The Shawnee Pulse

For the final episode of 2025, Shawnee's City Manager Paul Kramer stops by to share his journey through the ranks of municipal government that brought him to Shawnee, plus he looks back at the year that was and looks ahead to 2026 and what's on the horizon for the City. A special thanks to everyone who joined us for the first year of the Shawnee Pulse. We'll be back in 2026 with more conversations, more insights, and more guests to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the City of Shawnee operate. If you have questions or guests you'd like to hear from, please email us at [email protected]

The Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund has been a holiday-season fixture in Shawnee for more than a decade, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations in the City. This year, Mayor Mickey Sandifer selected Shawnee Community Services as the sole beneficiary of the fundraiser and they have a specific need your donations will help fund.  We talk to David Aramovich and Craig Gibson from the Shawnee Community Services Board of Directors about their experience with the organization, the good work it does, and the need to build a new storage space behind the main building to help even more people. If you'd like to donate to the Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund, you can visit: https://www.cityofshawnee.org/mctf  And, if you'd like to join us for Dine at the Vine on Tuesday, Dec. 2, you can call the Wandering Vine at 913-379-1300 or visit: https://www.wanderingvine.com/mct2025 to reserve your seats now.

This month, we talk with Elizabeth Griffith, the Volunteer Coordinator the City of Shawnee. She connects residents and companies who want to help out with residents who need assistance. From small, house-hold maintenance to snow shoveling, the programs she administers helps hundreds of residents each year in Shawnee. She'll tell us how the programs originally started with help from the community and how they've grown over the years.  If you'd like to get involved in helping your neighbors, visit: cityofshawnee.org/volunteer or email: [email protected].

Seven days a week, Co-Responders from the Johnson County Mental Health Department team up with the Shawnee Police Department to assist residents in crisis by responding the scene when a mental health call comes in to 911. That's just the beginning of the work they do to help people in the community. This week, we're talking to Jen Melby, Co-Responder Team Leader, and Haley Carrillo, Co-Responder, about the history of the Co-Responder program, the work they do, and how they help people in crisis achieve better outcomes. If you, or someone you know, is in need of mental health help Johnson County provides resources through the county's dedicated Mental Health Department. Visit them online at https://www.jocogov.org/department/mental-health or you can call the Mental Health Crisis line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 913-268-0156 and be connected to resources. 

Every single day of the year, firefighters staff each of Shawnee's four fire stations ready to respond to calls 24 hours a day. This week, we sit down with Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Pyle, a 27-year veteran of the Shawnee Fire Department, who started as a volunteer.  He's seen the department evolve to meet the growing and changing needs of Shawnee. We talk his career path through the ranks, how the department looks different today than it did almost three decades earlier, and what the future may hold. Plus, he and the entire Fire Department want everyone to stop by Fire Station 71, 6501 Quivira Road, on Saturday Oct. 4 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. for Turnout Shawnee! Meet Shawnee firefighters, check out the equipment they use, watch a live burn demo, and find out how fire safety starts at home. Plus, Kate Kinkaid is here to talk other events happening in Shawnee! If you have a topic you'd like us to talk about on the Pulse, you can email us at [email protected]!