SevenDays, a nonprofit organization that works to overcome hate by promoting kindness and understanding, is honoring Jewish community members Dr. Ken Sonnenschein and Sonia Warshawski with its annual Ripple of Kindness Award.
The award was created to “recognize people whose impact on our community is apparent, but with no expectation of reward or return.” Dr. Sonnenschein and Warshawski were two of eight winners chosen through public nominations.
Dr. Sonnenschein is a psychiatrist with a passion for sustainability and the environment. He has been involved in several nonprofit endeavors including the Mitzvah Garden KC, a community garden that brings people of diverse backgrounds together to grow more than 10,000 pounds of food for area food pantries.
SevenDays 2026 Ripple of Kindness Award recipients Dr. Ken Sonnenschein and Sonia Warshawski.
Sonia Warshawski is a 100-year-old great-grandmother, businesswoman and Holocaust survivor. Known as “Big Sonia” and subject of the documentary of the same name, she has spent years speaking about her experiences and sharing the importance of kindness to students and adults.
The other recipients are Matt and Sara Bloomfield, founders of the Olivia Bloomfield Foundation; David Kennedy, Advent Health Mid-America Region vice president of mission and ministry; Marci Langhofer, founder of Do Good For Erin; Mike Meyer, a Vietnam veteran who has led endeavors to help veterans, children and disaster victims; and Cynthia Newsome, founder of Awesome Ambitions and KSHB news reporter.
Recipients were honored on April 23 at the SevenDays Ripple of Kindness Breakfast at Resurrection – A United Methodist Church. Jewish community member, kindness activist and educator Barbara Unell was the breakfast’s honorary chair.
Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy sophomore Shefer Rudnick was named a winner of SevenDays’ art competition for her sticker for its “Love” day. Jewish community teenagers Bea Colbert, Dani Glickman, Mia Mondry, Sam Sandler, Drew Squire, Josh Stein and Leora Stein are among the members of the SevenDays 2026 Kindness Youth Leadership Team.
SevenDays was established following the April 2014 hate crime murders of 14-year-old Reat Griffin Underwood and his grandfather Dr. William Corporon on the grounds of the Jewish Community Campus and Terri LaManno in the parking lot of Village Shalom. SevenDays was created by Mindy Corporon (Underwood's mother and Dr. Corporon’s daughter), Jim LaManno (LaManno’s widow) and family and friends to dispel the hate in the world through kindness.
More information about SevenDays is available at sevendays.org.