What good may come

For Mandy Shriwise, Overland Park senior and co-director of Center for Community Outreach, an infinite amount of issues need to be addressed and even more problems need to be solved. Violence against women is just one of those issues in Lawrence, and the continual effort against it requires the cooperation of the entire community,Shriwise said. So when 1,100 Torches, a charity organization in honor of Jana Mackey, asked her to become involved with their effort to end violence against women, as well as engage more students in community service, she jumped on the chance.


"A lot of things you raise awareness about you cant tangibly do anything for in our life," Shriwise said. "This is raising awareness of a way of thinking of how you can give back to the world around you. They're very open to that happening in any way."


1,100 Torches kicked off its campaign in November, and plans to be a strong presence on the KU campus and Lawrence area by next semester. Curt Brungardt, Jana's stepfather and cofounder of the group, said the name and mission of 1,100 Torches came from Jana's funeral. All of the speakers urged the 1,100 people in attendance to continue Jana's life mission and turn her single torch, Brungardt said, into 1,100 torches. The organization's goal then, is to inspire 1,100 people to perform at least one act of public service in honor of Jana, he said. In order to reach that goal, Brungardt said he needed the support of Jana's community
"My belief is over half of 1,100 people will come from the Lawrence area, because that's where Jana's friends were," Brungardt said. "If we get people that have never volunteered before, or haven't in a long time, think about literally the thousands of people that are impacted. "


Shriwise said she planned to incorporate 1,100 Torches with "Into the Streets" week, held in February. The event showcases ways for students to become more active in the community and is CCO's biggest event. She said she would also talk to the program coordinators of the 14 groups CCO managed to try and get more people involved. CCO would make 1,100 Torches as accessible as possible to students through a referral process, although, Shriwise said the job is basically already done for her.


"We're doing this because she was a part of KU. She was a part of our community," Shriwise said. "I think that's a huge thing about the attraction of helping with this project. It's a perfect example of a community."


With 2,293 registered CCO volunteers, the belief in an all inclusive community involvement, that everyone can do something to better the world, is not new to KU. The tragedy of Jana's life and death is though, and Brungardt said that by late July, only weeks after her death, he knew that by following her example, he could at least keep her mission alive.
"Jana volunteered for years, was a counselor for victims against women, and she died that way," he said. "It helps all of her family and friends make this horrible thing into something positive."


Sarah Jane Russell, executive director of the Ga Du Gi Safe Center, worked with Jana at the center. Russell is in the process of organizing Wisdom for the Ages, a group in honor of Jana and the formal torch she picked up. She said that with Jana's story, 1,100 Torches could very well motivate real change in Lawrence.


"Jana and I had this conversation," Russell said. "The authentic effort to walk as equals; there has to be action behind the intent in order for it to happen."


1,100 Torches keeps track of Jana's "torches" with a numbered list on its website. The list features the name of the person who picked up her torch, along with their description of how they will honor her. This list is presently 116 names long, (Brungardt estimated the actual number to be 150) including a childhood friend of Jana's mother, who Brungardt said, was organizing a women's clothing drive. Paige Blair of the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, which is helping 1,100 Torches recruit volunteers in the greater Lawrence area, said that the group would be especially effective in motivating community volunteers.


"I think that Jana's story is really inspiring and sometimes people need a push to get involved," Blair said.


Women's Transitional Care Services, a resource center for victims of crimes against women, is among the 116 names on the list. Sarah Terwelp, executive director of the center, said WTCS had several plans in the works with 1,100 Torches that funding was presently being sorted out for. Whatever WTCS works out with the group, Terwelp said 1,100 Torches would definitely accomplish their goal in the Lawrence community.


"As 1,100 Torches becomes more established in this community and in the state, someone who thought about doing volunteer work, after hearing her story and being touched by it, will be motivated to get out there and get something done," Terwelp said.


With a feature in National Jurist Magazine, coverage from network news stations and a part in the national theater production "Words of Choice," 1,100 Torches and its story are only getting bigger. While Brungardt said he was excited about the attention the foundation was getting, it would not distract him from the mission.


"Our goal is to ever so slowly alter the course of history," Brungardt said. " It's important to honor someone's life, but that's not enough for Jana. We need to carry her work forward."