Kim Dude-Lammy, President, Board of Directors, Children’s Grove
Although the World Health Organization has declared loneliness a pressing health issue, everyday acts of kindness can contribute to boosting mood, reducing stress, and possibly alleviating symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Join us on April 2nd when Kim Dude-Lammy presents information about Children’s Grove, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to inspire a culture of kindness and support the mental and emotional well-being of our youth. Children’s Grove’s mission is realized in Boone County through the innovative and volunteer power of citizens working through the arts, education, and the natural environment. Its motto is, “A single act of kindness can change a life forever.”
Pre-registration and payment (via credit card (PayPal Guest Checkout,) PayPal Account, Venmo bank transfer) for the breakfast and Zoom webinar must be received by Tuesday, noon, March 26, 2024. If you have paid for the in-person breakfast and find that you are unable to attend, you may watch the webinar via the Zoom link. However you must request access to the link by contacting the president at Deank@missouri.edu no later than the day prior to the breakfast.
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. for in-person breakfast at the Country Club of Missouri on Forum Blvd ($15.00):
This is always a great event! A short program will recognize the Chancellor’s 2023 Faculty and Staff Retirees of the Year, MURA Kitty Dickerson Scholarship Recipients, and the retirees’ support of the University family. The $10 registration fee will go to the MURA Kitty Dickerson Scholarship Fund. Refreshments will be served. The deadline for registration is at noon on April 1.
9:30 – 10:00 Social for in-person attendees — refreshments hosted by Tiger Place
10:00 Call to order the in-person meeting and the hybrid business meeting via Zoom — Kenneth Dean
Welcome, President’s Report, Recognition of Tiger Place as Sponsor of the Event
While there is no cost to attend the Annual Meeting, please register below to help us know the quantity of food and beverages to order. The deadline is March 6.
Mark Palmer, Project Coordinator with the Voluntary Action Center (VAC), will be ourspeaker at the March 5 breakfast. His presentation will focus on the development of Columbia’s Opportunity Campus. The project is being designed and structured to support homeless and unsheltered community members by providing safe temporary shelter, transitional housing, affordable housing, meals, basic daily needs, and wrap-around services to assist those in need. The goal of this project is to make services more efficient and cost effective. After 30+ years of service and leadership in nonprofit work, Mr. Palmer brings his expertise to this important community endeavor. Join us for breakfast on March 5th at 8:00 a.m. to hear more about Opportunity Campus.
Pre-registration and payment (via credit card (PayPal Guest Checkout,) PayPal Account, Venmo bank transfer) for the breakfast and Zoom webinar must be received by Tuesday, noon, February 27, 2024. If you have paid for the in-person breakfast and find that you are unable to attend, you may watch the webinar via the Zoom link. However you must request access to the link by contacting the president at Deank@missouri.edu no later than the day prior to the breakfast.
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. for in-person breakfast at the Country Club of Missouri on Forum Blvd ($15.00):
“Empowering communities, transforming lives.”
Dr. Abdoulaye Bah
Dr. Abdoulaye Bah is originally from Guinea, West Africa. He is Mizzou alumnus MS ’87, PhD ’93. He is married to Dr. Carolle Silney, BS ’91, MD ’97. He is a retired Professor of Sociology and former Director of the Suicide Prevention Institute at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He lead the team that developed several training tools geared toward addressing issues of behavioral health within the Army (Life Preservation Training course and a Peer Advising System). As a result of his work, a unique tool for raising awareness and strengthening self-efficacy, Beyond the Front, was created and adopted by the US Army. Dr. Bah is also instrumental in the development of the Life Preservation Index a risk assessment tool that can be used to identify and compute the prevalence rate of at risk individuals for suicidal behavior in a group.
Currently he spends part of his time working in Guinea for the not for profit organization he recently founded with his wife: Pathways to Health and Development. For an interesting read about his and his wife’s activities featured in MIZZOU Magazine see: https://showme.missouri.edu/2023/driving-change-one-fanbulance-at-a-time/
Pre-registration and payment (via credit card (PayPal Guest Checkout,) PayPal Account, Venmo bank transfer) for the breakfast and Zoom webinar must be received by Tuesday, noon, January 30, 2024. If you have paid for the in-person breakfast and find that you are unable to attend, you may watch the webinar via the Zoom link. However you must request access to the link by contacting the president at Deank@missouri.edu no later than the day prior to the breakfast.
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. for in-person breakfast at the Country Club of Missouri on Forum Blvd ($15.00):
There will be no educational program in January, but please mark your calendars for these future dates:
March 5, breakfast educational program: Mark Palmer, “An Update on the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) Opportunity Campus”
March 13, MURA Annual meeting and election of officers. This meeting will start at 9:30 with a social and meeting begins at 10 AM. More details will be forthcoming in the Newsletter.
April 2, breakfast educational program: Kim-Dude Lammy, “Childrens Grove”
April 8, Spring social hosted by President Choi: Time and location to be announced.
Mid-April, End-of-life planning seminar: Time, location, and other details to follow.
May 7, breakfast educational program: “Creating the Next Generation of Mizzou’s Student Innovators,” Greg Bier, Kelly Mattas, and students from the Griggs Innovation Nexus
June 4, breakfast educational program: “Prairie Restoration & Native Plants”
“What’s happening with Mizzou Athletics? An update from Desiree Reed-Francois”
Since her appointment in 2021 as Mizzou’s 21st Director of Athletics, Reed-Francois has begun to transform Mizzou Athletics in every way.
Among her early accomplishments is the construction of the Stephens Indoor Practice Facility for football, the hiring of Dennis Gates as the new Men’s Basketball Head Coach; Caroline Westrup, Head Coach for Women’s Golf; Dawn Sullivan, Volleyball Head Coach; Bianca Turati, Tennis Head Coach and Kerrick Jackson, Baseball Head Coach; dozens of enhancements to the football game-day fan experience, the implementation of Black & Gold Fridays across the state, a retooling of the Tigers’ NIL program and the creation of the 24-stop Come HOME Tour which covered more than 7,500 miles.
A former rowing student-athlete at UCLA, Reed-Francois is the first female athletic director in Mizzou’s history, the first female athletic director in a public institution in the SEC and was the first Hispanic female and woman of color athletics director at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.
You won’t want to miss hearing all about the amazing MU Athletic program! Bring your questions! And we’ll see you there!
Pre-registration and payment (via credit card (PayPal Guest Checkout,) PayPal Account, Venmo bank transfer) for the breakfast and Zoom webinar must be received by Tuesday, noon, December 5, 2023. If you have paid for the in-person breakfast and find that you are unable to attend, you may watch the webinar via the Zoom link. However you must request access to the link by contacting the president at Deank@missouri.edu no later than the day prior to the breakfast.
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. for in-person breakfast at the Country Club of Missouri on Forum Blvd ($15.00):
Every year, MU retirees in mid-Missouri generously give their time and money to support our community. Our partner, Heart of Missouri United Way, seeks to empower children, families, individuals and seniors experiencing times of need by investing in 31 local agencies that focus on health, education, financial stability and basic needs.
A $50 donation to Heart of Missouri United Way can provide the following:
1 day at the shelter for a homeless individual with access to a shower, hygiene products, laundry, mail, and other basic need items
1 hour of out of school programing for children to promote academic success, good character, healthy lifestyles and mental health
1 hour of case management for youth with disabilities that need access to service instruction and counseling
1 hour of job readiness training for an underemployed individual to gain the necessary skills to succeed
1 hour of health education classes for minority men living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line including topics of diabetes, stress management, and substance use
Supplemental food in a Buddy Pack for children who experience food insecurity AND
1 provision of instant baby formula
Less than $1 a week changes lives throughout mid-Missouri. No gift is too small to make an impact. You also have the ability to designate your gift to one or more of the funded agencies, if you so choose.
As part of the November 30 MURA Holiday social, there will be a gift basket raffle to raise funds for the Kitty Dickerson MURA Scholarship Fund. The fund was created to honor the past president of MURA and awards scholarships to MU/UM students whose parents are MU/UM staff employees. Since its inception in 2016, $15,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
All those who donate to the Kitty Dickerson MURA Scholarship fund prior to November 30 will be eligible to win gift baskets at the holiday social. The themed baskets contain fun and useful items donated by MURA Board members and Past-Presidents—Mizzou, Happy Hour, Cozy Fun, Sweet Treats, Sports, and more. The grand prize will be a basket of Mizzou goodies, donated by the Missouri Book Store.
Luncheon Options ($25 per person):
Caprese Chicken – Italian marinated chicken breast with tomatoes, fresh basil, Mozzarella cheese with a Balsamic reduction paired with garlic red mashers and lemon butter broccoli.
Baked Atlantic Salmon–Wild-caught Salmon topped with dill cream sauce and served with red mashers and grilled vegetable medley.
Vegetarian Lasagna– Featuring whole grain noodles layered with sea salt, broccoli, shoestring carrots and cheesy blend of ricotta, mozzarella, Romano, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses. Paired with steamed lemon butter broccoli and a garlic bread stick.
Dessert Options (included in registration):
Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake
Here’s how you can join the fun:
Attend the November 30 MURA Holiday Social – You’ll be able to view the baskets and make an on-site donation to the scholarship fund. With your donation, you’ll receive raffle tickets for the gift baskets. Drawings for the baskets will be held at the end of the Social.
Can’t attend the November 30 Social? — Make a donation of at least $20 via check or online contribution at the Kitty Dickerson MURA Scholarship Fund. Then, send an email note to Jo Turner or Ted Tarkow with the subject line, “I made a donation to Kitty Dickerson MURA Scholarship fund!” We will put your name on 30 raffle tickets and put them into the drawings for the gift baskets. If you win a basket, we’ll notify you and arrange an opportunity for pick-up of your basket. Each registrant will receive two tickets. You can earn an extra raffle ticket if you join in the sing along. You can also buy extra tickets at the social.
Raffle Ticket pricing will be on signs at Registration and Basket Display:
$1 – $4 – Up to 4 tickets
$5 – $9 – 6 tickets
$10 to $19 – 13 tickets
$20 – $29 – 30 tickets
$30 – $39 – 45 tickets
$40 – $49 – 65 tickets
$50 and up – 75 tickets
When you get your tickets, just drop one of the halves into the bucket in front of the basket(s) of your choice. Bring cash or a check. Checks are to be made payable to “University of Missouri” with Attn: MURA Kitty Dickerson Scholarship. This will allow us to deposit them directly into the Kitty Dickerson Scholarship endowment with MU Advancement.
Kim Dude-Lammy, President, Board of Directors, Children’s Grove
Dr. Abdoulaye Bah is originally from Guinea, West Africa. He is Mizzou alumnus MS ’87, PhD ’93. He is married to Dr. Carolle Silney, BS ’91, MD ’97. He is a retired Professor of Sociology and former Director of the Suicide Prevention Institute at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. He lead the team that developed several training tools geared toward addressing issues of behavioral health within the Army (Life Preservation Training course and a Peer Advising System). As a result of his work, a unique tool for raising awareness and strengthening self-efficacy, Beyond the Front, was created and adopted by the US Army. Dr. Bah is also instrumental in the development of the Life Preservation Index a risk assessment tool that can be used to identify and compute the prevalence rate of at risk individuals for suicidal behavior in a group.
