Since 2008, UMKC Pride Breakfast has raised over $600,000 to support LGBTQIA+ students at UMKC, demonstrating our university’s support of, and commitment to, LGBTQIA+ students on campus. Funds from the UMKC Pride Luncheon are critical to support programs and scholarships for LGBTQIA+ students — including the Pride Empowerment Fund, which provides emergency assistance to students who experience financial difficulty due to the loss of family support.
Become a Sponsor
Sponsor our event and make a difference in the lives of LGBTQIA+ student at UMKC. Call 816-235-5201 or email us by Wednesday, September 25, to register.
All sponsorship levels include:
- Seats for eight at a table (one seat per table is reserved for students)
- Recognition on event website, marketing collateral, program and post-event features
If you are unable to attend the Pride Luncheon but would like to support LGBTQIA+ students at UMKC, you can donate online.
2024 C. STEPHEN METZLER PRIDE CHAMPION AWARD RECIPIENT
Kay Barnes
Barnes (M.A. ’71, MPA ‘78) is Kansas City’s former mayor, serving from 1999 to 2007. She was one of two women in the Jackson County Legislature in 1974 and is the first – and so far, only – woman elected mayor of Kansas City. Barnes is most known for spearheading the revitalization of downtown Kansas City through the construction of the T-Mobile (formerly Sprint) Center, the H&R Block headquarters, and the Power and Light District.
Barnes was a fierce ally of the LGBT community when she was in the County Legislature and continued to do so when she served on the City Council, as Mayor, and as a congressional candidate. She supported them regardless of the political and business risks.
As a trailblazer, Barnes is also a UMKC Starr Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. Her out-of-the-box thinking, assertiveness, and devotion to public service led her to be inducted in 2015. Barnes is the senior director of university engagement at Park University.
Parking
Free parking for the event is available in the Cherry Street Parking Garage at 5000 Cherry St. on levels 5 and 6. The pedestrian walkway to Swinney Center is located on the northeast corner of Level 5.
