April 13, 2014, changed everything. Since the tragic shootings at the Jewish Community Campus and Village Shalom that day, the entire community has been grappling with how to turn a violent act of hate into a positive expression of kindness and unity.
“SevenDays – Make a Ripple, Change the World” took shape to address that dichotomy. The interfaith, communitywide initiative will offer a series of events promoting faith, love and kindness throughout the week of April 7-13, 2015, to honor the memory of Terri LaManno, Reat Underwood and Dr. William Corporon. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}Village Shalom is not only joining forces with the initiative, but is creating its own in-house activities to address the themes of the SevenDays project.
“Village Shalom is an integral part of the communitywide effort,” said Matthew Lewis, president and CEO. “Having been a focal point of last April’s tragedy, Village Shalom has a particularly close connection to this event. It’s important that as an organization we do something separate to commemorate this anniversary in our own voice. We’re working off the theme of each day, and conducting some programs on our own that bring everyone into the spirit of the week. Overall, it will serve to unite us as a community.”
Prior to the SevenDays week of events, Village Shalom is conducting a canned-food drive to benefit the Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City food pantry. Staff members who donate to the drive will receive a special “Onward” T-shirt to wear throughout the SevenDays event.
Village Shalom’s in-house SevenDays activities include tying purple ribbons on trees throughout the Village Shalom campus in memory of Terri LaManno (purple was her favorite color.) In another event, The Epsten Gallery and artist Casey Whittier will host a “palm petal” workshop where staff and residents are invited to make clay impressions of their palms, which will be combined to create a large work of art to commemorate the week. A.L. Huber General Contractor is also hosting several events for residents and staff.
Karin McCrary, chief operating officer, noted that Village Shalom is planning additional commemorations in the future. “We want to honor the memory of Terri LaManno in a permanent way, and we are considering several options that will also serve to beautify our campus,” she said.
“The most important thing is that long-lasting good will come from all of this. We are focused on positive outcomes that help us reinforce the strength of our community.”{/mprestriction}