Free complimentary copy October 23, 2015 • Volume 2, No. 52
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Annual Run For Excellence draws hundreds of runners By Kris Collins Hundreds or runners of all ages were at Chittwood Stadium early Oct. 17 to participate in the 16th annual Run For Excellence hosted by the Raytown Educational Foundation. “It’s a signature event,” said Martha Cockerell, executive director of the foundation. “It really has become a community event and a family event. I haven’t had time to really do the stats yet, but we have lots of families that run together as a family, lots of couples; we had two families in particular – one group had seven one group had nine – and they just treat it as a family event. One group, they have relatives come up to do this every year from New Orleans.” This year’s event raised slightly more than $11,000. “I expect us to net somewhere around $4,000,” she said. “The caveat with that is we have a program called Cash for Classrooms. Teachers will get a school group together and if they get 10 or more (people to participate) they get half of all the entry fees back as a grant
to their classroom. “We will probably give out over $2,000 in classroom grants back to those groups.” One school, New Trails Early Learning Center, earned $377 to spend on classrooms through the Cash for Classrooms program, Cockerell said. Additionally, the money is used for rewards for K-12 students that exhibit positive behavior, high attendance and commitment to academics. The following are the results of the race by each division: Top Overall Female 1st - Alyssa Bollinger, 25, of Kansas City Females, 10 and under 1st - Nicholle England, 10, of Raytown 2nd - Emily Campos-Galicia, 8, of Kansas City 3rd - Ali Hoffman, 9, of Raytown Females, 11-12 1st - Tyana Walker, 11, of Raytown 2nd - Hailey Hendrix, 11, of Kansas City
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Photo by R.C. Jones Hundreds of runners begin the 16th annual Run For Excellence on the morning of Oct. 17 at Chittwood Stadium.
Fallen KC firefighter John Mesh honored Wednesday By Kris Collins Blue Ridge Boulevard was lined with firefighters, police and first responders from the Kansas City Metro Area and beyond Wednesday afternoon as Kansas City Fire Department fallen firefighter John Mesh’s funeral procession ended at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Mesh, a 13-year veteran, and comrade Fire Apparatus Operator Larry Leggio died in the evening of Oct. 12 while fighting a structure fire near Independence and Prospect avenues. According to a statement from the Kansas City Fire Department, Leggio leaves behind a wife and mother and many immediate family members. Mesh leaves a wife and four young daughters, as well as many immediate family members. Fire engines and firefighters lined both sides of the street near the entrance of the cemetery and a brobdingnagian American flag swayed in the warm breeze high above the road. The procession stretched as far as the eye could see coming south on Blue Ridge Boulevard. The funeral
Photos courtesy of Kansas City Fire Department John Mesh
Larry Leggio
for Leggio, a 17-year veteran, was held Monday.
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Photo by Kris Collins Kansas City Police Department mounted patrolmen salute as fallen Kansas City Fire Department firefighter John Mesh’s funeral procession goes into Mount Olivet Cemetery in Raytown Wednesday afternoon.
Mission of Hope Clinic gives and receives By Diane Krizek Since 2013, Mission of Hope Clinic has operated out of the back section of the property at 6303 Evanston Ave. This year the landlord informed the tenant that he wanted to sell the building. Given the need for more space, the clinic hoped to purchase the building, but the landlord’s asking price was too steep for the nonprofit. Dot and Gene Land came to the rescue to provide the funding in honor of their 67th wedding anniversary and the newly acquired section of the building is now referred to as the “Dot Land Annex.” A volunteer team of retired remodelers under the leadership of Tony Lowe has since been renovating the facility to accommodate the expansion of medical and dental services, but resources were limited for financing a new roof. Lowe sent out letters requesting assistance. Integrity Roofing stepped up by providing materials at cost, which fit within the clinic’s budget. Lowe’s team was up to replacing the roof but after tearing off most of the three layers of shingles, they realized the job was a bit over their heads. Cliff Fleenor of Bordner Installation heard about the project through Paula Hartman, a RE/MAX realtor who has
supported the clinic since its beginning. “Paula has been friends of ours for many years and she has a real heart for this clinic,” Fleenor said. “I told Tony, ‘Since you have the materials, we’ll do the labor.’ These guys in their seventies tearing off three layers of shingles was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. That’s a young man’s job.” Fleenor sent his foreman out Monday this past week and the Bordner roofing crew was on site installing a new 6,200-square-foot roof Oct. 14. It is fitting that people who help people should receive help themselves. Mission of Hope Clinic was founded to bridge the Medicaid coverage gap of the uninsured by providing affordable medical services based on a sliding scale of charges. The clinic sees about 1,500 medical and dental patients a year. “The poorest of the poor get health care coverage under Medicaid, but the working poor cannot afford health insurance premiums and the deductibles,” said Janet Lowe, director of the clinic. The Affordable Care Act has made health care accessible to millions of people who otherwise could not afford or qualify for health insurance. Under the law, subsidies were made available
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Parks Board Recognition Page 3
Photo by Diane Krizek Bordner crew installing a new roof on Mission of Hope Clinic.
Halloween Treats Page 7
Raytown Sports Page 8