Category: News

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.

Dustin Stumblingbear is busy community volunteer, working with City and County work groups addressing housing and homelessness. He spoke about the City Community Engagement work group, A Place for Everyone and the Douglas County Housing Initiative. He described a collaborative approach that has a goal of ending homelessness in the County by 2028. These efforts include supportive housing, creation of affordable housing, the Emergency Shelter and supportive systems. Equity and inclusion also characterize these efforts. Progress has been made as the problem has been studied and various entities are working closely together. Homeless response teams have been created to build trust with the homeless community and to assist in finding temporary services. Dustin spoke about the numerous myths regarding this population and answered many questions from club members. Dustin is an Iraq War veteran and attended Haskell Indian Nations University and Kansas University.

Paige Robinson, Community Engagement Director for Van Go, spoke on the organization’s unique story. Van Go is an Arts based employment program for under served youth. For twenty-five years the organization has provided job skills training, social services, mental health support, nutrition education, and daily life skills. Young people ages 14-24 attend group sessions and work on public art projects like murals and decorative benches. Individual art works are sold at an annual Holliday Market. Van Go employs a staff of ten, including two social workers. A clothes closet, job coaching and paid internships are available to graduates. Art works may be viewed on the Van Go web site. Paige first became involved with the Benchmark Program and joined the board of Directors in 2022.