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Spotlight on Centurions – Nate Chastain

Nate Chastain is a commercial insurance broker for Lockton Companies, where he negotiates insurance programs for other companies. Nate and his wife, Nichelle, have a son, Otto. He is a member of Centurions, and he has been thrilled with the program. Nate’s favorite volunteer opportunity is with Urban Christian Academy, which is a private, tuition-free […]

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Art Scene – Cara Spencer

Cara Spencer grew up in Lyndon, Kansas, a town of about 1,200 people, 30 minutes outside of Topeka. She had 56 people in her senior high school class and graduated from Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, where she got a teaching degree in theatre education. “In high school, I had done some murals, but I […]

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The Stuff Of Which Dreams Are Made – Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce is a bright star in Our Town’s constellation of celebrities. Sports icons come and go, famous actors and musicians grace our collective stage, and every now and then a person with such a gravitational pull and actual gravitas embraces Kansas City. A man of many talents, not the least of which is grabbing […]

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Children’s Mercy – Dream Big Day

Children’s Mercy hosted Dream Big Day, a virtual family-friendly festival, celebration, and walk for the community to find answers and hope for kids. The week-long festivities culminated with more than 900 people and 70 teams coming together for a Facebook Live event on September 26th that is still available for viewing. More than $227,000 was […]

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2020 Class of Rising Stars Bess Wallerstein Huff

Bess Wallerstein Huff is the director of marketing and community outreach at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Her primary focus right now has been to offer support to arts organizations and cultural institutions that have been negatively impacted due to COVID-19. “As a member of the arts community, I have been dedicating time […]

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Saint Luke’s Foundation – 10th Annual Plaza 10K

Saint Luke’s Foundation’s 10th Annual Plaza 10K, a benefit for Saint Luke’s Home Care and Hospice, was held on September 13th. Participants were given the option to run virtually or the traditional route along the boulevards and parkways around the Country Club Plaza. Lots of safety measures and a beautiful day made it a great […]

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Park International Center for Music – Stanislav & Friends

Park International Center for Music’s Stanislav & Friends was held on September 17th at the Boulevard Drive-In. Guests enjoyed beautiful classical music at the reimagined event which featured a pre-recorded concert, artist interviews, and VIP concession boxes. The highlight of the evening was the eight-hand, four-pianist, two-piano finale.        Fantasia Ta, Lisa Voss, […]

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Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas – 47th Annual Snow Ball

Susan and Ernie Straub III are the honorary presidents, and Karen and Craig Gaffney are the presidents for the 47th Annual Snow Ball, which will be held on January 16th. For the first time ever, the Snow Ball will be a completely virtual experience, with friends hosting their own in-home parties to engage guests. Proceeds […]

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Homegrown – Galleries On The Grid: Investing In Local Fine Art

Of all the hats I wear, the most similar jobs I have are motherhood and the director of the Prairie Village Art Show. For both roles, I take a “learn as I go” approach. Each job is challenging, underestimated, and, most importantly, fulfilling. For the Prairie Village Art Show, I run a one man (or […]

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A Few Of My Favorite Things By Heather N. Paxton

Joe Vaughan started collecting political buttons when he was still in grade school – and his collection has grown to include bumper stickers, leaflets, magazine articles, and other souvenirs of the campaign trail. Many show support for presidential candidates, and others highlight the careers of local officials and office seekers. “I was imbued with an […]

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Cheers to Volunteers! Alane Watts

Alane Watts joined Lead to Read KC as a reading mentor in 2016 because she believes, “By helping develop strong readers, we impact the future of our community. We give students the foundation to thrive academically and achieve their dreams.” Alane volunteers alongside nearly two dozen of her colleagues from American Century Investments, many of […]

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Spotlight on Centurions – Kelsey Rockey

Kelsey Rockey is in her second year as a Centurion, where she has served as the co-chairman of the recruiting committee, is on the retreat committee, and will serve with the Healthcare Task Force later this year. Kelsey is the director of account services at Parris Communications. She has given her time and talent to […]

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Jackson County CASA – CARnival for CASA

The Unity Village campus was the setting for Jackson County CASA’s 15th Annual CARnival for CASA, which was held on September 13th. From their vehicles, families could enjoy the spirit of a parade, along with jugglers, a dance troupe, exotic birds and reptiles, and more. Susie and John Newsam were the honorary chairmen.   Also […]

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The National World War I Museum and Memorial – Night at the Tower

Christy and Bill Gautreaux and Mary and Mark Jorgenson were the co-chairmen for The National World War I Museum and Memorial’s Night at the Tower on September 12th. The sixth annual gala moved from the tower to homes across the region, where guests at nearly 250 households enjoyed a private broadcast. The stream of entertainment […]

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The Dish With Ann – Thelma’s Kitchen

The guiding principles of Thelma’s Kitchen are dignity, community, and advocacy, according to Kyle Smith, social innovations and marketing director. It is a non profit and was inspired by Thelma Gardner. She met her husband, David Altschul, who, at the time, was selling insurance and bringing food and assisting families at LaSalle Apartments, where Thelma […]

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Graffiti Attic Union Station

We really don’t mean to sound like old fuddy-duddies, but in all probability, we will be judged as such. Stay with us as we explain how we’ve transformed ourselves into cool, hip, enlightened middle-agers. We never expected halls of indoor graffiti to make our hearts sing. We’ll get to the “why” in a minute, but […]

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Rachel’s Reads – October 2020

As we have entered a new season with new demands on our time, sometimes the most satisfying feeling is sitting down and devouring an entire book in one sitting. It might be rare to find the time for some uninterrupted binge reading, but below is a selection of recent releases that are all short enough […]

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Spotlight on Centurions – Greg Moore

In his second year as a Centurion, Greg Moore has served on the diversity equity inclusion committee, the Sports, Park, and Recreation Task Force, and the steering committee. Professionally, this sports enthusiast has been with the Kansas City Royals’ marketing department, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Pro Athlete, before his current position as COO of Charlie […]

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39th Annual Ben & Betty Zarda Family Golf Classic

August 24th was the date for the 39th Annual Ben & Betty Zarda Family Golf Classic. The event, which was held at Lake Quivira Country Club, supported Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. Honoring the late Betty and Ben Zarda, 120 golfers raised more than $160,000 for Catholic Charities’ summer food initiatives, including the Kids Summer […]

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Cristo Rey – Dancing with the Kansas City Stars

Fancy footwork was imperative as Cristo Rey Kansas City’s annual fundraiser, Dancing with the Kansas City Stars, made the switch to a live-streamed event. The honorary chairman was David Johnson, with Julisha Wilkins and Justina Wilkins, Cristo Rey alumnae and seniors at the University of Missouri – Columbia, as honorary co-chairmen. Kathleen Couchonnal, Kathleen Callahan, […]

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2020 Directors of Philanthropy

In the Directors of Philanthropy issue, The Independent celebrates the remarkable people in Our Town who donate so much of their time and talents to charitable organizations.          Also featured in the October 3, 2020 issue of The Independent

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