"A MAIN STREET CHRISTMAS CONCERT"
 
The tradition continues with a wonderful concert to set the mood for your Christmas holiday. The Parsons Chamber of Commerce, Labette County Tourism and the Parsons Municipal Auditorium are giving the community an early gift this year when they present "A Main Street Christmas Concert" featuring The Duke Mason Band on Saturday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium. The concert will be a family-friendly event and admission is free of charge, although the Parsons Police Department's, "Shop With A Cop" program will receive the free-will offering.
 
 
In addition to Duke and his band, "A Main Street Christmas Concert," will feature special guests the Labette Creek Crooners. This local area Barbershop Quartet consists of Parsonians Joe Burke, Dean Cramer, Marlan Hoffman and Keith Maloney singing holiday favorites. 
 
Duke has asked that the freewill offering be taken during the concert and all monetary donations be used to help support the Parsons Shop-With-A-Cop Program.
 
On the heels of the success of previous years Parsons Police Department, "Shop With A Cop" event, they once again will offer this to children in the community and will be funded with the donations collected from the concert and donation boxes. 
 
"Shop With A Cop" is a community outreach program which will pair a deserving child with a Parsons Police Department officer who will shop for items for themselves and their families. There will also be another opportunity to donate to this commendable project if you are unable to attend the concert. Donation boxes for monetary donations will be placed in the City of Parsons, Water Department, in the lobby at the Parsons Police Department, and will be accepted through December 10.
 
So breakout the eggnog, put on that hideously ugly sweater, or whatever it takes to get in the holiday spirit and plan to attend "A Main Street Christmas Concert" featuring The Duke Mason Band, the Labette Creek Crooners and a special guest on Saturday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium, 112 South 17th Street, Parsons, KS. 
 
The show is free of charge, and all seating is general admission. Doors to the auditorium are scheduled to open at 6:30 p.m. "A Main Street Christmas Concert" is sponsored by the Parsons Chamber of Commerce and Labette County Tourism in cooperation with The City of Parsons and the Parsons Municipal Auditorium.

A Time to Give Thanks

As this Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to serve with such an outstanding group of people. The Parsons Police Department's officers, Dispatch personnel and administrative support staff are dedicated, hard-working, and committed to serving the citizens of our City. I encourage you to give them a friendly smile or a kind word to let them know you appreciate them as much as I do. I am truly fortunate to have them by my side.

As we struggle along as other police agencies in our region, in Kansas and across the country with trying to recruit and retain great staff, we need your help to recruit. If you know of a great candidate who is mission driven, has empathy and values helping as much as enforcement then steer that man or woman to our web site (https://www.parsonspd.com/employment ). As an award winning and nationally recognized police department we offer great career opportunities in the heartland of the Midwest where small town policing offers a more rewarding career than many large cities.

I would especially like to extend my sincerest appreciation to the residents of Parsons. Your efforts to enhance safety and cooperation with our office help make our City a great place to live and work. I am thankful for the assistance you provide through the crime tips hotline, website, and in person. I sincerely appreciate your commitment to the safety of our community.

My commitment to the citizens of this City has never been stronger. I will continue to work with you to improve the quality of life for each resident we serve. The support you've shown to me and the entire Police Department during 2021 has been overwhelming. I am very thankful. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chief Robert Spinks

Hear My Voice!

Permanency and adoption stories, directly from us

NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

We are the teens of the child welfare system, and we each have a story to tell.

For some of us, foster care has been our entire life, but in just a few years we may be aging out. The conversation of what's next will be key to us living a stable life-and we want to be included in those conversations!

This month we are raising our voices to share stories from our time in care. Although it's not always easy for us to talk about our experiences, we realize they help shape our permanency decisions. We've also learned that staying silent during these decisions can be much worse.

Hear Youth Voices

Are You Listening?

We are the experts of our lives, and we know what we want and need for our futures. We want to share our experiences to help shine a light on areas where we think engagement and the system can improve.

• Catherine Monet, shares things she learned over time after being adopted at age 21. "I think that one way to build this necessary trust is to invite youth to the table. Involve us in decision-making."
• When legal permanency wasn't achieved, Lil' Crystal Dernier determined what permanency beyond a home looked like for her. "These factors all helped me grow in finding permanency in an unconventional way and developing positive self-efficacy."
• Finding normal after moving into the eighth foster home at age 15, Annemarie was scared just how long she'd be welcome in her new home. But engaging conversations lead her to "feel comfortable enough to come to them and talk to them about problems."
• After spending 19 of her 25 years of life in foster care, Shay House became a child welfare advocate and believes People with First-Hand Experience Should be at the Forefront of Policy Reform. "I firmly believe that true expertise lies within one's own experience."
• After her nine siblings were separated into different foster homes and prevented from maintaining family relationships, Aleks was lead on a path away from-and back to-her siblings. "I suffer from individual and shared pain of guilt as I pursue my own life because many of my siblings are unable to do the same."

We'd love for you to share our stories with professionals, other teens in foster care, and prospective adoptive families to draw attention to the importance of conversations and engaging with us.

To read more:  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/youthvoices/?utm_campaign=nam21&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hearmyvoice110421 

Child Welfare Information Gateway

US Department of Health and Human Service