The Loop KC brings together similar yet unique minds to create genuine friendships and ignite the next generation of business leaders in Kansas City. Members of The Loop KC are required to give back to local non-profit organizations. Learn more about The Loop KC, here.   “I’m fortunate to say that I work for one of […]

To learn more about becoming a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Kansas City Chapter, please visit afpkc.org. The Independent is proud to be the exclusive media partner of AFPKC. Julianne DeLessio is employed with Union Station Kansas City as its donor and corporate relations manager, where she works with corporate partners and sponsors, as […]

Amy Ball Polen is serving as the president of BOTAR this year – and her recollections of the event date back to when her sisters, Jennifer Ball Jones and Melinda Ball Roper, were participants in 1981 and 1986, respectively. “Some of my best memories were when my sisters were BOTARs, and I got to see […]

Geneve Lichtenwalter (originally known as E. Geneve Lichtenwalter – her first name was Eva) was an esteemed piano teacher for decades in Our Town. She was born in Iowa on Valentine’s Day in the late 1860s. Geneve graduated from The University of Kansas with a degree in music in 1892, and a bachelor’s degree in […]

Guests had the opportunity to view the construction of LongHouse, the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens’ new visitor center when the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park hosted Stems: A Garden Soirée at the Arboretum on June 25th. Everyone enjoyed sampling wines (in signature hand-painted wineglasses!) and delicious fare from local restaurants. The […]

Mr. and Mrs. John Woodson Longan of Leawood, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Bonnie Merriman Longan, to Jahn Thomas Kudrna, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jahn Scott Kudrna of Auburn, Nebraska. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stewart McKie of Prairie Village, Kansas, Mr. and […]

July 8th was the date for Band of Angels’ Art That Blows event, which was held at The Abbott. Partygoers enjoyed great music, a unique atmosphere, and the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind art pieces, which were all made from recycled music instruments.     Featured in the August 20, 2022 issue of The Independent. […]