Author: Fred Atchison

Josie Owens, Tonganoxie High School Sophomore, spoke about her experiences at Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA). Rotary District 5710 hosted the five day camp at the University of Kansas on June 8-12, 2025. Clubs in the District sponsor high school aged students, and Josie represented Lawrence Central Rotary. Students experience an intensive and fun training on leadership and citizenship. They hear from local community leaders, do community service projects and perform team building exercises. Josie enjoyed the small group experience and the chance to meet and work with young people from North East Kansas. Josie said RYLA was a confidence builder and she is thinking about tying to start a Rotary Club in her School. She is also interested in the Rotary student exchange program. Josie hopes to study business and psychology and she enjoys playing piano and drums.

Rebecca Smith is the Executive Director for the Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) Health Foundation and Vice President for Strategy and Communications. Many remember her weekly health and information missives during the pandemic. Rebecca spoke about the work of the Foundation whose goal is to inspire community and philanthropic support to make LMH a partner for life long health. Gifts fund patient care, including charitable care, wellness and more. The Foundation is a community owned 501(C)3 and receives no tax funding and all gifts stay local. The Foundation has 15 million dollars in assets which generates 3.8 million dollars annually in support for the hospital. Some 18 million dollars is spent each year on charitable care. The Foundation played a huge role in the LMH Cancer Center which serves about 19,000 patients a year. Rebecca noted that a substantial number of donations to the Foundation are in the 100 dollar range. The work of the Foundation is truly impressive.

Ruth DeWitt, the Sales and Services Rep at Explore Lawrence, Provided an update on the 2026 World Cup Matches in Kansas City. This is truly a world class event that will bring 650,000 visitors and is expected to have a 650,000 dollar impact. 48 teams will participate and Kansas City will host one of the quarter final matches. International visitors will make up 54 per cent of the attendees and their average stay will be 9.7 days. This will be like Kansas City hosting six Super Bowls in a couple months. Lodging within 2.5 hours of the city will be affected. Lawrence is also in the running to be a team base camp and there will be opportunities for cultural engagement, fan experiences and volunteering. Ruth has already been working with the County Emergency Services Team.

Jason Booker is the Deputy Athletic Director for Kansas University Athletics. He has played a key role in developing the marketing, sales strategy, and branding of the 445 million dollar David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Project. His responsibilities also include licensing and NIL evolution. While the stadium is not complete, it will be ready for the football season. Stadium planning has been influenced by modern soccer stadium design, and will boast a conference center, a hotel and restaurants. The stadium will also host major concerts in coming years. Before joining KU in 2021 Jason spent eight years with the Kansas City Royals organization. He serves on several athletic organization boards and is involved in planning for the Kansas City World Cup events. Jason holds a Sports Management Degree from KU and a Masters in Sports Administration from Wichita State University.

Dustin Moore runs a transitional housing unit for the homeless in Douglas County. Dustin had a troubled history of drug abuse and run-ins with the law. He was able to turn his life around and became motivated to work with the homeless. Artists Helping the Homeless (AHA) provided that chance. In 2008 Kan Woo, Kansas City artist and gallery owner, began to organize support for a Sunday night meal program for the homeless in the Plaza/Midtown area. Out of theses early efforts emerged AHA, a transitional and supportive housing program. Presently there are six houses in the Kansas City area, including two in Douglas County. Residents are provided with a safe place, counseling and other support. A resident might get help obtaining a GED, transportation, job coaching or help dealing with substance abuse. Some 1,498 residents were served in 2024 with an 85% success rate. AHA collaborates closely with area hospitals, nonprofits and local governments. Services are free and customized to meet individual needs.