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Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club Honors Sheriff Donald Ash

On September 14, 2021, the Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club honored Wyandotte County Sheriff Donald “Don” Ash, who spoke to the Club that day.

Prior to the Club meeting, Todd Jordan, KCK Rotary Board Member, presented a Paul Harris Fellow and a plaque to Sheriff Ash, who is not running for re-election as Wyandotte County Sheriff this fall. Sheriff Ash was especially honored with being named a Paul Harris Fellow.

The inscription on the plaque states:

The Rotary Club of Kansas City, Kansas

recognizes

Sheriff Donald “Don” Ash

on the occasion of his retirement,

with appreciation and thanks

from a grateful community for

many years of dedicated service

September 14, 2021

Todd Jordan, KCK Rotary Board member, and Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash

A lifelong Wyandotte County resident and Washington High School Class of 1971 alum, Sheriff Ash began his career in law enforcement as a Police Cadet for the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in February 1972, serving in many different roles until his retirement from the KCKPD in December 2006.

In 2009, Sheriff Ash was elected for his first term as Sheriff of Wyandotte County, Kansas. He was re-elected in 2013 and again in 2017, making him the first person to be elected to three terms as Wyandotte County Sheriff. With his decision not to seek re-election in 2020, Sheriff Ash will be leaving the office after more than 12 years of service as Sheriff and more than 47 years of service in law enforcement.

With this conclusion of his many years of dedicated public service, the KCK Rotary Club wishes Sheriff Ash all the best in his retirement!

Helping Friends of Kaw Point Park

The rain and storm on Friday made weeding at Kaw Point Park a lot easier on Saturday morning, August 21, 2021. We picked up trash and removed as much crabgrass as we could from the native gardens with volunteers from Friends of Kaw Point Park. It was the first time Fernanda, Matt and Melody had been to the park. For our long time members, who knew KCK Rotary member Mike Calwell, you know how tirelessly he and Laura worked to transform and maintain this park. This year Rotary International officially added Protecting the Environment as one of their areas of focus. Helping to maintain this special piece of land in our community is a great way to contribute to protecting the environment and honoring the legacy of Mike. Thanks to Ken Davis for continuing to encourage all of us to be a part of this magical place in our community. We hope to see you on Saturday, Sept 25th for the next clean up.

Visit with new District Governor, Vern Henricks

New District Governor, Vern Henricks, was the speaker for our first in-person meeting on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. Vern shared about his experience in Rotary over the years and the goals he has for District 5710 this year. It was nice to be able to host our event in the lobby of Memorial Hall. After the meeting, we gave Vern a short tour of this historic building.

Cross Lines Service Project

In lieu of a regular meeting on July 27th, Club members gathered at Cross-Lines Community Outreach for a volunteer opportunity. Beginning at Noon, while the food pantry is closed, Club members packed commodities boxes for 27 families and seniors, packaged baked goods for the pantry market, restocked the pantry market shelves, helped reorganize food for the pantry, assisted shoppers, and sorted and restacked cases of food in the warehouse area. Lots of great work accomplished in just a couple of hours!

Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club Educators of the Year for 2021

During the month of May, the Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club continued its focus on education by honoring some very deserving local educators.

On May 4^th, National Teacher Appreciation Day, we recognized outstanding educators from eight Wyandotte County high schools. This annual program of the Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club honors teachers in the county who represent the best of our community. The teachers were introduced by each respective school’s administrator, and the Club learned of each teacher’s unique contributions to the individual schools. Each educator received a certificate and a gift card to show our appreciation for their work during this particularly difficult year. We are grateful to these teachers who give so much of themselves to educate and prepare our youth for the future.

Top Row: Bret Klankey, Turner High School; Shawna Stevenson, Bonner Springs High School; Carol Grubbs, Piper High School; and Jasmine Lowe, Wyandotte High School

Bottom Row: Katie Johnson, Sumner Academy; Hillary Klein, J.C. Harmon High School; Michael Boyda, F.L. Schlagle High School; and Maria Belaustegui, Bishop Ward High School