LOCAL

It’s Your Business, Oct. 22, 2017

Jessica Cole
James D. Bassett, National 4-H Hall of Fame. (Submitted)

HIRINGS

Longtime Topeka Collegiate School Development Director Mary Loftus has joined Keller Consulting LLC, an independent Northeast Kansas fundraising consulting firm.

She is a development professional with 20 years of experience as development director at Topeka Collegiate School. She directed all fundraising efforts including annual fund, auction, major gifts, capital, and endowment campaigns for the independent school.

Her efforts resulted in $8.9 million in donations to Topeka Collegiate. She provided continuity of leadership while raising the school’s development efforts to a high level of professionalism and success. She coordinated special events, developed prospects and helped solicit commitments for scholarships, and played a key role in implementing two capital campaigns.

She brings strong writing and communication skills to Keller Consulting clients, the result of her career as television news reporter, anchor and news director at WIBW TV in Topeka.

Extremely familiar with the Topeka philanthropic community, she is a past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, an alumna of Leadership Greater Topeka, and a YWCA Women of Excellence honoree.

Stormont Vail Health recently announced that Raven Henderson, M.D., has joined its medical team and will practice as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Her practice will be located at Cotton O’Neil Mulvane, 823 S.W. Mulvane, in Topeka. She received her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, in 2008 and completed a research fellowship at New York University School of Medicine’s Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, New York, N.Y., in 2011. She completed her residency at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2014 and the plastic surgery fellowship at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb. this year.

She has taken many trips abroad to participate in medical mission work.

Kansas Department of Transportation employees in northeast Kansas celebrating service anniversaries in November:

30 years of service: Timothy Cunningham, Professional Civil Engineer II, and Mark Gingrich, Storekeeper Specialist, both of Topeka.

20 years of service: Richard McMullen, State Auditor III, Topeka; David Casper, Highway Maintenance Supervisor, Bennington; and Linus Grollmes, Equipment Operator Senior, Wetmore.

10 years of service: Michael Moriarty, Transportation Planning Bureau Chief, Topeka; Ryan Barrett, Road Design Leader, and Danielle Brunin, Environment Compliance &Regulatory Specialist I, both of Lawrence; Gary Chambers, Equipment Operator Senior, Clay Center; Greg Hopkins, Staff Development Specialist I, Ozawkie; Jeffery Piroutek, Engineering Technician Specialist, Gardner; Jorge Alvarado-Romero, Equipment Operator Specialist, Westmoreland; and Richard Stripling, Equipment Operator Specialist, Merriam.

RECOGNITION

Molly Aldrich, owner of Continental Pharmacy in Topeka, was recently presented with the Kansas Pharmacists Association’s (KPhA) Excellence in Innovation Award at a ceremony during the 137th KPhA Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Lawrence.

She has developed an innovative medication adherence packaging program that has become a large part of her practice, and a very large percentage of her patients receive this service. She recently moved her pharmacy into a new location with private patient rooms/counseling rooms that include flat screen TVs that she uses to improve the visual portion of her Medication Therapy Management Services. Her innovative approach is greatly advancing the practice of pharmacy and improving patient care in her community.

The award is a national award coordinated by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and generously sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. to recognize and honor a qualified pharmacist who has demonstrated significant innovation in their respective practice, method or service directly or indirectly resulting in improved patient care and/or advancement of the profession of pharmacy.

Bobbi McGrath, pharmacist at Walmart Pharmacy in Holton, recently received the Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award at a ceremony during the 137th Kansas Pharmacists Association (KPhA) Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Lawrence.

The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in community-based prescription drug abuse prevention and showcases an outstanding effort to raise awareness of this serious public health problem. The KPhA, Kansas Pharmacists Recovery Network and the Committee on Impaired Pharmacy Practice celebrates her outstanding efforts, along with the KU School of Pharmacy, to bring awareness of drug and alcohol addiction to her colleagues and students in the state of Kansas.

She graduated from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy in 1993. She maintains pharmacy licensing in Kansas (1993) and Florida (2013) and splits her time between Holton and Key West, Fla. She previously was director of pharmacy at Kickapoo Nation Health Center Horton, and clinical pharmacy at Menninger Clinic, formerly in Topeka.

She is president of the Holton Rotary Club (member since 2007); vice-chair of the Holton Community Hospital Board of Directors (member since 2007); and a member of the Holton Chapter JI PEO, Kansas PRN CIPP committee and Kansas Pharmacist Association. She also participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005.

Her son, Kenton Tegethoff, is a senior at Washburn University.

Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI) was recently honored with an award from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) at their annual conference in Anaheim, Calif. The NFCC Innovative Program Award recognizes outstanding work to develop and lead a program and highlights the creative steps an agency takes to expand the scope of the project.

HCCI was recognized for its TOTO (Topeka Opportunity To Own) affordable home buying program that partners with the Federal Home Loan Bank, Topeka, City of Topeka, Capitol Federal and other local lenders and realtors to provide Down Payment Assistance (DPA) of $3,000 or more to qualified low and moderately-low-income Topeka families so they may enjoy the American Dream of homeownership. HCCI provides financial counseling to help prospective home buyers budget, reduce debts and raise their credit scores so they may pre-qualify for a home mortgage loan. The Federal Home Loan Bank Topeka (FHLB) and Capitol Federal each provide a generous grant to support HCCI’s work and FHLB also gives Down Payment Assistance to qualified home buyers.

ACHIEVEMENT

James D. Bassett of Topeka, was recently inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H.

Honored by the Kansas 4-H Youth Development Program, he was one of 16 people inducted during the ceremony at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md.

The National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees are nominated by their home states, National 4-H Council; the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA); or 4-H National Headquarters/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based upon their exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.

Honorees were presented with a National 4-H Hall of Fame medallion, plaque and memory book during the ceremony. The National 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the Centennial Project of the NAE4-HA in partnership with National 4-H Council and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

He is married to his wife Donna.

ANNIVERSARIES

Topeka resident Jim Fox was recently honored at the State Capitol Building, in Topeka, for having served the state’s child and family services agency for 40 years.

Governor Sam Brownback awarded an official service pin celebrating the longevity of each honoree who completed either 40 or 50 years of service during the past fiscal year.

Fox currently works in the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ East Region, in the Topeka office. He began his career with the State serving with Disability Determination Services, as a Disability Examiner when the agency was known as Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS).

Recently, Fox has been instrumental in developing and implementing an interactive database called the Kansas Eligibility and Enforcement System (KEES).

Fox’s wife, Linda, retired from DCF with 30 years of service. He has two daughters and four grandchildren.

MISCELLANEOUS

A free panel discussion on medical debt will be held 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the Marvin Auditorium at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th.

Panel speakers include Todd Butler, an attorney with Butler &Associates, P.A., Topeka, and Debbie Bodine, Patient Access Director for St. Francis, and Cindy Stortz, Financial Counsel Supervisor at Stormont Vail Health. Rogers Brazier, a counselor at Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (HCCI), will moderate the panel discussion that is presented as a public service.

Butler will discuss collection procedures and explain how the patient’s credit is impacted when medical bills go into a court ordered judgement.

Bodine and Stortz, representing local healthcare providers, will discuss possible payment options patients may have and financial assistance that may be available through a bank loan or arrangements with the healthcare provider. All speakers will respond to questions regarding information that can be helpful for the general public.

HCCI has invited the Kansas Department of Insurance, Grace Med and other community groups to staff display tables and be available to answer questions from people attending.

The program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Topeka Credit Union Foundation and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. All attending are eligible for free credit counseling from HCCI.

For details about the program or for information about debt management counseling services provided by HCCI, call (785) 234-0217 or go to www.hcci-ks.org.

The local McPherson and area Lions Clubs will host Lion leaders from all across Kansas as the Kansas Pride gathers at the McPherson Best Western Convention Center, Oct. 27-29.

This will be the second meeting this year of the State Council of Governors, led by Council Chairwoman Linda Leander of Assaria. The District Governors are Randy St. Aubyn of Hutchinson (West), Deb Weaverling of Leavenworth/Lansing (North East) and Indra Phillips of Bel Aire (South East). The State Council of Governors is the official Governing Body of all Kansas Lions Clubs, and meets four times each Club Year. In addition, all three Kansas Lions Foundations and most State Committees hold planning meetings designed to assist local clubs in service to their hometown communities. Some of the Adult Services Committees are Diabetes Awareness; Eye Bank Cornea Transplant informationl Eyeglass Recycling; Public Relations &Media; Membership, Leadership &Service Promotions; and Environmental Photo Contest.

Their Youth Services Committees include the State &International Band Program; Peace Poster Contest; Summer Camps for Vision &Hearing Challenged Children; Low Vision and free Vision Screening for all pre-school age children of Kansas; and Leo Clubs for school-age students involved in community-based service projects.

Envista Credit Union celebrated International Credit Union Week (ICU Week), Oct. 16-20, by providing a half day of volunteer time to every employee to use to help three local non-profit organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hands Humane Society, and Harvesters. Collectively, Envista employees are volunteering 288.5 hours of time, an approximate contribution of $5,684.32. Team Envista will be giving time to Helping Hands Humane Society, building homes for families with Habitat for Humanity and packaging donated food and household supplies with Harvesters.

Envista, along with 56,000 credit unions around the world, celebrated International Credit Union Week, and International Credit Union Day (Oct. 19), and the philosophy and achievements of the credit union movement.