Category: KCKCC

‘Business Basics 4 Boomers’ program offered Dec. 12 on starting a business

The Workforce Development Department at Kansas City Kansas Community College, AARP in Kansas City, and Next Chapter Kansas City, a program of Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City, Kan., have joined together to offer “Business Basics 4 Boomers” from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke KCKCC Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave, Kansas City, Kan.

People at all stages of starting a business and those who are just considering the idea can attend.

Also, while the event targets the Baby Boomer generation, younger people also can participate.

The half-day conference will consist of a panel of successful business owners and a panel of representatives of business resource organizations, who will share experience, information, and advice for the “encore entrepreneur.”

Encore entrepreneurs are the growing number of persons who are seeking to launch income-generating ventures that make a positive difference in their communities after leaving their primary career or in anticipation of doing so.

The business owners’ panel will be moderated by Charley Vogt, senior vice president of business-economic development with Country Club Bank. Panel members will include Joyce Moore, owner of Goin Postal, Tim Ney, owner-operator of drivekansas, and Doug Danforth, founder and CEO of Links-It.

The panel of business resource organizations will be moderated by Patricia Brown-Dixson, Region 7 Administrator for the US Small Business Administration. Panelists will include Elisa Waldman with the JCCC Small Business Development Center, Kate Hodel with KC Source Link, and a representative from the SCORE Association.

Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to visit booths of business resource organizations. Lunch is included with Mike Peters, LSCSW, life coach and owner of Interaction Coaching, speaking on the topic of “How to Get Unstuck: Getting Back on Track with Your Passion.”

The cost is $15 per person or $10 for members of Next Chapter Kansas City, SEEN (Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Network), and the Prime Time Club.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 9. For more information, contact Karen Hostetler, Next Chapter Kansas City director, at karenh@sckck.org or Tom Kelso at the KCKCC Workforce Development Office at 913-288-7644.

Long-range aerials help Blue Devil men roll to 119-54 win

by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s Blue Devils took a shot at re-writing the college’s three-point shooting record Tuesday, draining 62.5 percent of their treys in a 119-54 dismantling of Westminster College junior varsity.

In notching 15-of-24 from three-point range, the 62.5 percent effort was second only to a mark of .650 set on 13-of-20 against Penn Valley in 1988.

The long-range assault also helped the Blue Devils to boost their season mark to 7-2 heading into a road test at Penn Valley Tuesday.

Bishop Ward grad C.J. Vallejo led the 3-point bombardment, hit 6-of-9 in leading all scorers with 26 points; while Devin Ward was 4-of-6 in scoring a career high 12 points.

Joe Lendway, who was 10-of-12 from the field, added 23 points, Austin Hall 14 and Dehven Talley, Jeremy Holmes and Armoni Shorter 9 points each.

Shorter led all rebounders with a career high nine while Vallejo added six and Hall, Lendway and Jeremy Holmes five apiece.

The Blue Devils, who dominated the boards 47-28, shot a season high 63.0 percent for the game including .657 the second half. KCKCC also had 32 assists on 46 field goals led by Ray Ridley (7), Andre Runnels (6) and Holmes and Lendway (5 each).

After next Tuesday’s game at Penn Valley, the Blue Devils will finish pre-holiday play at home, as host of Labette in the opening doubleheader of the Jayhawk Conference Dec. 6, Iowa Western Dec. 9 and Wentworth Dec. 12.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.

KCK’s LeShea Wright sparkles in Quality Hill’s ‘Christmas in Song’

A Schlagle High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College graduate, LeShea Wright, right, stars with, from left, director J. Kent Barnhart, Lindsey McKee and Cary Mock in Quality Hill Playhouse’s production of “Christmas in Song” running through Christmas Eve.
A Schlagle High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College graduate, LeShea Wright, right, stars with, from left, director J. Kent Barnhart, Lindsey McKee and Cary Mock in Quality Hill Playhouse’s production of “Christmas in Song” running through Christmas Eve.

by Alan Hoskins

LeShea Wright is back at Quality Hill Playhouse and better than ever.

A graduate of Schlagle High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College, the KCK native stars with Lindsey McKee and Cary Mock in J. Kent Barnhart’s annual holiday production of ‘Christmas in Song’ at Quality Hill at 303 W. 10th St. in Kansas City, Mo.

It’s Wright’s fourth performance at Quality Hill. Her professional debut came in the 2006 performance of “Christmas in Song” and she returned again in 2008 for “Sing Out, Sister!” and the annual Christmas show.

Singing since age 3, Wright performed in numerous choral groups at KCKCC along with starring as Deena Jones in the college’s production of “Dream Girls” that earned her an audition for the Irene Ryan Scholarship. She was featured with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra in 2007, has sung the national anthem every year for the Kansas City Royals since 2008 and joined several artists in recordings.

Highlights are numerous in this year’s “Christmas in Song” and that’s not by accident. A veteran of 25 years of directing and producing musicals, Barnhart selects songs that bring out the best in each performer and he hit the jackpot this year and not just for Wright.

Wright performs the classic “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Grown-Up Christmas” in the first act and then follows up with the spiritual “Mary Had a Baby” and “Mary. Did You Know?” before a show stopping duet with Cary Mock on “More Than Wonderful.”

Other show-stoppers include Lindsey McKee’s “O Holy Night” and a hysterical rendition of “The Twelve Days After Christmas;” and Mock joins Barnhart in a piano duet of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” along “Christmas Lullaby” and “Joseph’s Song.”

One of Quality Hill’s qualities is the humor of Barnhart and no Quality Hill performance should ever be performed without him performing at least one piano solo. This one provides two piano solos – “O Come, O Come Emanuel” and a rousing rendition of “Jingle Bells” – to close the first act and matched only by the finale “Go Tell It On the Mountain.”

“Christmas in Song” continues through a 3 p.m. matinee performance on Christmas Eve. There are 31 performances remaining after Thanksgiving including 3 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays and some weekdays. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.

A schedule of performances and reservations are available online at www.QualityHillPlayhouse.com or by calling 816-421-1700.