In just one year, Jorge Soberón-Hernández and his team at Arvest Bank led more than 170 financial literacy classes in Kansas City, helping hundreds of people gain the financial knowledge they need to secure a better future. But for Jorge, this is just the beginning of his commitment to uplifting underserved communities. With his drive […]

Freddy Acevedo possesses a range as wide as any theater artist you’ll meet. A strong presence on Kansas City stages in recent years, locally the Texas-born actor/producer/playwright/educator has played a valiant Jonathan Harker (Dracula, Kansas City Actors’ Theatre), a wittily hyperactive Rafael (Clyde’s, Unicorn Theatre), an elegant Paris (Romeo and Juliet, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival), and an […]

If you want to understand the complexity of Stephanie Zuluaga Kneeman’s artistry, you need to gain an image of the whole person. She is a mezzo-soprano of rich musical gifts and wide-ranging interests: music and theater, but also family, community, and even the business world. She is operatically trained but sings everything from salsa to […]

Jerry Mañan Actor/playwright/director  Jerry Mañan is an actor, writer, director, and theater artist based in the Kansas City area. He graduated from Avila University, where in his last year he received the Best Classical Acting award at the American College Theatre Festival. Locally he has appeared at the Unicorn Theatre (Refuge, Backwards Forwards Back, The Lifespan of […]

Betsy Martin and Stephen Fowler met at the altar of Presidio Chapel in San Francisco, California, to exchange vows on April 27th. Betsy is the daughter of Karen and Gary Martin of Newport Beach, California, and Stephen is the son of Beth and David Fowler of Mission Hills, Kansas. Betsy’s sister, Lotte Martin, served as […]

Jose “J.L.” Leon, Jr., and Daniel “D. Rod” Rodriguez started the Enterrupt KC podcast because they want “community, not controversy.” These two gentlemen (and gentle men) who also happen to be nephew and uncle, decided to start telling Kansas City’s stories – at junctions in their own lives that really didn’t require anything else to […]

Donning hard hats and safety wear, past BOTAR presidents received a tour of the new American Royal building project currently happening in Wyandotte County, courtesy of the top brass at the Royal. Jackie McClaskey, president and chief executive officer,led the eager group through the already-raised five barn configuration. Surprised to hear that the total barn […]

What better way to work off some of the pre-Ball waltzing nerves than with some pickleball and some cheering for the Chiefs at Chicken N Pickle? The 2024 BOTARs and Escorts did just that on a recent beautiful fall day. Featured in the October 5, 2024 issue of The Independent

Rise is a very unique event, hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, where attendees “crawl” through exclusive private rooftops of the Crossroads District, with incredible views of the downtown skyline. The theme this year was “Road Trip,” and partygoers journeyed through Texas, California, New York City, and Colorado. Guests enjoyed drinks, delicious fare, […]

Kansas City Ballet Guild held its annual Kickoff Party on August 18th at Boulevard Brewing Company, celebrating the start of the Kansas City Ballet season. On hand to greet Guild members and guests were Company Dancers, Second Company Dancers, and Ballet staff, including David Gray and Devon Carney, who introduced the new school director, Oliver […]

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Paul Moss of San Rafael, California, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Clare Cederberg Moss, to Droste DeForest Milledge III, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Droste DeForest Milledge, Jr., of Mission Hills, Kansas. Clare is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Wesley Warrington and […]

There is something about poetry that embeds itself in your soul. Poetic language captures identities, histories, struggles, and beauty. Whether using brevity, powerful metaphors, or emotive language, poets do indeed know how to turn a phrase. There is a rich tradition of poetry in Hispanic culture. From the romantic verses of Spanish poets like Gustavo […]

Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and Saint Luke’s Foundation are thrilled to announce the creation of Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Institute for Women’s Cardiovascular Research. The Institute is the first of its kind, dedicated to studying the unique aspects of heart conditions in women with the goal of narrowing the sex-specific research gaps […]

The Independent was fortunate enough to call Anna Bazan-Munguia a Rising Star in 2023, and we are thrilled to report that Anna is still hard at work in her community. Despite her very busy and challenging position as director of community outreach for Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, she has also been involved with […]

The hiring committee at the Overland Park Convention Center knew they had a hit on their hands when they invited David Ruiz to conduct a tasting as a part of his interview process earlier this year for the position of executive chef. As David brought out course after course, it became clear that this was […]

“The modernity of yesterday is the tradition of today, and the modernity of today will be tradition tomorrow.” Jose Andres Tradition is a beautiful thread that weaves itself throughout the tapestry of human history. It binds our past, guides our present, and helps to shape our future. At one end of the spectrum, it is […]