November 2015 – Page 22 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Community calendar

The Wyandotte Daily News is interested in news of your community event in Wyandotte County. Send information to [email protected] and include your name and phone number. Please send in planned events about a week before the event if possible. In the event of inclement weather, call the sponsoring organization to see if the event will be held.

Strawberry Hill Museum reopens for holidays
The Strawberry Hill Museum, 720 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kan., reopened for the holidays on Nov. 21. A night-time Christmas tour of Strawberry Hill Museum is planned Nov. 27 and Dec. 11. Breakfast with St. Nicholas is scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. Dec. 5 at the Strawberry Hill Museum. A $10 fee includes breakfast, a visit with St. Nicholas and a picture. An adult breakfast is available for $6. A visit with St. Nicholas and picture only will cost $5. For more information, visit www.strawberryhillmuseum.org/ or call 913-371-3264.

Legends tree-lighting ceremony to be Nov. 21
The Legends Outlets plans its 11th annual Legendary Tree Lighting Ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at The Legends, I-70 and I-435 in Kansas City, Kan. A 45-foot holiday tree will be lit, and there will be holiday music, synchronized lights, and an appearance by Santa Claus. There will be prize giveaways.

Fundraiser to benefit Keeler Center
Fifteen percent of the purchases at Ten Thousand Villages, 7949 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kan., until Nov. 22 will be donated to Keeler Women’s Center in Kansas City, Kan. It is at the Keeler Women’s Center. See websites, http://www.mountosb.org/ministries/keeler-womens-center or https://www.facebook.com/Keeler-Womens-Center-218839641502432/.

Chiropractic Healing Center to hold blood drive
The Chiropractic Healing Center, 8437 State Ave., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, in the parking lot. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 816-753-4040 or visit www.savealifenow.org.

Home economists to meet Nov. 30
Home and Community Group Greater Kansas City Association of Family and Consumer Sciences will meet at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 30 at Grand Street Café, 4740 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Mo. The program will be by Mackenzie Mallon, researcher at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, on “Monument Men.”

Volunteers needed to teach English
The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., needs volunteers to teach English. Volunteers may devote 1.5 hours each week, which varies with the volunteer’s schedule. Materials and training are provided. Classes are held at library locations convenient for teacher and student. Volunteers attend training sessions scheduled at Keeler from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, or from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 8. Call the Keeler Women’s Center, 913-906-8990, to register and for more information.

Open enrollment event for Medicare on Dec. 2
An open enrollment event for Medicare will be held from 10 am. to 2 p.m. Dec. 2 at the community room, Area Agency on Aging, 849 N. 47th St., (Indian Springs area), Kansas City, Kan. The event is sponsored by Wyandotte-Leavenworth Area Agency on Aging. Walk-ins are welcome. Medicare counselors from Senior Health Insurance Counselors for Kansans (SHICK) will be available.

Charity benefit dinner to be Dec. 3
The Bonner Springs Rotary is sponsoring its annual holiday banquet at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at the event barn at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 630 N. 126th, Bonner Springs. The event will benefit Vaughn-Trent Community Services. There will be entertainment and an auction. Tickets are $20. For reservations, call 913-441-2584 or email [email protected].

Santa Express to be Dec. 5 at Ag Hall
The Santa Express and 5K run is planned at 10 a.m. Dec. 5 at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 126th and State Avenue, Bonner Springs. The 5K run will kick off the holiday at the Ag Hall’s train depot. There also will be a 1K walk. For more information, see www.aghalloffame.com/santas-express-5k-run/. Santa’s Express 5K supports the living history education at the Agricultural Hall of Fame and the restoration of the historic structures. December events at the Ag Hall include kids getting their pictures taken with Santa in the train depot and riding the trail at the Ag Hall. There will be reindeer games, cookies and hot chocolate in the barn. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 12; and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 13.

Armourdale Renewal Association to hold Christmas luncheon
The Armourdale Renewal Association will hold its annual Christmas luncheon noon to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at 730 Osage Ave., Kansas City, Kan. The guest speaker will be State Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist. There will be a large assortment of food, including barbecued food. The cost of the dinner is $10 per person and $5 for senior citizens. For more information, call 913-371-5696.

Winter Carnival planned at Eisenhower Rec Center
A Winter Carnival is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Eisenhower Recreation Center, 901 N. 72nd St., Kansas City, Kan. The host of the event is the Unified Government Parks and Recreation Department. Toys will be collected to hand out to the first 500 children under the age of 12 attending the event. The donors will decide the price of the gift. Toys will be collected from Friday, Nov. 13, through Tuesday, Dec. 8. The event on Dec. 12 will offer games and activities for the family. For more information, call 573-8358.

Cabelas to hold blood drive
Cabelas, 10300 Cabela Drive, Kansas City, Kan., will hold a Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Historical bus tour planned Dec. 12
The Wyandotte County Museums and Historical Sites Bus Tour is planned from 3 p.m. t 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Tickets are $25 per person. There will be a tour at each location. On the tour will be the Wyandotte County Museum, Strawberry Hill Museum, Quindaro Underground Railroad Museujm, Old Quindaro Museum, Grinter Place Historic Site and National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For information see http://visitkansascityks.com/events/2532 or contact the Kansas City, Kan., Convention and Visitors Bureau at 913-321-5800 during business hours.

UG Justice Complex to hold blood drive
The Unified Government Justice Complex, 710 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan., will hold a Red Cross blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

West State Plaza Shopping Center to hold blood drive
West State Plaza Shopping Center, 7523 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will hold an American Red Cross blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Counseling offered
Keeler Women’s Center, a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., offers individual and couples counseling to women and men who might otherwise not be able to afford counseling. Nothing is billed. Donations are accepted. Call 913-906-8990 for information or to do an intake and schedule an appointment.

Wyandotte County Museum open
The Wyandotte County Museum, 631 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and holidays. The current exhibit is about the 75th anniversary of the B-25 and the bomber builders in Kansas City, Kan. For more information visit the website www.facebook.com/wycomuseum or call 913-573-5002.

Sebelius says better health care needed

by William Crum

Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said Friday that better health care is needed for citizens, especially the poor.

She made her remarks Friday in Kansas City, Kan. She was the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the United Way of Wyandotte County at the Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan.

“We need to encourage our citizens to get involved to buy from local farmers and patronize local grocery stores that carry healthy items,” Sebelius, also a former Kansas governor, said. “We also need to encourage the development of new parks and recreational facilities so we can all have a better place to live. The governor of the state of Kansas, Sam Brownback, needs to realize this and allocate more money from the state level to local government so they can achieve this goal. Currently right now in the state of Kansas this is not happening at all.”

Sebelius also was concerned about smoking and obesity, two health threats.

“The biggest killer of the American people is smoking and obesity,” Sebelius said. “By encouraging people to stop smoking and exercise, it will cause people to live longer. Currently 24 percent of the people in Wyandotte County are facing this issue.” If this doesn’t make you want to lose weight or quite smoking, then what will? There are many solutions that people can put in place to help them lose weight, like going to the gym or dieting. The same goes for trying to quit smoking too. From using herbal cigarettes to vaping, there is definitely an answer to this problem. Vaping is said to be a lot better for your health than smoking ever will. For one, you are not breathing in tobacco. All you need to get started are larger bottles of e liquid known as “Shortfill” and a vape device. Once you have this sorted, you will be well on your way to being one less statisitc in the ever growing population of smokers.

She also took a moment to encourage enrollment in the health care program.

“I also want to encourage people to enroll in the health care program sponsored by the federal government,” Sebelius said. “Go to the website www.healthcare.gov for more information and to enroll. It is now the time to enroll and enrollment will end on Jan. 31, 2016.”

After her keynote speech the participants at the dinner were encouraged to give to United Way of Wyandotte County. United Way sponsors a lot of organizations to help improve the quality of life in Wyandotte County. More than 250 people attended this annual event.

Sebelius is one of the foremost experts on national and global health issues and human services. From April 2009 through June 2014 she served in President Obama’s cabinet as the 21st secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Forbes named her as one of the most powerful women in the world.

Sebelius is the only daughter of a governor to be elected as governor in American history; her father, John Gilligan, was governor of Ohio.

Time magazine named Kathleen Sebelius as one of the top five American governors. She has a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity Washington University.

She is married to Gary Sebelius, a federal magistrate judge, and they have two married adult sons and a grandson.

Bob Page, left, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Hospital, received the annual Spirit of Caring award Friday, Nov. 20, at the United Way of Wyandotte County annual meeting at the Reardon Convention Center, Kansas City, Kan. With him was Wendell Maddox, right, president and CEO, United Way of Wyandotte County. (Photo from United Way of Wyandotte County)

Representatives of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri posed with Kathleen Sebelius after the United Way of Wyandotte County luncheon on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Reardon Convention Center, Kansas City, Kan. (Photo from United Way of Wyandotte County)

Kathleen Sebelius, left, was the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the United Way of Wyandotte County on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Reardon Convention Center, Kansas City, Kan. Wendell Maddox, president and CEO, United Way of Wyandotte County, is at the right. (Photo from United Way of Wyandotte County)

Saturday events

Democrats to meet Saturday
The Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast will meet Saturday, Nov. 21, at its new location, The Dotte Spot Bar and Grill, 8123 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. David Alvey and Norm Scott, members of the Board of Utilities, will be the speakers. The Breakfast Buffet will be available at 8:15 a.m. and the program will begin at 9:15 a.m. All Democrats are welcome to attend. The cost for the breakfast is $10; or $6 for students and those on limited incomes. You do not need to purchase a breakfast to attend. Reservations are requested by this Friday, Nov. 20. Reservations are important because they help us plan for attendance, but are not necessary to attend. To make a reservation, email [email protected]. There will be no breakfast in December.

Christmas craft show planned Nov. 21
A Christmas Craft Show is planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd St., Kansas City, Kan. Vendors will have handmade items for sale.

Fall book sale planned Nov. 19-21 in Bonner Springs
The fall book sale at the Bonner Springs Library is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19, to Saturday, Nov. 21. Hours are 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The sale room is in the basement storm shelter, which can be reached from the parking lot at the rear of the building at 201 N. Nettleton, accessible from K 7. A variety of fiction and nonfiction in a number of categories is available and nothing costs more than $1 with many items available for less and daily bargains such as buy two in a category, get one free. The sale features a large selection of children’s and teen books that will be selling for $1 a bag. Lovers of westerns, science fiction or romance will find much to their liking along with works by favorite authors as well as intriguing titles that beg to be read. Income from the sale and that from the kiosk which is located in the main library, and both staffed by the Friends of the Library group, is used for the library’s benefit. The most recent purchase is the electronic bulletin board which is mounted close to the check out desk and publicizes not only library happenings but goings-on in the community as well.

Food distribution planned today
Registration has closed – there are no spaces left for a Thanksgiving food distribution from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Reola Grant Center at the Victory Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 6640 State Ave. Groceries will be given to more than 350 families. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/events/1108759909136015/.

Church plans activities
Members of Christ the King School will participate in the 5:30 p.m. Mass for the feast of Christ the King Saturday, Nov. 21, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 3024 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, Kan. A taco bingo will be held after the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Christ the King Church Davern Hall.

Argentine Christmas Tree Lighting celebration on Saturday
The Argentine Christmas Tree Lighting celebration will be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Emerson Park, South 29th and Strong Avenue, Kansas City, Kan.