Alan Edelman was the honoree at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy’s Civic Service Award Celebration, “A Family United.” The event, a brunch this year, was held on January 22nd at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Merilyn Berenbom, Marcia Karbank, and Roshann Parris were the honorary co-chairs. Susie Azorsky and Mike Abrams served as the […]

“I work quickly, without trying to put any message into my painting,” Gertrude Freyman told the Kansas City Star in 1959. She added, “I don’t think too much about what I am doing. Perhaps, unconsciously, I seek a kind of design, but I paint what I feel.”  Her artwork, and particularly her whimsical pictures of […]

The BOTAR Winter Meeting was held at the Carriage Club on January 18th. Members gathered to watch as a check was presented to the American Royal, and to hear the words of Freshman BOTAR Scholar Annamarie Stone (in person) and Senior BOTAR Scholar Destiny Switzer (via video). The agenda also included the election of  the […]

THE TOP FIVE WALK/RUN EVENTS OF 2022  Head for the Cure Foundation’s 20th Annual Head for the Cure 5K – Metro KC: $492,443 Down Syndrome Innovations’ Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk: $255,854 Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired’s CCVI Trolley Run: $213,509 Ability KC’s Groundhog Run 2022: $144,838 Wayside Waifs’ Strutt With Your Mutt: $137,472   THE TOP TEN NATIONALLY SPONSORED EVENTS […]

Pam and Kevin Kramer were the presidents of the 49th Annual Snow Ball. The black-tie benefit for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas was held on January 21st at the Overland Park Convention Center. Lauren Solidum, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, welcomed guests, and a film about the newly reopened Shalom House Men’s Transitional Living Program […]

Hannah Margaret Arnspiger and Robert Eugene Freeman were united in matrimony on December 3rd at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The bride is the daughter of Susan and Dr. Richard Arnspiger II of Fairway, Kansas. Hannah is the granddaughter of Charlotte Matthews of Kansas City, Kansas, and the […]

Colin Woods helps HappyBottoms by delivering orders to diaper distribution agencies and hospitals, entering data, contacting families who need information, and much more. He has volunteered for more than 100 hours with the organization. Thank you, Colin, for helping to alleviate diaper need in Our Town.  Featured in the February 18, 2023 issue of The […]

Cathy and Chip Toth are serving as the honorary chairs for Cristo Rey Kansas City’s 17th Annual Dancing with the Kansas City Stars, “A Red Carpet Extravaganza.” Susan Spencer, Christy Hartner, and Sarah Walsh are the event co-chairs. The festivities will be held at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center on March 25th. […]

KC Melting Pot Theatre strives to create a public sphere where the contributions of emerging and established Black playwrights can be shared in an enriching community environment. It works toward building diverse, equitable, and inclusive theater experiences that teach, critique, and model a better America; identifies, trains, and incubates theater talent from historically underserved communities; and […]

“What if 15,000 people each donated $10?” This question, fueled by Brandon Calloway’s vision for economic prosperity in the Black community, is the foundation of the innovative organization called G.I.F.T.—Generating Income for Tomorrow. The idea of leveraging collective financial resources to provide community impact is one that has garnered both positive attention and immense praise […]

KCFAA serves Kansas City in a three-part role: It educates by using dance to teach critical life skills to the neediest of Kansas City children, in a wide range of affordable educational programs and classes; it presents a range of performances including those by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and the Ailey […]

Chioma Anyanwu is a member of Actors Equity Association. She has parts in upcoming productions of the ripple, the wave that carried me home at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Little Women at Kansas City Actors Theatre. Chioma is from Columbia, Missouri. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at Stephens College and a […]

Marilyn Chappell founded Exceeds Expectations in 2016. The organization provides seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching, all with the goal of ending generational poverty in the African American community. Exceeds Expectations presents financial literacy workshops within faith-based organizations, corporations, schools, and families. The organization offers financial leadership programs geared toward youth and adult financial stability programs. […]

The country’s culinary scene is marked by fresh fish, rice, heavy spices, plantains, bananas, casava, yams, and hearty, eclectic soups and stews. Liberian cooks implement a “snout to tail” mentality when prepping in the kitchen and nothing goes to waste – from melon seeds to fish heads, chicken feet, and sweet potato greens, everything gets […]

Members of the Concerned Mothers Group at High Aspirations have one monthly meeting, but they often accompany their sons to the Saturday morning meetings. They take attendance, set up and serve lunch, and oversee the cleaning of the tables, which is done by the students. In addition, they assist with planning special events and chaperoning […]

William Wells founded aSTEAM Village in 2014. The organization strives to engage students and their families, as well as educators, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The goal is to ensure that young people learn the skills that will help them both in their academic lives and in their career paths. That, in turn, […]

Author Olivia Hill Author, Artist, Activist, and Playwright OliviaHillWrites.com @OliviaHillWrites Olivia Hill was born and raised in Kansas City. She is an author, artist, activist, and a playwright. Her memoir, Travel North Black Girl, is a story of self-discovery and empowerment. Set in the early 1980s, Olivia recounts her experiences of moving to the remote […]

Christian dos Santos is studying for a bachelor of music degree in viola performance with Professor Peter Chun at the International Center for Music at Park University. He will be featured in this month’s Park ICM Orchestra Valentine’s Concert. Christian grew up in Brazil. Thanks to a social project for children from low-income families, he […]

Di’Anna Saffold founded The Village KC in 2020. The organization offers programs and activities for Black students in the fifth through the 12th grades. There are four main topics: the arts, holistic health and wellness, recreational activities, and bright futures, (which focuses on college, career, trade, and entrepreneurial tracks). The Village KC supports Black-owned businesses […]

“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” – Thurgood Marshall Black history is American history and thus should be something that we all understand, know, and discuss. Acknowledging and learning from the painful parts of our shared past should be something that we appreciate rather than trying to […]

Kansas City Ballet Company Member Whitney Huell will be performing later this month in Devon Carney’s Cinderella. She has been with the Ballet since 2014; she was the second Black female dancer to join the company. Whitney was five years old when she began ballet lessons in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned a bachelor of […]