Upcoming Events
Fifth Annual Princess Party
It’s tiara time in Blue Springs! Saturday, Oct. 4 is the fifth annual Princess Party, a fundraiser for the Dental for Kids program. It’s from noon to 4 p.m. at Valley View High School in Blue Springs. The Princess Party is an event for little girls and their mothers (or other adult companions) featuring fun, wholesome Princess-themed activities including Princess Primping, cookie decorating, visiting the Wishing Well and the Tooth Fairy, and shopping at the Mall of Enchantment. Just picture 600-800 girls between the ages of 2 and 12, all dressed as Princesses with waving wands and sparkling tiaras! It is an absolutely wonderful event!! Tickets are $5 for adults and $15 for girls, with an additional fee for some optional activities. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.BlueSpringsWellLink.org.
News
From The Examiner
Let the tail-wagging begin
Blue Springs dog park opens
By Debbie Coleman-Topi
August 10, 2007
Attention Blue Springs—RUFF is officially unleashed.
Exuberant tail waggers and their owners can converge on a new dog park in Blue Springs beginning Saturday. Organizers are expecting a blur of romping barkers on a 2.7-acre site within Gregory O. Grounds Park at 1049 N.E. 20th St., according to Roscoe Righter, director of parks, recreation, building and grounds for the city. The park, which has no outdoor lights, will be opened from sunrise to sunset daily.
“I know people are waiting, wondering and anxious,” Righter said of the many telephone calls and e-mails residents have unleashed on city and RUFF officials. He said although the park still is lacking a few amenities, “we might as well let people start using it.”
Ruff chairperson Dena McLean said although the park is not completely finished, its opening will give dogs and their owners something to bark about.
“They’re so anxious about it, they’ve definitely stayed on top of it,” she said.
The off-leash park is modeled after other similar attractions in the Kansas City area, including parks in Lee’s Summit, Kansas City and Overland Park. The site includes a pond for exercising water dogs. A buoy located across the pond will prevent wet waggers from escaping out the other side of the pond, which is not yet enclosed by a fence. The rest of the park is fenced using black vinyl chain link, McLean said.
The park also will include a wash-down station for dogs that get muddy or dirty and a drinking fountain to for humans and one for their canines and trash cans. “Poop” bags are located throughout the park and signs encourage pet owners to pick up after their pets.
City officials and RUFF leaders have been working to prepare the park for opening day for about two years. Last fall and this past spring, volunteers and city officials worked to clear brush and some trees from the grounds while city workers planted grass. Righter said they needed to wait until the grass had enough growth that it wouldn’t be killed by throngs of pets and their owners.
Eventually, an underground waste disposal system will be installed. In addition, temporary signs listing hours and rules will be replaced by permanent signs, Righter said. In addition, Righter said a path will be added linking the dog park and additional available parking to the west. Eventually, the path will circle Lake Remembrance at the park. Twelve parking spaces currently are available immediately adjacent to the site, Righter said, but he’s expecting to need more space.
RUFF, an outgrowth of the Stand Up coalition, was formed in 2005 by citizens interested in a place for residents to unleash their dogs. RUFF officials have hosted fundraisers, including two Pooches on the Parkway events, in which dog owners paid a fee to walk with their pets.
Righter said a grand opening is expected late this fall where more details about the park’s future amenities will be announced. But, for now, doggie owners can visit the city Web site, www.bluespringsgov.com and click on parks and recreation and then parks map and information.
From The Examiner
Making way for a better community
By Debbie Coleman-Topi
Sunday, August 5, 2007
StandUp Blue Springs is a grass-roots effort to involve citizens in improving the city’s quality of life. The group was formed by community activist Carol Journagan and Board of Education Member Dave Wright.
The committee has completed its second year of leadership summits, and the focus has moved toward encouraging greater community involvement through sub-committees, volunteerism and increased voter participation, Wright said.
StandUP committees include:
RUFF
Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido is about to accomplish its goal of establishing an off-leash dog park in Blue Springs. The group has set up the park at Gregory O. Grounds Park, off Adams Dairy Parkway, which is expected to open later this year.
StandUp Safe
This sub-committee is designed to make Blue Springs a safer place by targeting illegal drug use and underage drinking. The committee works on the premise that families are the foundation and must provide zero tolerance to such behaviors.
Members realize that families need help and support in tackling such issues. Volunteers are trained as workshop facilitators who meet with parents, educators and others.
StandUp to Domestic Violence
This group plans to seek grants to fund programs designed to break the cycle of domestic violence by targeting children of homes with the problem, encouraging adults to be part of the solution and to make the issue one that the community addresses.
Youth and Community Center
This group is working toward establishing a disc golf course for Frisbee golfers at Wilbur Young Park, 1200 S.E. Taylor Road. The committee is working with the Blue Springs Parks and Recreation Department to plan the course and develop a budget. The game involves using a Frisbee rather than ball and clubs used in traditional golf.
Breathe Easy Blue Springs
This group was formed in 2006 to promote smoke-free indoor air and a healthy, tobacco-free lifestyle. Members believe the community should be smoke-free where people eat, shop and work.
From The Examiner
StandUp tackles OTC and prescription drug abuse
By Debbie Coleman-Topi
April 23, 2007
Organized citizens’ groups in Blue Springs have addressed issues as diverse as domestic violence and dog parks under the overall heading of StandUp.
The latest effort, equally different, is aimed at preventing teens from sneaking over-the-counter and taking prescription medications from places such as their parents’ medicine cabinets. The group also is aimed at educating parents and others about this growing problem.
StandUp Blue Springs, a grassroots effort established in 2005, was designed to empower citizens through training and mentoring and to encourage citizens to become involved in their community.
StandUp Against Domestic Violence and StandUp RUFF (Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido) are subcommittees that have been joined by StandUp Safe, which is comprised of about 20 Blue Springs residents who have decided to focus attention on what the group’s organizers cite as a disturbing trend. Teens are using, becoming addicted to, selling and giving medication found in their homes to friends and acquaintances, said Janet Jarvis of the Blue Springs Police Department.
“The health, safety and protection of our children is important,” said Jarvis, who is a member of the coalition. She said parents need to be aware of the problem and talk with their children about the dangers of what we consider “everyday” medicine and track the amount of medicine in their cabinets to make sure none is disappearing more quickly than normal.
Jarvis said the problem is often not advertised because embarrassed parents want to keep it “in the family.” That means other youth and parents aren’t aware it’s a growing issue “until it happens to someone close to them that they can relate to.”
Dr. Theodore Barnett, a pediatric emergency doctor at Children’s Mercy Hospital, said while he believes it’s a growing problem here, it’s hard to calculate the occurrence of the abuse of “everyday” medicine for several reasons. Sometimes doctors order a drug screening test if use is suspected, but if it shows the use of cough syrup or other cold remedies, teens can explain it by saying they took the medications for cold symptoms, hiding drug abuse. Like child abuse, which doctors are seeing more often in emergency rooms, it’s hard to know if such abuse is really occurring more often or if teens and parents are simply seeking treatment more often.
Another complication is that teens and their parents don’t consider commonly used cold medicines as dangerous. He said as the federal Food and Drug Administration has made standards for medicine more strict over the years, people may not realize the dangers of such medicine.
“The old joke in medicine is if aspirin was just now discovered, would the FDA approve it? People perceive that over-the-counter medicines are perfectly safe,” Barnett said. “Otherwise, why would they be over the counter?”
Jackson County Drug Court Commissioner Brian Wimes echoed Dr. Barnett’s view that such drug use is on the rise. “I know there’s been an increase in these types of cases,” said Wimes, who hears drug-related cases in his court.
For information about upcoming StandUp events and the problems with drug use, visit www.standupsafe.org.
From The Examiner
Taking a stand
Blue Springs group pledges to fight domestic violence
By Debbie Coleman-Topi
March 20, 2007
Throughout his more than 25 years as a police officer, Dave Williams has known how widespread the problem of domestic violence really is. Now the Blue Springs Police detective and a group of citizens want everyone to know.
Williams and three others are the steering committee for what they hope will be a coalition dedicated to increasing awareness of both the crime and services available to victims and their families. The four are members of StandUp to Domestic Violence. The mission of the coalition also will be to find ways to encourage often-reluctant victims to report the crime, and to dispel popular myths.
“Abuse is more than just getting knocked around or getting slapped,” Williams told a group of about 50 Blue Springs residents who gathered to hear about domestic violence at a private home in Blue Springs. Those gathered learned that there often are many components to domestic violence, including stalking, overt control, isolation, and emotional and physical abuse. They also learned from a victim of domestic violence.
The steering committee also produced a video about domestic violence, which they showed at the meeting. Susan Demo, a Blue Springs police officer, appeared on the video and told stories of her abuse, including an incident in which her then-husband disarmed her of her police gun and threatened her with it before destroying it.
“You know you have to watch yourself on the street,” she said in the video. “But you shouldn’t have to at home.”
StandUp steering committee members were searching for interested Blue Springs residents to serve on a coalition designed to impact this often misunderstood crime. Thirteen people who attended the Thursday night meeting are interested in serving on the coalition, said Janet Smith of Lee’s Summit, a member of the steering committee. In addition, the group collected $700 in donations from those in attendance.
“That’s an incredible start,” Smith said. “And it really demonstrates the interest in this issue. We really raised awareness tonight.”
Steering committee members also include Williams and Carol Journagan, both of Blue Springs and Ilene Shehan of Lee’s Summit, who is chief operating officer of Hope House in Independence. StandUp to Domestic Violence is an outgrowth of StandUp Blue Springs, a group designed to increase citizen involvement on several fronts.
Williams said research shows domestic violence goes back several generations and can be modeled from one generation to the next. Two to three generations ago, the problem was never talked about and carried a lot of shame. “The cycle has to be broken,” he said during an interview before the meeting.
There have been some breakthroughs in stopping this crime, he said. For instance, domestic violence is more reported than ever before, even though statistics show that 90 percent still of cases remain unreported. For instance, Williams told those gathered at the meeting that he estimates there were 1,500 to 2,000 unreported cases in Blue Springs in 2006 as compared with the 860 that were reported. In 2005, there were 650 domestic violence reports.
From The Examiner
StandUp summit in Blue Springs Saturday
November 9, 2006
StandUp Blue Springs is hosting a summit from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Adams Pointe Golf Club.
The speaker will be Karel Murray, who is a former Blue Springs resident and past president of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. She will encourage attendees to roll up their sleeves and get to work in the community through active engagement.
The summit is free and a continental breakfast and coffee will be provided. StandUp Blue Springs is committed to positive change and empowering citizens through training, mentoring and encouragement to become involved in the community.
For more information or to RSVP, e-mail Carol Journagan at c_journagan@hotmail.com.
Chicago Street Holiday Light Display
Members of StandUp Blue Springs spent an evening during the holiday season volunteering to help with the Chicago Street light display as a way of raising some money for the organization. Each year, non-profits sign up to assist for an evening or two by collecting a per-car fee that is charged to view the elaborate display. During the 2006 season, $22,804.43 was collected, and $17,160 of that was divided among the 26 community organizations that volunteered. The remaining money collected will be used to cover some 2006 expenses and to help with expenses for 2007. StandUp Blue Springs and all other organizations that volunteered one evening each received $572. The money will be used to purchase signs encouraging citizens to vote in the Spring 2007 election.
From the Examiner
StandUP has new plans afoot
By Rhiannon Ross
November 13, 2006
A park where their dogs could run free was a mere dream a year ago, said Dena McLean and Bernita Cauthon. But thanks to last year’s StandUP Blue Springs, RUFF - Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido, an unleashed dog park in Blue Springs - is on its way to becoming a reality.
Blue Springs residents were given another opportunity to dream big this year.
StandUP Blue Springs facilitated workshops on Saturday at the second StandUP Summit at Adams Pointe Golf Club. Karel Murray, former Blue Springs resident and past president of the Blue Spring Chamber of Commerce, was speaker.
StandUP Blue Springs is the brainchild of Dave Wright and Carol Journagan.
“The idea is to train and provide tools for citizens who don’t know how to get involved in their community,” Wright said. StandUP Blue Springs recently received honorable mention for the innovation award from the Missouri Municipal League.
Wright and Journagan met in 1998 when they were both involved in the city’s Out of the Blue and Into the Future initiative. They decided that more people needed to get involved in designing and developing the community they “worked, lived and played” in.
The name for the group hit Journagan like a lightening bolt.
“I yelled, ‘I got it! Let’s stand up!’ And I jumped to my feet and threw my hands in the air like this,” she said, demonstrating what has also become the symbol for the group.
The name stuck.
“We want people to stand up and get involved to make a difference,” Wright said.
The program seeks, in part, to mentor new community leaders.
At Saturday’s summit, volunteers brainstormed. Once projects were defined, the group presented their ideas to others in the room. Ideas included developing an industrial park to attract major industries, becoming the home to a four-year university, developing alternative housing communities, and having a train station.
The next step is to assign tasks to members to make the dreams a reality. The groups will meet at 6:30 p.m., Nov. 30, at Calvary Baptist Church, Blue Springs.
“We can’t save the world,” Journagan said. “But we can focus on Blue Springs.”
StandUp Blue Springs honored as an innovative municipal program
On October 3, 2006, members of StandUp Blue Springs traveled to St. Louis to receive a second place Innovation Award from the Missouri Municipal League, an organization founded in 1934 has to strengthen cities through unity and cooperation. Last year was the first year for the Innovation Award program, designed to spotlight successful municipal programs that will benefit other municipalities. In this photo are (from left) David Wright and Carol Journagan, co-founders of StandUp Blue Springs, and Blue Springs Mayor Steve Steiner. Carol is holding the Innovation Award presented to StandUp Blue Springs in St. Louis.
In an interview with The Examiner, Dave said he believed that StandUp Blue Springs won in part because it could potentially be implemented anywhere. People in Blue Springs are hungry for change and ways to improve the community, he said. “It’s made us feel that citizen involvement and citizen empowerment is a priority for the Missouri Municipal League.
From the Examiner:
Group takes a stand
By Stephanie Booth
September 3, 2006
A group of residents want to encourage their neighbors to stand up.
StandUp Blue Springs is a grass-roots organization aimed at getting citizens involved. Formed by community activist Carol Journagan and Board of Education Member David Wright, StandUp Blue Springs celebrated its first birthday this year.
Members of StandUp’s steering committee host quarterly summits in which they bring facilitators to help the citizens identify different ways to get involved and different plans to make Blue Springs a better place to live.
Two of the four initiatives from the 2005 summits are already coming to fruition.
RUFF
Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido is a subcommittee charged with the task of bringing an off-leash dog park to the city.
Through a partnership with Parks and Recreation, RUFF will help with costs involved in building a park inside Gregory O. Grounds Park, off Adams Dairy Parkway. The city will provide the basic construction, and RUFF is responsible for amenities and signs.
For more information about RUFF visit www.ruffbluesprings.org.
StandUp Safe
StandUp Safe is comprised of two programs, an anonymous crime reporting hot line and a training program where facilitators talk to parents about drugs and alcohol.
Committee members hope because the WeTip hot line, 1-800-78-CRIME, is anonymous, parents or neighbors may be more likely to call in and try to help the youth.
The facilitators in the second program discuss with parents the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse, how to help children and how to talk to children.
For more information about the programs or to order posters or brochures visit www.standupsafe.org.
From The Examiner
Another year of planning envisioned
By Stephanie Booth
April 24, 2006
It’s been a good year for Carol Journagan and her colleagues with StandUp.
The grass-roots organization celebrates its first year this weekend, kicking off another year of summits and visioning, with the first summit beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“We anticipate welcoming even more people beating the drum for even more personal empowerment, for leadership and for getting things done,” Journagan said. “Ideas will be shared about what could be fun to have in Blue Springs.”
Facilitated by former Blue Springs resident Karel Murray, the summit will be a brain-storming session of what residents would like to see in Blue Springs.
Similar summits yielded exciting programs last year, Journagan said.
“We’ve made some good markers,” Journagan said. “The energy level is high. People believe in the opportunity to engage.”
A dog park on Adams Dairy Parkway, which should be open this summer, came out of StandUp last year. Also coming out of StandUp’s first year was a tips hot line geared toward youth, which Journagan said would be running in about a month.
Other ideas out of StandUp are still in the planning phases _ a frisbee golf park, a youth center and a program against domestic violence.
Journagan said StandUp against Domestic Violence just completed a field report to find out what needs there are in the community and how members can meet those needs.
StandUp started last spring as a group of community members interested in getting more residents involved and increasing voter turnout. With those goals in mind, Journagan said she thought 2005 was a good year for StandUp.
“It was a lovely surprise for the people,” Journagan said of the accomplishments. “They thought of it, and they can make it happen. It was wonderful.”
Any Blue Springs resident can join StandUp. The 9 a.m. summit Saturday is free and open to the public. For more information about joining StandUp visit www.standupbluesprings.org.
From the Examiner
Stand Up! seeks community involvement
By Stephanie Howard
April 8, 2005
The crowd of people waited anxiously to learn why signs around Blue Springs encouraged them to “Stand Up!”
Stand Up!, a new organization designed to get more citizens involved in Blue Springs, kicked off Thursday at Sports City with a rally to explain the group’s mission.
Brad Korn, steering committee member, said the group was founded by Carol Journagan and Dave Wright, who both sat on the previous Out of the Blue into the Future planning committee. The duo discussed over lunch one day ways to encourage more involvement in the city.
Korn said he took the Chamber of Commerce lead class but did not know how to apply the things he learned.
“The whole group is excited about it,” Korn said, adding the group’s mission is to educate the community about different ways to get involved as well as different volunteer and leadership opportunities that are available.
The Blue Springs High School Jazz Band played for the kick-off party, which about 100 people attended. Wright said he was pleased with the turn out.
Katie Donnelly, who works at the Blue Springs School District Central Office, heard about the rally from a co-worker. New to Blue Springs, Donnelly thought this would be a good way for her to learn about different opportunities in the community.
Stand Up! hosts its first summit April 22 at Adams Point Clubhouse. The summit is the first of four this year in which citizens can learn the importance of community involvement and find out about different opportunities in Blue Springs. For more information visit www.standupbluesprings.com.