Centurions NOW - March 18, 2019

CALL FOR CENTURIONS ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS!

The Centurions Alumni Board will soon be kicking off a brand-new year, and we're looking for a few new board members! Jennifer Matney, Class of 2016, will lead the 2019-2020 Alumni Board as President. The board meets one hour per month and plans civic panels, projects and social events for alumni. Contact Lindsay Jarquio if you are interested in joining the board. Sincere thanks to Jennifer Kraenzle, current alumni board president, and the entire 2018-2019 board for your leadership.

LEADERSHIP UP CLOSE: SHARICE DAVIDS

Join us on March 20 to hear from our region’s newest Congresswoman, Representative Sharice Davids. Rep. Davids will provide an update on her first few months in D.C. and talk about her priorities and goals in representing Kansas’ third congressional district. We’ll have plenty of time for conversation and questions during this interactive forum. Space is limited, so sign up today! Register here >>

RECRUITING SOCIAL

Mix-and-mingle with current Centurions and prospective applicants to learn more about the Centurions Leadership Program. Enjoy appetizers and drinks, and be sure to stick around for Molly Hammer Big Band at 7:00 p.m. Register here >>

LUNCH AND LEARN: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At this lunch and learn, Nicole Jacobs-Silvey, founder and President of Connection Coach KC, will present challenges with recruitment and retention, such as affinity bias, and strategies to combat those challenges. She’ll also discuss why diversity matters at both the personal and business levels. This event will include a discussion, exercises and a presentation. Lunch will be provided. The event will be held March 25 at Stinson Leonard Street, 1201 Walnut, Ste. 2900. Parking is available in the Town Pavilion garage (bring your ticket with you for validation) or take the streetcar. Register here >>

ISSUES UP CLOSE: PRE-K FOR KC CANDID CONVERSATIONS

Please join us for breakfast on Thursday, March 28, from 8-9:30 a.m. for a candid conversation on the Pre-K for KC ballot issue coming up in April. Kansas City, Missouri voters will decide on a proposed 3/8th cents sales tax that would fund Pre-K expansion in the city.

You will hear from voices on both sides of the issue including Kansas City Mayor Sly James and Pre-K educator and Executive Director of Emmanuel Family Care Center, Deborah Mann.

Space is limited and we expect this IUC to fill up quickly, so reserve your spot today! Breakfast and coffee will be served. Register here >>

MAKE-UP DATE - LEADERSHIP UP CLOSE: POLICY AND ADVOCACY EDITION

Policy and advocacy work has become an important part of civic engagement and service to the community. Join Jessica Hembree and Scott Hall for a discussion of actionable policy change strategies and tactics in a hands-on advocacy workshop. Jessica Hembree is the founder of Platform Civic Strategies and has twenty years of experience in policy change, including ten years as Policy Director at a regional health foundation. Scott Hall is the Senior Vice President, Civic and Community Initiatives at the KC Chamber of Commerce. Together, Jessica and Scott were instrumental in the adoption of Tobacco 21 in over 2 dozen Kansas City area communities. From starting new advocacy organizations to researching complex issues to developing model policies, Jessica and Scott are key leaders in nonprofit policy and civic change in the region. Register here >>

BRUNCH AT TOPGOLF

Join us for golf and brunch at Topgolf on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. This is a Centurions only event with golf and brunch covered, but drinks and additional food are on your own. After a long winter, it’s time to dust of your clubs and hit the links (well bays, actually)! We look forward to seeing everyone there. Register here >>

LEADERSHIP UP CLOSE: JULIAN ZUGAZAGOITIA

Julián Zugazagoitia is the Director and CEO of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art one of the nation’s leading Encyclopedic art museums. Since his arrival in 2010, attendance has grown 43% by engaging the community through superlative exhibitions, ranging from antiquities to contemporary, and more inclusive programming. Born and raised in Mexico City, educated at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre in France, Zugazagoitia has worked at institutions in the Americas, Europe and Africa. He served as the Director/CEO of El Museo del Barrio in New York, a leading institution in the field of Latin American and Latino art. Julián transformed the institution through a $44 million renovation project. Previously, he worked at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and as a consultant and curator with UNESCO and the Getty Conservation Institute. He curated exhibitions for the international art fair ARCO 2005, the 25th Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil in 2002 and as Director of Visual Arts with the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Zugazagoitia is known for inspiring the community with his passion for bringing all of the arts together, for scholarship and education, and for his high energy leadership and collaborative spirit. Register here >>

GRADUATION

You and a guest are cordially invited to join us on June 14, from 6-10 p.m. to celebrate your hard work and dedication in the Centurions Leadership Program. We will be announcing the recipients of our coveted awards—Task Force of the Year, Outstanding First Year, and Centurion of the Year. Register here >>

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS

Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas Mission: Helping people with disabilities and disadvantages prepare for, gain and keep employment.

Heartland Chamber Music Mission: Our programming philosophy mirrors that of chamber music; quality over quantity, small student-artist ratio, and engaging performing artists who have a heart for teaching. This ideal gives everyone a chance to connect with artists without limitation of age, skill level or socioeconomic background.

Whole Family Care Mission: Investing in struggling, single parent families through childcare and mentorship in order to bring fulfillment and purpose to the whole family.

REMINDER: SIGN UP TO ACCESS SERVICE PROJECTS ON VOLUNTEERMARK (FALL START)

Ready to serve? Check out VolunteerMark for a few opportunities that are still in need of volunteers. Check the calendar regularly as new projects are added weekly and look for newsletter announcements or GroupMe to sign-up for projects in which spots still need to be filled.

Fall Start – Upcoming Projects In Need of Volunteers:

• March 18: Fall Uplift March
• March 21: The Single MOM KC Spring Fling Ticket Mania
• March 22: KC STEM Alliance/FIRST | FIRST Robotics Competition
• March 23: JAG-K (“Jobs for American Graduates – Kansas”) Career Development Conference
• March 23: Downtown Outreach
• March 30: The Coterie Theater 40 Years Forward Gala
• April 2: PREP KC Career Jumping
• April 3: Phoenix Family Reading Lab
• April 11: Brew for Books – The Family Conservancy
• April 13: Downtown Outreach

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Join us Tuesday, March 19, at Lifted Spirits from 5-7 p.m. for the Spring Centurions Kickoff Social. This will be the first opportunity for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to meet. Second years, if you are looking to retake your headshot, this is your chance!

Retreat is April 24-26 at the Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs, MO. A more formal agenda with specific times will follow.

Steering meetings are held the third Thursday of every month. Committee reports take place from 4-5 p.m., and Task Force updates are from approximately 5-7 p.m. Please communicate with your Co-Chairs to ensure at least one Chair is present, if not everyone in your Committee/Task Force is available to attend.

Task Forces are held the fourth Friday of each month. Please note that the Benchmarking Trip will take place October 16-18, 2019.

Check out all the upcoming events on the Centurions online calendar and be sure to look for “Spring Start.”

ISSUES UP CLOSE: PRE-K FOR KC CANDID CONVERSATIONS

Please join us for breakfast on Thursday, March 28, from 8-9:30 a.m. for a candid conversation on the Pre-K for KC ballot issue coming up in April. Kansas City, Missouri voters will decide on a proposed 3/8th cents sales tax that would fund Pre-K expansion in the city.

You will hear from voices on both sides of the issue including Kansas City Mayor Sly James and Pre-K educator and Executive Director of Emmanuel Family Care Center, Deborah Mann.

Space is limited and we expect this IUC to fill up quickly, so reserve your spot today! Breakfast and coffee will be served. Register here >>

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS

Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas Mission: Helping people with disabilities and disadvantages prepare for, gain and keep employment.

Heartland Chamber Music Mission: Our programming philosophy mirrors that of chamber music; quality over quantity, small student-artist ratio, and engaging performing artists who have a heart for teaching. This ideal gives everyone a chance to connect with artists without limitation of age, skill level or socioeconomic background.

Whole Family Care Mission: Investing in struggling, single parent families through childcare and mentorship in order to bring fulfillment and purpose to the whole family.

ROYALS KICKOFF BREAKFAST SOCIAL

We’re doing something a little different to kick off Royals Opening Day this year. In lieu of getting up at the crack of dawn, we want to see you at Spokes Café on March 28, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. for brunch. The Alumni Board will be providing a burrito and Bloody Mary bar until we run out of food and drink. If you’re so inclined, please feel free to make a donation to Legacy while you’re catching up with old friends. We may even have some raffle items. Please also consider picking up a flag or newspaper from the amazing volunteers who will still be working the street corners to benefit the Rotary Youth Camp. Register here >>

ALL HANDS IN THE COOKIE JAR

Come join us at the Culinary Center of Kansas City on April 17, from 6-9 p.m. for All Hands in the Cookie Jar. Teams create and decorate homemade cookies using the theme of a popular children’s storybook and then decoratively package the cookies with a children’s book for kids in need. Cookies and books will be donated to Ronald McDonald House. There also will be a four-course meal served while cookies are baking. Don’t worry! You don’t have to cook it! The bar will be a cash bar.

Tickets are $50/person. Significant others, friends, and kids are welcome, but we’re capped at 50 people. Please feel free to bring additional books to donate if you would like.

If you have any dietary restrictions, please e-mail Meredith Webster at meredith.webster@kutakrock.com. Register here >>

ISSUES UP CLOSE: PRE-K FOR KC CANDID CONVERSATIONS

Please join us for breakfast on Thursday, March 28, from 8-9:30 a.m. for a candid conversation on the Pre-K for KC ballot issue coming up in April. Kansas City, Missouri voters will decide on a proposed 3/8th cents sales tax that would fund Pre-K expansion in the city.

You will hear from voices on both sides of the issue including Kansas City Mayor Sly James and Pre-K educator and Executive Director of Emmanuel Family Care Center, Deborah Mann.

Space is limited and we expect this IUC to fill up quickly, so reserve your spot today! Breakfast and coffee will be served. Register here >>

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS

Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas Mission: Helping people with disabilities and disadvantages prepare for, gain and keep employment.

Heartland Chamber Music Mission: Our programming philosophy mirrors that of chamber music; quality over quantity, small student-artist ratio, and engaging performing artists who have a heart for teaching. This ideal gives everyone a chance to connect with artists without limitation of age, skill level or socioeconomic background.

Whole Family Care Mission: Investing in struggling, single parent families through childcare and mentorship in order to bring fulfillment and purpose to the whole family.