Community Voices

A former collegiate All-American football player at NCAA D-II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State, he says the routines and disciplines learned as an athlete drive him in pursuit of his professional passion. Weight training and fitness began as just part of his routine, now it's something he both practices and preaches as local business owner and personal trainer. And in a matter of weeks, his business will move into a newer, bigger space in the heart of downtown Lee's Summit. This is Ryan Waters.

They come from different towns and different school districts. They have differing interests and motivations but all share passion for storytelling, filmmaking and the digital media course at Summit Technology Academy. Last month, four members of the class received honors and awards from the eMagine Film Festival hosted by Olathe Northwest High School. Three of the students, along with their instructor sat down with Community Voices host Nick Parker to talk about their films, their class and the lessons they learned. This is Shawn Harrel, Nate Thurman, Michael Deskovich and Jake Hilger.

The piano was her first instrument. But it was the violin that became her first love and before she knew it she was enrolled in a performing arts high school in her southern Virginia public school district. Her love of the arts and performances has driven her to a career managing and promoting the arts to communities. Today, she is the new Cultural Arts Manager for the City of Lee's Summit where she will work with the Lee's Summit Arts Council and other programs to promote and drive engagement with Lee's Summit's burgeoning arts community. This is Glenda Masters.

For more than 30 years he was a relentless force in the community. Whether a cause sponsored by the Lee's Summit Chamber, the Lee's Summit R-7 School District, or even the City itself, he found a way to rally others around any cause he believed was for the betterment of his community. He picked the causes he picked and chose the fights he did, his friends say, for a very simple reason — it was the right thing to do for the people of the community. An icon of the Lee's Summit community, he passed away almost a month ago, on March 7. Last week, three of his Lee's Summit friends and colleagues sat down with Link 2 Lee's Summit's Nick Parker to reminisce and pay tribute. This was Gene Gamber.

Like so many of us, the great recession of 10 years ago forced him to make a change in his career path. The architecture industry was hit particularly hard during the economic downturn, and when things at his previous firm slowed down he saw an opportunity to split off and move out on his own. Now, Land 3 Studios is one of the premiere landscape architecture firms in the region with several large-scale projects under its belt. This is Bob Bushyhead.

She defies a few stereotypes. She's a woman in a heavily male-dominated industry. Her downtown Lee's Summit store caters to a niche market, but that doesn't stop her from participating in, or promoting, as many of the downtown events as is possible. For her, the business is about nostalgia. It's about building relationships, both person and professional. The business, she says, is about family. This is Cassie Rogers.

He has a full time job. He and his wife own and operate two businesses in downtown Lee's Summit. Somewhere along the way though, he found the time to take on another project. As the self-proclaimed historian and genealogist of his family he decided to not only record the passed-down stories of his family, but also pen a new series of historical fiction based on his family's involvement in the American Civil War. This is Randy Walker.

Walker, who along with his wife Stacie own and operate Scrapbook Boutique and This and That Custom Framing in downtown Lee's Summit. A book signing for the book, "Have I a Friend Near," has been set for noon on Saturday, March 3 at Scrapbook Boutique. The book is available for sale at Scrapbook Boutique and Amazon.com.

She's a state champion head coach. She's spent most of her career at the helm of a Lee's Summit North girls basketball program she's built into a perennial local and state power house. And this season, she garnered the 400th win of her career. But victories are not where she keeps tally. For her, the past 25 years, and the years to come, have been marked by relationships. Connections she's made with both players and coaches. This is Tricia Lillygren.

When he graduated college he thought he was set to begin a long and glorious career as a strength and conditioning coach. Time in the gym was his favorite thing. He wasn't going to have a career. He was going to get paid to do what he loved. Then a funny thing happened. The thing he loved became a job. And so he turned a different direction and began a new career. Now, 17 years later, he's climbed the ranks at the Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation department and last week officially took the reins as Administrator. And his first order of business — pick out some new shirts and start planning the department's 50th anniversary.

This is Joe Snook.

He was recently named 2018 Missouri High School Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. And while he is proud of the award and recognition from his peers, he is also quick to point out the award speaks more to the staff, students and culture at Lee's Summit North High School. The 2017-18 school year has by no means been a typical one.In addition to the usual struggles of creating a positive learning environment, he's had to help lead his school through the difficulties of suicide. The key, he says, has been thoughtful planning and an unbreakable commitment to the student-body shared by all... This is Dr. Jeff Meisenheimer.