In Their Honor

This year's conference includes a special service project in honor of two young women leaders who lost their lives in 2008. These two women were active members of the original planning team and were instrumental in the development of the Kansas Women's Leadership Conference. In addition to being devoted civic servants in their communities, Jana Mackey of Lawrence and Cari McGrath of Hays were committed to improving the lives of Kansas women.

Jana Mackey (daughter of Christie Brungardt, creator of the Kansas Women's Leadership Conference) was murdered by her ex-boyfriend on July 2, 2008 in Lawrence, Kansas. Jana was a 25 year old law student at KU and was locally and nationally known for her advocacy for women’s rights. She had served three years as one of the youngest lobbyist at the Kansas State Capitol for the National Organization for Women (NOW) and had volunteered endless hours caring for sexual assault and domestic violence victims at the GaDuGi SafeCenter. To learn more about Jana click here.

Cari McGrath died unexpectedly at the age of 29 on August 29, 2008. Cari had been a counselor for the Smoky Hill Foundation for Chemical Dependency & Regional Prevention Center of Hays, Kansas and previously served as the assistant director for the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy. In addition to her career, Cari volunteered many hours to aid the Breast Cancer Awareness program and Relay for Life. Cari leaves behind a husband and two beautiful young children.

2010 KWLC Service Project to Benefit Domestic Violence Shelters

The 2010 Kansas Women's Leadership Conference will continue to include a service project in their honor. We are asking participants to donate new items (shown below) that will be distributed to Domestic Violence Shelters across the state. This service project will play a significant role in helping these organizations serve women in need.

Suggested items for donation include:

New Makeup
New undergarments (pantyhose, underwear, bras, etc.)
New socks
New Gift Cards
New baby diapers and wipes
New baby toys (not stuffed animals)
New cleaning supplies for bathrooms &/or kitchens
New laundry supplies (detergent, dryer sheets, clothes baskets, etc.)
New paper or plastic goods (paper towels, plates, silverware, toilet paper, plastic storage containers, etc)

For a complete list of items needed see link.

Donate no-longer-used wireless phones and/or equipment (chargers, etc) for victims of domestic violence. For more info: http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/hopeLine.html or see this document.

If you are unable to attend the conference you may drop items off at the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine. Please contact the Center for Civic Leadership if you need any additional info at (785)628-5592.

In addition to bringing items to the conference, the women of the Panhellenic Council will be hosting a campus drive beginning February 22, 2010. Drop off locations will be at various locations across the FHSU campus as well as at the FHSU basketball games in Gross Memorial Coliseum on February 24 or the 28. More details coming soon.

Symbolic of the number of people who attended Jana Mackey's funeral, her family and friends have created the Eleven Hundred Torches national campaign to honor her by asking hundreds of ordinary citizens to serve others. Click here for more information.