MCC-Longview United Way campaign raises $7,200

A special message from Kimberlee Thomasson, MCC-Longview' United Way coordinator:

"MCC's Annual United Way Campaign in October was a success. Last year MCC-Longview raised $6,138.57 for United Way.

This year our goal was to have 100 percent participation from the employees. Longview did increase participation by approximately 55 percent and raised over $7,200 for United Way.

I want to personally thank the United Way committee: Sharon Pyant that kept me on track, Terri Kelley that did all the graphics for the flyers, Jackie King and Shelia Baschke for getting restaurant gift cards donated, and Janet Rynard for scheduling the wonderful Agency Displays for the month.

Special mentions:

Our Longview Students: PTK & SGA brought in over $500 for United Way.

My thanks also reach out to what I consider my outer life support system, the division secretaries, for displaying the “GOT CHANGE” boxes and assisting with notices to the faculty.

Thanks to all who pledged and/or made donations and to anyone else that helped in any way that I may have neglected to mention."

MCC-Penn Valley exceeds United Way goal!

MCC-Penn Valley faculty, staff and students stepped up in a big way for this year's United Way campaign. The campus goal was to raise $7,000. The campus raised $9,373!

This year's campaign featured several highlights including: Breakfast served by the leadership team, Cupcakes With Carroll (O'Neal), Gurb's Cross-Campus shakedown, and a $100 Visa gift card raffle to all employees who turned in pledge forms.

The lucky gift card winner was Lee Antwine of the bookstore. Rumor has it Lee is on a roll and also recently won an ipod at the inservice benefits raffle. Hey Lee, let's hang out and get some lottery tickets while your streak is hot!

Congratulations to Penn Valley and everyone who helped make this year’s campaign a success!

Gurb brings in big haul for United Way!

Things were looking pretty grim on Wednesday at MCC-Penn Valley. There were only two more days left before the end of the United Way campaign and the campus was about $2,500 shy of reaching its $7,000 goal.

Then Gurbhashan Singh, financial manager, donned his mighty Hercules costume and went to work. Gurb, as he's known to many, traveled to just about every department at the Penn Valley campus and HSI collecting donation forms and cash. When the dust settled, he collected more than $3200 in pledge forms and $200+ in cash!

Way to go Gurb!

Go to Penn Valley's facebook page for the outtakes and news that's not fit to print!

PHOTO CAPTION: Kate Duffy (left) and Michelle Allen (right) supported Team Gurb during this year's United Way campaign.

United Way - Message from the Chancellor

Good morning MCC,

Just a quick reminder that our United Way Campaign will soon be drawing to a close and unfortunately we are not where we need to be in terms of our goals for this year. I know many of you have done yeoman's work this month with all kinds of fundraising activities and I appreciate the time and effort you volunteers have put into this worthwhile cause.

There are still a few more days left in the month if you have not yet made a decision or pledge commitment. This is a great opportunity for us as a group to give back to our community and help those who are in need. Even $5, $10, or $20 a month collectively adds up to a significant amount if enough people chip in. Thank you for your consideration of this request and thank you to those who have already contributed.

Have a great day,

Mark
I'm committed to creating opportunities - are you?

Cupcakes With Carroll rakes in United Way dough!

MCC-Penn Valley was buzzing Monday when Carroll O'Neal strutted her stuff and sold sweets for United Way. O'Neal, associate dean of students and 40+ year MCC employee, was fierce in her red flapper dress. She also raised nearly $300 for this year's United Way campaign.

Brian Chasteen was just one of many hopeful gentlemen who stood in line to support Carroll O'Neal's United Way benefit.

United Way Twins

Sherry Skinner & Lelain Lorenzen took advantage of the United Way Casual Day Thursday.

With one week remaining in MCC's United Way drive, Vickie Mackey reports that MCC-Business & Technology campus is still working toward its goal. Vickie has created a special cookbook with her mother's handwritten recipes, and she has made it available for just a $5 donation to United Way. It includes recipes for hand lotion and homemade glass cleaner. Vickie says both work really well, and they're inexpensive to make. Let her know if you would like a copy. Her phone number is 604-5430, and e-mail is vickie.mackey@mcckc.edu.

MCC-Longview's United Way craft sale this Wednesday

More crafts than you can shake a knitting needle at. Swing by the MCC-Longview camps center on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to browse some of the coolest crafts at MCC.

For more information, contact Judy Foglio (604.2219) or Carolyn Mulder (604.2077)

United Way - Give $5 Challenge

Contact your United Way campus representative:
AC /Broadway Plaza/EOC & Don Bosco Center – Betsy Upton, 604.1031
MCC-Blue River – Amy Slater, 604.6635
MCC-Business & Technology – Vickie Mackey, 604.5430
MCC-Longview – Kimberlee Thomasson, 604.2205
MCC-Maple Woods – Brian Bechtel, 604.3036
MCC-Penn Valley & Pioneer – Kim Riley, 604.4523

MCC-Penn Valley United Way breakfast raises dollars, awareness!

MCC-Penn Valley kicked off its United Way campaign with a breakfast served by its leadership team. Bagels were donated by Panera's and beverages were donated by Subway.

Employees, students and visitors were asked to turn in their pledge forms or make a donation to United Way in return for breakfast.

More than $1800.00 in pledge forms were turned in and nearly $100 was collected for this United Way kickoff event. To date, Penn Valley has raised more than $3800.00 for United Way!

That makes the campus more than halfway to its $7000 campaign goal during the first week of the campaign.

Check out the hilarious outtakes from the breakfast at Penn Valley's facebook page.

Photo Caption: MCC-Penn Valley's leadership team served up bagels and service with a smile to support the United Way Campaign.

MCC grad benefited through The United Way

This fall, like thousands of other young people across the metro area, Steven Pollard left friends and family behind and headed off for college. The 20-year-old Independence, Mo. man already has an associate’s degree from Metropolitan Community Colleges and is going to Emporia State University where he'll be studying political science. Pollard is excited about his future and has set some ambitious goals in life. He hopes to become a lawyer, get involved in politics and become a U.S. Senator someday. People who know Pollard say with his friendly personality, leadership skills and ability to communicate, anything is possible for the engaging young man.

The fact that he is heading for college with such lofty goals is a testament to Pollard and those who helped shape him, especially during his formative teenage years. Without their mentoring and guidance, Pollard says his life easily could have gone a different way.

At 16, Pollard and his younger brother were temporarily placed in a Salvation Army shelter until a more permanent placement could be arranged. The shelter staff noticed that Pollard had a positive attitude and was a good role model for his brother and the other children as well. They recommended he and his brother be placed at Drumm Farm, in a United Way-funded program for children in the foster care system, to add some stability to their lives.

From the day they arrived at Drumm Farm, the brothers began to thrive. Pollard said, "Once I got here, I realized it was a great place for us. The fact that my little brother got to be here with me was the best thing of all."

Pollard says, "My personal experiences with the foster care system and juvenile court were a factor in my wanting to become a lawyer and get involved in politics. I have seen how the system works from the inside. There need to be changes and I want to be in a position where I can someday help make those changes."

Reflecting on the five years he's spent at Drumm Farm, Pollard says, "The most rewarding thing has been the way everyone has worked together to help me succeed. They taught me the skills I need to be independent and prepare me for the future. Without a doubt, Drumm has been there for me. And although I didn't realize it at the time, through its support of Drumm Farm, United Way has been there for me. All I can say is thank you. I hope to make you proud-and maybe even convince you to vote for me someday."

Message from the Chancellor: United Way Campaign kicks off

Dear MCC Colleagues:

Throughout October, MCC joins thousands of other businesses in the annual United Way Campaign. I suspect that we all have friends, neighbors, and family who have faced perilous challenges. While I know there are many demands on your resources and many requests for your generous support, I hope you can consider helping our community through the United Way.

United Way allows us to make a single contribution benefiting over 400 programs provided by more than 150 agencies in our region. 100% of our contributions stay within our community. We also have the option of tailoring our contributions to specific agencies, or the types of services we prefer. As you consider making your United Way pledge/contribution, you should know that your pledge can be directed to three funds that will specifically benefit MCC students. These three funds are prominently displayed on the MCC pledge form for your convenience as follows:

1) MCC Health Science Institute Fund – Supports specialized equipment, medical labs and programs necessary to operate a state-of-the-art facility for training nursing and allied health students.

2) MCC Student Book and Emergency Fund – Assists students at any of MCC’s campuses when emergencies occur, including financial assistance with books and other related expenses.

3) MCC Rainbow Kids Fund - Financially assists students who have child care expenses at the Francis Child Development Institute.

MCC Foundation – You can also “write-in” MCC Foundation on the line in Section D for a general contribution to the MCC Foundation to be used as needed for the benefit of our students.

In closing, United Way is an effective way for us to share our resources. As “One MCC” our individual contributions become one significant larger contribution that truly impacts those in our community who are in need. Thank you for considering this request.

Mark

MCC-Longview kicks off United Way month with hotdog cookout

Hotdogs! Photobooth! Chili Cookoff! It sounds like a month-long celebration, MCC-Longview is doing it for a good casue.

Be sure to stop by one of the many events around campus throughout October that will benefit United Way.

To start the month, Phi Theta Kappa will be serving up hotdogs and chips on Wednesday in the Campus Center with all the procees going toward United Way. They aim to sell more than 100 hotdogs. Think you can help them out?

United Way helps people by working with the whole community and getting to the heart of our most important issues in ways no other organization can.

Last year MCC-Longview raised $6,138.57 to donate to United Way. How awesome to be part of a solution to assist individuals in need with our donations. This year Longview’s goal is to have 100 percent participation from the employees. Watch for e-mails announcing our events and other activities that will help in reaching this goal.

We Can Do It!

Don't miss a single United Way event this month:

Oct. 4 – Visit the Student Information Center and for $1 Donations to United Way get a chance to win a prize. Different prize weekly.

Oct. 6 - Photo Booth –Let Loose! $3 donation to United Way PDR (11-1)

Oct. 6 – United Way PTK Hot Dog Day 10-2 in the Campus Center Cafeteria. All proceeds from this sale will be donated to the United Way Campaign at MCC-Longview.

Oct. 7 - Photo Booth - Let Loose! $3 donation to United Way PDR (11-1)

Oct. 11 – Visit the Student Information Center and for $1 Donations to United Way get a chance to win a prize.

Oct. 14 – SGA – Pizza Sale for United Way (outside of Camus Center)

Oct. 18 – Visit the Student Information Center $1Donations to United Way and get a chance to win a prize.

Oct. 20 – Craft Show in Campus Center Lobby - Christmas decorations, MU/KU items, curling iron covers, aprons, baked Potato bags, hats, scarves, purses, Halloween treat bags, kitchen linens, accessories. 10 percent of sales will be donated to United Way. Items made by local support group called “Angel Hands”. Proceeds from sale used to purchase fabric and supplies to make blankets/quilts for local charities and orphanages located overseas.

Oct. 25 – Visit the Student Information Center and for $1Donations to United Way get a chance to win a prize.

Oct. 27 – Chili Cook-Off – See if your favorite dish wins a prize. Donate a Crock Pot dish for all to Enjoy. Everyone will then vote on their favorite dish. This event will be held in the Private Dining Room from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. The cost to eat is $3. FREE to those who donate a dish. Add a soda for 50 cents. Your vote will be a monetary vote. The person’s dish that raises the most money WINS!

(Proceeds go to United Way)

How to Live United

United Way month is just around the corner! Watch The MCC Insider for information about events planned across the district to help us all "Live United."

MCC-Maple Woods is ready for Homecoming 2010: "What's yours?"

Community college students will have as much to be excited about as their four-year counterparts as MCC-Maple Woods celebrates its 3nd Annual Homecoming the week of Oct. 1-8, 2010. This year’s theme encourages students to make college personal, with “myLife, myFuture, my… What’s yours?”

Activities for the event include yard/door decorations by student groups and employees, Evening of the Arts and Coffee House III, 1980s karaoke, free food, a family-friendly movie-on-the-lawn, a Battle of the Bands and softball, soccer and golf events.

“We wanted to give our students the same kind of activities and events to be involved in and excited about as students attending a four-year college or university,” said Misty Chandler, Maple Woods campus life and leadership coordinator and an originator of the event. “We have a much to offer as a larger school academically, so we’re trying to step up student involvement on the activities side of things.”



Oct. 1
The MCC-Maple Woods men’s soccer team will play fellow MCC team and rival Blue River at 4 p.m. at Happy Rock Park in Gladstone, Mo. Free foam fingers, spirit sticks and mini megaphones!

Oct.3
The annual Maple Woods Baseball Golf Classic will take place at 10 a.m. at Cardinal Hill Golf Course in Liberty, Mo. Registrations are being accepted now and will be taken until tee time at 10 a.m. the day of the event. For more information or to register, contact Deb Cougill at (816) 604-3044.

Oct. 5
A 1980s Party and Ice Cream Bar will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Student Center outdoor area. Free hot dogs, chips, ice cream and activities.

The Maple Woods bookstore will host its annual Art Gallery Opening, featuring the work of Maple Woods faculty, staff and students. Individual pieces or artwork will be on display all week will be available for sale.

An Evening of the Arts and Coffeehouse III will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the Maple Woods Student Center. There will be free coffee and performances by students and the community. This is an open mic event, so feel free to bring a performance piece of your own!

Oct. 6
Maple Woods will host a Community Blood Drive from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Student Center.

The Collegiate Activities Council will host 1980s Karaoke in the Student Center from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Stop by, have some cookies, and let out your inner Journey or Madonna!

Oct. 7
The Northland Battle of the Bands will be held from 2-7 p.m. at the Campus Center Amphitheater. Local high school bands will be performing and attendees will vote for the winner.

Oct. 8
Bring the whole family for an outside, after-dark showing of “The Goonies” at 8 p.m. at the Campus Center Amphitheater. Free popcorn and water will be provided. Seating is on the lawn, so bring a blanket or lawn chairs – in case of rain, the event will be held in the Campus Center Arbor Room.

In addition to the many events being hosted on campus, Maple Woods student groups will be raising money for breast cancer awareness and the United Way. The Student Ambassadors group will be participating in a “myChange” spare change drive, with individuals competing to raise the most money for their causes, selected from a list of United Way agencies. Students, faculty, staff and the community are also encouraged to participate in Maple Leaves for Life, a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The veterinary technology students will be holding a fundraiser to support their program, and the Maple Woods Baseball Classic serves as the team’s major fundraiser, providing scholarship and basic funds for the program.