By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Local coaches will be taking a break from sports to bus tables for tips Wednesday night.

The Backpack Buddies Coaches Challenge is a fundraiser for Second Harvest Community Food Bank’s Backpack Buddies program.

According to Second Harvest, each child enrolled in the supplemental weekend feeding program, receives a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack each weekend during the school year.

St. Joseph area high school and Missouri Western coaches will bus tables and collect donations at five participating McDonald’s locations for the fundraiser.

Missouri Western State University Head Football Coach Matt Williamson says he was a part of the Coaches Challenge last year.

“It’s very rewarding when you do that for the community… but it’s really great for those kids because they need that,” Williamson said. “You want to make sure a kid has a chance to have success and if you give them a good head start, like we do with the Backpack Buddy program, it just starts off the school year right and gives the kids confidence and encouragement to make sure they finish strong.”

Williamson said there are usually volunteers inside and outside with donation buckets. 

Coaches will be collecting donations from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the following McDonald’s locations:

Midtown- Central

North Belt- Lafayette

Lake Contrary- Benton

South Belt- Leblond

Truck Stop- Missouri Western

 

For more information, visit the Second Harvest Community Food Bank’s Facebook page.

Apple Blossom Festival events kick off Friday night at Civic Center Park in St. Joseph.

The “Made with Uncommon Character” community branding campaign is putting on the BBQ contest this weekend. Campaign Director Kristi Bailey said the People’s Choice contest takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday with the opportunity to sample the entries.

“People can buy a wristband for (the) People’s Choice contest and for $10 they can sample 24 competitor’s pork samples and then vote for their favorite. The winner will get a cash prize the next day,” Bailey said. “If you don’t want just samples of pork, we do have multiple vendors there selling BBQ, tenderloins, kettle corn, ice cream, all kinds of things.”

Eighties cover band Blue Oyster Culture Club will perform from 7 to 10 Friday night at Civic Center Park.

The Apple Blossom Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and travels from Noyes and Frederick to Fourth and Felix Downtown. Bailey encourages everyone to head to Civic Center Park after the parade.

“Come eat lunch, eat some BBQ, but also we are going to have a lot of kids activities. We’ve got bounce houses for the little ones.. We have these giant obstacle courses for big kids, just really a lot to do,” Bailey said. “So after the kids eat too much sugar at the parade, bring them over to the park and let them burn off some of that energy and have a good time at the BBQ.”

For a full schedule of events, go to uncommoncharacter.com.

One person is in custody after St. Joseph police responded to two separate shots fired calls overnight.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, shortly before 12:30 a.m., officers responded to a call of multiple shots fired in the area of 1400 N. 11th. Officers were informed that two vehicles were traveling north on 11th and one vehicle was firing at another. Multiple shell casings were located in the area and a short time later a suspect was identified. Wilson said around 9 a.m. Wednesday, a 39-year-old man was arrested in the area of Highland Meadows trailer park.

Also overnight, around 1 a.m., officers responded to a call of multiple shots fired in the area of 2900 N. 12th.  Upon arrival, officers located multiple shell casings and damage to a trailer.  No injuries were reported and no suspect has been identified.

Wilson said, at this time, there’s no evidence suggesting the two incidents are related.

 

Tickets for LakeFest in Atchison will go on sale May 1st.

Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce President Jacque Pregont said the annual concert during the Amelia Earhart Festival will feature Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan and Devin Dawson this year.

“It’s a great, great concert out at Warnock Lake, it’s one of the cheapest concerts you’ll get to go to and advance tickets are only $25,” Pregont said. “Those tickets go on sale May 1st. We always like to start to get inside people’s head. Think summer, it’s coming.”

LakeFest is July 19th at Warnock Lake near Atchison.

Tickets are available at any of the banks in Atchison or at the Chamber, the Stetson Factory Outlet in St. Joseph, Merz Farm Equipment in Falls City, Jock’s Nitch in Maryville or online at visitatchison.com.

Over 350 pounds of unused or expired pills were collected through a prescription drug take back event held in St. Joseph on Saturday.

According to the St. Joseph Youth Alliance, 235 cars went through the drop off location in the East Hills Mall parking lot. Collected were 353 pounds of prescription medications, 82 pounds of needles, 48 pounds of prescription bottles and five pounds of inhalers.

The event, which gives residents the opportunity to safely dispose of unused or expired medications, is sponsored by St. Joseph Youth Alliance, the Drug Free Community Coalition, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department and the St. Joseph Police Department.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

April is National Donate Life Month and a Falls City, Nebraska, woman shares her experience and encourages others to register as organ donors.

Polly Koelzer’s daughter Danielle was in a car wreck in July 2003. According to Koelzer, doctors told her Danielle was not going to survive and asked if they would consider donating her organs. Koelzer said it was not an easy decision to make in the hospital just 12 hours after the car wreck, but said she’s glad they decided to donate.

“A 7-month-old baby got half her liver,” Koelzer said. “The doctors told us (Danielle) probably saved over 100 lives, seven with major organs and the rest with skin, bones, tissue, everything else.”

Koelzer said she has kept in contact with the 7-month-old, Analiese, from Danville, Illinois. Analiese is now 16-years-old, off of anti-rejection medicine and doing well.

“I am so grateful that they kept in touch with me all these years. I met her one time when she was probably 12, and I want to go out and see her again,” Koelzer said. “It helps the donor family a lot to know that their child or loved one lives on in someone else. The mother called me one time and asked me about traits… she said this daughter is nothing like her other two daughters. She’s more outgoing, I would say, more rebellious. That’s the way my daughter was.”

Koelzer encourages others, no matter their age or health condition, to consider registering as an organ donor.

“If you think you’re old and can’t donate, that’s not true, there are things people can use like your eyes, corneas. It’s very important to donate.”

For more about organ donation, go to donatelife.net.