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Give me
a break!
In the past
several weeks I have heard many people utter the phrase “give me a
break.” They were referring to the unusually hot and humid weather
in Kansas City. I have been guilty of thinking, if not saying, the
very same thing. I suspect all of us are waiting with great
anticipation for fall to arrive!
Recently I
thought of this phrase in a different way. A couple of weeks ago I
had an opportunity to meet a young man by the name of Logan. Logan
was brought up in a caring home and was an active Boy Scout.
However, he got involved with the wrong crowd at a Johnson County
high school and chose the path of drugs and criminal activity. This
choice eventually landed him in the Johnson County Juvenile
Detention Center .
After a stay in
the Detention Center , Logan was placed at TLC during the Christmas
holidays. He was a model resident. He told his mom that most of the
kids did not have much and he wanted to do something for them for
Christmas. He and his mother decided to make fleece quilts for each
youth at TLC. Logan 's mother got her local church group involved
and they reached out to all of our youth and helped them have a
memorable Christmas.
Logan continued
to have a rough road for a while after he left TLC, but he recently
graduated from high school. He is now enrolled at Johnson County
Community College and majoring in Criminal Justice. He wants to help
young men and women learn from his experiences.
There are
several people in Logan 's life who literally “gave him a break”
that led to a slow but real transformation in his life. I have no
doubt that Logan will be a significant contributor to our society as
an adult. The next time you hear somebody say, “give me a break”,
think of Logan and TLC and the work we do in transforming the lives
of children, youth and families.
Warmest personal
regards,
Bob Drummond,
Ed.D
President and
CEO
P.S. Fall is
coming!
Changing Lives...
TLC Celebrates 35th Birthday during Annual
Dinner
Friends
and supporters gathered together Friday August 24th to celebrate
TLC's 35th Birthday and Annual Dinner at the Armacost Car Museum in
Grandview , MO. Attendees were treated to a buffet donated and
catered by Debbie Swinney with State Farm Insurance of Olathe,
birthday cake, a special video, dancing and a chance to view the
museum's large collection of antique cars.
A highlight of
the evening was a special recognition given to a group of Johnson
County Young Matrons who, 35 years ago, founded TLC. In a heartfelt
moment, a group of TLC's clients escorted the founders to the stage
and presented them with a rose. TLC also honored the memory of one
of its beloved volunteers and supporters, Calvin Blaich. Gary Church
was honored for his years of service as TLC's Chairman of the Board
and given the "National Family Week Advocacy Award." Many
businesses, individuals, and TLC staff received various awards for
their service to the community as well as their monetary gifts to
TLC.
TLC's For
the Children Annual Fund campaign members were also recognized
for their accomplishments on this year's campaign. Co-Chairs Dan
Stalp and Harlan Parker announced that they were able to exceed
their campaign goal of $135,000 this year!
TLC's
Annual Dinner succeeded in honoring those who are a part of TLC's
success in serving local children and families!
TLC
Founders were escorted to the stage by TLC youth
Linda
Rumsey, Kathy Edminster, Karen Blaich and Nancy Johns
In
memory of Calvin Blaich
For
the Children Campaign Co-Chairs Parker and Stalp present the
results of the 2007 campaign
Bob
Drummond, TLC President and CEO, presents Gary Church a plaque for
his years of service to TLC as well as an award from The Alliance
for Children and Families.
The
following were given an award acknowledging their time, talents and
overwhelming service to the programs at TLC:
-
Advocate for Children: Annabeth Surbaugh
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Community Service Award: Rolling Hills
Presbyterian Church
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Protector of Children: Sheriff Frank
Denning
-
Citizen of the Year: Dan Stalp
-
Volunteer of the Year: Shirley Allenbrand
-
Corporate Citizen of the Year: OPUS
Northwest
-
Dynamic Duo: Charles and Stacy Warren
-
Educator of Children: Nancy Keith
-
Taking
Time to Care: Mark and Susan Brooks
Businesses and community members that were in
attendance were recognized for their monetary donations to TLC.
ACH Foam
Technologies, Shirley Allenbrand, AT & T, Gary Church, Dew Ad
Specialties, Farmer's Insurance, Lou and Fred Hartwig, J.B. and Anne
Hodgdon, Hollis and Miller Architects, Johnson County Young Matrons,
Junior League of Kansas City Missouri, Kansas City Life Insurance
Company, Larry and Ellie Maddox, Olathe Medical Center, OPUS
Northwest, Overland Park South Rotary, Harlan and Vicki Parker,
Jason Parker, Sherry Rakes, Woody and Janie Reintjes, Rolling Hills
Presbyterian Church, Gil Rumsey's Gallery, Debbie and John Swinney,
Sherrie Vaughn-Gregg, Charles and Stacy Warren, Shaner Appraisals,
Inc., Shred-It, Time Warner Cable and TradeNet Publishing.
Three
staff members were honored for their
daily
contributions to TLC:
-
Lisa McCord
was given the “Outstanding Performance Award”
-
Krystal Wright
was given the “Servant Leadership Award.”
-
Candice Rex
was given the "Harmony Award"
SHINING STARS...
Recognizing Special
Volunteers
Hollis
& Miller “Back to School Round Up"
Hollis &
Miller staff, engineers, electricians and contractors donned their
best western attire on August 2 nd for Hollis & Miller's annual
“Back to School Round Up”. Participants enjoyed music, contests and
the opportunity to observe everyone's western themed clothing! The
event was held at Hollis & Miller's Overland Park location. The
purpose of this event was to gather school supplies, gift cards and
money for TLC! Pam Nelson and several other Hollis & Miller
employees stopped by TLC for a tour of our newly renovated
administrative office and presented TLC with over $13,000 in gift
cards and money as well as several bags full of school supplies!
This is one of the largest donations of gift cards TLC gets all year
and gift cards are especially important to TLC because they allow us
to take care of any last minute needs of children who come into our
care with little to nothing in the way of clothing, shoes and other
basic needs. It also enables us to reward our youth with a gift card
to buy something fun for themselves when they have earned it! A big
thank you to Hollis & Miller! “Back to school” will be a smooth
transition at TLC thanks to these generous volunteers.
Bob Drummond and Morgan Conley
(TLC) accept a
generous donation from Hollis and Miller
Employees!
Special Event Spotlights...
United for Kids Gala
On October 12,
supporters of TLC will fill the Overland Park Sheraton to capacity
for TLC's 11th Annual United for Kids Gala. This year's theme
commemorates TLC's 35th birthday and is appropriately titled, “35
Years of Caring & Making Wishes Come True!” We hope you will
plan to join us for this wonderful evening of FUN and HEARTWARMING
experiences as we celebrate 35 years of serving kids!
This year we are
blessed to have two wonderful items to be given away:
• A
Honda Civic EX donated by Honda of Tiffany Springs
• A
beautiful one-carat journey diamond necklace
donated by Helzbergs
Visit TLC's web
site at http://www.kidstlc.org/to find
out how you can win one of these great prizes.
The evening will
include silent and live auctions with a guarantee that there's
something to appeal to everyone! After a delicious dinner, the
program will showcase our NEW TLC video, complete with success
stories; include a guest appearance by K.C. Chiefs punter and TLC
Spokesperson, Dustin Colquitt and end with DAZZLING entertainment by
Kansas City's own McFadden brothers.
This is
one evening you won't want to miss!
To register
contact Hayley Hayes at mailto:hhayes@kidstlc.org
or register
online http://www.kidstlc.org/
Questions..
contact Linda Rumsey lindarumsey@yahoo.com
913-522-6919
Chick-Fil-A partners with
TLC...
Jeff Rouse and
his wife Diana had dreams of opening Kansas City's first
Chick-fil-A last
year. God had other plans for them opening the restaurant together
with the passing of Jeff's wife to Cancer. Two months later, Jeff
was able open the franchise's first Kansas City restaurant on
September 14, 2006, keeping alive the memory of his late wife.
With the one
year anniversary of the grand opening approaching, Chick-fil-A wants
you to help us celebrate this first birthday. You can do this by
helping Diana's favorite charity she volunteered for, TLC for
Children and Families.
On
September 14 when you purchase any Combo Meal, a dessert of your
choice will be Chik-Fil-A's gift to you. The ‘would-be' price of
your free dessert will then be donated to TLC in honor of Diana.
“Diana was one
of the most compassionate persons I have ever known. Her love for
children was unsurpassed," said Bob Drummond, President and CEO of
TLC, "She lived out this compassion daily and TLC was fortunate to
have her as a volunteer."
Chick-fil-A has
been very supportive of TLC through product donations to our special
events and other endeavors. We hope that you will join us to support
Jeff and the youth served by TLC!
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