Month: January 2018

‘Harlem Renaissance’ theme of library’s celebration

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library will be celebrating the Harlem Renaissance with several events planned this winter.

The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of African-American art and culture in Harlem that started in 1918 and spanned the 1920s and 1930s. During January and February, the library will have art exhibits, movies, book clubs, and concerts, all celebrating the movement and people of Harlem – including an artist from Kansas.

The inspiration for this event series was Aaron Douglas, a prominent and influential artist during the Harlem Renaissance. Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas, and lived there until graduating from high school.

He moved to Harlem in 1925 and began developing his art and style. He was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance and his works influenced others for years after. He also helped set the stage for other African-American artists to enter the public realm through his involvement with the Harlem Artists Guild.

Library patrons will be able to learn more about Douglas by attending one of three events held in partnership with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Jan. 25 at West Wyandotte Library, Feb. 1 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Feb. 15 at South Branch Library.

The Feb. 1 event will include a viewing of one of Douglas’s artworks. Library patrons can register for these events on the library’s online calendar at kckpl.org or by visiting is.gd/HarlemEvents.

A full list of the events that will be held can be found by visiting the web links. The culminating event is “A Night at the Savoy,” and 1920s themed concert and dance with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. With this event, travel back in time to Harlem’s famous Savoy Ballroom.

Patrons are invited to come as they are or dress up in their best 1920s inspired outfits to listen and dance the night away. It will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Main Library at 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

– Story from Kim Woolery, arts and communication librarian, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library

Funds available for rental assistance through Wyandot Center

Wyandot Center has begun accepting applications for temporary rental assistance through a grant awarded to the community mental health center by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.

Wyandot Center is one of the agencies designated to receive funds from KHRC for Tenant Based Rental Assistance. Wyandot Center received a $75,000 grant.

Eligible persons must be Wyandotte County residents who are at or below 60 percent of the area median income. The head of the household or spouse must be a person with a severe and persistent mental illness as diagnosed by a community mental health center. Persons experiencing homelessness and those returning to the community after incarceration will receive preference for the TBRA funds.

Receiving services through Wyandot Center is not an eligibility requirement. There are no restrictions on the number of persons in the household. Households generally pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent with assistance from this grant.

Applications are available at Wyandot Center, 1301 N. 47th St., Kansas City, Kansas, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Applicants can enter the building marked Adult Services and inquire at the reception desk. For more information or to receive an application by mail, contact Shevella Gatson at 913-288-4211 or gatson_s@wmhci.org.

Funded through the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program and administered by KHRC, TBRA allows organizations like Wyandot Center to provide rental subsidies for income-eligible individuals. The subsidy acts as short-term, temporary housing assistance until other, more permanent housing subsidy funds become available. TBRA funds help individuals obtain safe, decent, affordable housing in Wyandotte County, a spokesman said.

Sporting KC signs Homegrown Player

Sporting Kansas City has signed Zach Wright, 22, who attended Blue Valley Northwest High School for his senior year, as a Homegrown Player.

A forward, Wright signed the one-year contract with options for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

During 2013 and 2014, Wright competed for Sporting KC Academy U-18s during the U.S. Soccer Development Academy campaign before playing college-level soccer.

Wright scored 15 goals with 28 assists during four years at the University of North Carolina.

“Zach showed a lot of improvement at North Carolina after playing for the Academy,” said Brian Bliss, Sporting KC director of player personnel, in a news release. “We are excited for him to start competing with the team during the preseason.”

Wright was the leading goal scorer for the U-18s in his lone Sporting KC Academy season. He attended Blue Valley Northwest High School as a senior after moving to Kansas City from his hometown of Smithville, Texas.

A heralded college recruit, Wright embarked on a successful career at North Carolina where he played 79 matches with 61 starts. He assisted at least five goals in all four seasons with the Tar Heels – reaching a career-high with 11 assists during his senior campaign in 2017.

In each of his final two seasons as a Tar Heel, Wright was a Second Team All-ACC selection and ranked third on the ACC assist charts.

Wright becomes the seventh Homegrown signing for Sporting KC. MLS established the Homegrown Player initiative in 2007, allowing clubs to promote youth academy players to professional contracts.

According to MLS rules, a club may sign a player to a professional contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has been a member of a club’s youth academy for at leat a year and has met training and retention requirements.

Sporting KC currently holds two first-round picks, No. 13 and No. 18, in Friday’s 2018 MLS SuperDraft.

The team does not have a selection in the second and third rounds, but has the No. 75 and No. 82 picks in the fourth and last round of the SuperDraft. The first two round selections are Friday, while the third and fourth rounds are Sunday.

Sporting KC travels to Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday for the first phase of the club’s 2018 preseason. Manager Peter Vermes’ men will return to Kansas City on Feb. 3, then travel back to Arizona for the second leg of preseason in Tucson from Feb. 9 to 25.