Events

July marked my third anniversary as CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City, and I feel profoundly lucky and honored to serve in this role for such an extraordinary charity.

For a while now, our amazing director of marketing Emily has been encouraging me to write periodic blog posts from my perspective as CEO of RMHC-Kansas City. I’m not one to “toot my own horn,” but because I do want to share with you some of the behind-the-scenes magic at RMHC-KC…I agreed. So here we go.

I received a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kansas in 1998 and have spent my entire career in the nonprofit sector, from roles helping abused/neglected children and people living with HIV/AIDS to serving in organizations like the National MS Society and United Way of Greater Kansas City.

To read more, click here.

http://www.easterseals.com/midwest/connect-locally/service-center-locations/midwest-kc-mo-vivion-office-community-living-employment-community-services.html

https://lifeequals.com/pages/kyle-fitzgerald-ceo

There’s an old adage that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

From the vantage point of history — 100 years later — there is consensus: “The Great War” changed everything. From 1914-1918, more than 65 million served. Nearly 30 million became casualties. Empires were lost. National boundaries were reshaped. Economies were devastated. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, which affected 500 million people and killed tens of millions, was spread largely through movements of soldiers across the world.

At home in the U.S., World War I changed America. Going from isolationist to global leader, the U.S. fought to secure liberty abroad in order to sustain freedom at home. Among the results: broader freedoms, a new era in women’s and civil rights, the dawn of the “American Century” and much more.

In a world of increased globalization, radicalization and national tensions, it’s clear that the lessons of the Great War endure to this day. The world today is more like the world of 1914 than it has been for the past 104 years. As we mark the 100 years since the Armistice, it is essential that we not sleepwalk into catastrophe.

It is our collective responsibility to have these conversations, to reflect and learn. And we have a sacred responsibility to remember those who served in defending our liberty and freedom. The enduring impact of the Great War continues to be felt today, continues to influence the lives of men and women through the world. This is the story told uniquely at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. And, it’s as important now as it’s ever been.

Julie Buttell, Physical Therapist

• B.A., Rockhurst University, 1998
• M.P.T., Rockhurst University, 2000
• Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist, IAOM, 2012

When Julie first volunteered at the physical therapy department at St. Jude’s Medical Research Center, she fell in love with the impact a therapist can have on another person and their quality of life.

That was her freshman year in high school. And she has never wanted to be anything else.

Since then, she’s made it her mission to be the best therapist she can be for her clients. Julie balances the art and science of physical therapy to drive results, helping her patients meet their goals in less time and with a decreased risk of recurrence of symptoms or injury.

Julie believes that being the most educated, highly skilled clinician is not an option. It is a responsibility.

Julie specializes in:

• women's health
• advanced manual therapy techniques
• treatment of spine and orthopedic impairments

Our own Plaza Rotarian!

In the run up to the 2003 Iraq war many knowledgeable people told Army leadership about the insurgency that would follow the deposing of Saddam. The Army failed to heed any of the warnings. As a consequence, after the insurgency materialized the Army developed tools and methods to listen better, identify bias and think more divergently. Steve Rotkoff was at the center of the decisions made during the war and was instrumental in the educational remedies adopted afterwards. His presentation will be around both events.

http://redteamthinking.com/about-us/our-team/

Jessica Vandivort de Montiel is the U.S. Peace Corps Recruiter for Western Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. A graduate of Truman State University, Jessica worked in employee benefit sales in Kansas City prior to serving in the Peace Corps. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, Jessica partnered with local Education and Health Ministries to develop rural youth development programs, empowering youth to lead healthy lives and to commit to positive roles in their communities. Following her volunteer service, she remained in Guatemala and continued to support Volunteers and Guatemalan partners as the Peace Corps Youth Program and Training Specialist. A strong believer that every American should be given the opportunity to serve, she returned to Kansas City as a Program Officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service, overseeing federal Senior Corps and AmeriCorps grant programs in Kansas and Missouri. Recently returning to Peace Corps as a Recruiter, she is thrilled to support the agency from her hometown.

Kareem Richardson enters his sixth season at the helm of the UMKC program in 2018-19 and has led the Roos to unprecedented success during his tenure. He was named the head coach at UMKC on March 19, 2013, becoming the sixth in the Division I era at UMKC.

During the 2017-18 campaign, Richardson's fifth at UMKC, the Roos finished with a quarterfinal appearance in the WAC tournament and a 10-22 overall record.

Richardson guided the 2016-17 UMKC squad to the second-most victories in a season (18) in school history. The Roos were selected for a postseason tournament for the first time in the program's 30-year Division I history, which included a victory over Green Bay in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational. In 2016-17, UMKC set program records for points (2,691), field goals (911), rebounds (1,213), defensive rebounds (860), 3-pointers (315) and free throws (554). The Roos finished second in team history in assists (451) and third in steals (236). UMKC posted the longest winning streak for the program in 12 years from Jan. 31 – Feb. 18, 2017. The Roos got off to the program's best start in 15 years and advanced to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament for the third straight year.

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Entering 2018-19, Jacie Hoyt is in her second season as the UMKC women's basketball head coach. During her first season at the helm in 2017-18, Hoyt compiled a 11-17 record, including tying for the best Western Athletic Conference (WAC) finish (fifth) in program history. The 7-7 league slate was the program's first .500-or-better record in seven seasons. Her squad swept a pair of games against Grand Canyon and UTRGV for the first time in Roo annals. Statistically, Hoyt mentored a team to lead the conference in steals (9.2) and the club ranked second in scoring offense (67.8), assists (13.5) and 3-point field goals made per game (6.8).

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