KCIYA- Faith Always Wins Interfaith Leadership Blog

When I think of Malala Yousufzai, the first words that come to my mind are strong, empowering, and inspiring. At such a young age, Yousufzai became an activist for girls’ education, as well as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. She has inspired numerous girls to fight for their education and to not be afraid of the struggles that may lie in front of them. In the documentary ‘He Named Me Malala’, director Davis Guggenheim captured an exclusive view inside the Yousufzai household and of her determination to fight for girls’ education. Along with myself, two other board members of KCIYA were compelled to plan an event where Malala’s documentary was shown, to motivate members of the community to fight for a change. The event was planned for the evening of Friday, September 13. When all the other members arrived, we began with the guidelines of civil discourse and began streaming the documentary while chowing down on Spin! Pizza. After the movie was completed, we dove into the discussion...

When I recently had the wonderful opportunity to plan my own KCIYA service project, I had two things in mind: I wanted to reach across the aisle from my own Catholic identity, and somehow help the environment in the process. In my opinion, there is one place in Kansas City that encompasses both these ideals: Mitzvah Garden. So the service day was coordinated with the incredible Ken Sonnenschein and his team. For months, I pulled my hair out over logistics - who would show up, how many questions should I write, what do I wear? In mid-September, the time came. I drove to The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah all the way in Overland Park. As soon as we parked, I experienced a wave of relief. I felt it would all go well. Thankfully, it did. We helped the garden prepare for winter by raking up the weed-preventing straw they put over tarps in rows that cover about a quarter of the garden. Then some of our group went to harvest and sort apples while a few others and I took the tarps...

Our recent visit to Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House provided growth on an emotional, mental, and physical level for me. During the planning process, I discovered how to plan and accommodate for a religiously diverse community.  Entering the house was different because the community was so welcoming. Their focus was on the feeling of community, rather than what community you came from. I had learned about the Catholic Worker movement through school and it was really cool to see that movement come to life. My belief is to do your best to help those in need at all times, in every community. Everyone, privileged and underprivileged can face times of need and it’s important to serve those who need it. Moving forward, I plan to continue serving those in need and reaching out to help Cherith Brook. Small acts of service filled with great love can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Our focus as humans should be to help others and affirm the gifts and inherent dignit...