What One Family Can Build: How Leah and Archie Turned Grief Into Civic Action
When parent leader Leah Maugans joined PLTI, she didn’t yet know how deeply she would come to rely on the tools she was learning. She didn’t know that a few years later she would be chairing the Bike/Walk Leawood Committee, speaking with state legislators, collaborating with city officials, or helping rewrite the processes that determine how streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks are designed. And she certainly didn’t know that her son Archie would step into civic leadership, too.
But life has a way of calling us into roles we never expected to hold. For Leah, that call began in 2021 when Archie was struck by a car near Lee Boulevard in Leawood, KS. More recently, their community was shaken again when Archie’s close friend, Duke, was killed in a scooter accident on the same stretch of road.
Leah’s early efforts helped secure a much-needed crosswalk near her neighborhood. But as she learned, crosswalks are granted inconsistently; some families are heard while others, often with less time or privilege to advocate, are not.
So she expanded her scope, taking on the outdated street policies that shape which projects get funded, where safety measures are added, and whose voices influence public design.
Today, Leah is:
Chairing the Bike/Walk Leawood Committee, strengthening its role and increasing community input
Meeting with State Representatives, connections made through PLTI, to discuss youth safety
Partnering with fellow PLTI-connected leaders to begin a countywide conversation about e-scooter and e-bike safety
Working with her school superintendent on district-level concerns
Advocating for all road construction projects to receive bike/walk review and public feedback before approval
Helping residents push for transparency after learning that key infrastructure plans weren’t previously accessible for community input
“The City is listening,” she said. “The challenge is that our policies are outdated and need revision. But this process is improving — and I’ve been able to help that happen.”
When asked where her confidence comes from, Leah doesn’t hesitate:
“I truly wouldn’t have half the empowerment or confidence I do without the foundation built by PLTI.”
Through PLTI’s 21-week curriculum, she learned how systems work and how to speak up within them. She learned how to navigate city processes, communicate effectively with officials, and build coalitions. And most importantly, she learned that civic systems belong to all people, not just a select few.
“PLTI helped me let go of the imposter syndrome,” she said. “It reminded me that government officials are public servants. They work for us. I want people to know they shouldn’t be afraid to use their voice.”
She also speaks openly about privilege:
“I have the privilege of time. I know not everyone does. That’s why I try to use the time I have — not just for my own kids, but for every family.”
Her advocacy is a reflection of this truth: systemic change requires both individual courage and collective responsibility.
What’s happening in the Maugans household is a ripple effect across generations. Archie is learning in real time what community leadership looks like as a lived practice. He is learning that grief can be channeled into purpose. That his voice matters in rooms filled with adults. That speaking up is not only allowed, but expected, when safety is on the line.
And Leah is learning, alongside him, what it means to raise a child who understands his power.
“Watching him step forward,” she said, “is everything.”
This is the work PLTI was built to do: empower parents to lead, and in doing so, build families who understand how to shape their communities for the better.
Because when one parent gains the tools, confidence, and network to advocate for change, entire neighborhoods benefit. And when one child stands up at a city council meeting to speak the truth about a friend lost too soon, the future shifts — not only for himself, but for all of us.
In the video shared below (at the 23:00 mark), watch Archie deliver his testimony to the Leawood City Council with remarkable clarity and courage, calling on city leaders to make changes so no other child or family experiences a similar loss.
