Gift of Hope, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will host the first annual “Run for Hope” 5k fun run/walk on October 13 at the Branson Landing.
The event is a fundraiser in support of the Gift of Hope programs.
“We want this event to be a good time for everyone,” said Meghan Connell, director of Gift of Hope. “If you want to take it more seriously, we will have a timing company present, or if you want to take a leisurely walk with your friends and family, go for it. We will be giving away prizes for the silliest dressed group and individual because it’s all about having fun and coming out in support of a good cause.”
The event will start and end at the Branson Landing fountain. The post-race awards party will be held at Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar and Grill on the Branson Landing at 9am. The $5,000 “split the pot” with Gift of Hope number will be drawn and announced. Only 200 tickets will sold for $50.00 each, call 417-546-8062 to purchase prior to the event.
Top three male and female runners will receive $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place and $50 for 3rd place. There will be awards for first in each age group and door prizes.
The first 200 pre-registered participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt and “goodie bag”.
Registration will begin at 6:45am the day of the event with the 5k fun run/walk and 1 mile walk starting at 8am.
For more information call 417-546-8062 or register online at www.actnowracing.com or visit www.giftofhopeinc.org.
Two Gift of Hope programs will benefit from this fundraiser; the “Backpack Club” which provides supplemental food to 750 children each weekend during the school year because they have shown signs of hunger, especially on Monday mornings. And the “Christmas Share” program which provides assistance to families in need of propane, electric, warm clothes and food through the winter months.

See link below with additional details and registration form. (pdf file)

Gift of Hope 5K Registration Form and Details

See link below for larger view (pdf version)

Marine Corp Ball Service Announcement

We would like to invite all residents of Stone, Taney, Christian, Greene, Webster, Douglas, Ozark, Barry counties in Missouri and Carroll, Boone, Marion and Baxter counties in Arkansas (with valid id) to our Area Appreciation shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 27th, 28th and 29th at 11 am. $12.50 INCLUDES LUNCH: Carolina Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Southern Style Baked Beans, Sweet Corn Muffin, Strawberry Short Cake and a bottle of water (from Table Rock Lake)!! The show is hosted by Barry Williams, the real GREG BRADY and features the NEW Brady Bunch kids. Six young performers that look very much like the original Brady kids, will sing and dance their way into your heart with popular Brady songs and show tunes from the 70’s. Call for reservations 866-328-3733. Only at the Yakov Theatre in Branson.

The Starlite Theatre in Branson, in partnership with Larry Black of “Larry’s Country Diner” and “Country’s Family Reunion” (as seen on RFD-TV) proudly announce an extension of the hit concert series “Stars of Larry’s Country Diner and Country’s Family Reunion” with the addition of two new Christmas shows: “The Bellamy Brothers Tropical Christmas” and “Joey and Rory’s Farmhouse Christmas.” These performances will run from December 12 to December 23 at The Starlite Theatre.

The Bellamy Brothers have charted twenty Number One country hits and more than fifty hit singles overall during their stellar career. Their first big hit “Let Your Love Flow” hit number one on the pop charts in America and over a dozen countries worldwide. Other smash hits include “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body,” “Redneck Girl,” “Do You Love As Good As You Look,” “I Need More of You” and “Kids Of The Baby Boom.” The Bellamy Brothers hit holiday album “Tropical Christmas” pairs old standards that have a Bellamy Brothers twist with original compositions such as “Tropical Christmas” and “Old Hippie Christmas.”

Joey and Rory took third place in CMT’s “Duets competition and were immediately signed to Sugar Hill/Vanguard records. Their 2008 debut “The Life of the Song” featured the hit single “Cheater Cheater.” They followed up ion 2010 with “Album Number Two” and “His and Hers” was released in July of this year. The duo hosts a weekly variety show on RFD-TV, “The Joey+Rory Show” filmed entirely on their Pottsville, Tennessee farm and community including their family-owned café Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse. “Joey and Rory’s A Farmhouse Christmas” was filmed on a set built in their barn and was a featured holiday show on RFD-TV last year. The show was so popular a DVD was released and a Christmas tour followed. Joey and Rory will re-create “A Farmhouse Christmas” for Starlite Theatre audiences this December.

Starlite Theatre Managing Partner John Ghirardelli: “The addition of The Bellamy Brother’s Tropical Christmas and Joey and Rory’s A Farmhouse Christmas continues the Starlite tradition of brining original, relevant and contemporary artists to Branson audiences. The entire Starlite staff feels that this stellar pairing is a gift to the Branson community and the entire area.”

Tickets are on sale now and available at www.starlitetheatre.com or by phoning the box office at 866-991-8445.

Additional artist information is available at www.joeyandrory.com and www.bellamybrothers.com

The Center for Workforce Development and the Community Enrichment Center at Ozarks Technical Community College offer a variety of in-demand training programs and online courses designed to provide you with new skills or enhance existing ones. Register today or contact us to learn how many of these programs can be customized to better fit your organization’s individual needs.

Business & Professional Development
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October 1 Ethics & Business Integrity
October 1 Team Building Skills
October 1 Leadership Fundamentals & Situational Focus
October 1 Coaching for Results
October 1 Effective Communication for Managers
October 1 Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager
October 1 Disaster Response
October 1 Disaster Recovery and Mitigation
October 11 Business Ethics
October 12 Basic Grant Writing
October 16 Leadership Essentials
October 16 Strategic Business Management
October 18 True Colors

Computer & IT
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October 1 Advanced Java
October 2 HTML/XHTML – Level 2
October 4 Photoshop – Level 2
October 5 Windows 7
October 10 VMWare Vsphere Essential Skills
October 11 Photoshop – Level 3
October 12 Windows File Management
October 12 Internet & Email
October 13 Designing Effective Websites
October 13 Illustrator – Level 1
October 15 QuickBooks Pro – Level 1
October 15 Word 2007 – Level 1
October 15 VMWare Vsphere Data Center Operations
October 16 Facebook for Business I
October 16 Dreamweaver – Level 1
October 18 Adobe Lightroom
October 18 Facebook for Business II
October 20 Fireworks – Level 1
October 20 Illustrator – Level 2
October 20 Access – Level 1
October 22 QuickBooks Pro – Level 2
October 22 Word 2007 – Level 2
October 22 Excel 2007 – Level 1
October 22 SharePoint Business Intelligence
October 23 Dreamweaver – Level 2
October 25 Outlook 2007 – Level 1
October 27 InDesign – Level 1
October 27 Fireworks – Level 2
October 27 Access – Level 2
October 29 QuickBooks Pro – Level 3
October 29 Excel 2007 – Level 2
October 29 Writing T-SQL Queries
October 30 Dreamweaver – Level 3

Green Solutions
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October 11 Energy Related Mold & Moisture
October 20 Renewable Energy Basics

Manufacturing
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October 8 Hydraulics I
October 22 Schematics

OSHA & Safety
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October 1 OSHA Construction
October 22 OSHA Managing Excavation Hazards
October 23 OSHA 10-Hour Construction
October 25 Fork Truck Training
October 29 OSHA 10-Hour General Industry

Quality
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October 2 Introduction to ISO/TS 16949
October 30 ISO/TS Internal Auditing

Technical & Trades
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October 1 Backflow Prevention Certification
October 19 EPA Certification
October 20 Electrical Grounding/Bonding NEC Update
October 26 Preventive Maintenance

To register call 417-447-8888 or visit http://www.otc.edu/workforce/workforce.php

Update: Since returning from Jefferson City a lot has happened. The congressional community for the department of Agriculture for the State of Missouri has signed on the act ( http://dl.dropbox.com/u/96341147/MissourI%20General%20Assembly%20Joint%20Committee%20on%20Urban%20Agriculture%20Report.pdf ) and all of them are supportive of our plan and plan to present it to the Governor next week. I started a LinkedIn account and started networking. I have had two angel investors contact me and one investment firm. All have made requests for our business plan. It has now become a first come first serve play. One is from the windy city, one from the big apple and the other is from Jersey. I have made hundreds of contacts with people of power from the White house down. Our supports are Presidents, Candidates, Representatives, Senators, Governors, Dept. of Economics, The USDA, farmers, business owners, entertainers, and moms and dads. No one has stepped up to the plate yet. There is 40% of this up for grabs for 36 million Buy, Grant, or Loan, or a combination of all three. No one has been able to find a reason not to build this.

Branson Aquaponic Gardens and Educational Center will change the world for the better in time. Put people back to work growing the one thing everyone buys. “FOOD”. Lower greenhouse gases, and provide clean energy resources’ and aquaponic supplies. Most of all give people a place to get the most valuable necessity for survival, “KNOWLEDGE”. Do you remember the old saying “Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish you feed him for a life time”? The best part of this whole thing when you’re asking someone to put up 36 million is location, location.

Branson is #5 in family destinations visitors. 8 million avg. per year. At the height of the season we can expect to see 20,000 people a day, from June to December. Each spends $10.00 on a tour, buys a book or a box of seeds for 20.00 more avg. $30.00 per person. You do the math it is more shocking that way. Then add a class of 20 people 5 times a day for $50.00 more, plus books. That is a $100.00 dollar investment in their family’s health and well being. After taking the class they will need supplies to get growing, canning or cooking. Where is the best place to do that BAGS (Branson Aquaponic Garden School) buy it and have it drop shipped to their door, after they return home. I have not added in the produce or sea food yet. I had one local Chef tell me he uses 500 tilapia fillies a week at the height of season. How many tomatoes do you think a subway uses a day? We got nine of them. Salad bars, Branson is full of them. Folks can just come to the BAGS market and pick it up fresh every day. Missouri also has a jobs Grant for every job created and we plan to put 400 people to work. Handicap workers welcome, we dearly love our vets. LOCATION! LOCATION! We have that and a world redound team of experts to make it happen. First come first served.

Mona Miller, CEO of Marketing
[email protected] 417-338-2537

By: Chelsea Kliethermes

School of the Ozarks volleyball team will play its first home game against Blue Eye on Thursday, September 27, 2012, at 5 p.m. in the Howell W. Keeter Gymnasium on the College of the Ozarks campus.

“I am impressed with our team’s sportsmanship, fighting spirit and the manner in which they represent our school,” said Patriots Head Coach Charlie Warfield. “The future looks bright for our young patriot team!”

In addition to volleyball, School of the Ozarks students compete in track and field, cross country and basketball. The first home game for junior varsity boys and girls basketball is December 6, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. The varsity boys basketball team plays on December 18, 2012, at 6 p.m. and the varsity girls play on January 7, 2012, at 6 p.m. Schedules for track and field and cross country are still pending.

School of the Ozarks, a college preparatory lab school for grades 9-12, provides a unique education by interweaving a biblical worldview, character education and patriotism into rigorous academic curriculum grounded in the Great Books. The School also mirrors College of the Ozarks in that students are not charged tuition, but instead are asked to invest a little sweet equity into their education.

Home games are free of charge. Community members may attend all S of O games. Schedules are available online at www.cofo.edu.

Legacy Youth Institute Begins Saturday, September 22

Branson, MO – September 18, 2012 – The Legacy Youth Institute, a new leadership and mentoring program for high school juniors, will begin this Saturday, September 22 at Shepherd of the Hills. Thirty students from eight Taney and Stone County high schools, as well as students from the home school community, will join together to participate in this six-session program designed to equip young leaders to “shape the culture” of Ozark Mountain Country.

The Legacy Youth Institute was born out of a passion to create a tangible, intentional opportunity for today’s community leaders to pass on our “Ozark Mountain Spirit”— a deep respect for Family, Faith, Friends, Flag, and ensuring a preferred Future—to the next generation. Community leaders and organizations will partner with the Legacy Youth Institute in each session to provide a mentoring experience for student participants.

“It is important to equip and empower our youth to take a leadership role in influencing the future of Ozark Mountain Country,” said Sue Head, Dean of Character Education at College of the Ozarks. “The Legacy Youth Institute will be a powerful experience that will challenge students to see themselves as a vital part of preserving the legacy of our area.”

Area superintendents and high school principals recognize the benefit of this type of student leadership program. “We are blessed in this area to have tremendous leaders who have strong values,” said Chip Arnette, Branson High School Principal. “Any time that our students get the opportunity to interact with these men and women is of great benefit. The Legacy Youth Institute will help empower tomorrow’s leaders to strengthen our community in the future.”

Saturday’s Kick-off Retreat for the Legacy Youth Institute will allow students from all across the area to get to know each other, learn important leadership skills, and hear about the area’s heritage and core value of Faith. Legacy Youth Institute sessions on Family, Friends, Flag, and Future are scheduled monthly, and the program will culminate in March with a Graduation Banquet.

For more information about the Legacy Youth Institute, please contact Ozark Mountain Legacy at (417) 598-1314, or visit www.ozarkmountainlegacy.org.

Help the Red Cross prepare for emergencies by donating blood: Eligible donors encouraged to give during National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, and this year the American Red Cross asks everyone eligible to help prepare for emergencies by donating blood.
National Preparedness Month is designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, workplaces and communities.
The mission of the Red Cross is to help the public prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
One way you can support the mission is to become a regular blood donor.

Taney County Blood Drives, September 2012, Open to the public:

First Presbyterian Church, 420 W Main St, Branson MO, Mon Sept 24, 2012, 1:00p – 6:00p
Walmart Branson Hills, Wed Sept 26, 1:30p – 5:30p

Be sure to eat prior to donating blood.
Bring your Photo Id or Donor Card.
Refreshments for all donors.