Lawrence Central Rotary

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Lawrence Central Rotary Welcomes New Member Margaret Morris

Lawrence Central Rotary welcomed a new member and learned about a new KU program at its meeting on May 27.

Margaret Weisbrod Morris, chief program officer for the Lawrence Arts Center became an official Rotarian after having visited the club several times. President Carolyn DeSalvo gave her membership materials and her pin.

Margaret Weisbrod Morris came to the Lawrence Arts Center from the Kansas Arts Commission where she was the program manager for Arts in Education. She managed the funding, partnerships, and initiatives related to arts education for the state arts agency, and served as the program administrator and event producer for the Kansas Governor’s Arts Awards and the Kansas chapter of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Competition.

Before moving to Kansas, she created studio art and art therapy programs for non-profit organizations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and provided training on the use of art in social service and community settings. Ms. Weisbrod Morris is active in the arts education and non-profit community, presenting in national forums such as the Arts Education Partnership’s National Forum, the National Association for State Arts Agencies National Assembly, National Art Education Association’s National Conference and the Americans for the Arts – Arts Education blog salon. She has served as a panelist for the US Department of Education, National Endowment for the Arts, Mid America Arts Alliance and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Morris holds a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and studied with Edith Kramer, the founder of the field of art therapy, to get her M.A. degree from New York University.

May 28, 2015
Local Agencies Work to Help Local Kids “Back 2 School”

Even though the 2014-2015 school year is just coming to a close, plans are already underway for “Back 2 School” for Fall 2015. The project will provide school supplies, backpacks, and new shoes to children who cannot afford to purchase those supplies themselves.

Every child needs school supplies to begin the school year with confidence. With “Back 2 School,” families who live at 185% of poverty level may apply for assistance. In USD 497, there are 1,648 children, ages 5 to 17, who qualify. That is 13.8% of the Lawrence school system enrollment.

Rotarian Jim Evers, Director of Development for Douglas County Salvation Army, introduced the join initiative to Lawrence Central Rotary members. Kyle Roggenkamp, Human Services Director at The Ballard Center and Penn House, and Colleen Gregoire, Vice President and Campaign Manager, United Way of Douglas County, shared stories about the project. East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation (ECKAN) is also part of the alliance. Other sponsors include First Christian Church, Hallmark, the City of Lawrence, Office Depot, Walmart and Radio 92.9, KLWN AM 1320, and KKSW 105.9.

Local agencies will work with the school district and other groups to develop a list of families who need “Back 2 School” assistance. In July, volunteers will encourage donations for paper, notebooks, pencils, and other materials listed by the local school district as necessary for a well-prepared student in the fall. United Way also hopes to include a new book for each child as well. In August, other volunteers will pack each backpack with the appropriate supplies for each grade level; buy shoes for children; and prepare for distribution day.

It is the second year of collaboration among these agencies. In 2013, the Penn House alone distributed school supplies to 598 children. Last year, the first year of collaboration, Penn House, Ballard Center, and the Salvation Army distributed backpacks and pairs of shoes to 833 children K-12. The goal for this fall is to serve 1120 children in four school districts: Lawrence, Perry/LeCompton, Baldwin, and Eudora.

May 23, 2015
USD 497’s Danica Moore Discusses Racial Equity in Lawrence

Danica Moore is a busy lady. Her title is the Equity TOSA or “Teacher on Special Assignment” but it’s so much more than that. One of her goals is to be in every classroom in the district at least twice a year to observe and help teachers as she’s the point person for USD 497’s Beyond Diversity, E-Team, and CARE Team Programs.

A major focus of the Lawrence Public Schools’ work this last year toward its Equity Goal – to raise the achievement of all students, while closing achievement gaps – involves school board members, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and community partners participating in Beyond Diversity training. This two-day seminar serves as the foundation to the Pacific Educational Group’s (PEG) Courageous Conversations about Race programming, which the Lawrence school district began implementing in 2009. Participants describe Beyond Diversity as a powerful, personally transforming experience. The training is designed to equip participants to understand the impact of race on student achievement and the role that racism plays in institutionalized racial disparities. The goal is to have all the employees of USD 497 to have taken this training.

In the spring of 2011, each high school and a small group of elementary schools initiated E-Teams, school equity leadership teams. These teams consist of 8-10 racial equity leaders who have completed the Beyond Diversity seminar. The E-Teams participate in additional professional development activities designed to prepare staff to develop and guide the implementation of their own school’s Equity Transformation Plan. The remaining schools developed E-Teams in 2012.

During the 2013-14 school year, the district formed its first CARE Teams to begin conducting Collaborative Action Research for Equity. The district also began providing opportunities for staff of color to meet and discuss equity leadership. Teams continued to attend the annual National Summit for Courageous Conversations, including presenting information about the district’s work toward its equity goal. In addition, several members of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence staff participated in the National Summit. The Club offers before- and after-school programs in the Lawrence Public Schools.

For more information about these programs here is the link to the USD 497 Equity and Excellence page. http://usd497.schoolwires.net/Page/5866

May 16, 2015
Lawrence Central Sponsors Donations to The Willow Domestic Violence Center All of May

Becca Burns, the Director of Volunteer Services for The Willow Domestic Violence Center, joined Rotarians for lunch to kick off the club’s third annual fund-raising effort on behalf of the agency. Each May, Lawrence Central Rotary collects personal hygiene items and financial contributions for The Willow.

Burns highlighted the range of services available at The Willow as well as the wide-spread need for those services. One in three women will experience some sort of domestic violence in their lives; one in six men are victims. The agency is now providing programs to educate and prevent domestic violence as well as assist those escaping from it. The Willow is also addressing the issue of human trafficking for labor or sexual exploitation. Their programs include efforts in Franklin, Jefferson, as well as Douglas County.

Becca is responsible for training, recruiting and supervising volunteer and intern advocates, many of whom work directly with the survivors The Willow serves. She obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Washington University and her Master of Education from the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

All month Lawrence Central encourages members and guests to come to our meetings and drop off cash donations or items that will go directly to help the work that The Willow does. Please consider making a cash donation or picking up some items from the list provided by Willow:

1. Ethnic hair care products (wide-tooth combs, Pink brand products, Pantene in the brown bottles) – if your members have any questions about where to go, they can stop by Sally’s in the Kohl’s shopping center or check out the Ethnic hair care sections of Walmart and Target
2. Tampons
3. Over-the-counter stomach remedies, pain medication, and allergy relief
4. Adult body wash
5. Baby wipes
6. Diaper rash cream
7. Diapers, size 0-6
8. Flash drives
9. Planners
10. Watercolors – for the Art Program
11. Bubble machine – for the Children’s Program

May 8, 2015
Theatre Lawrence’s Mary Doveton Updates Lawrence Central Rotary

In the week before she spoke to Lawrence Central Rotary on April 29, Theatre Lawrence executive director Mary Doveton supervised the return of a water buffalo head to the Museum of Natural History and took part in a contest to pick the best bloody Mary recipe for the theatre bar to feature at the upcoming performances of South Pacific.

The water buffalo head was a prop for the recently completed production of The Explorers’ Club . Other parts of the scenery included a life sized stuffed brown bear, also from the museum, pretend poisonous snakes and a full sized giraffe skin rug created by a theatre volunteer.

At their new Theatre Lawrence facility on Lawrence’s westside, Doveton oversees 835 volunteers. “It’s been a quantum leap from the smaller, old facility we were in for years to the new 35,000 square foot facility,” she said “and has required more staff and volunteers. Although,” she added “not all of them have to create a giraffe skin rug.”

Theatre Lawrence began in the ‘70s as a community theater, building sets, rehearsing and giving shows in whatever spaces they could find. In 1984 they moved to a remodeled former church, which was damaged by a fire in 2003.

In 2012, after a capital campaign, which is still going on, construction began on the new theater ,that opened in 2013 with a performance of Ragtime on the new mainstage.

Theatre Lawrence also sponsors a concert series, and programs for children and seniors.

The 2015-2016 season will feature six full scale productions, community activities, children’s shows, and activities and opportunities for seniors.

May 5, 2015