The Junction City Family YMCA will host it’s 42nd annual major fundraising event on November 17th, 2016.

The event helps support the many activities the YMCA offers the community.

Ted Hayden, JC Family YMCA was a guest on 1420 AM – The Talk of JC where he spoke about the role of the YMCA in the community.

“It is our major fundraiser that we use to offset a lot of expenses, whether it be something in the building, sports scholarships – it’s what makes all the things come together,” said Hayden.

Preparations are already underway for the fundraising event that maintains a piece of history in the community.

“The first charter use to be in the basement of the  Municipal building it was in 1962 and then they built out on McFarland and finished that and moved in to that building in 1975,” said Hayden.

The YMCA offers many activities and amenities.

Hayden said, “we go in a lot of different directions, we have everything from personal fitness to yoga to water fitness to water aerobics to group exercise classes, karate classes, just about up and down the gamut of fitness and everything in between.”

For more information on the fundraiser on November 15th contact the YMCA at 785-762-4780.

MANHATTAN — The David Woods Kemper Veterans Foundation of Overland Park has given $300,000 to the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at Kansas State University.

With this gift, the foundation partners with the university to advance military and veterans research and programs that will result in industry best practices for helping former military service personnel reintegrate into the workforce.

“The David Woods Kemper Veterans Foundation was founded with the purpose of supporting veterans in Kansas and Missouri. A partnership between our foundation and K-State is a natural choice,” said Caleb Jackson, executive director of the foundation. “The work being done by Art DeGroat and the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is crucial for veterans who have recently separated from service. Our hope is that through this partnership, we can create programs, research and education to help ease the transition from soldier to civilian, first here in Kansas and then to the rest of the country.”

“This new partnership with Caleb Jackson and the David Woods Kemper Veterans Foundation will be consequential in the lives of many veterans and their families joining the Greater Kansas City-area workforce and communities,” said Art DeGroat, executive director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at Kansas State University. “Without this partnership and ones like it, we simply wouldn’t have a way to deliver our expertise and evidence-based practices to help our veterans.”

Philanthropic contributions to the university are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation is leading Innovation and Inspiration: The Campaign for Kansas State University to raise $1 billion for student success, faculty development, facility enhancement and programmatic success.

Military and Family Life Counselor Program is hosting a Tool Kit for Military Families on Friday, September 2nd.

“If your car breaks down, you don’t use a hammer when a wrench will do the job. It’s the same with relationships and families. Build your relationship tool-box…get the job done right.” – ACS

There are four “tool-kits” including:

• Tool-Kit 1 (9:30 am-10:45am):  Mad or Sad? Understanding and Defusing Children’s Anger
• Tool-Kit 2 (11:00am-12:15pm):  “You Missed My Birthday…Again”; Surprising Strategies for Making Up for What You Missed When Deployed
• Tool-Kit 3 (1:30pm-2:30pm):  Battle Buddies for Life:  Loyalty Begins at Home
• Financial Tool-Kit (8:30am-9:15am; 12:00pm-12:45pm):  Blended Retirement System; The New Army Retirement

There is no pre-registration required for this event which will be held at the Army Community Service Bldg at 7264 Normandy Drive on Fort Riley.

The Old World Bluestem, also known as the Caucasian Bluestem or Yellow Bluestem, is a non-native plant that is an increasing problem in native Kansas grasslands.

On September 14th at 6:30 pm join Dr. Walt Fick, Kansas State University Range Management Specialist, and Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte in an informational meeting at East Rolling Hills Park at Milford Lake.

Dr. Fick will help produceRs and land owners learn how to identify the plant, and explain why it’s a problem and what you can do.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte at 785-238-4161, or email cotte@ksu.edu.

Some services for families of deployed service members:

• Free or reduced CYSS classes for your children
• Fun activities and educational workshops
• Up to 16 hours of respite childcare per child per month
• Free one on one personal financial planning for deployment assistance (couples, single parents, and single soldiers)

For more information call 785-239-9435.

Military deployments can be difficult, that’s why the Community Pre-Deployment Expo is hosting an event on September 8th for families of deployed service members.

Local agencies and organizations will be in attendance to help spouses and family memebers during separations from their service member.

This event on September 8th at the Fort Riley Conference Center is open to all military family members and personnel – children are welcome.

There are three sessions to choose from on September 8th: 1:00pm-2:00pm, 3:30 pm-4:30 pm, 6:00pm-7:00pm.

The Conference Center is located at 466 Seitz Drive on Fort Riley.

The Food Counsel, a subcommittee of Live Well Geary County will be hosting a feast on October 15th.

Cindy Brake, Director of the Food Counsel and FEAST Coordinator explained the event as a community gathering.

“The feast is going to be a community event where we are going to bring stakeholders together…and we’re going to have a discussion on just where we’re at in this community, the pluses, the negatives, things maybe we need to be focusing on…we’re looking forward to a lot of people joining us in the discussion,” said Brake.

FEAST – Food, Education, Agriculture, Systems, Together – originated in Oregon and has been implemented in parts of Kansas for a few years.

Brake said the gathering seeks to look beyond Junction City, and really focusing on Geary county as a whole.

The FEAST will be held on the afternoon of October 15th at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.

Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the K-18 bypass for a non-injury accident with a coyote Monday.

The Sheriff’s Department reported that Shamarai Marshall, Fort Riley, was driving her Buick passenger car eastbound when she struck a coyote that ran out in front of her car. There was minor damage to the front of the vehicle.

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The Sheriff’s Department reported that Deputies responded to US 77 for a two vehicle non-injury accident.

Matthew Herr of Junction City was northbound in a Chevrolet Cruze when he was hit on the driver’s side by a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Morgen Francis.

Vic Wong has announced that the food inventory at The Geary County Food Pantry is running low and the pantry is in need of non-perishable food donations.  Suggested items include: canned vegetables, fruits, tuna, or meats, cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, dry or canned beans, rice, and saltine crackers.   For more information about donations, please call the food pantry at 762-8830.

 

A cat has decided to call the Keith and Anita Ascher residence in eastern Geary County home. The cat apparently likes to engage in conversation.

( The audio is below )