Category: News

Kaitlyn Mercer (right), Manager of Catholic Charities Lawrence Support Center, and Amy Stock, Volunteer Coordinator, spoke about the organization and their work. Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas serves people of all faiths who are in need. The organization operates in twenty-one counties and maintains seven service centers. The Lawrence center is at 1525 West Sixth Street. Services provided include rent and utility assistance, education and literacy programs, work force development, food assistance, adoption services and pregnancy support. Self sufficiency is an important goal for these programs. Catholic Charities partners with numerous service entities and served 23,900 people last year. Volunteers and donations are critical for the success of these programs.

Katie Hasty is the CEO of Prima Vista AI, a new company that provides education and consulting services to a professional audience. The rapid growth and variety of uses of AI has outpaced policy development, responsible disclosure and accountability. AI has been misused and sometimes provides erroneous information. Prima Vista AI seeks to address these problems by providing courses, workshops, policy development and continuing education. Their work addresses defining AI, ethics, AI and media, AI and mental health issues and bias in AI. The company has up- coming presentations at Lawrence Public Library.

Rachel Weitkamp started dancing in middle school and began instructing in college, studying dance and choreography. She bought a studio in Eudora in 2012 and relocated to Lawrence three years later. Sunflower State Dance Studio is a family friendly, non-competitive and classic based dance experience. Classes are available for all ages and emphasize safety, technique, artistry and expression. Several youth dance scholarships are available for those in need. Rachel wants to serve more kids and develop partnerships with other entities.

Elene Colette is President and CEO of Kansas City based Outreach International(OI). She grew up in South Africa and earned a Doctorate in Social Anthropology from Kansas University. Elena has fifteen years experience as an international community development leader, joining OI in 2018. Field staff work in impoverished communities throughout the world by visiting local homes, having conversations about the community and the problems they face. Community meetings are scheduled where local leaders emerge. A development action plan is created and implemented. Projects address food insecurity, sanitation, drinking water and other community development issues. OI staff act as facilitators, local planning and implementation are vital for success. Presently, there are 389 community led projects benefitting 49,582 people.

Robert (Bob) Dinsdale is a retired ENT doctor who loves history. He has authored a book, Massachusetts Street, a city history as experienced on the beloved thoroughfare. Bob wants people to engage with the past and offers six different walking tours of the city. The tours include Old West Lawrence, Early East Lawrence, Robinson Park, Jayhawk Boulevard and 1970’s Lawrence. Bob shares an entertaining trove of historical facts and stories. He spoke of John Levi, a 1920 Haskell All American, a six mile ice gorge on the Kansas River, segregated swimming, peace parades and National Basketball Title celebrations, and much more. His book is available at Watkins Museum and the Raven Book Store.