We stay involved!
Every month we engage with each other and our community.
Supporting Missouri Girls Town
Kansas City Athenaeum received the Virginia Oliver Award recognizing our 2022 donations to Missouri Girls Town. Kansas City Athenaeum has supported Missouri Girls Town since its inception 70 years ago. Its mission is supporting youth and families by providing therapeutic services and education to empower them to reach their full potential.
Volunteer Teamwork
Kansas City Athenaeum members volunteered at HappyBottoms on April 25, packaging diapers for those in need. In addition, we gave a donation to HappyBottoms that will provide a one-month supply of diapers for 120 babies. We strive to support charities serving the Kansas City metro area. Athenaeum members volunteered at Harvesters in February and Giving the Basics in March.
Sponsoring Women's History Speaker
On April 2, 2023, Kansas City Athenaeum sponsored the afternoon program in the Kansas City Public Library’s Sunday Speakers Series. “On Pins & Needles: Nelly Don Workers, Labor Organizing & Community on the Factory Floor in the 1930s” was presented by Dr. Jane Greer, UMKC professor. Nell Donnelly built a thriving garment company in Kansas City that provided favorable working conditions, fair wages and worker pensions. Her interest in employee welfare was counter to the industry’s sweatshops that were prevalent when the company was founded in 1916. Dr. Greer’s presentation summarized a few of the 718 archived employee letters written in 1937 that explained why they resisted joining the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. The company grew to be the largest women’s garment manufacturer in the 20th century, producing more than 75 million dresses from 1916 to 1978.
Veterans Community Project
Kansas City Athenaeum donated $10,000 in January to the Veterans Community Project. This donation continues our participation in Team 49 for a third year of sponsoring one of the 49 tiny homes in the VCP village in Kansas City. Our support covers the costs of a veteran's case management, health care, furnishings, utilities and household goods for one year. The Veterans Community Project helps veterans transition toward financial stability, independence, and permanent housing.
National WWI Museum
Kansas City Athenaeum members and guests visited the National WWI Museum and Liberty Memorial in January. The guided tour was enlightening with the large volume of displayed memorabilia and videos showing documentary photos of the war effort. Athenaeum members raised funds to help build Liberty Memorial after the war and responded to the French orphan plight by financially supporting the care for 27 orphans.
Changing Lives Beyond Words
Kansas City Athenaeum members and guests visited Literacy KC in November 2022 for a guided tour through the learning facility. We donated $10,000 to Literacy KC in 2021 to help support its program with the purchase of new laptops and computer software. This tour raised our awareness of the multiple learning opportunities offered there. Classes and tutoring help improve literacy, math and digital proficiency, plus courses are offered to learn vocational skills. The Literacy KC motto of "Changing Lives Beyond Words" well describes its mission.
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
Kansas City Athenaeum members and guests visited the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum in October 2022. The 90-minute guided tour was impressive with exhibits showcasing memorabilia of President Truman's life from childhood to his careers during the Great Depression and the Pendergast Era, followed by his presidency, and culminating with his retirement years in Independence, Missouri. The exhibits on the challenges he faced during his presidency were especially noteworthy.
Women's History Presentation
Kansas City Athenaeum and Kansas City Public Library co-presented a YouTube program in March 2022, celebrating Women's History Month. The presentation by Dr. Tai S. Edwards was based on research in compiling her book, Osage Women and Empire. The Osage cosmology defined men and women as necessary pairs in their society that involved both sexes. Dr. Edwards is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Kansas Studies Institute at Johnson County Community College. The program continues to be viewed at youtube.com/user/kclibrary.
Supporting Our Veterans
Kansas City Athenaeum donated $10,000 in January 2022 to the Veterans Community Project. This donation continued our participation in Team 49 for a second year of sponsoring one of the 49 tiny homes in the VCP village in Kansas City. The Veterans Community Project offers veterans a safe haven to transition toward financial stability, independence, and permanent housing.