ST ANDREWS CHURCH KANSAS CITY

Long-time Brookside and Waldo residents remember the Southtown YMCA on the lot across from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. For decades, the Y was a community gathering spot, hosting Southwest High School parties, dance lessons, and summer afternoons at the pool. In 1990, Kansas City business leader and philanthropist John Latshaw donated the property to St. Andrew’s, and the old Y became HJ’s Youth and Community Center, named for Latshaw’s son. The facility served St. Andrew’s and the neighborhood for years, hosting Boy Scout Troop 16, the church’s youth ministry, and community events. Now, our new HJ’s Youth and Community Center stands as a hub of blessing for St. Andrew’s and our Southtown neighborhoods – a gathering spot off the Trolley Track Trail for coffee and conversation, an event venue, the home of Troop 16 and other youth ministries, and a connecting point to build relationships between people and with God.