Community calendar

The Wyandotte Daily news is interested in news of your community event in Wyandotte County. Send information to [email protected] and include your name and phone number. Please send in planned events about a week before the event if possible. In the event of inclement weather, call to see if the event is still planned.

Programs offered for Spanish-speaking women
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, offers programs for Spanish-speaking women: Grupo de mujeres: con lideres Mary Ellen Rodriguez y Ana Maria Sauer, los martes, 3, 10, 24, 31 de julio, 10-11:30 a.m.; Grupo de salud emocional para la mujer, ofrecido por MOCSA, contacte a Sinead McDonough, llame al 816-285-1349, los martes, 1-2:30 p.m. For more information and registration, call 913-906-8990.

Natural history class planned at library
A Lewis and Clark Natural History in KC program is planned from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 26, at the Mr. and Mrs. F.L. Schlagle Library, 4051 West Drive, Kansas City, Kansas. Those attending will find out what animals and plants were once here when Lewis and Clark camped out at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers on June 26, 1804, in what is now Kansas City, Kansas. For information, visit https://kckpl.librarymarket.com/lewis-clark-natural-history-kc.

KCK school board to meet
A Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, at the Central Office, 2010 N. 59th St., Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, see http://www.kckps.org/index.php/board-of-education.

Meditation class offered
A mindfulness and meditation class will be offered from noon to 12:30 p.m. June 27 at the Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, in the first floor program room. The class for adults and senior adults will offer techniques on meditation, for new or advanced meditators. The class also is scheduled July 11. For more information, see https://kckpl.librarymarket.com/mindfulness-and-meditation-1.

Percussion program planned
Johnny and Adam Pierce will present a percussion program from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 27 through the Turner Community Library, 831 S. 55th St. The program will be in the gymnasium. The program is for all ages. Registration is required to 913-295-8250, Ext. 4, or to https://kckpl.librarymarket.com/percussion-magic.

BPU to meet June 27
The Board of Public Utilities will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at 540 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. On the agenda will be a visitors’ time, benchmarking update, customer satisfaction research update, board comments and general manager comments. There will be no work session June 27. The BPU Board Leadership Search Committee will meet from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at the first floor conference room of the BPU offices, 540 Minnesota Ave.

UG Commission to meet June 28
The Unified Government Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 28, in the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Planning and zoning items are expected to be on the agenda. The agenda should be posted at www.wycokck.org. There will be a 5 p.m. UG Commission meeting June 28 on the fifth floor to discuss the local food economy assessment and an update on the juvenile center project.

Bonner Springs City Band to perform
The Bonner Springs City Band will perform each Thursday evening in June and July, including at 8:30 p.m. June 28, at Kelly Murphy Park, West 2nd and Elm streets. The event includes an ice cream social. Those attending may bring a lawn chair.

Blood drive scheduled June 29
Bonner Springs Nursing and Rehab, 520 E. Morse, Bonner Springs, will hold a Red Cross blood drive from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 29. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Open Mic night planned June 29
Open Mic night is planned from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the Third Space Coffee, 226 Oak St., Bonner Springs, Kansas. The event is sponsored by the Bonner Springs Arts Alliance Wordslingers Writing Group. Persons will sign up to read original writing, with 3 minutes available per piece. Refreshments will be for sale.

Concert set June 29 at Providence Amphitheater
Nelly with special guest Juvenile will appear at 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, 130th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs, Kansas. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, see https://www.providenceamp.com/.

Watercolor class offered
“The Beauty of Creation: Water Coloring Nature” will be offered from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 2, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Supplies will be provided. The class is presented by Mary Donovan. For more information or registration, call 913-906-8990.

Support group for caregivers to meet July 3
A support group for caregivers will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, including July 3 and 17, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The support group is for men and women and meets on first and third Tuesdays. The facilitator is Jackie Tigges. For more information or registration, call 913-906-8990.

Keeler Center to be closed for holidays
The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., will be closed Tuesday evening, July 3, and Wednesday, July 4, for the Independence Day holidays.

Fireworks display planned July 3
The Turner Recreation Commission fireworks display is planned at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at Pierson Park, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The program is sponsored by the Turner Recreation Commission and the Unified Government Parks Department. It is open to the public. There will be no parking on the left side of the street, and no outside fireworks will be allowed into the park.

35th Infantry Division Band to play July 4 at T-Bones game
The Marching Band of the 35th Infantry Division Band, the official band of the Kansas National Guard, will play the National Anthem on July 4 at the Kansas City T-Bones game in Kansas City, Kansas. The game will start at 7:05 p.m. against the Sioux Falls Canaries. For more details on T-Bones’ schedules, visit www.tbonesbaseball.com/.

Puppet-making workshop planned
A puppet-making workshop for children, school age and up, is planned from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 5, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Kari O’Rourke will be the instructor. Materials will be provided. For more information or registration, call 913-906-8990.

Program planned on succulents and cactus plants
A program on succulents and cactus plants is planned from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 5, in the Sunflower Room of the Wyandotte County Extension office, 1208 N. 79th St., Kansas City, Kansas. There are many varieties, including some hardy varieties in Kansas City. Jesse Nelson with the Family Tree Nursery will demonstrate how to arrange them in containers and how to care for them at the July 5 program. Each class participant will be given a succulent to take home. The class is sponsored by the Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners. Registration is not required. A $5 fee will be payable at the door. The fee is waived for certified Extension master gardeners. For more information, call 913-299-9300.

Writers group to meet

A writers group will meet from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Those attending may bring their journals, stories and poems and work with other writers to share their work. The facilitator is Pat Callaghan. For more information or registration, call 913-906-8990.

Vans Warped Tour to visit Bonner Springs July 5
The Vans Warped Tour plans to visit the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, 130th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs, at 11 a.m. July 5. More than 50 groups are scheduled to perform. The groups include As It Is, Chase Atlantic, Four Year Strong, Grayscale, Mayday Parade, Picturesque, Senses Fail, We the Kings, Yungblud and more. For more information see https://www.providenceamp.com/.

Grinter Jamboree planned July 10
The Grinter Jamboree is planned at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, at the Grinter Barn, 1400 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The MP3 Band will perform for Rock ’n’ Roll night. Admission is $5 per person, and concessions are available.

Blood drive scheduled July 11
Kansas City Kansas Community College, Room 2325, Jewell Center, 7250 State Ave., plans a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 11. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Blood drive scheduled
The Bonner Springs YMCA will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. July 11 at the Bonner Springs YMCA Classroom A, 2251 S. 138th, Bonner Springs, Kansas. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Free citizenship preparation program offered
A free citizenship preparation program will be offered Wednesdays and Thursdays, July 25 to Sept. 27, at the Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, 625 Minnesota Ave. The program will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The classes, offered by Catholic Charities and the library, will include course work on the English language, American history and civics knowledge that is needed to pass the naturalization interview and exam. Class size is limited to 25. Adults 18 and older may participate if they have had their green card for at least five years. To enroll, call Elena at 913-295-8250, Ext. 1122, or email [email protected].

Blood drive scheduled
A Red Cross blood drive is scheduled from 10 a.m. t0 2 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Unified Government, 710 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Blood drive scheduled Aug. 20
Chiropractic Healing Center, Harding and Associates, 8437 State Ave., plans a Community Blood Center blood drive from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 20 at a donor bus in the parking lot. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Spiritual direction available
The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., is offering spiritual direction by appointment. One hour, once a month, may be scheduled at the convenience of the director and directee. Those interested in spiritual direction by call the Keeler Women’s Center at 913-906-8990 to talk to one of the sisters about scheduling an appointment. The Keeler Center is a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters.

Wyandotte County Museum
For information about the Wyandotte County Museum, 631 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, call 913-573-5002 or visit https://www.facebook.com/wycomuseum/.

Strawberry Hill Museum
For information about The Strawberry Hill Museum, 720 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kansas, call 913-371-3264 or visit www.strawberryhillmuseum.org.

Grinter Place Museum
The Grinter Place State Historic Site, 1420 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kan., is one of the oldest homes in the area, built in 1857. For more information about hours and days it is open, call 913-299-0373 or visit http://www.kshs.org/p/grinter-place-plan-your-visit/15857.

Old Quindaro Museum
The Old Quindaro Museum is at 3432 N. 29th St., Kansas City, Kan. For more information about the museum, call 816-820-3615 or visit https://www.facebook.com/ccoqmuseum/.

89 Wyandotte County students named to KU honor roll

Eighty-nine students from Wyandotte County earned honor roll distinction for the spring 2018 semester at the University of Kansas.

Honor roll criteria vary among the various colleges and schools at KU. Some honor the top 10 percent, while others establish a minimum grade-point average. Students must complete a minimum number of credit hours to be eligible.

The students are from KU’s Lawrence and Edwards campuses and the schools of Health Professions and Nursing in Kansas City, Kansas.


From Bonner Springs:

Mary Gomer, Bonner Springs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kayla Horn, Bonner Springs, School of Education
Sara Rehm, Bonner Springs, School of Pharmacy
Abigail Schif, Bonner Springs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Blair Slankard, Bonner Springs, School of Education
Chad Uhl, Bonner Springs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Emily Vitt, Bonner Springs, School of Pharmacy
Jensen Walcott, Bonner Springs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

From Kansas City, Kansas:
Rolando Alfaro, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Leslie Alva, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Julliana Alvarado, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Robert Armstrong, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Jacob Asherman, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Victoria Bogner, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Anissa Brantley, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cheyenne Brown, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Monica Cabrera, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Social Welfare
Daniel Carr, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Tristan Coker, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Andres De Avila, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Health Professions
Kimberly Dyer, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Health Professions
Kristen Farnet, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Pharmacy
Alex Flores, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Juliana Garcia, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Journalism
Elizabeth Gilbert, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Social Welfare
Hanah Glimpse, Kansas City, Kansas, School of the Arts
Jasmine Guerrero, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Christina Halfacre, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Ashley Hang, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Andrew Harsh, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Pharmacy
Angel Hiatt, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cierra Hiatt, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Armita Hosseinzadeh-Seisan, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
IfeLola Imokhome, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jarius Jones, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Josie Jones, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Music
Mija Jones, Kansas City, Kansas, School of the Arts
Lauren Klapper, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Michelle Kovac, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Health Professions
Sarah Larson, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Music
Rachel Lauritzen, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Dominique LeBeau, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Ryan Macan, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Adrian Martinez, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Ilias Matrane, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Madison McCall, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Steven Mccord, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Tara McCoy, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Pharmacy
Kimberly Merritt, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Natalie Moon, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Marissa Moreno, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Daniel Murga, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Emma Murrugarra, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Abigail Neal, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Isaac Nevarez, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Pharmacy
Tyler Nguyen, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jenni Nguyen, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cailin O’mara, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kaitlyn Pearson, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Alicia Pena, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jessica Plake, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Social Welfare
Emily Razavi, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Nursing
Fabian Requenes, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hannah Reynolds, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Sam Rice, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Joshua Rice, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Marcus Robinson, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Nicholas Robinson, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Health Professions
Alex Rowe, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
John Russell, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Elizabeth Santillan, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Gordon Sheldon, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Colby Spiess, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Laura Suarez, Kansas City, Kansas, School of the Arts
Josh Taff, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Social Welfare
Jerrod Taylor, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Michell Tinoco-Morales, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Katherine Vang, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Vanessa Velez, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Benjamin Vinson, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Susan Vongphrachanh, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business
Christian Wagner, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jordan Wagner, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Education
Logan Wilson, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering
Kelsey Wolf, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Adora Yang, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Business and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Austin Yoder, Kansas City, Kansas, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dheni Zarate, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Journalism
Daniel Zolotor, Kansas City, Kansas, School of Engineering

As Topeka shelter works to reunite migrant kids with families, lawmakers want to see inside

by Madeline Fox, Kansas News Service

A Topeka shelter has been receiving children who were separated from their parents at the border for about two weeks, its executive director confirmed Friday.

The Topeka campus of The Villages, Inc. started accepting children who had entered the country without a parent or other relative last year. It’s been scaling up its capacity for migrant children since then, and can now house up to 50 of those kids.

Crawford said the majority are still unaccompanied minors, not kids separated from their parents at the border this spring.

Working to reunite families

The kids have been staying anywhere from three days to five months, according to Crawford, though she said only a handful have been in their care as long as five months.

When kids arrive at The Villages, she says case managers immediately start looking for relatives or other people qualified to take the children in.

“We are a shelter, a temporary placement,” she said. “Our goal is to be able to move the children on to a more permanent placement.”

The migrant children’s placement at the shelter, and later with relatives or sponsors, is overseen by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, not the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

The Villages’ Topeka and Lawrence facilities are, however, licensed by the state of Kansas as youth residential centers, meaning they provide mental health services and 24-hour supervision.

And, they’re authorized to take up to 30 kids from the Kansas foster care system who are in state custody.

The facility has historically taken in troubled kids from the juvenile justice system, and currently from foster care. Those kids are not housed in the same buildings as The Villages’ migrant children.

Lawmakers want to see inside

On Friday, several Democrats in the state Legislature called on Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer to seek more information about the care of the migrant children at the facility, noting The Villages is licensed by the state.

State Rep. John Alcala of Topeka said it shouldn’t matter that the kids are in federal custody.

“Who gives a s— what the state’s authority is?” Alcala said at the news conference. “Are those kids being cared for, and how’s the money being spent?”

Alcala said he tried to arrange a tour of the facility in Topeka this week, but the organization told him he would have to wait two weeks.

“I toured the facility about a decade ago. It was a fine facility then, and we just asked that we would be able to come in and tour the facility, see the living conditions, what they look like today, and maybe visit with some of the administration and ask them a few questions,” Alcala said.

Rep. Jim Ward of Wichita, Rep. Louis Ruiz of Kansas City, Kansas, and Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka joined Alcala in filling out a formal request to visit the facility July 5.

Crawford said all visits to the facility sheltering migrant children have to be approved by the Office of Refugee Resettlement as part of the organization’s agreement with the federal agency, thus the two-week turnaround.

“Anybody who receives ORR approval to come to our program, we would welcome with open arms,” Crawford said. “We’re extremely proud of our facilities, we are proud of the programming we provide, so we have no issues or concerns about visitors coming.”

Alcala and the other Democratic lawmakers also alleged Colyer was supporting the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the border and cooperating in the effort to send children to Topeka.

As Colyer competes in the Republican gubernatorial primary against Secretary of State Kris Kobach — who is known for his strong anti-immigration platform and has served as an adviser to the president — Alcala suggested the governor was allowing kids to be sent from the border to Kansas in order to appeal to Trump or his supporters.

“I think if you read between the lines, there may be politics that are being played by this governor with these young people’s lives,” Alcala said.

Colyer has not said he wanted separated kids to be sheltered in Kansas, nor does the state have a role in determining which children the Office of Refugee Resettlement sends to which shelters.

“We haven’t had any sort of communication on this, so the assertion that the governor’s done this to please Trump is just completely untrue,” said Colyer spokesman Kendall Marr.

Though The Villages has been receiving more migrant kids since the beginning of 2018, executive director Sylvia Crawford said that was due to the timing of its initial grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2017, and not a result of the Trump administration’s now reversed “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.

Not for profit

Crawford said the kids coming in now might skew slightly younger, as they’re more likely to have come across the border with their parents, but the organization had received children ranging in age from ages 6 to 18 since they began working with the federal agency.

At the Friday press conference, Alcala asked who might be profiting from the placement of children placed in facilities like The Villages. The Office of Refugee Resettlement sends kids to shelters in Kansas and 13 other states.

Crawford said The Villages did not partner with the refugee resettlement office in order to make money. The $3.2 million granted to them by the federal government this year is money the organization can pull down to reimburse its expenses for the kids’ care, education and other needs, not a blank check, she said.

“There is no profit margin or anything like that,” Crawford said. “They (the Office of Refugee Resettlement) pay for what we provide and that’s it.”

She said The Villages applied to serve as a shelter for kids placed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement after she heard a 2016 KCUR story about unaccompanied minors in Garden City who were unable to go to school. She said she started doing research and ended up on the federal agency’s website, reading through the proposal outlining the facilities needed to care for unaccompanied minors.

“My immediate reaction after I finished reading was ‘they are describing us,’” she said.

Creating a routine for kids

Crawford said many of the kids are grappling with trauma, and the mental and behavioral health issues that come from processing traumatic experiences.

“Every single one of them has had an incredibly difficult journey to get to where they are,” Crawford said. “Every single one of them has experienced a very traumatizing event.”

The Villages has hired several mental health clinicians, all of whom are bilingual, to help kids process those challenges. Crawford said each day’s schedule includes a group meeting with clinicians where kids can talk through their experiences with the rest of the kids in their house.

There’s a school on the Topeka campus with bilingual instruction from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays for classes of about 12 kids. On weekends, they’ll have activities on the nonprofit’s 412-acre campus, or will go into town for outings to the zoo and other kid-friendly places.

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.
See more at http://kcur.org/post/topeka-shelter-works-reunite-migrant-kids-families-lawmakers-want-see-inside.