Illuminating Hope

Each February, young adults and their loved ones nationwide raise awareness about teen dating violence through Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) . This annual, month-long effort focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse in teens before it starts. Approximately 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with...

Illuminating Hope welcomes former professional boxer Christy Martin!  Martin founded Christy’s Champs.   Christy’s Champs is a growing movement of leaders who work to ensure those who suffer emotional and physical abuse in their families have an outlet to receive the education and support that they need to report, share and overcome violence and live a life free of threats, blackmail, sh...

Did you know this January is the 20th anniversary of National Stalking Awareness Month? Stalking is a type of abuse that consists of a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that could cause a reasonable person to feel fear and/or suffer substantial emotional distress. Host: MaryAnne Metheny, CEO, Tina Johnson, Manager of Community Partnership and Randa Hager, Director of Outreach Servi...

Chris Walden, President As a certified USA Boxing official in the ring and President of the KC Gloves, Chris Walden stays involved with amateur boxing because of its unique ability to grow kids into outstanding men and women. He works as an Investment Advisor at Heartland Capital Advisors. Missy Fitzwater, Director of Marketing & Athlete Representative Missy is a boxer and coach at Turner Boxi...

Josh Crumley https://www.instagram.com/hairjosh/ has two decades of experience working with hair, and he has worked with some of the best stylists in Kansas City. His favorite part of the job is being able to combine his love for creative adventures, storytelling, and personal relationships with numbers, organizational tasks, and leadership roles. Josh excels at being able to really understand, su...

Safe In Harm's Way envision a world where survivors can recognize the feelings in their relationships as the hallmark red flags of abuse, effortlessly communicate, access resources, and embark on a journey of healing without financial or logistical barriers. Our vision is driven by the urgent necessity for accessible and free or low-cost trauma-informed solutions. By nurturing diverse online commu...

Dr. Traci Johnson was born and raised in rural Texas, and her skill as a left-fielder earned her a softball scholarship to Prairie View A&M University outside of Houston. She attended MCP Hahnemann College of Medicine in Philadelphia, now Drexel University College of Medicine, due to its rich history of paving the way for women in medicine and women of color. She entered residency at the vigor...

MaryAnne Metheny, CEO and Tina Johnson, Manager of Community Partnerships break down who is eligible for tax credits and why. Applying for tax credits is easy and very beneficial to our Hope House giving community who pay Missouri State Taxes. Tax Credit Application: https://www.hopehouse.net/get-involved/donate#Tax-Credit More Information on Missouri State Tax Credit: https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxc...

Jessica Lynn McCallop-McClellan is an inspirational speaker, (Jessica Lynn Speaks Life), She’s been an impactful keynote speaker at many women’s events and inspirational movements. She is also the Founder and President of 501c3, nonprofit organization, Giving Hope & Help Inc, founded in 2013. One of her purposes is to speak for the voiceless and inspire others to find their voice and use it fo...

Courtney Stoddard Laufketter is Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Budget Blinds of Lee's Summit and Overland Park. She has been involved with Hope House for 10 years. She co-created "12-ish Bars of Christmas" in downtown Lee's Summit and this year will be its 10th event! Courtney is also President of Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street Board, Social chair for Lee's Summit Rotary and involved...

lesnorman.com Radio/Podcast Host, Inspirational Keynote Speaker, Cable TV MLB Analyst, Life/Executive Coach, Former MLB Player, Husband, and Father Les Norman has a passion for people. He finds human beings utterly fascinating, loves sharing their stories-the REAL ones-with the world on his radio show and podcast, "Breakin' the Norm". He is also driven to help create passionate servant leaders in...

https://bestybnb.com/ About BestyBnB: BestyBnB helps Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Animal Welfare, and other Social Service Agencies secure safe, temporary homes for clients’ pets during their time of crisis so they can & will seek help. Our Agency partners have called BestyBnB an innovative, confidential Airbnb for Pets. Growth & Momentum: BestyBnB officially launched in the summer of...

Monkey Brain Art was founded by Gary & Trish Walker in 2021. Founders, Gary and Trish Walker, have experienced the benefits of the healing practice of art, meditation, and mindfulness to combat the trauma of PTSD. Both having traveled the journey of the unsettled mind, continue to use these techniques to treat their own trauma. Gary, a Disabled United States Air Force Veteran and artist, pract...

As we kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month enjoy Artist Brooke WangWe's survivor story! Booke is a domestic violence survivor, works and trains in healthcare and is a self taught artist. She's worked on art therapy journaling for years in her own healing journey. She also teaches others to use the different healing tools she learned through Hope House survivors programs. If you or someone yo...

Detective Carolina Yeager. Detective Yeager was the 2019 recipient of Hope House "Everyday Hero Recognition Award." Detective Yeager has been a Blue Springs Police Officer since 2007 and became the Domestic Violence Detective in October 2016. As the domestic violence detective, she works closely with Hope House Advocates providing them with the necessary reports. She revisits high-danger homes, su...

Kris Ketz From the South-Central riots in Los Angeles to Hurricane Andrew in Louisiana to national political conventions, when it comes to big stories, KMBC 9 News anchor-reporter Kris Ketz has always found himself in the right place at the right time. Kris is also an Emmy-award winning anchor and investigative reporter, having captured a Midwest Emmy for best anchor in 2008. He also won in 1991 f...

Dana Wright is a native Kansan who has dedicated her life to telling stories. As a career television journalist and talk radio host, Dana has conducted a variety of interesting interviews from Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, to Barry Manilow, Michelle Obama, influential policymakers, notable news makers, award winning authors, and hard-working Americans from every corner of life. Dana is half of...