At the 27th Annual Friends of Yates Domestic Violence Community Awards Luncheon, held Oct. 31 during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, community leaders gathered to celebrate a year of remarkable progress in the fight against intimate-partner violence—and to honor those working on the front lines.
One of the most powerful moments came when KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman highlighted the impact of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP)—a domestic-violence screening tool used by law enforcement to identify victims at the highest risk of being killed by an intimate partner and immediately connect them to crisis services. The model is now used statewide in Kansas and fully implemented in Kansas City, KS.
The results have been dramatic: in 2024, the city recorded 37 homicides, 15 of them domestic-violence related. In 2023, after LAP was fully implemented, there were 26 homicides—and only four domestic-violence related. In 2025, KCK saw its lowest homicide total in 20 years: 22 killings, with zero tied to domestic violence.
“Those are actual lives that were saved,” Oakman said.
Friends of Yates—operator of a domestic violence shelter in Kansas City, KS—also shared a statewide success driven by a FOY developed training partnership with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). FOY CEO Emeritus LaDora Lattimore shared how the organization created a domestic violence/sexual and stalking training curriculum for Kansas DCF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) employees.
Since FOY began offering the training program designed to help TANF employees identify warning signs of domestic violence more accurately, TANF employees have referred 4,136 survivors for safety planning and support services. That’s compared to fewer than 50 referrals before the training
In addition, Lattimore shared news about a partnership between FOY and the Do Good for Erin Foundation to build a transitional home for victims of domestic violence. In partnership, FOY and the foundation are renovating a home owned by FOY. The home, which will house five women, is projected to open in summer 2026.
The need remains urgent. In 2024, Kansans filed 9,587 Protection From Abuse orders, underscoring the scale of the crisis.
At the event, several individuals and organizations were honored for leadership and service. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Dupree Prestigious Leadership Award was presented to Juliene Maska, administrator of the Kansas Governor’s Grants Program. The award honors Maska’s work advancing statewide use of the LAP Toolkit championed by Gov. Laura Kelly.
Friends of Yates Executive Director Dr. Desmond Lamb Sr. closed the program by reminding attendees that progress is real—but the work continues. “We save lives when we act together,” he said.
2025 Friends of Yates Domestic Violence Honorees
- The Honorable Judge Candice Alcaraz, 29th Judicial Court, Wyandotte County
- Porcia Block, Senior Vice President & General Auditor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
- Rosalyn Brown, Retired, Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK
- John Carlson, Principal Architect, Central Work Architecture, KCK
- Greg Hoefer, Vice President of Property Management, Block & Co., Inc., Realtors
- Julie Hoefer, Elementary School Speech Pathologist, Shawnee Mission School District
- Shannon Connell, Policy Coordination Assistant Director, Kansas Department for Children & Families
- Shelia Hollis, TANF Initiatives Program Specialist, Kansas Department for Children & Families
- Claudéan Horton, Retired, Sears Employment Manager & Supervisor
- Lori Jensen, Analyst, Kansas Governor’s Grants Program
- Paul Jones, Retired Battalion Chief, KCK Fire Department
- Karen Jones, Labor Relations, Federal Aviation Administration, KCMO
- Alex Knight & Jacob Roach, Contractors, Martann Construction
- Pastor Tom Langhofer (Ret.) & Marcy Langhofer, Do Good for Erin Foundation
- Anthony Lee, Retired Police Officer, KCK
- Benice Meeks, Retired Financial Director, Public Housing Authority
- Radell Oakman, Site Coordinator, Banneker Elementary, KCK
- Ed Schulteis, Contractor, Resurrection Thursday Housing & Construction Crew
- Ken Sokol, Retired Industrial Engineer, Hallmark, KCMO
- Debi Sokol, Retired Hospice Nurse, KCK
- Angela Stinson, TANF Program Specialist, Kansas Department for Children & Families
- Phyllis Taylor, Retired Industrial Sales Department, KCK
- Christal Watson, Executive Director, KCK School Foundation of Excellence
- James White, Retired Assistant Superintendent, KCK Public Schools
- Phyllis White, Speech Pathologist, KCK Public Schools
- Dr. Carla Whiteside-Hicks, PhD, Economic & Employment Services Director, Kansas Department for Children & Families
