On June 9th, 2015 Westside Housing Organization will be awarding the Community Champion Award to Brett Shoffner at our annual event. Brett has been building trails and cleaning up park land in Historic Northeast’s Kessler Park on a volunteer basis for the past three years. He has created, coordinated and executed active community programs and events in his time, too, including walking clubs, biking clubs, and trail events. |
Many older residents in the area were somewhat dismayed by this, as they remembered the heydays of cruising this beautiful road in their cars. It is hard to say if they fully appreciated the damage, and heart ache, keeping this road open to vehicular traffic was causing. Perhaps, as the weather warms, these same naysayers will take a stroll along Cliff Drive, and see families and neighbors using and appreciating the park, and the connection with nature it provides, once again.
Brett’s volunteer leadership has mobilized so many to help in the clean-up, beautification, and addition of usability to the park systems, not only in our Historic Northeast service area, but also in other park systems across the urban areas of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas. His efforts are very much in line with Westside Housing’s mission to rebuild neighborhoods so they are safe, affordable and healthy places where diverse people want to live, work and play. Brett puts the needs of the community first, and is exemplary at engaging people to work together toward shared goals. Brett’s efforts have transformed the park-going experience in Kansas City thus making this a better city for all.