Philanthropy, activism, and community for Kansas City atheists.
Jan. 27, 2013 KCAC viewed the chilling documentary The Revisionaries at the Screenland Armour and raised $221 for theNational Center for Science Education.
After the documentary, NCSE Programs and Policy Director Josh Rosenau, who was at the Texas board hearings, Skyped with us for Q&A.
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I just want to weigh in personally for a moment here. I am overwhelmingly happy that the Kansas City Atheist Coalition is being supported by so many people due to the obvious discrimination of the KC Irish Parades decision to deny our participation.
That being said, all I wanted, all I EVER wanted was to dress up as a damn Leprechaun and walk in the parade as an open Atheist for the KCAC. Seriously, the whole theme of this parade was something like “gathering of the clans.” I WANT as many other clans to gather, darn it. I WANT to walk behind (or beside if they would let me) a church that joined the parade!! I want them to tell me what they think or believe because I like people to be open! I WANT to throw candy at kids and prance about and talk in a bad Irish accent. I WANT to answer questions about who I am and, in time, be accepted for it. I WANT to represent the good of my community and everything in which it represents.
What we don’t want is to HAVE to point out blatant discrimination – but, we will because it’s the right thing to do. If we don’t do it, then it will keep happening. Other people will still not understand, and I will NEVER get to dress up as a Leprechaun alongside others who have differing beliefs. This is the reason I defend my position with such fervor and I refuse to give a single inch of footing!
JTL;DR Leprechaun….
— Jozef Hanratty, director of KCAC
Dec. 8, 2012 KCAC hosted a holiday party with food, games and — best of all — heathens! In addition to the food and merriment,KCAC adopted a family from the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association and encouraged guests to bring a gift from the family’s wish list to the holiday party. Due to the generosity of our members we were able to raise approximately $800 in gifts for this very deserving family.
— An alarm clock, a watch, a science experiment kit, a spy kit, jeans and long-sleeved shirts for a 9-year-old boy named Dillan.
— A drawing kit, a skateboard, a car race track, a Nerf gun, jeans and long-sleeved shirts for a 7-year-old boy named Hayden.
— A skateboard, a guitar, a Nerf gun, a science kit, jeans and long-sleeved shirts for a 5-year-old boy named Taylor.
— A DVD of the movie “Tangled,” Barbies, Barbie clothes and a hanging closet organizer, fun socks, jeans and long-sleeved shirts for a 4-year-old girl named Paige.
— An iron, a laundry basket, laundry soap and Legos for the entire family.
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Dec. 2, 2012 KCAC joined Graceway Christian Church youth pastor Steven Ray in one of a series of seminars on the book of Genesis. This Sunday’s session was on the “beginning and essence of Good & Evil.” The seminars are open to the public, and Steven has encouraged his students’ to invite newcomers. The promotional flier also encouraged participants to “bring your research, questions and an open mind.”
Fifteen members of KCAC did just that! Steven gave a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation/lecture, followed by an additional 30 minutes of answering questions submitted via text message. After that, there was open discussion in which the room broke into small groups and continued conversing about the topics discussed in the lecture.
This was a great opportunity for atheists to meet and converse with young Bible-believing Christians. The Christian students all seemed very receptive to honest and direct discussion of religious ideas and were enthusiastic about engaging with non-believers. A significant part of what we accomplished was simply exposing young Christians to open atheists for the first time.
Thanksgiving 2012 after partnering with the Kansas City Rescue Mission to help deliver 500 Thanksgiving meals to poverty-stricken families and elderly or disabled people all over the city the Kansas City Atheist Coalition held a Thanksgiving Day potluck dinner at KCAC Vice President Josh Hyde’s house. KCAC provided the turkey and stuffing; everyone else provided the fixins’! Dinner started at 6:30 p.m., but people came over as early as 2 p.m. to enjoy snacks, play games, watch football and just have fun on a beautiful November afternoon.
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KCAC proudly partnered with the Kansas City Rescue MissionThanksgiving 2012 for the second annual Operation Turkey Convoy. In our sky-blue KCAC T-shirts, we worked alongside members of local Christian churches to help deliver 500 Thanksgiving meals to poverty-stricken families and elderly or disabled people all over the city. With over 25 volunteers, KCAC was proud to have the largest number of volunteers from any single organization for the second year in a row!
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KCAC attended Skepticon 5, a FREE annual skeptics convention in Springfield, Missouri. Skepticon is the second-largest skeptic/atheist conference in the U.S. and the nation’s largest FREE conference on skepticism. KCAC had a terrific time listening to interesting talks and connecting with skeptics from across the country!