The Mission Statement asserts: The Ethnic Enrichment Commission aspires to foster understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity, to preserve Ethnic heritage, to encourage Ethnic identity, and to coordinate and facilitate Ethnic Programs.Some of the programs of the Ethnic Enrichment Commission are the annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the EEC Diplomatic Ball, participation in various parades in the area, and providing over 500 ethnic outreach programs throughout the year. The EEC continues to recruit new member countries and has 55 – 60 participating countries yearly. One common interest among the countries is education, with the first EEC scholarship being presented in 1993. In 2011 the scholarship was named to honor John T. Duncan and multiple scholarships have been given each year since.The Ethnic Festival, as partnered with Kansas City Parks & Recreation, in its current location at Swope Park, is now the longest continuously running event of its type in the Midwest. It is composed of over 50 booths from the member countries and presents over 35 stage shows in one weekend. What started with a parade to celebrate the diversity of the City of Kansas City during the Bicentennial has become an ongoing mission to extend the cultural heritage of Kansas City to all corners of the metropolitan area.