by Jeanne Gorman
Special to The Leaven
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — As soccer fans begin to descend on the greater Kansas City area for the World Cup, FIFA need not doubt that its teams and fans will be warmly welcomed here in the heart of America.
The area has long turned out to cheer on and celebrate its own world champion Chiefs and Royals.
More recently, Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Current, along with numerous youth programs, have propelled soccer into the boundless hearts of the area.
Hosting a World Cup takes tremendous planning, and after Kansas City was selected as a host city, the preparations here began in earnest.
Among the thousands of folks from the Kansas City metro and even other countries who have agreed to welcome the visitors are volunteers Jackie Kindred and her daughter Rose, as well as Elizabeth Aguayo.
For the local emissaries, the common thread that connects them is their love of Kansas City and their desire to make it shine during the World Cup.
Heart for hospitality
Aguayo, a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Shawnee, was raised in El Paso, Texas, and moved with her husband to Shawnee 22 years ago.
In high school, she traveled to Europe in 1990 when Italy was hosting the World Cup. She happened to be in Germany when it won the championship in Italy. Although she didn’t attend a game, she was caught up in the massive excitement and celebrations in both places.
In 1994, she attended a game between South Korea and Spain at the Cotton Bowl in the last World Cup hosted by the United States. Since then, she has enjoyed attending professional soccer games in Kansas City.
Aguayo enjoys different cultures and experiences and professes to have “a personal charism of hospitality and giving.”
Like the Kindreds, she submitted her application last fall, went through a “tryout,” role-specific training, underwent a background check conducted by FIFA and was selected as a volunteer. She’ll be a host city ambassador and will be stationed at the hospitality information desk at the FIFA Fan Festival outside the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. (Attendance is free but prior registration is required.)
Up for the task
Count Jackie and Rose among the great Kansas City sports fans. Members of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, they regularly attend Royals and Chiefs games, and both have attended professional soccer games in Kansas City.
Jackie has experienced the excitement of volunteering for a major sporting event before, when she was a volunteer for the NCAA Final Four held here in 1988.
She wanted to volunteer for the World Cup “because I love Kansas City, think it has lots to offer, wanted to help showcase it and enjoyed working on the Final Four.”
Recently retired, Jackie has the time to devote as a volunteer. She will be stationed at the volunteer center at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, volunteering in accreditation of volunteers — verifying that volunteers have presented all their required documents before they receive credentials and uniforms.
Rose attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park and graduated this May from the University of Minnesota.
She was studying in France during the Paris Olympics, observed some of its preparations for the games and was in Montpelier when the Olympic Torch came through the town. Caught up in the energy and excitement of that event gave her some idea of what she might expect with the World Cup, where she will volunteer in media operations.
She expects to answer media questions and have shifts of “content capture” — taking photos for social media for KC2026 at local sites.
Volunteering will prove no hardship to her.
“I like Kansas City and showing it off,” said Rose, who recognizes what a major event the World Cup is for a smaller-market city.
Aguayo agreed.
“Seeing Kansas City on the global stage is a great opportunity,” she said.
All the volunteers are being outfitted by FIFA, so they will be easily recognizable as a source of assistance to locals and visitors alike.
Geographically, the Midwest has long been known as the heart of America — not only because of its geography, but also because of its welcoming and friendly people, like these three women.
Over the next month, Kansas City will undoubtedly become the heart of the world.
