2015 Inductee
Susan Peters has been a news anchor at KAKE-TV in Wichita for almost thirty years, and a news broadcaster for almost forty. More than a journalist, Susan sees local television as a way to help people, specifically children and seniors, and uses her considerable talent and reach to speak for those who cannot. She engages viewers by talking with them as if she were in their living room; night after night, her captivating smile and personable manner convey a kinship with her viewers. She connects with her community.
From her Susan’s Kids franchise to her monthly reports on Kids Needing Adoption, Susan has been a strong advocate for Kansas children in foster care, educating tens of thousands of viewers to the pressing needs of this vulnerable population, planting the seed that they, too, might consider adopting a child. For many years she has laid the foundation for numerous ‘forever families’ and the results have led to life-changing matches for the children.
Susan is the face of KAKE’s Reading Caravan campaign; every month, she travels to a school in the area to spend time with students – even reading them a story, often in costume. Her volunteer work extends to the Children’s Hospital, Salvation Army, Futures for Adolescents, March of Dimes, Leukemia Society and the Center for Children. She regularly offers a home-cooked Italian meal at various silent auctions.
For the past five or six years, the local chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association and Senior Services, Inc. have welcomed Susan’s enthusiastic support. She’s interviewed caregivers, served as a Celebrity Walk Chair, and helped organize the annual fundraising roast – including the creation of entertaining videos and skits for the event.
Susan has bowled, been roasted, interviewed children in need of a family, hosted telethons, comforted parents of sick children and caroled-for-a-cause in single-digit temperatures. She uses her talent on-air to introduce individuals needing a little help from their neighbors. Thanks to her leadership, the community responds.