23 Jul 2025

Love, Carissa: Granddaughter’s legacy is saving lives one lifejacket at a time

Shannon Shaw never thought she’d be part of a growing group of grieving families who’ve lost a loved one by drowning. In 2015, her granddaughter, Carissa, tragically drowned at the age of nine while swimming in a river. She was not wearing a lifejacket. Despite her unimaginable grief, Shaw decided to dedicate her life to preserving Carissa’s enthusiasm for life by helping save others. Shaw is the CEO and founder of the Love, Carissa Corporation, a non-profit committed to preventing drowning fatalities by raising awareness and providing resources like lifejackets and financial assistance for swimming lessons. According to Shaw, she doesn’t want to lecture people about water safety. Instead, she wants to provide them with resources to stay safe.

5 Dec 2023

Years of partnership and perseverance leads to historic osprey nesting

Osprey, a bird of prey, is the only species of raptor that dives feet first into the water to catch its prey—mainly fish. It’s no surprise then that osprey typically nest in and around bodies of water like rivers, lakes and on the coasts of North America. In Kansas, it’s not uncommon to see these majestic birds as they pass through the Midwest as part of their migratory habits. However, osprey have not historically bred in this area of the country. Until now. In the summer of 2023, Perry Lake, located in northeast Kansas, recorded the first successful osprey nesting and fledging in the state of Kansas’ history. Much like other raptor species, osprey experienced declining populations during the 1950s to 1970s due to the prevalence of lead and harmful insecticides. And just like other raptor species, osprey populations have begun to make a come-back after being protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.