Published on October 16, 2025
On October 13, 2025, Grandparents for Gun Safety hosted their 12th Annual Community Forum at the Rockhurst University Arrupe Auditorium where they named the Wyandotte County Public Health Department the 2025 Organization Advocate of the Year.
Grandparents for Gun Safety is a non-profit gun safety organization based in the Kansas City area. The organization is engaged with the Wyandotte County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) violence prevention efforts, with staffing and support from the Wyandotte County Public Health Department. One of the goals of the 2024-2028 CHIP is to reduce the rate of firearm fatalities in Wyandotte County.
Grandparents for Gun Safety asked Shelby Woodward, Violence Prevention Program Coordinator with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department, to accept the award on behalf of the department.
“Shelby is a wonderful resource and partner, and we look forward to continuing working with her through the 2024-2028 CHIP program and beyond,” said Judy Sherry, Founder of Grandparents for Gun Safety.
Photo caption: Shelby Woodward (left) from the Wyandotte County Public Health Department accepting the 2025 Organization Advocate of the Year Award from Barb McNeile (right) with Grandparents for Gun Safety.
Over the past two years, Grandparents for Gun Safety has collaborated with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department on a variety of projects, such as placing safety warning signs in gun shops and distributing free high-quality gun locks in Wyandotte County. Through the Lock It For Love program, Grandparents for Gun Safety provides free gun locks in the Kansas City area for secure gun storage. In 2024, Grandparents for Gun Safety distributed over 175 gun locks at events and distribution locations in Wyandotte County through collaboration with Wyandotte County Public Health Department as well as the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth.
The Wyandotte County Public Health Department coordinates additional violence prevention efforts, such as convening a Youth Fatality Review Committee to better understand and prevent youth deaths, including deaths related to firearms. In addition to violence prevention, the Public Health Department also provides backbone support to other focus areas of the CHIP: Jobs & Education; Health Care Access; Safe & Affordable Housing; and Behavioral Health.
Janell Friesen Public Information Officer Wyandotte County Public Health Department (913) 573-6703 jfriesen@wycokck.org
Wyandotte County Public Health Department
Grandparents for Gun Safety (External)
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