A capacity crowd and inspiring featured guest speaker set the stage for a record setting 2016 Patron Luncheon. The Heart of America Council’s premiere fundraising event welcomed more than 950 business and community leaders to the Marriott Muehlebach on March 3. The annual event not only raises much needed funds for Scouting, but it also showcases the importance of the program to the Kansas City community. In addition to welcoming a new record crowd, this year’s luncheon also raised a record setting $554,420 for local Scouting programs.
Featured guest speaker Michael Durant captivated attendees with his personal story of survival and courage. Durant was the pilot of Black Hawk helicopter Super Six Four that was fired upon and subsequently brought down during a combat operation in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993. The events of that day were recounted in Mark Bowden’s best-selling book Black Hawk Down and Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning movie of the same name.
The 2016 Patron Luncheon was chaired by Stephen Hooley, Chairman, CEO and President of DST Systems, Inc.