Program Overview:

The Crime Reduction Strategy is a coordinated effort of all police officers, civilian employees and partnering community groups to reduce violent crime in Kansas City, Kansas. This effort involves accurate and timely intelligence regarding crime occurrences: location, time, patterns, suspects, etc. It also involves rapid deployment of police resources to affected areas, such as directed preventive patrols, surveillances, crime prevention tactics. Effective tactics include saturation patrols, working with neighborhood and community groups to combat quality of life issues. Relentless follow-up means continuous monitoring and follow-up in order to mitigate and eliminate the identified problem.

The violent crime rate in Kansas City, Kansas has been reduced approximately 50% since 1995, making Wyandotte County a safer place to live. The credit for this reduction goes to the entire combined efforts of such groups as Neighborhood Crime Prevention Patrol, Liveable Neighborhoods, the police department and all active neighborhood groups.

 

Program Overview:

First Things First is a district wide reform initiative that began in the Kansas City, Kansas School District. It is a comprehensive model for school reform that starts by building district-wide ability for reform. The focus of the reform is to improve the quality of relationships and improve the quality of teaching and learning resulting in improved student achievement. It has seven steps to success:

• Reduce the student to teacher ratio to no more than 15 to 1 in core math and reading classes at every grade level for more individualized attention.
• Keep the same group of teachers with the same students for at least two years in elementary, all three years in middle school, and all four years in high school, to provide more continuity of relationships and learning.
• Set clear, high academic and conduct standards that define what students should know and be able to do and how adults and students should behave.
• Provide enriched and diverse opportunities to learn, perform and be recognized.
• Assure that teams of teachers and administrators take collective responsibility for student performance.
• Give teams of teachers support to develop instructional strategies and decision-making power over instructional methods they use in their classrooms.
• Grant teachers and principals greater authority over how to utilize resources (time, space, funds and people).

This program is innovative because it is based on a "theory of change." It changes the way that teachers teach and that students learn. It includes releasing students early on Wednesdays in order to teachers new ways to educate. System wide reform is critical to this program's success. Achieving results through reform is not easy, but it is worth the challenges to better educate students.

 

Program Overview:

The KCK Street Blues Festival was formed in 2000 by a group of blues-loving men and women from Kansas City. The mission is to bring all races together on a grass roots level celebrating a thriving blues heritage while showcasing Kansas City's finest blues musicians in a grand style. Registered as a non-profit volunteer organization, the group has worked hard to bring quality acts to Kansas City, Kansas and celebrate the heritage of so many musicians who were raised in that city.

The KCK Street Blues Festival was started as a free community event and will continue to do so. The festival's location on Third Street between Garfield and Parallel in Kansas City, Kansas, brings the music back into the community making it accessible to all and re-affirms the genre's grassroots origins and widespread appeal. About 75 volunteers come together to plan and implement the festival. 2004 marks the Festival's 5th year and will take place June 25 and June 26.

One goal of the festival is to establish Kansas City and Kansas City, Kansas in particular as a focus of regional blues developments by present authentic, quality blues performances worthy of national and international attention. 2004 talent includes Millage Gilbert (honored as this year's living heritage tribute show), The Scamps (70th Anniversary Celebration), Linda Shell, KC Kelsey Hill along with Richard Townsend, Jaisson Taylor with special guest DC Bellamy and John Wilson, Jay McShann, a special homecoming for Tuttie Gadson with Eugene Smiley, Everette DeVan and Iron Jaw, and more.

The festival has an interest in preservation and documentation of blues musicians. Three dedicated photographers have been chronicling the places and people of the blues and jazz tradition in Kansas City and have joined with Kaw Valley Arts & Humanities, Inc., the YWCA of Greater Kansas City and Festival to create a growing photo exhibit of the Kansas City blues scene.

Melissa Bynum is a third generation Wyandotte Countian, who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Leavenworth Road Association, working as the only staff person for this non-profit organization. When the May 2003 tornadoes hit the Kansas City area, Melissa coordinated the volunteer efforts for the affected areas in Wyandotte County, placing over 500 volunteers in the devastated area over a six-week period, providing 2,500 hours of clean-up assistance to the residents. Through her volunteer efforts, Melissa serves on no less than seven boards, which keeps her highly engaged in a variety of civic activities.

Terry Woodbury moved to the Argentine area of KCK over 25 years, choosing to make a difference in a community that had a high crime rate and low citizen involvement. He has been active in the East Argentine Neighborhood Association and volunteers at the Franklin Center. Terry worked for Donnelly College from 1994 to 1997, and was the President of the United Way of Wyandotte County from 1997 to 2004. Even though Terry has since retired from the United Way, he continues his volunteer commitments and his personal mission is to increase the community's understanding of human needs and to mobilize resources to meet those needs.