A 25-year veteran of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, Elaine Moore\u2019s passion for serving the community\u2019s youth has fueled a life of impact both in uniform and in her free time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to make a difference, and not in the vague sense of just wanting to make the world a better place,\u201d said Moore. \u201cI wanted some little girl, who was possibly me in this scenario, to look and say, \u2018Hey, I can do that, too.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moore was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri before moving to KCK in 1997 to join the police department. Growing up in a home with seven brothers helped give her some of the prerequisite toughness it takes to be a police officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently an Internal Affairs Detective, Moore has held numerous titles within the police department. The one she would point to as the \u201cgame-changer\u201d was her time as a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Schlagle High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat was probably the best time of my life,\u201d Moore said. \u201cIt was very eye-opening, but the students taught me so much. You meet the kids, see their faces and come to understand that a certain face means they have no lights. Another face means they\u2019re living on the streets and are homeless. I set up power strips in my office so anybody could charge their devices. I provided toiletries and snacks and did anything I could do to help the kids out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During Moore\u2019s time as an SRO, she was approached with the opportunity to become an assistant volleyball coach, which eventually led to her being named the head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was hard because the kids didn\u2019t even know the positions,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t know what a setter or a libero was, they didn\u2019t know outside hitter or middle hitter. I had to start from scratch. It took me three years, but when I left Schlagle after that period of time, all of my girls went on to do great things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moore\u2019s impact at Schlagle went beyond her duties as an SRO and volleyball coach. After noticing a need for students who weren\u2019t getting enough food when they left campus, Moore started a food drive for the school that continues to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt started just by standing at the front door and realizing these kids needed some food to take home,\u201d Moore said. \u201cA kid is not going to take food from you in front of their peers because they don\u2019t want to be made fun of for being poor. That\u2019s why I started the food drive and designed it in a way where the kids had to take the food from me because that was a part of their assigned community service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should come as no surprise that Moore\u2019s favorite position at KCKPD involved working with kids. She served as the Juvenile Engagement Coordinator where she was able to have a direct impact on the community\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPretty much everything I did was either about kids, to help kids or with a community that needed to know how to deal with kids,\u201d said Moore. \u201cI wanted to help the kids get back on track. I like dealing with the ones that people call a challenge because usually it\u2019s something simple that we\u2019re forgetting. Every young person needs structure and people oftentimes don\u2019t know how to give them structure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moore has always found ways to serve the community. In 2017, she helped launch an after-school program called the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Kansas City, KS. It provides youth a safe place to go after school where they learn life skills and teamwork through organized recreational activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also volunteers with Giving the Basics, a non-profit organization that provides toiletries, food and clothing to children who are in need. She even finds time to volunteer for causes that aren\u2019t focused on kids. Moore is a Board Member for the volunteer organization Christmas in October, which helps rebuild and restore houses for those in need, primarily the elderly and disabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her non-stop commitment to serve this community, Moore is being honored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals as a \u201cBlue KC Hometown Hero.\u201d She will be recognized Friday, July 8 at Kauffman Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n
Blue KC Hometown Hero Program<\/p> <\/div>\n