Archive for category: Speakers

Human trafficking happens here! In Kansas, in Shawnee county, in Topeka. According to the federal government, 1.5 million U.S. citizens are trafficked in the United States. Approximately half are children under the age of 16. American children’s lives are being consumed by men who buy them for sexual gratification, abuse them and throw them away. In this presentation, Dr. Sharon Sullivan discusses how human trafficking happens, and what we can do to find it and stop it in our own communities.

Dr. Sullivan is a Professor at Washburn University. Her research and activism focus on violence against women, including sexual and domestic violence, human trafficking, and rape as a weapon of war. Sharon is cofounder and director of STARS (Stop Trafficking and Reject Slavery), immediate past president of the Advisory Board for the Topeka Center for Peace and Justice, and Kansas Bureau Chief for the International Public Policy Institute. In 2014, 2015, and 2016 Sharon gave presentations about Human Trafficking at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She currently co-chairs the Topeka Shawnee County Human Trafficking Coalition.

Most people are unaware that all US adoptees have two different birth certificates. The original birth certificate (OBC) is issued at the time of birth, and when an adoption is completed, a new birth certificate is issued, called the amended birth certificate (ABC). Over half of the states do not allow adopted adults to obtain the OBC, which can create obstacles when trying to access government services. In this talk, Marily Mendenhall Waugh discusses why it is time to change the ABC to a Certificate of Adoption.

Marilyn is a reunited birth mother, Director of Adoption Concerns Triangle of Topeka, past American Adoption Congress (AAC) President and current AAC-KS State Representative. She volunteers on the Spokeo Search Angel Committee, is a AAC Presidential award winner, serves on the Missouri Birth Parent Communication Task Force, presents frequently at conferences on adoption search and reunion issues and is a Search Angel who, for the past 23 years, has reunited hundreds of family members separated by adoption.

Mary J. Martell has been involved in health care for much of her career; for the past 14 years as the Director of Research Services for Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, KS. Mary is the Chairperson for the Stormont Vail Health Cultural Ambassadors, and along with a group of 16 organizational professionals, has worked to cultivate a successful organizational culture. Over the past three years,  the group has researched, developed and implemented programs and movements based on literature, evidence, and good old-fashioned creative thinking.

In this talk, Mary will discuss one of these programs, the “Words of the Moment” program, which examines the the power of a single guiding word in everyday life, in the healthcare community, and in the community at large.

What if the answer to boredom was always at your feet?

Karl Fundenberger argues that travel is the fastest way to beat boredom, but insists travel doesn’t have to be hard, or expensive. You can travel in your own town if you just choose a different way to get there. Walking is hard, the bike has flat tires, the weather is unpredictable, and the car is just. so. easy. to hop in and take out. But with some free time and a little planning, you can see a different slice of your city, and begin to cherish experience over accumulation. Just walk there. Or ride there.

Karl grew up in Topeka and got tired of complaining about it, so he got involved and started making change. He still has a lot to learn. He lives near Washburn and works for Topeka Metro, managing the city’s bikeshare program.