Denise Dibben and Kristen Whalen are serving as co-chairmen of Starry Night at Starlight. The event, which will be held on September 11th at Starlight Theatre, will pay homage to an inaugural class of All-Stars, known for charitable endeavors in Our Town, plus an honorary All-Star. The fun will include tickets to a performance of […]

The KC Shepherd’s Center fourth annual 70 Over 70 Awards Celebration will be held virtually on November 4th. SuEllen Fried and Bert Berkley will serve as the honorary co-chairmen as 70 honorees who are all more than 70 years of age are recognized for their significant contributions and achievements in Kansas City. RAlso featured in […]

Dr. Mark T. Fisher, the late Mona Randolph, the City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation, and Worcester Investments will be honored at The Whole Person’s Night of Independence Awards Gala – An Evening in Paris. Jennifer Salva and Logan Weed are co-chairmen of the event, which will be held on September 24th at […]

September 18th is the date for the seventh annual Night at the Tower, a benefit for the National World War I Museum and Memorial, which will be held as a virtual event. Members of the Rowland Family will be the honorary co-chairmen; the late Landon Rowland was a trustee and devoted supporter of the organization. […]

Katasha Kumar has a deep passion and commitment to philanthropy that developed early in her childhood. Growing up in Chicago, Katasha’s family introduced her to volunteerism and community engagement, not as something to do, but as a way to demonstrate their long-held family values. From her time in Girl Scouts to volunteering at senior centers, […]

September 29th is the date for We Work For Change. United WE, formerly the Women’s Foundation, will host the afternoon event, which will celebrate equity, diversity, and 30 years of empowering women. The festivities will include both virtual activities and an in-person VIP exclusive. The featured speakers are Mellody Hobson of Starbucks, Tina Tchen of […]

Danny Ritz is a storyteller and whether reading a story to a child through the Lead to Read program or telling stories about Kansas City through his podcast, he is committed to sharing the stories that matter most. Danny is multitalented and his varied interests and community engagement have made an immeasurable impact on our […]

September 11th is the date for The Symphony League of Kansas City’s 39th annual Symphony Ball, which will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center. “Stardust” will be the theme. The event will feature a Kansas City Symphony performance led by Maestro Michael Stern, as well as dinner, a silent auction, and dancing to […]

In 2015, Colleen Katzenberger was awarded the Folds of Honor Higher Education Scholarship, and her son, Everett, was awarded a Future Use Scholarship. Colleen graduated in 2016 with a master of education degree from Rockhurst University. Colleen’s husband, and Everett’s father, Staff Sergeant Jeremy Katzenberger, was killed in the line of duty in 2011 while […]

Floraloom is partnering with Newhouse, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Through this partnership, Newhouse residents have the opportunity to earn a living wage and learn marketable skills. In addition, they have the outlet to express themselves through floral arrangement. Also featured in the June 26, 2021 issue of The Independent  

Peggy Beal is the 2021-2022 Kansas City Ballet Guild president, succeeding Juliette Singer Spinks, the 2020-2021 president. Loews Hotel Kansas City will be the site for The Nutcracker Ball, which will be held on November 20th. Through the annual Ball and Boutique, the Guild supports the Kansas City Ballet and the Kansas City Ballet School. […]

Recent months have found Hallie Thompson devoting herself to volunteer work with Heart to Heart International, both here and in other countries. Most recently, she has been with the HHI disaster response team in Papua New Guinea, treating clients and training hospital and clinic staff on COVID-19 procedures. An earlier trip with the HHI disaster […]

Charlotte Street Foundation’s 2021 Gala: Magic Mirror Ball will be held on October 23rd. Susan Gordon and Scott Francis are the honorary chairmen, with Toma Wolff and Jon Taylor serving as the co-chairmen. The organization’s new headquarters in Midtown will be the site for the event, which will feature immersive design installations, performances, and interactive […]

When HappyBottoms received a donated shipment of diapers recently, the volunteers from Henderson Engineers came to the rescue. Unloading cases from broken pallets, and reorganizing them by size and quantity was the help HappyBottoms needed. Many thanks to these willing and able volunteers for saving the day! Brian Gilges, Johanna Ruder, Brian Majors, and Amy […]

Linda and Dr. Robert Jackson are serving as chairmen of the 2021 Ability Luncheon. The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center will be the site for the event, which will be held on September 30th. In 1947, Ability KC began helping those with disabilities achieve independence at home, school, work, and in the community. […]

Dynamic, compassionate, and mission-focused, Danielle Trabon is committed to supporting the causes she most believes in such as financial literacy and early childhood education. Danielle was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and after moving to Kansas City to start a life with her husband, she quickly immersed herself in the non-profit community. A […]

Tempe Ostergren Elsberry and Karen Yungmeyer are serving as co-chairmen of Kansas City Ballet Guild’s 2021 Nutcracker Ball. (Both are Ballet Guild members, and Tempe is also a former Kansas City Ballet dancer.) The 54th annual event will be held at Loews Kansas City Hotel on November 20th. The festivities will include cocktails, dinner, and […]

Lana Franco has been a volunteer with MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault) since 2019, giving more than 600 hours to support survivors of sexual assault in local hospitals. The pandemic has not stopped Lana, as she has made a commitment to support MOCSA’s mission to improve the lives of those impacted by sexual […]

While the 1970s might have been idyllic for some of us (the author was in junior high and high school and worried about dates, disco, and the right Gunne Sax dress for the occasion), many in our community and around the country were struggling. It was a time of political divisiveness (history has a way of […]

The National World War I Museum and Memorial is very grateful for the Aces volunteers. Each member of this remarkable and dedicated crew has donated more than 500 hours (in 2019 and again in 2020) of community service to the Museum and Memorial. They help support the organization’s mission by making sure guests have a memorable and wonderful experience at the […]

Many times, numbers speak with as much authority as words do. In the case of domestic violence, the numbers paint a frightening, if not more frightening, picture than the actual words which describe this trauma. One-in-three women and one-in-four men have experienced domestic violence.  There are 342 beds in our city for emergency shelter, and […]