April 2017 – Page 51 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

KCKCC student entrepreneurship team headed to national competition

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Enactus team is heading to the national competition in May after earning a regional championship earlier this month.

Enactus is an international organization that brings students together through entrepreneurship. The name Enactus is a combination of three words – Entrepreneurial, Action and Us. Members aim to gain valuable entrepreneurship skills by helping the community.

“Enactus is a program that does great things for the community,” said Allen Lenoir, faculty advisor for Enactus at KCKCC. “It does so by using business principles and applications.”

The KCKCC Enactus team won its regional competition April 3. All regional winners are eligible to compete at the 2017 National Exposition completion May 21 to 23 in Kansas City, Mo. The competition includes both a written annual report and a live audiovisual presentation, through which teams report the results of the community outreach projects they have conducted. Panels of business leaders serve as judges.

Formally Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the organization maintains the same goals of becoming more inclusive, bringing together students of various backgrounds and expertise, and developing more entrepreneurs. The mission of the Enactus team is to “serve the community, improve the quality of life and standard of living within our community and educate and illuminate our community and beyond.”

One of KCKCC’s project was working with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. Students taught adults the risks of owning and using a credit card, explained how the point system works, how to pay off high interest rates and how easy it is to get into debt. The residents were able to walk away with a clear understanding of budgeting, controlling debt and protecting themselves against identity theft.

“While we were hopeful of high ratings, we were stunned to be named Regional Champions,” said Maylen Diaz, president of Enactus. “I think what helped us stand out was that we truly helped the community. Everyone gave 110 percent, and it was worth everything we put into it.”

In another educational outreach project, students worked with local high schools to teach students how to overcome employment obstacles, how to conduct employment searches and how to succeed in job interviews. The Enactus team is also a co-sponsor of the My Shelf To Yours used book program, which accepts donations of used books and then sells them online or at the used book sale held in the fall and spring of each year. All proceeds from the sales go to help KCKCC students with their textbook and tuition expenses. Other groups sponsoring the program are the International Student Organization/Student Organization of Latinos and the KCKCC BizFest scholarship students.

Team members include Maylen Diaz, president; Mackenzi Sample, vice president; Daniel Zacapa, treasurer and Marcelyn Humphery, Sharita Hayward, Kira Ruiz, Brendan Anderson, Cori Bruce, Patrick Fagan and Robert Graham, project leaders.

BPU offices to be closed on Good Friday

The administrative and customer service lobby of the Board of Public Utilities will be closed on Friday, April 14, in observance of Good Friday.

Although BPU’s business offices are closed on holidays, emergency service is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For power emergencies, customers may call 913-573-9522. The water emergency number is 913-573-9622.

Chance of rain and storms tonight

On-and-off storm chances are in the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

Periodic thunderstorm chances will return late this evening and last through at least portions of the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The best potential for storms is expected to occur in two rounds – late tonight into Friday morning, and again Saturday night into Sunday morning, the weather service said.

A few storms could become strong to possibly severe on Saturday night, according to the weather service.
A cold front will push through the region late Saturday night, fueling a line of storms that could become strong to possibly severe, according to the weather service.

While the chance of rain is high, forecasters said the storms may not be severe, the weather service said.

Today, the high will be near 77 with mostly cloudy skies and a south southwest wind of 6 to 9 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, expect a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 62 with a south southeast wind of 7 mph. Between a tenth and quarter of an inch of rain is possible.

Friday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and storms, mainly before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 77 with a south wind of 8 to 16 mph, gusting to 30 mph. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is expected.

Friday, night, the low will be around 63 with partly cloudy skies, according to the weather service. The south wind will be 11 to 14 mph, gusting to 24 mph.

Saturday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and storms after 1 p.m., with a high of 77, the weather service said. A south southwest wind of 13 to 18 mph may gust as high as 32 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Saturday night, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 55. Between a half and three-quarters of an inch of rain is possible.

On Easter Sunday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 70, the weather service said.

Sunday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 52, according to the weather service.

Monday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 69.

On Monday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 58, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, expect a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 74, the weather service said.