Reardon to moderate panel on development near transit stops

Joe Reardon, CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, on Tuesday is scheduled to moderate a panel of local development professionals about building near transit stops.

Reardon, former Kansas City, Kan., mayor, is on a luncheon program at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, at Union Station, Chamber Board Room, 30 W. Perishing Road, Kansas City, Mo.

The event is sponsored by the Urban Land Institute of Kansas City. Those who are expected to attend include Jeffrey Williams, planning director for Kansas City, Mo.; Jason Swords, Sunflower Development; and Mike Burke of Burke, Swerdling and Associates.

Tickets to the luncheon are available at www.eventbrite.com/e/kcrta-luncheon-development-with-transit-sponsored-by-urban-land-institute-tickets-17474903908.

Annual NCLR conference attracts many residents

Janet Murguia, center, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), helped cut the ribbon to open the national conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. She is a native of Kansas City, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)
Janet Murguia, center, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), helped cut the ribbon to open the national conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. She is a native of Kansas City, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum

One of the biggest conventions ever to come to Kansas City was the National Council of La Raza, currently at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo.

This is an organization that deals with equal rights and an organization that believes in equality. An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 people came to this event and an estimated 5,800 were registered.

Kansas City, Kan., native Janet Murguia is the current president and CEO of the organization. The term “La Raza” has origins in the early 20th-century Latin American literature and translates into English most likely as the people or the race, or according to some scholars the Hispanic people of the New World. NCLR is one of the most influential organizations regarding civil rights.

On hand to welcome the people on Saturday, when the conference opened, was Kansas City, Kan., Mayor Mark Holland, as well as Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James.

Mayor Holland welcomed the group, and remarked that Kansas City, Kan., has a wide diversity of nationalities and was a melting pot of the Midwest.

Other organizations at the conference that were represented from Kansas City, Kan., included El Centro, Donnelly College, Kansas City Kansas Community College and others.

Next year the convention will go to Orlando Fla.

The conference continues through Tuesday with many activities planned. Three presidential candidates are scheduled to visit on Monday. To see a list of conference activities visit www.nclr.org/index.php/events/nclr_annual_conference/.

Kansas City, Kan., Mayor Mark Holland addressed the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) conference Saturday at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)
Kansas City, Kan., Mayor Mark Holland addressed the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) conference Saturday at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)

Costumed characters strolled around the NCLR conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)
Costumed characters strolled around the NCLR conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)

Costumed characters strolled around the NCLR conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)
Costumed characters strolled around the NCLR conference on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by William Crum)

Family fun events scheduled for national NCLR conference

NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will celebrate the influence of the growing Latino community at the 2015 NCLR National Latino Family Expo July 11–13 in Kansas City, Mo.

Home to a strong Latino community with more than a century of history, Kansas City will play host to this exciting event held alongside the 2015 NCLR Annual Conference at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. The entire family is invited to a weekend of educational and engaging activities for adults and children alike, all free of charge.

Featuring more than one hundred exhibitors, the NCLR National Latino Family Expo will feature complimentary health screenings, opportunities for visitors to get involved in NCLR’s advocacy work, giveaways, and more. At the Health/Tu Salud Pavilion, Expo visitors will have access to free vision, dental, diabetes, and blood pressure screenings, along with cooking demonstrations. This year, the Expo’s KC Experience Pavilion is bringing back the popular Copa NCLR youth soccer tournament, taking place at the official mobile field of Sporting KC, Kansas City’s professional soccer team.

At the NCLR Family/Familia Pavilion, visitors can learn more and get involved in NCLR’s advocacy work for the Latino community at the Advocacy Central booth. Attendees also have the opportunity to network and discover career and educational opportunities at the Career and Education/Tus Oportunidades Pavilion. At the Community/El Barrio Pavilion, visitors can meet with housing and financial counselors to review attendees’ credit reports and address housing challenges, made possible with support from the U.S. Treasury Department.

In addition to these events, the Expo will feature a host of local musical talent and popular costumed characters, including Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer and Diego along with Donatello and Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, courtesy of Viacom. Doki from the Discovery Channel and the GEICO Gecko will join mascots from KC Sporting and the Kansas City Chiefs, along with the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders. Pitching and batting stations will be available from the Kansas City Royals.

The NCLR National Latino Family Expo, title-sponsored by UPS, is a unique and exciting gathering focused on providing activities and resources for the Latino family that are open to the public and free of charge. Composed of six themed pavilions, the Expo offers resources and activities designed to educate, entertain and empower Latino families.

For more information on the national conference, visit www.nclr.org/index.php/events/nclr_annual_conference/.