Category: News

The duo of Officer Kelsey Kemppainen and Civilian Investigator Megan Rubio represented the Blue Santa emergency fund. Blue Santa Program is affiliated with the Lawrence Police Department and is designed to provide emergency assistance to community members when police officers encounter a person in need. The program began as a Christmas gift program but has expanded to assist a variety of hardship situations throughout the year. Officers may for example make a request for assistance for an individual who is in need of groceries or a vehicle repair or has suffered a house fire. A volunteer Board approves the gifts and Blue Santa is totally donor financed. Since the programs inception in 2011, 1,576 families and 3,730 children have been served, $53,853 grocery gift cards awarded and $17,462 of other assistance provided.

Kevin Drewelow is the Director of the Combat Air Museum, located at Forbes Field in Topeka. Drewelow is retired from the Kansas National Guard, having served in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Combat Air Museum is a nonprofit educational institution that preserves and displays historical combat aircraft and related artifacts. The Museum contains forty-seven aircraft, numerous educational displays, a flight simulator, and educational programs for all ages. Young Aviator classes and Girls in Aviation Day are well attended annual programs. The location of the Museum at an active air field is a particular advantage as it allows participation in active flying events, including Air Force fighter aircraft and Army Kansas National Guard transports. The Combat Air Museum offers a unique opportunity to be immersed in aviation history.

Lawrence Mayor Bart Littlejohn introduced Cory Wallace, Director of Communication and Community Relations for the City. Wallace provided an update on the City’s work to address homelessness. This problem has grown larger and more visible, frustrating efforts to address it. It is a problem with layers of complexity, including lack of affordable housing (1300 units needed), addiction, mental heath, and unsafe encampments. The City has identified a goal of making homelessness rare and short in duration by 2028. A data base has been created of the homeless and their needs, which has enabled the City to better manage the problem of people from other communities seeking services. However, the number of people “couch surfing” with friends or family is unknown.

The City has five committees working to increase affordable housing, and improve the Community Shelter and related services. Some accomplishments include improvements and policy changes at the Community Shelter, the opening of the Pallet Village, and mobilizing the community to address all phases of the problem. Wallace praised the community effort, and stated that if any community can successfully address homelessness, it will be Lawrence.

Shannon VanLandingham lost her daughter Claire in 1990 when she was murdered by an ex boyfriend. Claire was a talented and caring person and was beloved by many. Claire’s friends and her mother looked for a way to honor Claire’s memory and founded the nonprofit Claire’s Community, an organization dedicated to eliminating all forms of relationship violence. This goal is addressed through various educational, training and counseling programs spanning new parents and ages kindergarten through adulthood. Participants learn how to recognize problem behaviors and communicate with people at risk. They learn what resources are available in the community and how to advocate for measures that raise awareness of relationship violence and protect victim’s rights. Shannon believes that relationship violence is preventable and Claire’s Community is working hard toward that achievement. Claire lived by a creed: be kind, work hard and give back.

There was a good turnout to hear Steve Mason, club member and manager of a mandated transportation planning process. The Federal Highway Act of 1973 required the creation of local transportation planning. Accordingly, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) were established to enable citizens to have a say so on area transportation projects financed by state and federal funds. The local MPO Steve works with includes the communities of Lawrence, Baldwin and Eudora. The organization’s goal is the elimination of fatalities and serious injuries on area road ways through working with government on transportation priorities and planning. A steering committee is responsible for the creation of a Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. Elements of that plan include work on bicycle safety, transit, pedestrian and multimodal devices. Steve noted that while vehicle design have made cars and trucks safer, pedestrians have become more vulnerable. He stressed committee work is data driven and the data used will be accessible to the public.