By Jill Draper
Local Christian singer and songwriter Mitch Langley will perform at the Second Annual 9/11 Concert and Awards Event sponsored by the Salvation Army Southland Corps at 5:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 11.
The event is free and will be held at Consuming Fires Ministries, 10306 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Kansas City.
Before the live music concert, the Salvation Army will honor first responders. This year envoys will recognize firefighters from Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Raymore and Belton as well as the Grandview Police Department.
Attendees will include Missouri State Rep. Anthony Ealy, Grandview Mayor Leonard D. Jones Jr., fire chiefs or deputy chiefs from all four fire departments being honored, and a Grandview police detective.
Marine Col. Ivan Glasco and two cadets from Ruskin High School will salute the flag as Langley sings the national anthem.
The event originally was scheduled at the Salvation Army’s Grandview location at 6111 E. 129th St., but organizers cited greater than expected interest in the concert and awards ceremony as the reason for moving it to a larger facility.
Salvation Army has some 20 locations throughout its Kansas and Western Missouri Division. The Grandview site, which serves Cass County and parts of south KC, is attached to Booth Manor, a 7-story subsidized apartment building for seniors and disabled adults.
“We’re the tallest building in Grandview. The fire department uses us for training,” says Ivier McSwine, who manages the location with his co-pastor and wife Brenda McSwine.
The Grandview site does not offer overnight shelter for homeless persons. Instead it provides emergency assistance for rent and utilities, a food pantry, dial-a-ride services, and various social programs and activities.
Weekly movies, Bible study and church services are several of those activities.
“People know us for our thrift stores and our kettles, but the Salvation Army is a church at the core of its being,” says Brenda McSwine. “Anywhere you are on the economic scale, you can participate.”
She grew up attending a Salvation Army church. Her husband joined the Salvation Army later in life. A veteran who served during the Gulf War period, he says honoring the first responders “is something very close to my heart.”
The McSwines say the Salvation Army has many volunteer opportunities beyond collecting donations during the holiday season, and both individuals and groups are welcome to help. Contact them at 816-966-8300 or ivier.mcswine@usc.salvationarmy.org or brenda.mcswine@usc.salvationarmy.org.
Other notable 9/11 events
The American Red Cross will host a morning Salute to Service honoring the armed forces on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the World War I Museum. Guest speakers Dorris Heaston and Teri Fisk Hermans will share their experiences serving as Red Cross volunteers during the Vietnam War. The event is 9:30 to 11 am, and is presented by Greater Kansas City Tiffany Circle, a community of women who work to advance the mission of the Red Cross. RSVP to megan.calvert@redcross.org or 913-398-9142.
First Responder’s Memorial at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 7601 Blue Ridge Road, is co-hosted by American Legion Post 189, The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Muehlebach Funeral Care, Passantino Bros. Funeral Home and Catholic Cemeteries of Kansas City/St. Joseph.
The American Legion Band will perform at 5:30 followed by the ceremony at 6 pm. Special guests include Mayor Quinton Lucas, Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough, KCPD Chief Stacey Graves, KCFD Assistant Chief John Baker and Taylor Hemness, KSHB News.
For more information visit www.muehlebachchapel.com/resources/community-events or contact Jenny at 816-444-2060. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook for those unable to attend.
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