Reflecting on 2022

By Claire Bishop, APS Executive Director and COO –

Reflecting on a calendar year’s worth of activity is a ritual for me that always creates a feeling of awe: both for how quickly the time passes, as well as just how much our organization, with the support of our amazing members, supporters and stakeholders, has been able to accomplish in twelve months’ time.

And of course, the beginning of 2022 looked very different than the end. Through it all, our staff and community weathered the changes and stayed steadfast in our mission to meet challenging topics with civility, facts, and multiple perspectives.

We started the year with a Covid spike and thus, a return to virtual programming—this time on the topic of election reform, where we explored alternatives to America’s current two-party political system in a midterm election year.

As the year went on and the pandemic began to wane, we were pleased to bring people back together in person to address local issues with our KC at the Square events—we hosted a lively discussion about the KCPD Budget in April, and went on to host a program on Guns in Public Spaces in August, amid the ongoing spate of gun violence in our community and country.

In 2022, our Civics Education Initiative finally came to life as the program we envisioned—bringing students from wide-ranging schools and communities together across differences to practice the APS “way.” During the spring, we hosted the culminating event of the 2021-2022 school year: an entirely student-produced APS Signature event at the KC Public Library on the topic of equality in education. It was truly special to see students, educators and our partners work together to produce a meaningful program on a topic that matters to them.

APS also tackled topics not so close to home. With the war in Ukraine on many hearts and minds in Kansas City, we were proud to host former diplomats and dignitaries for a conversation about America’s role on the global stage in September.

And of course, a highlight of the year was hosting our annual fundraiser, Evening at the Square. And I am pleased to report that our community stepped up in a big way to show your support. Our featured guest was Robert Costa, Chief Election and campaign Correspondent with CBS News. Our venue, the National World War I Museum & Memorial, was a stunning setting for our conversation--made all the more fun and fabulous because Costa truly knows how to tell a good story.

Through all these mile markers in the year, our team was also focused on efforts behind the scenes to improve our member experience, streamline our operations and generally operate with the efficiency and stewardship that you, our supporters, expect. I am so proud of the work we have done as a team and honored by the support of our broad community. Rest assured, we will continue to work hard to champion civility, facts and perspective in the public square. Thank you for your trust, your support, and your participation.

Claire Bishop