Articles by Kara Walters
Check out these 42 cool things to do in Kansas City
👉 Jump to: Best Things | Coffee & Tea | BBQ | Museums & Culture | Family-Friendly | Fun & Unique | Seasonal Born and raised in the Kansas City metropolitan area, I’m a local with a passion for all things Kansas City. But what’s up with Kansas City’s geography? I’m glad you asked. Kansas City sits on both sides of the Missouri and Kansas state lines. Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, are technically two different cities, but they both reside in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
Where to Stay in Kansas City (7 Best Places, By a Local)
👉 Jump to: | Neighborhoods & Areas | Tips | FAQ As a born-and-raised local, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Kansas City metropolitan area. In this guide, I’ll share my honest thoughts on the best places to stay. If it is your first time in Kansas City, I recommend staying in Downtown Kansas City, particularly at the Hotel Phillips. This hotel is known for its stunning interiors and is conveniently located next to some of the best attractions in the city.
HARVEY HOWARD SUCCESS STORY
Harvey Howard grew up in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. After he graduated high school, Harvey married his high school sweetheart at 18 and became a father within a year of his marriage. For several years, Harvey lived a settled-down life in Denver, Colorado, where he worked in construction. However, life changed for Harvey after his divorce when he was 27 years old. “My drinking years didn't start until I got a divorce...that's when I knew I started to have a problem,” Harvey says.
BILLY DOUGHERTY SUCCESS STORY
William “Billy” Dougherty grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. Billy’s exposure to alcohol began in childhood and as he grew up, his alcohol use increased. Billy began hanging out with an older crowd when he was in high school and dropped out of school when he was in 10th grade. “The alcohol took over my life...I couldn’t stop,” Billy says. His drinking began to affect the relationship he had with his family as well. Billy went to treatment centers in the past, due to the advice of his family.
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Kenneth “Ken” Vick grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He experienced a difficult childhood and began using substances at a young age. Ken dropped out of school during his freshman year of high school and started getting in trouble with the law. “I had my first felony at the age of 18,” Ken says. When describing his young adulthood, he says he lived “the street life” for 20 years until he went to federal prison in 2001. February 12th, 2001, is an important day for him.
JENNA STRICKLAND SUCCESS STORY
Jenna Strickland was born in Mesa, Arizona. She moved to Belton, Missouri, with her mom when she was six years old. Due to a family history of substance use disorder, Jenna avoided substances for most of her life. However, after graduating from high school, she began using substances with friends. Jenna says when she started using harder drugs in her twenties, “it was off to the races,” and she began to experience substance use disorder.
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Brooke Huff grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a high school graduate and attended some college. For most of her life, Brooke did not experience substance use disorder. She avoided substances due to seeing members of her family struggle with addiction. However, in her young adulthood, difficult issues from Brooke’s past caught up with her.
RYAN DONOVAN SUCCESS STORY
Ryan Donovan grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, where he lived with his five siblings and their mother. He started using substances and running away from home at nine years old. When describing his childhood, Ryan says, “there was just a hole in me where I wanted to grow up too quick and I ran with older people.” Ryan spent time most of his preteen years and adolescence in and out of juvenile centers and was on probation for six years.
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Ben Roberts is a counselor at Benilde Hall. He earned his Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Addiction Counseling from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2020. Ben completed both of his counseling internships at Benilde Hall and went on to work as a counselor in April 2020. In September 2020, Ben earned his Missouri Associate Alcohol Drug Counselor I (MAADC I) and recently applied for MAADC II. Ben is a disabled veteran who received treatment through the Veterans Affairs program (VA).
LARRY ELLIOTT SUCCESS STORY
Larry Elliott had a stable home life growing up. His father was in the military and while he was on military assignments, Larry lived with his mother and his grandparents in a small town. Larry was taking high school classes when he was 12 years old because he was ahead of his grade. Larry started to become friends with his older classmates, who were drinking and using drugs. He began to use substances, which led to him from being a “straight-A student” to dropping out of high school.
CHRIS HUDSON SUCCESS STORY
Chris Hudson was born in Springfield, Missouri, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a high school graduate, and for most of his life, he did not experience substance use disorder. However, after the passing of his girlfriend in 2008, Chris began to experience severe depression. What started as “dabbling” with substances quickly escalated into addiction. Chris lost his job, was unable to pay his rent, and experienced homelessness for five years.
NILAN WRIGHT SUCCESS STORY
Nilan Wright grew up in the Kansas City area. He attended high school in the city, and after graduating, he went to barber school and worked as a barber for two years. Nilan also enrolled in an automotive training program at Metro High School. Nilan stopped practicing as a barber due to the cost to maintain his practice. He was making enough to pay his bills but was living on a tight budget. “It was hard to get the food that I wanted, buy clothes, do something nice for myself, go to the movies.
YANGO BROOKS SUCCESS STORY
Yango Brooks was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where he lived with his grandparents while he was growing up. Yango’s substance use began at the age of 14, which continued into adulthood. Later in life, he experienced chronic homelessness while living in St. Louis. In 2008, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri. His sobriety journey began at Benilde Hall after he was arrested around 2012.
CRYSTAL DONOVAN SUCCESS STORY
Crystal Donovan grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where she lived with her mother, four brothers, and two sisters. She has six brothers but only grew up with four of them. “I grew up a little bit rough,” she says. “My dad went to prison when I was five.” She spent her weekends visiting her dad in jails and prisons when she was younger. Crystal’s mom worked hard to provide for her family. “I had to grow up pretty fast,” says Crystal.
ERIN LACKNER SUCCESS STORY
Erin Lackner was born and raised in Arkansas. She came from an abusive household and at a young age, she started to hang out with people who were a negative influence. Erin began drinking alcohol and using marijuana at 12. By 14 years old, she started to use hard drugs. “I was trying to escape my feelings,” Erin says. Erin hung out with people much older than her and would run away from home frequently, often going to Kansas City.
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John Clark was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. He experienced a difficult childhood with parents who struggled with substance use disorder. John had his first child at age 12 and dropped out of school when he was in 6th grade. During adolescence and adulthood, he began using drugs and experienced homelessness as a result. “I was in a hopeless state of mind,” John says. He started his treatment at Benilde Hall on July 6th, 2016.
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Danny Hill grew up with a close family and a good upbringing. He was the middle child in his family; he had an older brother and a younger brother. While he was growing up, Danny describes his mother as being "a good disciplinarian." During his preteen and adolescent years, Danny's mother became the sole parental figure in his household. After graduating high school, Danny had plans to attend college on a baseball scholarship. In 1987, Danny started experimenting with drugs.
It's Never Too Late to Finish Your Degree
Most students feel pressure to go to college right after high school and finish in four years. When I graduated from high school seven years ago, I felt that pressure as well. I picked a university 40 minutes from my hometown that most people from my graduating class also attended. The school I attended was also one of the few universities in Missouri that offered a degree in music technology, which is the career path I had my heart set on.
Instrumental Music to Help You Focus During Finals Season
Finals season is approaching, which means it’s time to start studying for online exams or drafting final papers (shout-out to my fellow humanities students). I’m the type of person who gets too distracted by song lyrics to listen to anything with vocals while I’m studying. Instrumental music has helped me stay motivated and focused while I’m working on assignments.
My Favorite Albums of 2020 (So Far)
Although concerts have been canceled indefinitely due to COVID-19, we can still discover new albums to brighten our mood. Even though it’s only April, several great albums have come out this year that have helped me survive 2020. If you’re a fan of alternative and mainstream pop, this article is for you. Here are my favorite albums of 2020 (so far). “Always Tomorrow” by Best Coast Best Coast has been one of my favorite bands since I was in high school.
Aubrey's Attic Co. Gives Back to UMKC Students
COVID-19 has caused financial stress for people across the country, particularly college students. Businesses have been shutting down temporarily due to stay-at-home orders and universities have moved to online education. For students who are struggling during this time, UMKC has set up an Emergency Relief Fund for those who need extra assistance during this difficult time.
What "Love is Blind" Has Taught Me About Dating
It seemed like everywhere I went online, I kept hearing about the Netflix original series “Love is Blind.” I got sick of hearing about it and wanted to see what the hype was all about. After just a few minutes into the show, I quickly became obsessed. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plot of “Love is Blind,” it is a love experiment to determine whether two people can fall in love based on only an emotional connection.
Using Humor to Cope with Stress
There is a famous proverb that says, “Laughter is the best medicine” and I can’t help but agree. After going through a breakup from a long-term relationship, navigating my new life path as a single woman, preparing to graduate college in the spring and dealing with all the cancellations caused by COVID-19, 2020 has already been full of stress, sadness, pain, and…laughter? That can’t be right. Well, it turns out that humor is a great way to reduce stress.
True Crime Stories Are More Than Entertainment
True crime stories have taken over the internet, with Netflix episodes, YouTube videos and podcasts being created regularly on the subject. Most fans of this genre are guilty of listening to or watching true crime content without thinking much about it. American society has become increasingly desensitized to the graphic nature of true crime content.
Reduce Your Textile Waste in 2020
It is no secret that Americans love to shop, but what happens when our favorite sweater starts to unravel or our favorite leggings start to tear? Most people (myself included) just throw away their old clothes without thinking about it. In America alone, over 15 million pounds of textile waste ends up in landfills each year. When textiles break down, they release a chemical called methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is a significant contributor to climate change.
Introverts, Put Yourself Out There
Introverts are often stereotyped as being homebodies who drink tea and hang out with their cats all the time (I’m guilty of actually doing this). However, being an introvert doesn’t mean that you have no social life. Introverts need solitude in order to emotionally recharge, whereas extroverts recharge by being around people. Regardless of whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, everybody needs a healthy balance of socializing and alone time.
How to Understand Your Window of Tolerance
During my college career, I have struggled with feeling so anxious because of work, school and various responsibilities that I end up becoming depressed and exhausted attempting to balance everything. Sometimes it feels like I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up until I hit a steep drop. This summer, I was working 20-30 hours a week while taking seven credits of summer school online.
Heartbreak, California and Social Commentary: A Breakdown of “Norman F***ing Rockwell!”
After years of anticipation, Lana Del Rey has finally released her sixth studio album, “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” Lana named her album “Norman F***ing Rockwell” (NFR) after Norman Rockwel, who was an American artist in the early 20th century. Rockwell was most known for his art in The Saturday Evening Post, which reflected on American culture. I have been a fan of Lana Del Rey ever since her second album, “Born to Die” was released.
When Another Year Passes: How to Manage Grief on a Death Anniversary
My mom passed away on October 8, 2013. It has been six years since my mom passed away and I can still remember the day vividly. This time of year is always filled with mixed emotions. I love fall, but sometimes I feel guilty for enjoying early October because that is when I lost my mother. Grief can show itself in many ways, such as sadness, anger or guilt. If you have lost a loved one, I can empathize with how you’re feeling. Navigating grief and death is hard and rarely talked about.
Looking Inward for the Answers
While I was watching one of my favorite YouTubers, Antphrodite, I was not expecting to have an “Aha!” moment. I was watching a video on psychic drama predictions (because yes, that is a real genre on YouTube) and while he was giving psychic advice to Manny MUA, Antphrodite said, “If your stomach feels tight, the answer is no. If it feels open, the answer is yes. Quiet your mind for 10 minutes and practice that. It’s your intuition.” When I heard this, something clicked.
Why I Can’t Stop Watching “The Act”
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All About Mental Health
College is hard enough as it is, but struggling with mental illness can make every day feel like an uphill battle. This winter seemed like it would never end but now that spring has arrived, the winter blues should be gone, right? Not always. What are you supposed to do when temporary fixes such as shopping and face masks still leave you feeling… sad? I try to be a cheerful person, but sometimes it’s hard to fake a smile. At times the world can feel too much. How do you cope with these feelings?
Aubrey Larkin: UMKC Sophomore & Small Business Owner
People go to college with the hopes of scoring a professional career, but UMKC sophomore Aubrey Larkin is one step ahead of the game. During her senior year of high school, Aubrey created her own clothing boutique – Aubrey’s Attic Co. Since 2017, Aubrey has been selling clothes and accessories online and at different pop-up shows around the area. I sat down with her to learn how she balances her career life as well as her student life. 1. What inspired you to create your own business?
Skin Care Products to Try This Fall
As the seasons change from to fall to winter, it can be hard to find a skincare routine that works for you. I have struggled with dry skin and lips for years and it can leave you feeling uncomfortable, affecting your confidence. After testing several skin care products over the last year, I have finally found some skincare products that I swear by. 1. e.l.f Mint Maniac- Lip Exfoliator Recently I discovered this product on Pinterest and decided to try it out.
The Top Five Songs to Listen to From Panic! at the Disco’s New Album
I have been a fan of Panic! at the Disco since “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” came out when I was in elementary school. They have evolved over the years from emo to alternative pop. This time around, they’re playing their first arena show in Kansas City at the Sprint Center and I couldn’t be more proud of them. This album is deep, but also great music to listen to if you want to have fun with your friends.
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