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 […]

Kathy Hunt Woodward (Mrs. Phillip Scott Woodward) will serve as the chairman of the 2022 Jewel Ball. The event will be held on June 18th at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kathy is the daughter of Mr. Graham Thomas Hunt and the late Judy Henry Hunt (Mrs. Graham Thomas Hunt), who was Jewel Ball chairman […]

The Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown was the site for the Kansas City Ballet Guild’s Nutcracker Luncheon, which was held on December 16th. The co-chairmen were Susan Bubb and Megan Bubb. Guests were welcomed by Peggy Beal, Guild president. Karen Yungmeyer, Nutcracker Ball co-chairman, gave a recap of that much-enjoyed evening. Jeffrey […]

Some things can’t be explained.  Some things can be briefed and overviewed in an attempt to condense the extremely complicated into the understandable for those of us who need assistance. The work of Mike Lyon straddles the hemispheres of north and south, east and west, left brain and right brain, genius and super-genius, explainable and […]

Alvin Brooks, Carrie and Matt Condon, Peggy and Terry Dunn, Don Hall, Jr., and Marny and John Sherman served as the co-chairmen for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|AJC’s Human Relations Event, “Bridges to Justice,” on November 18th. The Reverend Thomas B. Curran, S.J., was honored with the 2021 Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award. The […]

Puppet theater has been around for millennia: Archaeologists have found remains to suggest that puppetry existed in ancient Egypt, Asia, and Africa some 3,000 years ago or more. It has formed an essential part of performance culture wherever theater has flourished, so it is perhaps not surprising that it has played an active role in […]

“The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafón It’s no surprise that book clubs are still going strong as we head deeper into 2022. There is something immensely satisfying about connecting with other readers and discussing books. It doesn’t matter whether you hated or […]

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fischgrund of Leawood, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Chloe Caroline Fischgrund, to Douglas Mason Williams, the son of Mrs. Stuart Hoover of Olathe, Kansas, and the late Dr. Keith Williams. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harold Vandiver, the late Mr. […]

Happy days are here again at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum! The National Baseball Hall of Fame finally recognized what all of us have known for decades: that Buck O’Neil belongs in the Hall of Fame. The announcement was made by Josh Rawitch, Hall of Fame president. “I’m still basking in the glow of everything […]