KMOS-TV to Air Locally Produced Special Highlighting Life in America and Central Missouri

WARRENSBURG, MO – At 9 p.m. CST Jan. 26, KMOS-TV, in cooperation with PBS, will premiere “The Story of Us: A KMOS American Portrait Special.” This half-hour documentary special will showcase inspiring stories about individuals living with disabilities from across central Missouri as part of the national crowdsourced storytelling project PBS American Portrait, the signature content initiative of PBS’s 50th anniversary.

 

To help make this local initiative possible KMOS-TV partnered with West-Central Independent Living Solutions (WILS) and Services for Independent Living (SIL) of Columbia to help gather user-generated content for this special, by highlighting individuals with disabilities in central Missouri. Participants responded to discussion prompts such as “I was raised to believe…”, “I took a risk when…”, “My Saturday night looks like…”, “The tradition I carry on is…”, and more.

 

“We are proud to partner with amazing community organizations such as WILS and SIL for this project. The community members that they serve have stories to tell, and we want to show that individuals with disabilities are just like everyone else in our community. They have hopes and dreams, and powerful stories to tell,” said Scott Alvested, community engagement coordinator for KMOS-TV.

 

Since its launch in January 2020, the PBS American Portrait website has collected thousands of stories by Americans that together, hope to create a diverse and colorful mosaic of life in our country today. The initiative has drawn millions of users to the site to explore the personal, firsthand stories submitted from people all over America, and has experienced increased engagement in recent months with people processing our unprecedented current moment in American history,

 

Please visit the PBS American Portrait website and follow the conversation at #AmericanPortraitPBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to view the thousands of stories already being submitted. Users can filter stories on the website using an interactive map or by topics/prompts.

 

Target is a major funder and national promotional partner for PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT, expanding the reach of this initiative. Additional support is provided by Anne Ray Foundation, a Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy.

PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT was developed and created with RadicalMedia. For RadicalMedia, Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick serve as executive producers, and Naomi Gilbert is the senior interactive producer for the web platform. Craig D’Entrone is executive producer for RadicalMedia and is showrunner on the project. Bill Margol is the executive in charge for PBS. For “The Story of Us,” Michele Stephenson is executive producer.

About KMOS-TV
KMOS-TV serves the citizens of 38 central Missouri counties with high-quality, educational content and experiences online, over-the-air and in our communities. KMOS-TV is integral to engaged learning as a professional learning lab for students from a variety of disciplines at the University of Central Missouri. KMOS-TV broadcasts programming on four channels throughout the region with programs for all ages on 6.1, lifestyle and how-to programs on 6.2, news, dramas and more on 6.3, and a 24/7 schedule of kids programming to fit the schedule of every busy family on 6.4. Follow KMOS-TV on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @kmostv.

About WILS
As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), WiLS strives to remove barriers and prejudices and empowers persons with disabilities to live independently. WiLS is a consumer-driven, non-residential, 501(c)3 nonprofit resource center that serves people with physical disabilities and their families. For more information, please visit w-ils.org or contact info@w-ils.org.

About SIL
Established in 1980, Services for Independent Living (SIL) empowers people with disabilities, seniors, and veterans to maximize their independence in the community. A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more life activities — and can be; visible or invisible, permanent or temporary. SIL provides community-based services like personal care services, aging in place services, assistance to youth transitioning to adulthood, educational sessions on how to increase independence, transportation, home modifications, and free durable medical equipment and assistive devices. As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), 51% or more of staff and Board of Directors are people with disabilities. For more information, please visit silcolumbia.org.