition.

“We love our community,” Mieseler said. “It was a great opportunity for our staff to do more.”

Ozark Center, thanks to its walk-in clinics, serves more than 15,000 patients each year. These clinics are just one of numerous achievements accomplished by Ozark Center over the last six decades, ranging from integrating substance use treatment, mental health care, and overall health care under a single roof to destigmatizing mental health as a whole; from providing housing for adults with serious mental illness to being early adopters of the Trauma Informed Care initiative – to name only a few.