Catholic Charities and Breast Cancer Foundation Announce Partnership

Linda Light
| Specially for the News-Leader

Catholic Charities and Breast Cancer Foundation Join Forces

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri partners with Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks in a mutually beneficial partnership to enhance support services for individuals and families in need in southwest Missouri.

CCSOMO donates a truck and transfers all donated items, except the monthly LifeHouse wish list items, to BCFO. In return, CCSOMO customers receive vouchers to shop at local Neat Repeats thrift stores, owned and operated by BCFO.

Neat Repeats locations in Joplin, Ozark, and Springfield serve as accessible outlets for clients in CCSOMO’s Maternal and Family, Housing, and Veterans programs. With a wide variety of clothing, home goods, furniture, and more, clients are given the opportunity to purchase items that best suit their needs.

For more information about Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, visit ccsomo.org and bcfo.org.

Learn more about Elevate Entrepreneurs

Elevate Branson will host information sessions for Elevate entrepreneurs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on August 1 and 15 at the Elevate Branson campus, 310 Gretna Road.

Elevate Entrepreneurs offers comprehensive resources and training to give you the tools you need to increase your financial margin by starting a side hustle.

At the end of the 12-week course, participants will have a complete business plan with competitive analysis and initial capital for financial forecasting.

The program is funded in part by Innovate SOMO and is offered in partnership with the factory and codified as part of the Missouri SBDC’s Early-Stage Business Boot Camp.

For more information, visit elevatebranson.org/elevate-entrepreneurs.

Public invited to Abilities First open house

Abilities First will host an open house on July 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the building at 3216 S. National Ave.

Opening remarks will begin at 10:00 a.m. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard will kick off the event with the national anthem. Welcome remarks will be given by Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon and Abilities First President/CEO Maggie Rollwagen, MSW. Attendees will also hear a special song by Jerry Satterfield, a Vietnam veteran. Alexis Brown, Chair of the Abilities First Board of Directors, will close the welcoming session.

After the opening session, various activities and information sessions will take place.

Silver Dollar City Foundation supports Care For Kids

Over the past 18 school years, Silver Dollar City Foundation has provided more than $2.3 million to districts across the region through the Care For Kids program. During the 2023-2024 school year, that funding will result in more than 5,100 impact cases across the 14 public school districts that receive Care For Kids dollars.

At the beginning of each school year, Silver Dollar City Foundation provides Care For Kids funding to districts in the region based on the number of students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. However, it is up to teachers to decide how to use the funds. When teachers or staff identify a need, the district has immediate access to funding, meaning teachers can often meet the need the same day.

Care For Kids is made possible by donations from Silver Dollar City, White Water, Showboat Branson Belle, Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson and others.

In addition to Care For Kids, Silver Dollar City Foundation offers Hope Grants to the same 14 school districts that serve children in Stone and Taney Counties. The Hope Grant allows districts to address priorities that impact their district, such as increasing access to preschool, expanding Parents As Teachers, or creating programs to increase community and parent engagement.

Visit SilverDollarCityFoundation.org for more information.

Three Nixa choirs to perform at MMEA conference

Three Nixa choirs were selected to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop/Conference.

The Inman Intermediate Eagle Honors Choir, Nixa Junior High Varsity Tenor/Bass Choir and Nixapella from Nixa High School will take the stage for hundreds of Missouri music teachers from January 28 through February 1, 2025.

Performing at the state music conference, the Missouri Music Educators Association, is one of the highest honors a music program can receive. Nixa schools have had performances in the past, but this year the choir program has three in one year. This is the second time this has happened for Nixa in the past few years and it is one of the few times this has happened for a school in the 85 years of the MMEA.

This represents 25% of all choirs selected from across the state to perform.

Community Foundation announces awards

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks recently recognized seven individuals and four regional affiliated foundations for outstanding leadership and exceptional service to their communities. In addition to the recognition, affiliated foundations received a total of $23,500 to supplement their annual grantmaking to the communities they serve.

The four regional affiliate foundations selected as Affiliates of the Year are Carthage Community Foundation, Community Foundation of the Hermann Area, Joplin Regional Community Foundation, and Perry County Community Foundation. Each received $5,000 from the CFO to support grantmaking and philanthropic leadership in their communities.

Two individuals recognized for their exceptional leadership with awards named after notable leaders in CFO history include Stacy Myrtle, president of the Community Foundation of Lake, who received the Stanley Ball Leadership Award and a $2,500 grant; and Trudy Lee, board member of the Cape Area Community Foundation, who received the Fred Lemons Achievement Award and a $1,000 grant.

Five regional affiliate leaders who received a Board Members of Excellence Award for outstanding service to their communities include Beth Bankhead, Community Foundation of the Lake; Callie Linville, Nixa Community Foundation; Ron Kraettli, Community Foundation of the Hermann Area; Kim McCully-Mobley, Aurora Area Community Foundation; and Brian VanFossen, Community Foundation of Rogersville.

PCCC includes Military Appreciation Day

On July 20, Governor Mike Parson struck the ceremonial first tee shot during the Price Cutter Charity Championship Military Appreciation Day.

This is the first Military Appreciation Day at the PCCC. This event is sponsored by Honor Flight of the Ozarks. The event began at 6:15 with a bagpiper and the national anthem, followed by Parsons teeing off.

Hayden Harrison, chairman of Military Appreciation Day, said Honor Flight hopes to make this an annual event at the PCCC.

Donate blood for boots, badges and bandages

Willard first responders are joining forces with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks for the fifth annual Boots, Badges and Bandages Community Challenge Blood Drive on July 30.

The blood drive will be held from noon to 6 p.m. at the Willard Community Center, 222 W. Jackson St.

All backers will receive a special, limited edition Boots, Badges and Bandages T-shirt, while supplies last.

To avoid wait times, appointments are strongly encouraged. Donors can schedule an appointment at https://www.cbco.org/bootsandbadges or by calling 417-227-5006.