Update - Philanthropy in Kansas City

In the summer of 2011, the Kansas City Community Foundation reported that the Kansas City annual household gifts to charity are nearly 50% larger than the national average.

Day 200 - Bark N Blues

It was an afternoon of blues music, pet education and food at Franklin Park in Prairie Village, KS, sponsored by Tomahawk Animal Clinic and Somerset Veterinary Clinic.  In the park there were dogs dressed for success, dogs jumping through hoops, and dogs posing for pictures, as well as spectators of all ages.  I made donations to L. L. Dog Rescue - and got a pink frisbee - and also dropped some bucks in a jar for helping Joplin, Missouri's animals that were displaced by the tornado.

Day 199 - Disaster Relief

On May 20, 1957, there was a devastating tornado in Ruskin Heights, MO, a neighborhood about 15 miles or 20 minutes south of where I lived in Kansas City, MO.  I was about 5 years old then when our parents drove us through the wreckage of flattened homes and businesses and we saw people with tin cans collecting money in the streets.  I live on the Kansas side of the state line now and, though I have been through many tornado drills and have taken cover in my basement, I have never seen an actual tornado in the sky or on the ground, thank god.  In memory of all the people who died in Ruskin Heights and most recently, Joplin, MO, I made a donation to the American Red Cross for disaster relief.

Day 198 - Joel's Ride for a Reason

Everyone loved Joel Winston, a 6-foot-4-inch attorney who was spontaneous, caring, and down-to-earth.  He was a wonderful guy who loved riding a bicycle.  Joel passed away from cancer on June 15, 2006, and left behind 2 sons and a wife who created Joel's Ride, Wheels for Meals in his memory.  The 10 or 25 mile (your choice) bike ride through southern Johnson County, KS, has become a yearly event.  It's the most popular fundraiser for the Joel H. Winston Social Action Fund at Congregation Beth Torah, benefitting Harvesters, the local Kansas City food pantry. SPIN! Neopolitan Pizza has sponsored the bike ride since its inception and provided food at the end of the race this year with Panera and Liberty Fruit Co. Even little kids had fun, riding around the bike safety course and getting free bike helmets, courtesy of Headstrong for Jake.  I thought of Joel when I made my donation.

Day 197 - Stamp Out Hunger

CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY TEAMS UP WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS TO HELP STAMP OUT HUNGER

Nation’s Largest Single-Day Food Drive on May 14 Helps Americans at Risk of Hunger

On the 2nd Saturday of May each year, we're encouraged to put a grocery bag by our mailbox and fill it with soup, canned vegetables, fish, meat, pasta, rice, cereal - whatever would serve the hungry of our nation.  Eighty million postcards were mailed out this year for the 19th Stamp Out Hunger food drive.  The generous people of the USA responded - to the tune of 77.1 million pounds of food donations.  Good job, America.

My bag for Stamp Out Hunger



 



Of course, there was Campbell's Soup inside





Other goods in the bag



Day 196 - Shave to Save

This was so cool.  It happened at Sole Patch, the best men's barbershop in Kansas City (it won a citywide poll for that) at Corinth Square Shopping Center in Prairie Village, Kansas.  For the sake of bringing attention to cancer and to raise money for the fight against it, people braver than me had their total heads shaved.  I was there for the before and after. Let me tell you, I don't know if I could do it.  For sure, I'd be wearing a wig to cover up the baldness but I would imagine these folks kept the summer shave for all to see, except when they donned their red "Shave to Save" hats.  It was the American Cancer Society's Shave to Save fundraiser that raised a whopping $201,219.55! this year for Hope Lodge at Quality Hill, a free temporary housing facility for patients battling cancer.

Sole Patch at Corinth

Day 195 - SPIN! and Bike

SPIN! Neopolitan Pizza was named one of  the top 10 small businesses in the Kansas City area. If you're in the mood for usual or unusual pizza varieties, accompanied by salad, wine, and gelato, head to one of their many locations in town.  The ambiance is sleek and cool in all of them as are the graphics on the menus and walls.  For all you bikers out there, know that SPIN! is a major supporter of the bike scene in town.  They sponsor tons of bike rides each year and fill the coffers of many organizations with the money they raise.  A shout out to Gail Lozoff, one of the partners of SPIN!  She keeps coming up with new and innovative ideas for restaurants in this city famous for its dining out habits.

Day 194 - SuperStars

Who wants to be an American Idol style award winning singer?  Two hundred students from 58 Greater Kansas City area high schools are vying for the win.  Three hundred attendees at the Jewish Community Center's White Theatre picked 12 finalists for the KC SuperStar 2011event to be held August 28th at Yardley Hall on the Johnson County Community College campus.  The first place winner gets a $5000 sholarship and $1000 will be given to the winner's high school Fine Arts department.  All tickets (including mine) sold help underwrite scholarships for children and families to participate in early childhood, camping and wellness programs at the Jewish Community Center.

Day 193 - Children's Miracle

As a Costco regular, I like to see what charities they feature and support. Whether it's for a disaster somewhere in the world or a local organization, Costco displays it right up front.  During the month of May, they were collecting for Children's Miracle Network, an organization that supports 170 children's hospitals in the U.S.  My donation might have been a drop in the bucket, literally, but it was for a worthy cause.  As for my Costco purchases, they were quality - and quantity. 

             

 



These Costco t-shirts say it all





Day 192 - Designer Showhouse

I look forward every year to the unveiling of one of Kansas City's mansions as a Symphony Designer Showhouse.  For 42 years, the former Kansas City Philharmonic, now the Kansas City Symphony has enlisted top designers in town to redo rooms and spaces of a prominent KC home.  Great place to see design trends and makeover resources as well as a garage or tent turned into a cafe for meals.  There is always a shopping opportunity in the tchotchke stocked boutique.  Ticket sales benefit the Symphony and its youth programs. Beautiful homes make beautiful music.

This year's showhome was built
 in 1911-12 for a doctor

Day 191 - Kindness Dinner

It was quite an honor to be chosen as the first honorary member of the Kansas City Kindness Crew.  Synergy Services, at their annual fundraising dinner celebrated 21 years of kindness.  In doing so, they recognized Barsto Construction Inc. as Kansas City's Kindest Business.  They named Horizon Elementary as the Kindest School for their effort in eliminating bullying and other forms of violence.  And they honored me as a Kind Kansas Citian for the 365 days of blogging about charity, volunteering, and random acts of kindness.  I was humbled to be in such good company.



My mom and I at the Kindness Dinner



Day 190 - Choose You

By posting Sprint Zero's Choose You fund on my Facebook wall, Sprint Zero donated $1 to the American Cancer Society.   With each person who shared the posting with another Facebook friend, an additional $1  was donated, up to $450,000.  The American Cancer Society has a high bar for what companies it chooses to partner with.  Those standards include: products that are non-cancer causing, products that have no involvement with tobacco, and products that do not contribute to obesity.  Sprint Zero passed the muster!

Day 189 - Flash Mob

After the AIDS walk in Kansas City, MO, on April 30th, a flash mob of kindness swept through the Country Club Plaza.  Led by 2 of the original Kindness Crew from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, those of us in red Kindness Crew t-shirts handed out flowers to unsuspecting shoppers and outdoor diners.  Sponsored by Synergy Services, we approached both locals and out-of-towners, men, women, and children who all burst into smiles as they accepted their multi-colored carnations.  It was simple.  It took a couple of minutes.  Someone did ask me if the Moonies were back though. . .



Day 188 - Vidalia Onions

I bought myself a great big heavy 10 lbs for $10 bag of the sweetest Vidalia Onions.  The selling of the onions runs about as fast as the running of the bulls, selling out in less than a week. It's a nationwide fundraiser for Shriners, the world's oldest and largest Fraternity.  If you're an adult male, at least age 18-21, of good character and believe in a Supreme Being, you might be able to become a Freemason - and sell Vidalia Onions.  The onion sale profits and what Shriners do with them tell the brotherly love story.  The Shriners motto is, "make good men better."  They're all about charity and community service.