Well, Johnson Countians, with the holidays upon us, we’re taking time to reflect on the past year.
The year 2024 meant a lot of different things to people. For some of us, it presented challenges — and for a lot of us, it presented the chance to experience some firsts and to do some good.
So before this year draws to a close, we’re taking the time to reflect on some of the people in (and from) Johnson County who took that chance this year.
From raising funds for community causes to exercising new skills, here are some of the Johnson Countians who inspired and impressed us in 2024.
(Check out our 2023 list of people who inspired us here.)
Cara Cowsert, Olathe jewelry maker who raised money for Super Bowl rally shooting victims
In the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting at the celebratory Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally, Olathe resident and business owner Cara Cowsert said she felt the urge to do something to help.
She set out to do it the best way she knew how — by making bracelets. Cowsert created a new line of friendship bracelets at her online jewelry business Wind + Waves, with the intent to put all proceeds toward the shooting victims and their families.
Adorned with Chiefs colors, the bracelets were priced at $22, which represents the 22 victims in the Feb. 14 shooting. Cowsert donated the proceeds to Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital — which eventually amounted to nearly $10,000.
“People are ordering and sending their stories, (saying) ‘I’m not a Chiefs fan, but my heart is with you guys,’” Cowsert said earlier this year. “It’s just a friendship bracelet, but it’s helping people in this terrible time just have a little bit of happiness brought back to their heart.”
Lily Kaufmann, Johnson County native who got to headline a Broadway show
When Lily Kaufmann entered the stage at the St. James Theatre in New York this past spring, the applause and cheers were so loud that she almost couldn’t hear her cue to start singing.
It was a moment that the Shawnee Mission East grad turned NYC-based performer — and the audience — didn’t know to expect until the night before.
As an understudy to the female lead in Broadway’s “Spamalot“, she’d been waiting for the call to go on. On March 1, that call came.
Assuming the lead role onstage, she said earlier this year, was an “out of this world” moment — especially being able to look out into the audience and see people were there, ready to support her at a moment’s notice.
“I didn’t anticipate how emotional that would be to have so many people show up for me, literally and figuratively sort of at the drop of a hat,” she said. “I always put in the time so that I am ready to go — you can always count on me when I do get that call. To see that work sort of actualized was one of the greatest gifts that I’ve ever had in this industry so far.”
Varun Kabra, Overland Park teen and Scholastic “kid reporter”
It’s not often that someone becomes a journalist at 10 years old. But that’s what Overland Park resident and Blue Valley student Varun Kabra did.
He said he’s always enjoyed writing, so when he caught wind of the Scholastic Kids Press Corp’s “Kid Reporter” program, he jumped at the chance to give it a try.
Four years later, his time in the program came to an end this year. Scholastic makes the opportunity available to students across the country between the ages of 10 to 14.
During his time in the program, Kabra sat down with accomplished individuals, including acclaimed Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain, teenage scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao, who was named TIME’s “Kid of the Year”, and Tennessee state representative Torrey Harris.
“They’ve provided me with the fundamentals of life and (taught me about) how they go on and accomplish such great things,” he said about his sources earlier this year. “That has definitely helped me.”
Adam and Jennifer, the couple who spearheaded the Tiny Pantry Times
Four years ago, Overland Park residents Jennifer and Adam Parker decided to meet a community need in their front yard by opening a tiny, free food pantry.
Their project, the Tiny Pantry Times, has continued to grow as community demand and support has grown as well. This summer, the bustling food pantry expanded with a new home on the east side of the Overland Park Christian Church at 7600 W. 75th St.
The move allowed for more volunteers and more room for inventory for the growing community project.
When the Tiny Pantry Times opened, Jennifer said it distributed roughly 2,500 pounds of food per month. Today, somewhere between 16,000 and 21,000 pounds of food leaves the pantry each month — serving between 50 and 200 people a day.
“A couple of our volunteers have even been recipients in the past,” Jennifer Parker said this summer. “We now have such a strong community base — everyone feels involved, and everyone takes ownership.”
Terry Loudermill, mentor to students of color in Olathe
As a former student athlete and a current parent to three children, Terry Loudermill is familiar with the pressure that students and student-athletes in Olathe face.
Many student-athletes have hopes of going to college and taking their love for sports with them, continuing at the collegiate level. But that goal comes with academic and professional barriers, Loudermill said, and it can be difficult for many students of color to access the resources they need to meet that criteria.
So Loudermill set out to help bridge that gap. In 2019, that effort became a group called TEAM Mentor Olathe — the first part of which stands for “Teach, Educate, Achieve, and Mentor”.
Today, TEAM meets twice a month with middle school and high school students. Loudermill and his co-mentors work to give them insight into their futures and connect them to academic and professional resources.
“We have put together a kind of roadmap from freshman year through high school, for what classes they should be taking, and how they can be an advocate for themselves,” Loudermill said. “The majority of the kids are very receptive, because they don’t know what they don’t know. They might be the first generation that has had an opportunity to go to that next level.”
Janice Bracken’s fence on Saturday, Nov. 2nd. Photo credit Kylie Graham.
Jim Brown and Kevin Tubbesing, volunteers with Rebuilding Together Shawnee
It’s not often that one spends a weekend fixing up someone else’s home, voluntarily — especially someone they don’t know.
But in November, retired health care executive Jim Brown and local developer Kevin Tubbesing used their Saturday doing just that.
That day’s work served as part of what the pair do for Rebuilding Together Shawnee — a local affiliate of a national nonprofit that provides free home repairs and maintenance for residents who financially or physically can’t tackle it themselves.
After several years of volunteering with the organization, Brown and Tubbesing took positions on the local group’s board of directors this past summer.
“Everybody wants to have a strong community, and everybody wants to have nice neighborhoods,” Brown said about the group’s efforts this year. “People just have an innate desire — at least I do — to realize, I’m lucky enough that I can do some things for myself, and if somebody else can’t, then I want to help them.”
Lee and Charlotte Urban, father-daughter duo selling candy for a cause
For Shawnee resident Lee Urban, a humorous exchange in a group text became a meaningful business endeavor.
What started over text as a joking conversation about “fantastical” creatures dropping candy from their rear ends eventually grew legs as “Fantastical Droppings” — a candy business led by Urban and his 7-year-old daughter, Charlotte.
Since launching the business two years ago, the duo has enjoyed the chance to bond and get creative with the branding for licorice “Troll Turds”, the company’s signature product.
Fantastical Droppings is about making the community a sweeter place, and not just in the literal sense. The Urbans have also used the business to give back to others, giving hundreds of bags of candy to Children’s Mercy Hospital and donating proceeds to local organizations like animal rescue Melissa’s Second Chances.
“It’s been a creative outlet, but the community response has been really supportive,” said Lee Urban. “Teaching (Charlotte) entrepreneurship and charitable giving, and making that the core of the mission, that was front and center from the very beginning.”
Kyle Walker, Shawnee resident aiming to run in every state
In 2010, Kyle Walker took on running to deal with stress from a divorce and his own weight gain.
What started as a healthy habit has become a goal to take on the country on foot. Now an avid runner, Walker aims to eventually run a marathon in every state across the country.
Earlier this month, Walker took another step toward that goal by running his 15th marathon in the U.S. at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon in Biloxi, Mississippi.
With a supportive family behind him, including two daughters from his first marriage, Walker feels motivated to achieve his unique running mission.
“Being able to represent Kansas and Shawnee has been a really meaningful part of my running journey,” he said. “It’s helped me build a strong community of support and allowed me to inspire others who may be hesitant to get into running.
“I’m grateful to be able to share my story and hopefully, show people that they can achieve their fitness goals, no matter where they’re from.”
Sara Hoffman, Olathe educator and ‘Kansas Master Teacher’
Five years ago, Sara Hoffman helped open Canyon Creek Elementary as a fourth grade teacher.
This year, she earned recognition for her dedication to educating and supporting the students there.
An educator of 15 years in total, Hoffman earned Olathe Public Schools’ first “Kansas Master Teacher” distinction in a decade.
The honor, given annually by Emporia State University since the 1950s, recognizes excellence in education across the state of Kansas.
Now a second grade teacher, Hoffman particularly has a passion for supporting students receiving special education.
“I absolutely love getting to see the kids every day and being a part of their life at this particular age and stage; they grow so much,” she said. “Their reading grows so much, and they’re so excited to learn.”
