Lynne Bock

Fourth of July began pleasantly for Lynne Bock. She and her husband David were on a morning walk when their daughter called from Highland Park, IL. “We’re safe,” she said, and Lynne asked, “Safe from what?”

She’d soon find out: seven people were killed, and more than two dozen injured after a lone shooter fired from a downtown rooftop into Highland Park’s holiday parade. Lynne’s 5-year-old granddaughter was on her bike with a group of campers waiting on a side street to turn onto the parade route.

“At first when I heard from my daughter, I was so relieved and felt so fortunate,” Lynne said. “Then I got angry.”

And got active. The Bocks, who live in Leawood, joined Grandparents that same month, and Lynne began working the phones. While participating in the Monday Lunch and Lobby sessions, she called U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House representatives, 20 at a time, urging them to reinstate the federal ban on assault-style weapons. Her calling inspired friends to call. Even her 96-year-old mother, who had never called an elected official before, made calls. The ban narrowly passed the House, 217-213 with little chance in the Senate. Lynne, however, will keep calling.

“I’m not going to throw up my hands and say nothing will change,” said Lynne, who has three other grandchildren. “If I can affect even one person, then I’ve made a difference, and that’s very satisfying.”

Lynne’s made a difference in other organizations, too, as a board member at Charlie’s House, a docent at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and an active member in the Parent Organization at Blue Valley North when her three children attended.