Monthly Update WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG JAN. 2015 Chamber Board Offers No Increase in Membership Fees – Special Incentives for Returning Members The De Soto Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, at their December, 2014 Board Meeting, voted to keep dues fees and advertising fees the same as in 2014. In addition, special discounts are being offered to members to try new advertising options in 2015 for a 50% discount. “The Board wanted to encourage members to take advantage of the Chamber’s marketing and advertising opportunities, which are some of the most reasonable and beneficial aspects of a Chamber membership,” said Executive Director Sara Ritter. “Our hope is that with no increase in fees, members will want to add to their benefits with a special incentive to try programs that they have not taken advantage of in 2014 at a remarkable discount rate.” The special discount is good through January 31, 2015 – the deadline for membership renewals. For members who need additional information on the services they purchased in 2014, please call Executive Director Ritter. January Membership Dinner to Feature Dueling Pianos Entertainment Friday, January 23, 2015 is quickly approaching for the annual De Soto Chamber of Commerce Membership Dinner and Auction. This year’s entertainment is Big Show Dueling Pianos, who can best be described as two world class vocalists and piano players performing on two baby grand replica pianos that face each other. They’ll have you singing along and dancing with a few laughs and good natured comedy sprinkled in for good measure. The guests will request songs to be performed, so begin thinking of your favorite song to submit! In addition to the entertainment, there will be a Wine Pull and Silent Auction – proceeds benefit your De Soto Chamber of Commerce. Members are asked to donate a bottle(s) of wine with a minimum value of at least $15. Participants will have the chance to pull a cork and receive a bottle of wine that is valued at $15 - $100! Please contact Sara Ritter at 913-583-1585 for more information and if you are able to donate items for the silent auction and/or wine pull. The Annual Dinner Committee has worked very hard this year to provide you with caliber entertainment and fun activities as our way of thanking the membership for a wonderful 2014. Reservations can be made by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling 913-583-1585. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. See you on the 23rd! WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG What’s Inside: From the Director’s Corner ............. 2 Luncheon Update .......................... 3 Mayor Meets with Community....... 3 De Soto Library Update .................. 3 Annual Dinner Info ........................ 5 USD 232 Update ............................ 6 City News ...................................... 9 Calendar of Events ....................... 11 1 President’s Update From the Director’s Corner by Mike Rogers Chamber President by Sara Ritter, IOM, Executive Director Energized is going to be my word for 2015. I am very excited with all of the new ideas and programs that the Chamber Board has put into place for 2015! They have been working very hard to increase services for you, our valued member, and I encourage you to take a look at the new opportunities. I’m back! Happy 2015 and get ready for another fantastic year at the De Soto Chamber of Commerce. I am once again honored to serve as your Chamber President. As a business owner, I understand that each and every business has options for marketing and promotion of their business. I am a firm believer that this should start with the De Soto Chamber of Commerce. There’s no better way to let the community and potential clients know about your business than the Chamber. Whether it is through the Membership Directory, meeting potential clients and long-lasting friends at monthly luncheons or networking events, there is a wide variety of options out there to let people know De Soto is a great place to live, work and play. I am extremely honored to have a great group of Board Members this year, which includes: Stephanie Swenson, GreatLife Golf & Fitness, Diane Redford, Huhtamaki Americas, Inc., and Julie Coover, American Family Insurance. Of course we can’t let our 2014 Chamber President get away that easily! Matthew Little with Great American Bank will return as the Past President. I am asking each and every member to take a moment and think about what your expectations are for your Chamber and put them to action. Julie Coover has created Committees which will focus on efforts such as Membership, Fundraising, Networking, Finance, Business Recognition, New Members and more. These committees will have a direct focus on their particular interest. With that, I am challenging you to consider signing up to be on the Committee of your choice. For more information, contact Julie Coover at 913-583-1219 [email protected] or Sara Ritter at 913-583-1585 [email protected]. This is your chance to get involved and keep your Chamber strong and growing. I’ve found many benefits of being involved in the Chamber and I’m confident that your company will benefit as well. See you on January 23rd! The Annual Membership Dinner will be here before you know it! Again, I am energized at the outstanding work the group has done assembling fun and entertainment for our members. Many annual meetings center around reflection and looking forward – our meeting will include this as well; however, we have had a long-standing commitment to use the meeting as a way to thank the members and give them a night of camaraderie and entertainment. This year we will have a theme for our annual dinner, which is We Treasure our Community. That includes you, our wonderful members! Our Annual Dinner Committee is energized at the possibilities of fun you will have with this theme – and we’re quite certain you’ll be taking home a bounty of treasures from the meeting! Yes, the annual membership meeting is about fun, entertainment and reflection but it is also much more than that. This is our opportunity to share the accomplishments of the Chamber, give you the opportunity to network with some of the business businesses in the area and promote your business. A very special Thank You to Great American Bank and Shawnee Mission Medical Center for being our Premier Sponsors for the event and for Huhtamaki Americas, Inc., GreatLife Golf & Fitness and the City of De Soto for their sponsorship. We’re still in need of additional sponsors for either Beverages, Annual Dinner and/or Thank You Gifts. We’ve also got the Wine Pull and Silent Auction as a way for you to participate, too! Thank you and get ready to be energized in 2015! WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 2 Reminder – No January Chamber Luncheon Because of the January 23, 2015 De Soto Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Dinner, there will not be a luncheon in January. Mayor to Host Informal GetTogether Events with Community Luncheons will resume on Thursday, February 12th. Donations Needed for Annual Dinner The Chamber will be hosting a Wine Pull at the January 23rd Annual Dinner, which is an event that attendees get the opportunity to purchase a wine cork with a number corresponding to a mystery bottle of wine valued anywhere from $15 - $100. We will have 50 corks and need donated bottles of wine with a minimum value of at least $15. The Silent Auction is one of our main fundraisers to kick off our year and helps ensure that membership dues are kept to a minimum for the following year. Your help is needed by donating items for the silent auction. This year’s theme for the Annual Dinner is “We Treasure our Community.” Attendees will get a chance to purchase a number at your dinner table for a chance to win the centerpiece Mayor Tim Maniez is planning to host a series of informal get-togethers to share updates on city happenings to get feedback from residents in issues important to them. If you are interested in hosting a gathering of friends and neighbors at your home in the coming weeks, please contact Mayor Tim Maniez at 913.636.3609 or City Administrator Cynthia Wagner at 913.586.5252. MORE THAN JUST BOOKS! Did you know there’s an app for that? The JCL app lets you access your library card bar code as well as place holds right from your Apple or Android device. You can also access your account to see when your items are due or if you have any items available for pickup. Use the app to find the location and hours of a specific branch. It’s all there. Download it today! We’re more than just books!! If you are interested in helping support these fundraisers, please call Sara Ritter at 913-583-1585 or via e-mail at [email protected] as soon as possible. THANK YOU! WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 3 WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 4 WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 5 Local Option Budget Election > January 2015 Information about the January 2015 mail ballot election for USD 232. This is a NO tax increase, NO new funding election. Voters within the school district will have an opportunity to directly support our students and staff by voting to maintain local funding for the school district. Learn more about the mail ballot election at www.usd232.org. Ballots will begin arriving in the mail on or about January 7. All ballots are due back to the election office by Noon on January 27. Mill Creek Middle School Student Selected as People’s Choice Winner in Learning Quest Make Your Mark Contest Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes presented $1,000 award for college (Photo: State Treasurer Ron Estes, student Lanie Whitehill, Mrs. Whitehill, teacher Jill Church and principal Larry Breedlove.) Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes awarded Mill Creek Middle School student Lanie Whitehill with a $1,000 college savings account during a school assembly December 9 for being selected as a people’s choice winner in the statewide Make Your Mark contest. Mill Creek Middle School was also awarded $1,000 for encouraging their winning student to participate. Learning Quest sponsored the contest for all seventh and eighth grade students in Kansas to encourage them to think about their future and the importance of higher education. Students were asked to respond to the theme, ‘your future is a clean slate where anything is possible,’ by communicating a vision for their future through an essay or creative project. Entries were judged on creativity, originality of content and clarity. More than 700 submissions were received from students across the state for the chance to win a Learning Quest college savings account. “I couldn’t be more proud of all the entries we received this year,” said Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes. “The quality of work our Kansas youth displayed in each of their entries was incredible and made judging difficult. It was exciting to discover that we had a winner from Mill Creek Middle School again—that’s two years in a row that the school has had a winner. I think that speaks volumes of their students, their teachers, and the school.” The Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program was created to help families invest for their child’s continued education after high school whether at a traditional fouryear college, community college, or technical/vocational school. Kansas taxpayers can receive a Kansas tax deduction up to $3,000 per child ($6,000 if married, filing jointly) on contributions to Learning Quest. WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 6 WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 7 WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 8 De Soto Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Thursday, February 12, 2015 (NOTE there is NO luncheon in January) 11:30 a.m. Location: USD 232 District Offices 35200 W. 91st Street, De Soto, KS 66018 KBS Constructors $12/members and $17/non-members Underwriter: Cost: RSVP’s required to ensure adequate food - call 913-583-1585 or e-mail [email protected] January, 2015 Sun da y M onda y T uesd a y W edn e sda y Due to the Annual Dinner, there will not be a monthly chamber luncheon in January. The next luncheon will be the State of the City Address on February 12th. Events listed in BOLD Remember that Chamber/EDC Dues should be remitted by January 31st in order to ensure the timely completion of the Chamber Membership Directory. Thank you! T hursd a y 1 Fri da y S atu rd a y 2 3 New Year’s Day are Chamber events 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 23 24 USD 232 Board Meeting De Soto City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. De Soto City Hall 6:00 p.m. 35200 W. 91st Street 18 19 20 21 22 Annual Dinner De Soto VFW Registration 6 pm -Prepaid event- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 25 26 27 28 29 EDC Board of Directors 11:30 a.m. Chamber Offices WWW.DESOTOKS.ORG 30 31 Deadline to remit Chamber/EDC Membership Dues 9