By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Thousands of athletes will be in St. Joseph this weekend for the Special Olympics State Indoor Games.

Special Olympics Missouri Digital Media Coordinator Kayla Hull said about 3,000 athletes, coaches and Unified Partners are traveling to St. Joseph to participate in the basketball and bowling events.

“It’s going to be a weekend full of fun and excitement, the athletes have been training really hard for this,” Hull said. “For anyone who has not been to a Special Olympics event, it’s a great time to just come out and see what Special Olympics is all about and help cheer on the athletes.”

The games kick off Friday with the Opening Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at Civic Arena.

Competition events will take place at several venues, with bowling competitions on Friday and Saturday and basketball competition on Saturday only.  The public is encouraged to attend all events.

Volunteers are still needed to help out over the weekend. Hull said they need volunteers especially Friday afternoon for bowling and Saturday during basketball games.

For more information and a schedule of events, go to somo.org/indoor.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

The United Way of Greater St. Joseph is working to find out the needs in the area after the flooding and how to help.

According to United Way of Greater St. Joseph President Kylee Strough, their staff is reaching out to contacts in the surrounding counties impacted by flooding to find out what kind of help they need.

“We know that with flooding, there’s an immediate help that is needed, which, often agencies like the Red Cross are responding to with opening up shelter and things like that,” Strough said. “But additional needs arise as the waters recede and dissipate and people try to get back into their homes and their businesses. We want to make sure that these communities know there are willing volunteers all throughout the Midwest region that are ready to come help them when they’re ready.”

Strough said they are also trying to identify what kinds of supplies are needed. On Tuesday, they learned from contacts in Atchison and Holt counties, there is a need for muck boots, black rubber gloves, buckets, Clorox and more. Strough said they will soon have more information about how people can help and donate items.

There will also be some upcoming fundraising efforts that United Way partners will be putting on to support a flood relief fund. Chick-fil-A will be donating a portion of their day sales on April 6th to the United Way Flood Relief Fund.

Strough said the fund was created to be a channel to get help to families where there is an unmet need because of the flood.

“There are so many excellent resources that come into play when a disaster is declared… but once in awhile there will be needs that a family experiences that there’s just no program already set out to help with or the help they receive didn’t quite cover the impact,” Strough said. “We know we won’t be able to meet all the needs, we have no idea how much funding is going to be raised through these efforts, but we’re going to try to fill in some of those gaps for individuals and families as they not only recover from the flood but move forth in that long process of recovery and rebuilding.”

For more information on resources for those impacted by the flood, dial 2-1-1 or to keep up to date on how to help with flood relief efforts, go to stjosephunitedway.org/2019flood.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Job seekers can begin polishing their resumes for the region’s largest career fair next month.

According to Kristi Bailey with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, each year, about 70 employers, along with educational providers and social service resources set up booths at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

“When people are there, if they need training for something, they could talk to a school about how to further their training to get a position,” Bailey said. “So it’s a great event for businesses, as well as those wanting to get a job or to change positions, because it’s also a great spot to talk about maybe advancing in your career and switching jobs.”

Bailey said the Chamber helps plan the event, which is put on by the St. Joseph Employment Coalition. Employers are encouraged to register to attend the event on April 23rd.

“This really is a great chance for companies that are needing employees to come together in one spot, so job seekers can talk to a lot of different companies at one time and right now we’re really looking to talk to businesses that are needing to fill some spots,” Bailey said. “We know that there are a lot of jobs open to fill in St. Joseph, so this is definitely a great time to take a few hours out of your day and come talk to a large group of potential employees.”

The 14th annual Career Fair takes place from 2 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 23, at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

Businesses interested in setting up a booth at the Career Fair can contact the Chamber at (816) 232-4461 or register at saintjoseph.com.

One man is in custody after shots were fired Sunday night in St. Joseph.

According to the St. Joseph Police Department, shortly before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, a call came in reporting shots fired in the 100 block of South 17th Street. Police say three to four rounds were fired inside a residence during a domestic argument.

Officers established a perimeter around the residence and the man walked out to surrender peacefully to police.

There were no injuries.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Due to the voluntary evacuation issued Thursday night because of potential flooding, the St. Joseph Health Dept. made the decision to evacuate all the animals from the St. Joseph Animal Shelter for their safety.

According Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the Animal Shelter, the animals were moved temporarily to the building the Friends have been leasing with plans to purchase and renovate into a new animal shelter.

Volunteers worked overnight helping to move the animals to the building at 5909 Corporate Drive.

Hodges said the dogs and cats are currently all safely inside the building, although they are confined to crates, which are smaller than normal kennel size. As a result, the dogs will need to be walked frequently and Hodges says volunteer help is welcomed during daytime hours 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

St. Joseph Animal Shelter Humane Educator Jennifer Lockwood said there is also a rescue trailer set up in the Hyde Park parking lot for residents to take their pets if they have been displaced due to the flooding.

For updates and ways to help, go to the Friends of the Animal Shelter Facebook page.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

The American Red Cross works to be prepared ahead of time for any type of disaster, including flooding, that may occur.

“Know that the Red Cross is prepared,” said Angie Springs, Communications and Marketing Officer for the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City and Northwest Missouri. “This is something that we do long before the flood happens, is to be prepared with shelter locations identified, volunteers that are trained and ready to go at the drop of a hat to open shelters wherever they’re needed.”

Springs said they have also been providing meals for those helping with sandbagging efforts and are in constant contact with local emergency management and county commissioners so they can help with any future needs. 

Springs said there are three shelters currently open in the area for anyone who may need to evacuate their home. In Troy, the Troy Community Building at 1217 Last Chance Road is open as a shelter, in St. Joseph, the Keys Church at 6002 S 9th Street is open and in Mound City, the First Christian Church at 402 5th Street is open.

If anyone needs to go to a shelter, Springs said they suggest bringing clothing for a few days, bedding, toiletries, essential medications, your emergency kit and, if you have children, bring a stuffed animal or other comfort items.

Anyone in need of assistance can call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS. To find the nearest shelter go to redcross.org/shelter.

Springs said anyone who would like to help those affected by the flooding is encouraged to volunteer or make a financial contribution to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

“We are devastated, not only in this area, but also in Nebraska, Iowa, we’re dealing with flooding clear on down the United States, throughout the core of the United States,” Springs said. “So we’re in it for the long haul and are going to be there to help these folks pick up the pieces after the floodwaters go down and we’re going to be there to hope that tomorrow’s a little brighter.”  

To sign up to be a Red Cross volunteer, or to make a donation, go to redcross.org.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Second Harvest Community Food Bank is working to assist the surrounding communities being affected by the flooding.

Second Harvest Communications Coordinator Blake Haynes said some immediate donation needs include bottled water, easy-open cans, snack items and personal care items.

“We’ve delivered some water, self-stable items, also some produce up to Holt County, in Missouri, as well as donating some water to Atchison, Kansas, and we’re going to continue to do that to all the areas that are being affected by the flood,” Haynes said. “Some of the ways you can help is bring items to Second Harvest from 8 to 5, or what you can do is go online to shcfb.org, and make a monetary donation or you can do that on Facebook as well. Those funds will directly impact our disaster relief efforts and are greatly appreciated.”

Other suggested items to donate include peanut butter, rice, dry goods and baby food and formula.

Items can be donated between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Second Harvest, located at 915 Douglas in St. Joseph.

For more information, call (816) 364-FOOD. After 5 p.m., or over the weekend, call (816) 617-1003.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Representatives from an Elwood, Kansas, company and the Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph gathered earlier this week at the site of what will eventually be the new animal shelter.

A check presentation was held to recognize a $25,000 donation made by KindredBio to the future St. Joseph facility at 5909 Corporate Drive.

Matthew Applegate is the Senior Director of Commercial Manufacturing and the Site Director for the veterinary pharmaceutical company’s Elwood facility. Applegate said KindredBio’s donation was made to help the plan for the new St. Joseph Animal Shelter become a reality.

“That’s going to be able to really get the community in to see the cats and dogs and be able to increase that adoption rate and home more animals, whereas, their facility right now isn’t the best option,” Applegate said.

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the Shelter said they originally planned to build a new facility, but then found an empty building at Corporate Drive that they decided would meet the needs of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter for less cost.

“It’s only going to be about $2.5 million to both purchase and renovate it… then when we were able to get the CIP committee to choose us as one of the projects, and we’ll get a million from that, then we’re down to a million and a half that we’re going to be raising,” Hodges said. “So when a company like KindredBio, one of the animal health companies in our area gives us money, it’s really exciting for us. We’ve raised enough to make a down payment on the building and now we’re trying to purchase it.”

For more information or to donate, go to petforu.com.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce last week launched a talent recruitment program.

According to Chamber Director of Communications and Marketing Kristi Bailey, the initiative, called Uncommon Life, is geared toward prospective employees and residents of St. Joseph with information on schools, housing and more.

“We’ve been working with human resources departments at some of our companies and we found they really needed some more tools to be able to recruit people to live and work in St. Joseph,” Bailey said. “So we developed a couple of websites that will help with that endeavor, plus we have developed some tours and some events that will help people when they are thinking about moving to St. Joseph and… for people to know St. Joseph once they move here.”

According to the Missouri Chamber Workforce 2030 plan, nationwide, there are 75 million Baby Boomers, with 10,000 of those hitting retirement age every day for the next 11 years. According to a press release from the St. Joseph Chamber, this is a huge concern for employers in St. Joseph. The Chamber adds that communities that invest in strategic workforce development and retention initiatives will win the job war, and it wants St. Joseph to be one of those places.

“Business success is largely driven by the quality of its employees,” said R. Patt Lilly, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. “Local companies often tell us they have a difficult time filling positions with qualified candidates because they’ve never heard of St. Joseph, or don’t know what the city has to offer. The new talent recruitment program gives business leaders the tools they need to recruit employees and new residents to St. Joseph.”

The website is uncommonlife.saintjoseph.com.