Thursday, September 23, 2021
National WWI Museum and Memorial
Seating and dessert starts at 6:30 p.m., program starts at 7 p.m.

About the Celebration Evening & First Call

Every year, First Call hosts the Celebration Evening, a fundraising event featuring premier speakers. In addition to increasing awareness about First Call and substance use disorder, the event raises funds for core mission support of First Call services. These services include substance use disorder assessments, outpatient treatment, recovery support, family services, a crisis call center and community prevention education.

It is the mission of First Call to reduce the impact of alcohol, drugs and addiction by providing quality resources to individuals, families and the community. Founded in 1958, First Call services impact over 60,000 individuals a year.

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About Jason Kander

President Barack Obama - in the final interview of his presidency - was asked who gave him hope for America’s future, and the first person he mentioned was Jason Kander.

 

A former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan, Jason was elected to the Missouri state legislature in 2008 and as Missouri Secretary of State in 2012, making him the first millennial ever elected to statewide office. In 2016, while Donald Trump was winning Missouri by 19 points, Jason nearly unseated a Republican U.S. Senator. In 2017, he founded Let America Vote, a national campaign against voter suppression. His memoir, Outside the Wire, became a New York Times bestseller the following year.

 

Jason is the President of Veterans Community Project, a national non-profit organization, and the host of Majority54, one of the nation's most popular political podcasts. 

 

He lives in Kansas City with his wife Diana, their son True, and their daughter Bella. 

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About Lara Moritz

Lara Moritz anchors KMBC 9 News at 4:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, and earned her master’s degree from the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  A native of Wisconsin, she now calls Kansas City home.
 

“The people I meet while covering stories help me grow as a human being. Some stories are humbling, some stories inspiring every single story valuable. My most memorable interview to date: a one on one interview with President Barack Obama.”
 

Lara has won two Edward R. Murrow awards and two Emmys for her reporting.

She takes Pure Barre classes several times a week and loves boating, camping, and hiking. One little known fact about Lara: she listens to The Grateful Dead Channel on satellite radio.