A Lee’s Summit outpatient clinic providing cancer care is changing its name to highlight its relationship to the University of Kansas Hospital and its cancer treatment programs.

The year is 2013; I don’t feel like I’ve been out of high school for 19 years. Looking back I can still see myself and know what that younger person was thinking and hoping and praying for. If I could go back in time and tell her your life is going to end up nothing like what you planned, would I? It for sure wasn’t all sunshine, puppies and flowers, as one of my friends would say; however it was definitely worth experiencing and living. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for her even though it has not been the easiest of rides; it sure hasn’t been the toughest.

We have become a society that craves immediate gratification and it doesn’t seem normal to actually work for something we want. Sometimes I hear people say they can’t afford to work out or eat right. Sometimes this excuse is valid. Most of the time, it isn’t.

1501 NE Douglas

Everyone needs good friends, and the Lee’s Summit Symphony is no exception. Fortunately, our community’s orchestra is supported by a thriving and talented organization known as Friends of the Symphony.

This snoopy sculpture was created by Andreas Stabno in Winterset Park on Feb. 21 and 22. His daughter, Emma Stabno, age 8, sits below in the doghouse entry.

With a dash of positivity and a whole lot of pink, Lee’s Summit West High School’s “Legally Blonde: The Musical” shows the audience what it means to believe in yourself, despite what others may say.

Summit Christian Academy’s “The Comedy of Errors” has no error at all - just pure comedy. This early Shakespearean play is full of confusion, puns, and slapstick comedy. The play revolves around a family that was separated at sea – a merchant, his wife, their twin sons, both named Antipholus, and the twins’ twin servants, both named Dromio.

Have you ever wanted to leave your humdrum life behind you and escape to the city for a thrilling night out on the town? This desire, plus mistaken identities, plentiful innuendos, zany characters, and lots of confusion make for the twisted plot of Lee’s Summit High School’s production of “On The Razzle.”

This year has been an eventful one for the Lee’s Summit Symphony, which is celebrating its 10th season in grand style by hosting a “Celebration at the Kauffman” event in June at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City.

900 NE Columbus Rd.

18 SW Third Street

The title seems counter intuitive but the economic impact and the social impacts reveal the nexus: jobs, tax base, and interpersonal synergies creating new companies. According the Arts Council of Kansas City, in Jackson County, there are 143 not for profits and art related organizations whose activities generate annually $252 million of expenditures! In the metro area, the combined arts groups employ more than either Sprint or Cerner! Arts and culture add to communities’ bottom lines while growing the top line as well by attracting the creative class seeing as 24/7, high energy, crowd whose interactions yield new ideas and new companies! Their activities create a common bond for participants across demographic and generational lines. They are likely to be highly engaged in community activities. It is no accident that brand name places like Austin, New York City, the Bay Area are homes serial entrepreneurs, artists and venture capitalists. And public/private collaborations are emerging. For example, according to the National Governors’ Association publication “Arts and the Economy-Using arts to stimulate state economic development,” The University of California Santa Cruz partnered with local industry to combine artists, designer and product engineers to stimulate new product development. Here again, leveraging creativity with business resources. And, right here in Lee’s Summit, fast growing Legacy Touch combines biometric science with art to create one of a kind, individualized memorial jewelry, rings and pendants of loved ones.

Gina Seibel loves Lee’s Summit.

Lee’s Summit is a place where real people come together to help make life just a little bit better for everyone in our community. That’s what makes us one of the finest communities for those who live, work and play.