Leawood Lifestyle Magazine

It’s been another successful, wonderful year here at the desk of this busy editor. As the year comes to a close I feel the need to take a moment to thank those of you who stop on this page for a minute or two each month. Sometimes I ramble on a bit about my family, my personal goals and my dreams for the future. Today I simply wish to say, “Thank you!”

Each month I have the privilege of bringing together story ideas that come to me from all over town. I use those ideas to plan a dozen issues a year of this community-focused publication you’ve come to enjoy. My team of freelance writers and I work around 12 editorial themes to guide our content placement, and I fill in the holes with miscellaneous but interesting and sometimes inspiring stories as space allows. We’re particularly proud of our senior-themed issue this month.

It is a real honor to be in the driver’s seat for this publication. I feel like I get a front row view of all of the great things going on in our community. Through the articles we put together, it’s as if I get to meet our most interesting neighbors. I receive daily emails from our local Chambers of Commerce and school districts announcing growth, new stores and restaurants and impressive student accomplishments. I know all about the great theater events and speakers who are coming to town. There aren’t enough hours in the day to attend all of the goings on that peak my interest. In eight months, when my oldest heads off to college and my nest is half empty, I suspect I’ll fill the hole in my heart by adding a few more theater events, lecture series or Chamber-sponsored events to my weekly calendar.

From the staff at Lifestyle Publications, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Enjoy the season neighbors, and I’ll see you around town.

Lisa Harrison, Editor | Lisa@LifestylePubs.com

Supporters of Kids with Courage Foundation enjoyed an inspirational evening at the beautiful
Longview Mansion with cocktails, silent auction, dinner, and music to dance the night away.

Overland Park Convention Center provided a fun, high-energy evening filled with cocktails, fabulous auction items, fine dining and entertainment to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association mission to put a stop to this devastating disease.

Supporters of great ales gathered at the 75th Street Alley event space in late October to support First Downs for Downs. Great cheese, chocolate and ales from around the world were paired to perfection.

Three Shawnee Mission teachers are featured in a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind book, American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom by Katrina Fried. In this large format coffee table book, Fried profiles 50 outstanding K-12 educators from across the United States in portraits and first person narratives, accompanied by notes from students.

Area teachers featured in the book include Josh Anderson, a 9th-12th grade English, debate, forensics and speech teacher at Olathe Northwest High School; Keil Hileman, a 6th-8th & 11th-12 grades, museum connections & honors archaeology and artifacts teacher at Monticello Trails Middle School; and Ron Poplau, an 11th–12th grade community service teacher at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

The Gallery at ISC Surfaces recently hosted an evening of dining, mingling and celebrating the winners of the annual Heartland Design Awards of Excellence. Arlene Ladegaard, certified interior designer, was showered with two Gold Awards for projects she designed and decorated in 2013. The ASID awards are quite an honor to receive; winners are chosen by their industry peers and are judged by another chapter in different state. Ladegaard, founder and principal designer at Design Connection, Inc., is the only interior designer in the Missouri West/Kansas chapter of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) to win awards for seven consecutive years. Her award-winning interior design portfolio showcasing her extensive range of designs can be viewed at DesignConnectionInc.com.

Notre Dame de Sion School, an independent Catholic school in Kansas City, has partnered with Our Lady of Guadalupe for the 2013-14 school year. Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of three schools in the Kansas City/St. Joseph Diocese selected as a Bright Futures Fund School, an organization that provides need-based assistance for low-income children in Kansas City’s urban core through subsidized student tuition and basic budgetary items such as utilities and teacher salaries.

Recently, Sion presented OLG with a check for more than $6,000 raised entirely by Sion students and their families. Fifth and 6th grade students from OLG accompanied by Principal Joe Schramp and Director of the Bright Futures Fund, Jeremy Lillig, joined the Sion high school’s student council and administration for a pizza party to celebrate the donation.

“The partnership has been truly amazing,” says Our Lady of Guadalupe Principal Joe Schramp. “I became overwhelmed with joy when Head of School Chris Broderick shared with me how much money had been collected. Over ninety-five percent of OLG students eat free or reduced lunch. Our school is in desperate need of new computers. This money will help us achieve our goal of purchasing new computers for our students to use. OLG is so grateful and appreciative to have Sion as a partner school.”

The performers for A Spectacular Christmas Holiday Show, December 5-22 at Crown Center’s Off Center Theatre, have teamed up to support Toys for Tots. Two area Marines will attend most of the holiday productions of the Musical Theatre Heritage (MTH) shows, and anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy will be given one free ticket to the show. Toys must have a $10 minimum value. One toy for every two people. Left and right seats only. Additionally, the team at MTH is donating 100 tickets to Toys for Tots to be shared with local families, Marines and volunteers. For details about the show, visit MusicalTheaterHeritage.com.

Every holiday season, people across the country, including here in Kansas City, look forward to the return of a cherished Christmas tradition. For more than 100 years, The Salvation Army red kettles have represented the love and hope of the holidays. They are also a reminder The Salvation Army helps people in crisis, not only this time of year, but all year long. Over the last year, The Salvation Army in Kansas City provided more than 367,000 meals, 129,000 nights of lodging and emergency assistance to more than 75,000 people in need. Whether you give at its kettles or at SalArmyMoKan.org, your contribution will help change lives in the local community.