A former Platte County Commissioner and a Parkville school will be among the honorees at this year’s Kindest Kansas Citian awards ceremony for Synergy Services.The 24th annual event including a cocktail supper, auction and entertainment will be held May 9th at The View at Briarcliff overlooking the Kansas City skyline. Funds raised will go to support Synergy’s STOP Violence programs. Through school based prevention education, STOP Violence helps overcome bullying and teen dating violence across the metropolitan area. The Kindest Kansas Citian Awards celebration is the culmination of a metro-wide essay contest in which students from kindergarten through high school are invited to nominate an individual who has personally touched them with his or her kindness. This year, nearly 6,000 students participated, sharing unique stories and examples of inspiring compassion. From this pool, the 20 most outstanding nominees were selected. Joining these folks in the spotlight are this year’s Honorary Stars - Jennifer and Michael Short, outstanding community volunteers, Dr. Leo Morton, UMKC Chancellor and community leader, and Will Shield, former Kansas City Chief and philanthropist who will be honored as the newest inductees into Kansas City's Kindness Crew — a kindness hall of fame that showcases that kindness and success go hand-in-hand. In addition this year St. Therese School in Parkville will receive the Rita Blitt Kindest School award for the outstanding job their students, parents, teachers and administrators do to incorporate kindness into every aspect of school life. For more information, check synergyservices.org.

The Platte County Citizen