Tantone Thrift Store Grand Opening and Community Awareness Event – October 8, 2011

Join us on Saturday, October 8 from 10:00am – 2:00pm for the grand opening of our Thrift Store. Get a FREE reusable shopping bag with every Thrift Store purchase.
We will have a bounce house, facepainting, games, prizes, food, fun and more.
Need documents shredded? We will provide FREE secure document shredding that day. (Limit 50 pounds per household, not for commercial shredding.)

Tantone Industries, Inc. is a sheltered workshop. We provide meaningful employment for adults with developmental disabilities in Taney County.

www.tantone.org – 1629 E State Hwy 76 Branson – 417.334.7447

Perfect Storm Hits Christian Action Ministries (CAM)

September 20, 2011… When all of the forces of nature come together to wreak havoc in New England, they call it a “perfect storm”. Today in Taney County, Christian Action Ministries is wrestling with the forces of economics and scarcity in the distribution of food through their two pantries and mobile outreach.

CAM relies on several factors to keep the food shelves stocked.

• The federal commodity program is a monthly delivery from Ozarks Food Harvest of specific items generated through federal programs. These normally include about 8 to 9 different items such as frozen meat, canned vegetables and fruit, 32- ounce cans of fruit juice, peanut butter, and more.
• Purchasing of food that has been collected by Ozarks Food Harvest at a very nominal cost per pound, generally ranging from 14 to 24 cents per pound. From cereal to canned meats and meals, this accounts for a significant amount of the food distributed within Taney County.
• Purchasing of food from local grocery stores at a quantity discount to supplement the food supply.
• Food donated through local food drives.
• Local cash donations enabling CAM to purchase food and cover operational overhead.

The current problems impacting CAM include reduced receipt of federal commodities, reduced availability of food to purchase through Ozarks Food Harvest, and decreased cash contributions. Compounding all of this is dramatically increased demand for CAM’s services as executive director Pat Davis explained, “We haven’t been able to catch our breath before the winter demand this year. Over 1,400 hundred families requested help in August and that’s about 1,000 more than normal.”

Federal Commodities

No one at CAM is aware of the specific reasons, but the monthly federal commodity delivery has been reduced to just three items for the last two months. Board treasurer Dave Hoy said, “This month we’re only receiving frozen chicken, pasta, and pasta sauce. So in order to provide balanced nutrition we are forced to purchase canned vegetables and fruit to help supplement our inventory. And since supplies are low at Ozarks Food Harvest, we’ve had to purchase these items from local retailers at a higher cost. This is becoming extremely costly for CAM.”

The Food Bank

Ozarks Food Harvest, the regional food bank, is normally the primary resource for CAM’s purchases with warehouses full of food. Due to the demand of this year’s disasters and reduced donations from national sources, their shelves are pretty bare.
When CAM needed vegetables this past week, the food bank didn’t have any on hand. As a result CAM spent $649 to buy a pallet of 1,100 cans of vegetables from a local grocer. If it had been available through Ozarks Food Harvest, those vegetables would have only cost about $200.

The problem becomes even greater when you look at CAM’s purchase credits at the food bank. Board chairman Jack Burke explains, “We knew that demand was going up and donations were going down, so we were extremely excited at a grant opportunity that enabled us to double our money. Every dollar committed to Ozarks Food Harvest was doubled through this opportunity. As a result, we now have over $20,000 in food credits at the bank, but their supplies are so low we can’t really utilize this credit. Plus by committing those donations to the program, we have limited the money available to make purchases from outside retailers.”

Donations

Burke also said that cash donations for the year are down about 25% from last year with the biggest drop being in donations from businesses due to the sluggish economy.

According to Davis, “At this point in time we desperately need cash donations to enable us to continue purchasing food and we’re spending about five time the normal amount each month. But we also need more food drives, which will help decrease the amount of food we need to purchase. Hopefully the businesses that have had to cut back on their cash donations might be able to spearhead more food drives instead. We have faith that our community will rally to provide the support we need to balance our inventory and cover our overhead in God’s name.”

Christian Action Ministries operates food pantries in Branson and Forsyth, as well as a monthly mobile outreach to eastern Taney County communities. Year to date through August, CAM has already distributed nearly 160 tons of food to Taney County residents. Anyone wishing to organize a food drive, donate cash, food, or time, can call Pat Davis at 334-1157 or visit the CAM website at www.christianactionministries.org.

Branson Airport to Honor 9/11 Aviation Industry Heroes

Ceremony will remember the fallen and those who reclaimed the skies over the United States of America

BRANSON, MISSOURI – Branson Airport will hold a brief ceremony to honor the fallen of 9/11 on the 10th anniversary this Sunday at 9:03 a.m. marking the time that United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field.
While all who lost their lives that day will be remembered, the ceremony will highlight the 33 crew members who perished on the four fatal flights: American Airlines Flight 77, American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175 and United Airlines Flight 93. The ceremony will also recognize the 84 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey employees who perished that day.
The Ceremony will end by remembering the heroes who got America flying again.
The government re-opened the nation’s airspace on September 13th at 11 am a little more than 48 hours after the attacks. Many employees were scared, some of them lost friends and colleagues just a few days before. They did not know if more attacks were possible. They also knew changes to the security system that were already being discussed would not be implemented for some time.
The Branson Airport Staff will honor the heroes who returned to work on September 13th and reclaimed the skies over the United States of America. Not to be forgotten are the “tens of thousands of aviation personnel who put their uniforms back on and led the way to getting the country moving again despite their fears,” as stated by Tom Murphy, author of Reclaiming the Sky; 9/11 and the Untold Story of the Men and Women Who Kept America Flying.
The public is welcome to attend.

CAM’s Gospel Sing-off Winner Southern Raised

Branson, MO…A team of celebrity judges ranked 12 talented finalists performing before a crowd of nearly 1,000 for CAM’s 3rd Annual Gospel Sing-Off at Sight & Sound Theater on Sunday afternoon. Southern Raised, a bluegrass gospel group of three sisters and a brother from Crane, Missouri, took first place. These talented musicians and singers won a prize purse of $1,500 and two performance slots at Silver Dollar City on Labor Day. Placing second with a $1,000 prize purse was Todd Braschler, a minister from Wichita, whose family has roots in Branson’s entertainment history. Taking third place and $500 was Jericho, a quartet from DeSoto, Missouri. Braschler was a third place winner last year and Jericho took second place in 2009.

Attendees raved about the level of talent in this year’s event, which was opened with some powerful gospel singing by SIX. Last year’s winners, the Peterson Family, also made a guest appearance to open the second half of the show. Prior to announcing the winners, local saxophonist Gary Dooms performed Amazing Grace to the delight of the crowd.

For the third straight year, Bob Hubbard of the Jordanaires and the Foggy River Boys kept things on pace as the host emcee. Aside from the opening invocation and introduction of the acts, Bob also traded a few quips with judge Ronnie Page, who sings with the Downing Street Boys and is the entertainment editor for the Independent. Ronnie began his career with the Oak Ridge Boys, later joining the Chuck Wagon Gang.

Judge Bogie Bohinc, one of Branson’s top guitarists, commented, “Every finalist up there was a winner. The talent was exceptional and the judging decisions were tough. However the real winners of this event are the people in our community who will be helped by CAM.”

Pat Davis, CAM’s Executive Director, announced to the crowd that over 1,400 families were helped by CAM in August. “This is a record number for us and is indicative of the ever-increasing need. That’s why CAM needs your support as we begin to prepare for the winter months of traditionally greater need.”

CAM Board Chairman and producer of the event Jack Burke added, “We are particularly grateful to our wonderful and supportive community, along with Sight & Sound for providing this fantastic venue for our annual Sing-Off and Branson Tourism Center for sponsoring the prize purses. We’re blessed to be living in an area where neighbors truly do help neighbors.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation to CAM can call 335-1157 or visit www.christianactionministries.org.

CAM’s Gospel Sing-off 2nd Place – Todd Braschler


CAM’s Gospel Sing-off 3rd Place – Jericho

The Track Family Fun Parks To Conduct Safe Driving Program – “Life On Track”

The Track Family Fun Parks in Branson, Missouri announced today the second launch of “Life on Track” – a teen safe driving program. Several school districts from the junior high to high school levels will be involved: Branson, Hollister, Forsyth, Reeds Spring and Taneyville. The Track will create a simulated DUI experience, as well as an exercise demonstrating the dangers associated with texting while driving. Prior to the actual driving events, officials from the Branson Police Department will conduct an education session. The program has grown from two participating school districts in 2010 to five districts this year consisting of approximately 350 students. The event will be held at The Track 4 location on September 6, 8, and 9.

“Life on Track” will elevate the awareness of the seriousness and impact of drunk driving. The Track and the Branson Police Department are working together to help ensure the safety of our Tri-Lakes families. This engaging experience includes the use of simulator goggles while driving a course and “walking the line” to showcase the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol. There will also be an element of texting while driving, which has become a bigger issue as mobile phones have become more prevalent and have gotten “smarter.”

According to the Underage Drinking Prevention Coalition of the Taney County Health Department, the average age of first use of alcohol among our youth has decreased to age 12. Nearly 50% of adolescents have had at least one drink by 8th grade. The Track is taking an active role in helping shine the light on this serious issue. Area youth will experience and learn in a safe environment how dangerous and difficult it actually is to drive while intoxicated. The number of families who are affected each year from DUI-related fatalities is devastating.

“For 30 years, an important aspect of our company mission has been supporting families and kids in our community. With our facilities and resources, we have the unique ability to offer a safe environment where kids can learn some very important life lessons. If we just open the eyes of a few students to the dangers of drunk and/or distracted driving, Life on Track will be a success,” comments Craig Wescott, Vice President/Co-Owner of The Track Family Fun Parks.

“The support we receive from The Track and the Branson Police Department for this program and our students is immeasurable,” said Brad Swofford, Assistant Superintendent for the Branson School District. “This program really provides our students with the deadly facts about drinking and driving.”

The Track is proud to welcome sponsors such as Commerce Bank, Ozark Mountain Bank, Andy’s Frozen Custard and Verizon Wireless to this community program and event. If you wish to help or get involved, please contact The Track.

We would like to invite all media who wish to experience driving with the simulator goggles, to participate with the live events or to interview officials regarding the educational content to contact The Track and plan to attend this event on September 6, 8 or 9 from 9:00-11:00 am or 12:30-2:30 pm at Track 4 (3345 W. 76 Country Blvd.) in Branson, Missouri.

About The Track Family Fun Parks:
The Track Family Fun Parks started entertaining local and visiting families in 1981. The four Branson, Missouri locations offer high-rise and classic go-kart tracks for all ages, laser tag, bumper boats/cars, mini golf, kids’ rides, arcades, and more with no gate admission charge. www.bransontracks.com

“Mingle with the Stars,” at the Andy William’s Moon River Grill on August 26, from 5pm – 8pm, for the benefit of the Gift of Hope and its “Back Pack Club.” The Back Pack Club provides supplemental food to over 300 school children each week of the school year. Stephanie Milton, Director of Special Events for the Branson Tourism Center and a Gift of Hope board member, said, “It will be an evening of food and fun, including silent and live auctions and wine from Stone Hill Winery, all for a great cause.”

Silent Auction Items (Begins at 5 pm and ends at 7 pm):

Fall floral arrangement: Value $30
Donor: First Community Bank of the Ozarks

$25 gift certificate to the Floral Cottage Tea Room in Forsyth Missouri.

2 Rounds of golf at Murder Rock value: $160
Donor: American Family Insurance Agent, Ben Roberts

Four Missouri State Men’s Basketball Tickets and signed print from Coach Paul Lusk: Value: $170
Ticket donor: Conco Concrete Company. Print Donor: Nelligan Sports Marketing

Dinner for two at Rib Crib (no set value) and tickets and CD from the Cat’s Pajamas show located at the Branson Music Mall: Approx value: $125

Date night package: Florentina’s Restaurant dinner for two, 2 IMAX movie tickets and 2 Andy’s Frozen Custard gift cards. Value: $82
Donor: Dinner and movie from IMAX Entertainment Complex.

Stillwater’s Resort, located on Table Rock Lake, 2 night stay in a 1 bedroom condo. Value: $260

Stone Hill winery basket

Autumn Breeze restaurant dinner for two.  Located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Value: $34

The Track Family Fun Park Basket. Value: $130

Two night stay at the Hilton Promenade and dinner for two at Level 2: Approx Value: $400

Custom made greeting cards.
Donor: Becky Roberts

Live Auction Items (Begins at 7 pm):

One week vacation in a private home on the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Value: $3,200
Donor: Jay and Kim Steed

Private boat cruise for up to 8 people from State Park Marina and dinner on Table Rock Lake. Approx. Value: $1,000
Donor: Jeff and Rachel Wood

Toshiba Laptop and Canon Printer. Value: $750
Donor: Best Buy Branson

Private dinner for up to 12 people prepared by Chef Robert Stricklin at the home of Robin and Tony Collier.

Necklace and Earrings, sterling silver with rose gold overlay and diamonds. Value: $1,250
Donor: Tatman’s Fine Jewelry Boutique, located in the Grand Village Mall in Branson, Missouri.

One week stay at any RCI vacation destination; worldwide. Value $1,500  Donor: Kimberling Inn Resort, Kimberling City.

For further information and reservations on either the “Back Pack Club Benefit,” the Gift of Hope or any of its other programs please call or email Meghan Connell at 417-546-8062 or [email protected], respectively, or visit their website, www.GiftofHopeinc.org.

Branson Cares For Joplin Keeps on Raising Funds

“Help our Joplin neighbors” was the message the Branson community wanted delivered during the live Branson Cares For Joplin Benefit Concert & Telethon, and clearly, generous viewers and concert attendees got the message. As of August 19, 2011, The League of Branson Theatre Owners & Show Producers (The Branson Show League) is pleased to announce that $202,732.29 of the pledged monies has been collected and a little over $20,000 in pledges is still outstanding. “To have over 90% of the money collected at this point is amazing,” says Cindy Merry, Branson Show League Marketing Chair, “and we expect to see most of the outstanding pledges collected over the next few weeks. Wouldn’t it be something to be able to say that of the estimated $221,000 pledged on the night of the benefit, we collected a hundred percent? Help us reach that goal – if you’ve pledged a donation, please try and send it in by September 5th as there will be a formal check presentation to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin during that week.”

Renee Johnson, Branson Show League Executive Director adds, “Of the monies already collected the Branson Show League has distributed $45,000 to the Joplin Band Booster account, $5,000 to the St Mary’s Catholic School Music program, and $1,000 dollars each to Palen Music and Hoover Music for instrument repairs. We’re also happy to report that over 300 instruments have been donated for the schools, with an estimated value of roughly $90,000 to $100,000. Funds donated to Joplin Band Booster account will be used for any instruments needing repair. In addition the Joplin High School was given two guitars (valued at approximately $4000) a Taylor provided by Doyle Dykes and a Paul Reed Smith provided by Ricky Skaggs. The balance of the collected funds will go to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin.”

“One hundred percent of all donated monies are going to St John’s Mercy Hospital/Joplin and the Joplin Schools’ music programs,” says Jim Barber, of the Hamner Barber Variety Theatre and President of the Branson Show League. “We’d like to thank the volunteers who have spent an incredible amount of time collecting these donations. As performers, show producers, and those working in the entertainment industry, many of us thought that pulling off a benefit concert and telethon in less then 4 weeks was an amazing feat in and of itself. In reality, to complete the mission means getting the money collected and handed over to the folks in need. From databasing pledges for invoicing to returning hundreds of messages, the volunteers have probably spent more time on this than their full-time jobs. Our volunteers really have shown the Branson spirit of caring both for their neighbors and to make sure the job is done right.”

Timothy Dutton, from the Dutton Family Theatre and Branson Show League Board Member, notes that some of the time intensive process involved deciphering hundreds of different handwriting on pledge forms. “We had somewhere close to 200 calls that we made to verify credit card information as there might be something about the information we couldn’t clearly understand a transposed number or expiration date in most cases.” Timothy adds, “Actually the great thing about this was we talked to quite a lot of nice people who were so happy to be helping Joplin. They were sweet.”

The method of how folks communicated their donation was varied. From the traditional check mailed in to credit cards via phone The Branson Show League tried to accommodate everyone. “Texting a pledge was an interesting new way to get donations,” says Susan Weimar, of the Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus and a Branson Show League Board Member, “and we had approximately 100 of those, and of course, we had to call each of them to get their credit card information.”

Donations are still being collected. There are approximately 70 calls still to be made to donors to answer queries, clear up donation information, and arrange for collection of donations. Mike Hughes, of the Hughes Brothers Theatre and Branson Show League Business Chair says, “We want to make sure that we raise every bit of money we can to help our friends in Joplin who were devastated by the EF5 tornado. This media release is an update of where we are right now with collections; however we plan to have a nice presentation event in Joplin the first week of September. So again, please send in your pledge right away…and even if you haven’t pledged, feel free to donate now at JoplinBenefit.com.”

Hollye Gurley, from the Baldknobbers Theatre and Branson Show League Membership Chair, notes that “you can visit JoplinBenefit.com and still download the heart-touching songs created for Joplin by our local stars. The songs are Just Hold On by Trey Wilson, Jason Robinson, and Michael W. Davis (a.k.a. Fall Creek Road) and the Joplin Song by Doug Gabriel. A hundred percent of those proceeds also go to help St. John’s Mercy Hospital.”

Ann Stafford, of the Jim Stafford Theatre and Branson Show League Vice-President, adds, “We are truly thankful for the blessing of all the folks who helped achieve this resoundingly successful benefit. There’s a vast list of people who deserve a pat on the back for this community effort to help Joplin. While this particular press release doesn’t name all of those who helped, we do want to continually acknowledge the support of so many. On behalf of our Branson Cares For Joplin committee and the Branson Show League we’d like to say to our performers, production crews, writers, technical teams, those in the telephone room, the on-air talent, benefit organizers, promoters, broadcasters, donation collectors; to those who provided transportation, donations, meals, tickets, services, and silent auction items; and to those who donated time and money; and to anyone who has helped raise these monies; job well done!”

Donations to the Joplin relief effort may be made to:
Branson Cares Joplin Benefit
c/o The League of Branson Theatre Owners and Show Producers
Post Office Box 5083
Branson, Missouri 65615
Or by visiting www.JoplinBenefit.com

The Gift of Hope is the parent organization of the Backpack Club which provides supplemental food to over 300 school children each week of the school year. It recently received 103 cases of granola bars for the Back Pack Club, from a private donor, through the  Christian Action Ministries (CAM) Food Pantry. Pictured left to right are Pat Davis, Director of Christian Action Ministries and Janet Akers, Christian Action Ministries Board Member.

For more information on the Gift of Hope or the Back Pack Club please contact Meghan Connell at 417-546-8062 or go to its website.

The CAM food pantries in Branson and Forsyth are two of the 300 local food pantries served by our regional food bank, Ozarks Food Harvest. Through this food bank, CAM is able to purchase quantities of food at reduced pricing due to the national corporate donors to the food bank. Additionally the food bank also distributes the monthly federal commodities to the member pantries.

In recent weeks Ozark Food Harvest has sent over 100 semi-truckloads of food to the recovery effort in Joplin, and continue to send 15 truckloads per week. This has obviously put additional stress on the food bank’s ability to service the 300 local food pantries, including CAM. In the interim, these food pantries also continue to experience spikes in demand due to the economy and due to people relocating from the Joplin area. Additionally, according to Ozarks Food Harvest, corporate donations are down as major contributors have earmarked good for Joplin as well.

Taney County residents, businesses, and organizations fully support the efforts to assist our neighbors in Joplin during this time of dire need. However, over 1,000 families per month in Taney County are also turning to CAM for help in keeping food on the table for their families.

According to CAM Director Pat Davis, “Our commodities order for this month has been reduced to three items, and even those are less than normal. With this continuing level of demand and reduced assistance from the food bank, CAM has to spend substantially more money to purchase food to serve the needs of our county residents. This is putting considerably extra stress on our budget and we really need the community to rally around in support of CAM. After all, CAM has always been about neighbors helping neighbors.”

CAM Board Chairman Jack Burke identified several ways that the community can help CAM at this point in time:

• Support CAM’s upcoming 3rd Annual Gospel Sing-Off fundraiser at Sight & Sound Theatre on September 4th by becoming a sponsor for the event and by purchasing tickets to attend the Sing-Off.
• Commit to a regular monthly donation to CAM.
• Make a singular donation to CAM.
• Conduct a food drive for CAM.
• Make a personal food donation.
• Support CAM with your prayers.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 15 percent of American households, or more than 17 million people, didn’t have enough food to eat at some point in 2009. That’s the highest figure since the USDA began gathering data in the 1990s.
Looking at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food insecurity list Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, rank among the top 11. Food insecurity is defined as lacking consistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food.

People seeking help at CAM are provided a 3-day supply of nutritional food items for each member of their family. Selections are based on the federal nutritional food pyramid and special needs of individuals. In addition to the two food pantries, CAM operates a mobile outreach program to eastern Taney County communities, and due to a grant also operates bi-monthly food drops in Forsyth.

For more information, contact the CAM offices at 417-334-1157 or visit www.christianactionministries.org.