FIA has luncheons, special events, fundraisers, Happy Hours and a Fairfax Festival each year. Luncheons typically fall on the second Thursday of the month except July, October and December where we do not have a luncheon. Average attendance is 80 and they are usually held at a business in our district with a variety of speakers and topics. In October we have our annual Fairfax Festival instead of a luncheon. Happy Hours periodically pop up throughout the year.
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All FIA members and their employees are invited to attend any of these events.
Guests are allowed to attend 3 luncheons or happy hours before joining. If you are not a member and would like to check out the FIA, please join us!
Luncheon Videos – All luncheons are recorded on video and shared with FIA members. They can also be viewed on the Fairfax Forum (click here), along with other posts and highlights related to the FIA. It’s a great way to stay informed.
Video from our last luncheon.
Upcoming Events:
Join us on October 12th for our FIA Luncheon at Central Solutions with Ryan Lefebvre.
Date/Time: Thurs, 10/12/23 from 11:15am-12:30pm
Luncheon Fee: $35 / Register here
Event Location Central Solutions / 401 Funston Rd. / Kansas City, KS 66115
Event Sponsors: Thank you to Central Solutions and Country Club Bank for sponsoring this luncheon
Meet Ryan Lefebvre:
Ryan Lefebvre is in his 25th season as a Royals broadcaster and his 29th season on a Major League broadcast. A native of Los Angeles, Ryan played baseball at the University of Minnesota, where he was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and established school records for hits, triples, and at-bats. He was selected in the 27th round of the 1993 First-Year Player Draft by the Cleveland Indians. A two-time Mid-American Emmy Award winner, Ryan is actively involved in a number of Kansas City community activities and charitable organizations.
In recognition of his efforts, he was named the 2006 Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City Role Model of the Year, the recipient of the 2011 John J. “Buck” O’Neil MVP Award for his commitment to youth in Kansas City, one of the “25 Most Influential People” in the state of Kansas in 2014, and the recipient of the 2015 Olathe NAACP Diversity in Sports Award. During the 2019 offseason, Lefebvre and his wife, Sarah, spent time in Guatemala serving with Journey Church International, bringing aid to impoverished areas. Lefebvre also co-authored a book with Jeffrey Flanagan about his struggles with depression, titled: “The Shame of Me: One Man’s Journey to Depression and Back”. Ryan and Sarah are the proud parents of sons Micah, Evan, and Lucas, and daughter Callie.

In collaboration with the Friends of Kaw Point Park, we are inviting you to volunteer to support their gardening and park clean-up efforts.
Saturday, October 14, 9AM to 11:30AM. There will also be a clean-up on Saturday, November 4, 9AM to noon
We recommend that you wear sturdy, close-toed, shoes or boots, long pants and clothing that can get dirty. Trash bags and some gardening equipment will be provided, but you will need to bring your own work gloves.

The perfect way to give back to those in need in our community, Empire Candle Co., LLC will be having their 3rd annual donation drive on November 4, 2023.
FIA is supporting this fundraiser and we encourage everyone to please share this event with your employees!
Through strong partnerships with Heartland 180, Giving the Basics, and Michael Bergen’s Hands to Heart, these donations will make their way to families in our area who need them most! Last November, the donation drive helped to plant a seed in the Wyandotte County community and we plan to nurture it and grow this event year after year. There are many families in need this time of year who manage to “fall through the cracks” in the system – thanks to last year’s event, we were able to help over 200 families who were in this category. Out of 104 counties in Kansas, Wyandotte County ranks 104th in overall health, quality of life, health factors, and socio-economic factors. This fundraiser will be a great way for those of us who have been so fortunate to give back to our friends and neighbors.
This event is open to the public and everyone is welcome to swing by and drop-off their items between 10:00am until 2:00pm. You can also volunteer or donate monetarily to these organizations and you can download this flyer to share on social media. Make sure that you specify #EmpireCares when donating or sharing on social media.
Let’s work together to strengthen that critical community connection!
Recommended donated items:
School supplies
Non-perishable snacks and small drinks
Shampoo
Toothpaste and toothbrushes
Deodorant
Feminine hygiene products
For more details or additional information, please contact:
Eric Welsh
Environmental, Health and Safety Manager
Empire Candle Co., LLC
ewelsh@empirecandle.com
(913) 282-9667
You can also follow this link for more details on this fundraiser: https://empirecandle.com/empire-cares
Invitation letter from Empire Candle to all FIA businesses: