A year ago I never thought I would have fun on April 13, 2015, the first anniversary of the shootings at the Jewish Community Campus that took the lives of William Corporon and Reat Underwood. Soon after there was another shooting at Village Shalom, where Terri LaManno was murdered. Even a week ago I had doubts that I would enjoy the events of the day. I did and so did thousands of others. That, my friends, was by design, and I think a very good design indeed.
The day’s activities, the final day of SevenDays: Make a Ripple, Change the World, appropriately began and ended at churches. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}The day started at 8 a.m. with a memorial Mass for the three victims, whose lives were senselessly taken by what one can only call a vicious anti-Semite. I wonder what he thought — if he has access to TV and newspapers in the Johnson County Jail — seeing people of all faiths and races holding hands and coming together in solidarity. Actually, I don’t care.
The memorial Mass was held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Terri LaManno’s parish, in Kansas City, Missouri.
“The LaManno and Corporon families have met this tragedy with courage and resolve to not let these violent acts of hate prevail,” was printed on the program I picked up at the church. It was definitely the message of the day.
“As we remember Terri, Reat and Bill on the anniversary of their deaths, we pray for their families and all who knew and loved them. Let us also pray that faith, hope, love and kindness will overcome religious, ethnic and racial intolerance and hate.”
You didn’t see any video of the church service on TV, or hear the words of Father Steve Cook, because no filming was allowed in order to keep the space sacred. I didn’t take notes for the same reason.
As we filed out of the church following the Mass, we were given balloons in three colors — Terri’s favorite color purple, Reat’s favorite color pink and red for Dr. Corporon representing his beloved Oklahoma Sooners. The balloons carried their names as well as the message, “Make a Ripple, Change the World.” Those who found the balloons were invited to do an act of kindness and post it to the SevenDays Facebook page (or visit givesevendays.org).
I didn’t make it to Blue Valley High School that afternoon where a bench was dedicated in Reat’s honor. If it was like everything else that day, I’m sure it was a moving experience.
The main event was launched at the Jewish Community Campus, where the horrible events of that tragic day first began unfolding. Like last year, approximately 3,000 people gathered at the Jewish Community Campus to walk en mass to show their solidarity with the families. This time promoters said we were “ready to change the world.” Security was highly visible. Jewish Community Center staffers were stationed all over the perimeter of the parking lots to help direct people wherever they needed to go. Inside the building I was even greeted by a rather large German shepherd accompanied by a uniformed police officer.
Outside DJ Brooks Brown, who happens to be a business partner of SevenDays teen board volunteer extraordinaire Jake Goldman, both students at Blue Valley North High School, kept the crowd energized — as if the throngs of people there needed energizing! Nobody was happy to be there, yet everybody was happy to be there. There were people of all shapes and sizes, tiny tots to seniors, strollers and even a few dogs. It was definitely a celebration of life.
With cameras snapping and video cameras rolling, a group of tween and teen dancers opened up the pre-event festivities, which were emceed by 41 Action News anchor Christa Dubill — she also hosted the Celebration Ceremony after the walk at Church of the Resurrection. Before the speeches began, we heard a recording of Reat signing the national anthem. It’s powerful to begin a commemoration with the voice of one being commemorated. It was like he was there, watching from above.
As Dubill said, “Wwhat happened here in Overland Park really brought our entire community together for all the wrong reasons, but so much good has come from it.” Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach told the crowd that as we move onward, we should make kindness a habit for the rest of our lives.”
He quoted the Bible (Romans 12:21), “Do not be overcome by evil, overcome evil with good,” and read from a proclamation commemorating the event.
“Tragic and senseless shootings ended the lives of three beloved people in our community,” he said. “Today kindness and love outshines bigotry and hatred. Remember that day not only for these losses but that good overshadows evil.”
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James, who is always such a great speaker, told the crowd the events of the day show everyone, “you cannot hurt us, you cannot destroy us.” He pointed out we were there from Missouri and Kansas, north and south, black and white, Christian and Jewish and gay and straight.
“We are one family.”
Jewish Community Chaplain Jonathan Rudnick reminded the crowd that Dr. Corporon, Reat and Terri “entered our home, the home of Israel, and became part of our home … We will always honor their memories.” He sent us off with a prayer, asking God to “spread your tent of peace and wholeness over all of us.”
After the speeches, the walkers were instructed to turn around and begin walking the approximately 3 miles from the HBHA parking lot to 117th Street, then to Nall, passing Village Shalom on the way to the Church of the Resurrection on 137th between Nall and Roe. Before leaving Dubill charged to all present, “Make your ripple. This is about changing the world one person at a time.”
The rest of the night went along without a hitch — produced by Harvest Productions and Tammy Ruder, who many of us know from her time as cultural arts director at The J and through her work with KC SuperStar. That is what brought Reat and his grandfather to The J that day, so Reat could audition for the singing contest.
The program featured a welcome from Mindy Corporon, Reat’s mother and Bill’s daughter, who we have come to admire and marvel at her strength and composure during this whole year as she was thrust in the spotlight, becoming the public spokeswoman for the families and eventually taking on the responsibilities of creating the Faith Always Wins Foundation and the SevenDays series of events. She is a tower of strength, but reminded us, via a video shown on the two big screens in the enormous COR sanctuary, that she had tough times as would any mother and daughter who faced what she faced that day and continues to face.
“Although this evil touched my heart deeply and was new to me, it is not new to the world or even our own metropolitan area. ‘SevenDays: Make a Ripple, Change the World’ was created to help all of us find the strength to shine the light into darkness. Through Love, Discover, Others, Connect, Go, You and Onward,( (the SevenDays themes) we hoped to form new relationships by sharing cultures, religions and heritage,” she wrote in the program.
“Look around the room this evening, as the candles are lit and you will see what you have made happen. Today was named Onward for the benefit of sending each of us in a direction of love and kindness to help others as we would want to be helped. Thank you for your love and support of our family and all other families who are victimized in our society.”
“One act of kindness is important. One ripple does make a difference.”
Being in that room listening to the inspiring words and songs written for the songwriting contest was something I will never forget. They were not the same emotions I felt last year at the memorial service or the vigil, when we were all still processing what happened that awful day. We were in shock and we were horrified.
COR Pastor Adam Hamilton closed the program. As the lights were dimming to almost total darkness before the candle-lighting ceremony began, the pastor said, a year ago “it felt like darkness won and defeated the light. But in the end light, kindness and love defeat hate and evil every time.”
It was a sight to see. A sight I wish I never had to see, but still a sight I am glad I saw and will always remember.
It’s been a hard year. It sometimes seems with all the hate we have seen here and around the world that things are going backward. It appears we are being less accepting of others instead of more accepting. Then there are events like SevenDays. The song I heard at St. Peter’s early in the day may say it best, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me…”{/mprestriction}