04/28/2026
We are excited to share the 2026 winner of the Marion Nichols Award:
Kar Woo, Executive Director
Artist Helping the Homeless
Nominated by: Ben Keefe
"Kar Woo embodies the spirit of the Marion Nichols Caring Service Award through his sustained commitment to helping Kansans move from crisis to long-term self-sufficiency.
For more than 17 years, Kar has worked at the intersection of homelessness, reentry, recovery, and community reintegration, building practical pathways that restore stability, dignity, and independence. Like Marion Nichols, Kar’s work begins with meeting basic human needs, safe housing, transportation, access to care, and structured support. Through Artists Helping the Homeless, he developed transitional and respite housing programs that address critical service gaps between incarceration, hospital discharge, shelters, and permanent housing. He recognized that individuals often fail not because they lack effort, but because systems lack coordination. His response has been to build that coordination, strengthening partnerships with courts, hospitals, law enforcement, and community providers to ensure individuals are not left behind.
Kar’s leadership is rooted in compassion and accountability. He approaches each person without judgment, while also setting clear expectations for sobriety, employment, education, and personal responsibility. He believes deeply in people’s capacity to rebuild their lives and creates environments that foster structure, discipline, and hope. Residents are not treated as clients to be managed, but as individuals capable of growth and contribution. Beyond his formal role, Kar consistently goes further, personally advocating for residents, removing barriers to employment, facilitating transportation, and helping individuals navigate documentation, treatment access, and family reconnection.
His work reflects the core of Marion Nichols’ legacy: empowering individuals to escape cycles of poverty and instability through practical support, unwavering belief, and a clear pathway toward self-sufficiency. Kar Woo’s sustained service, systems-level thinking, and deeply human approach exemplify the passion and dedication this award was created to honor. He's my friend and quite possibly the best person I know."
Congratulations, Kar Woo!
