Community partnership to allow both organizations to further presence in Kansas City

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation and the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial are pleased to announce a partnership which will allow both organizations to further their respective missions. The relationship will allow both organizations a unique platform to raise awareness for urgently needed military assistance programs as well as the nation’s only museum dedicated solely to the First World War. The two organizations plan to partner together on several events in 2012 that will honor our nation’s veterans as well as explore the history of World War I.

“Honoring veterans from the past and present is crucial to both organizations’ missions and we look forward to working with VFW Foundation in this expanded capacity,” said National World War I Museum President & CEO Brian Alexander.

“The National World War I Museum is a world-class facility, and we look forward to continuing to grow together,” said VFW Foundation Director John Lowe. “The VFW Foundation is committed to honoring those who have sacrificed for our great nation and I am impressed with the museum’s commitment to honoring those who served in ‘the war to end all wars’.”

The VFW Foundation is the official charity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW),America’s largest organization of combat veterans. Both the VFW National Headquarters and Liberty Memorial have been staples of the Kansas City community since the 1920s.

The National World War I Museum is the only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of a war whose impact still echoes today. Designated by Congress as the United States’ official World War I Museum and located in Downtown Kansas City, the Museum inspires thought, dialogue, and learning to make the experiences of the Great War era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations. Visit www.theworldwar.org for details.

December was a busy month for the convention business in Kansas City. A total of 46 conventions – a nearly 50 percent increase from last December – were booked in December 2011 by the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association. Collectively, these bookings will generate more than 85,000 room nights and bring an estimated economic impact of nearly $60 million to Kansas City, particularly to Downtown.

“We are excited to end the year on a high note,” said Rick Hughes, president & CEO of the KCCVA and an executive committee member of the Downtown Council. “As the industry adapts to securing bookings closer in, making top 10 lists like Frommer’s and Budget Travel keeps us in the national spotlight of go-to destinations. We’ve worked hard over the past several years on making our Downtown vibrant and thriving, and we are now enjoying the fruits of our labor.”

Among the major conventions booked last month was the biennial meeting for the American Baptist Churches of the USA, which will generate nearly 2,500 room nights with 3,000 attendees and an economic impact of more than $1.7 million.

Other major December bookings which were previously announced include the American Contract Bridge Championships. The competition will bring 4,000 attendees to KC, generating 10,000 room nights and create an economic impact of more than $5.3 million over the 10-day event.

“The impact these meetings have on Kansas City will be felt throughout the metropolitan area,” said Hughes. “The average convention attendee spends $208 per day during their stay, which brings much needed tax money from outside the city to help do things like pave our roads and fix our sewers.”

Momentum is building for a new academically rigorous charter school in Downtown Kansas City by the fall semester of 2012, including plans for a launch party on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Crossroads Academy of Kansas City is designed to be a tuition-free elementary charter school in Downtown. The Crossroads Academy mission is to prepare students to excel in high school by providing an academically rigorous K-8 education. The school’s vision is to be the premier urban school serving Kansas City’s youth and a destination for other educators seeking inspiration and best practices. The school is projected to open in fall 2012 with 140 students in grades K-6.

The last several months have been very eventful for the school, founded in July 2011 by experienced charter school leaders Dean Johnson and Tysie McDowell-Ray. In recent months, the University of Central Missouri voted to sponsor Crossroads Academy; an outstanding group of educators has been convening on a regular basis to design and write the Crossroads Academy curriculum; and the Downtown Council’s Education Committee voted to endorse the school.

Crossroads Academy ended the year on a high note, as it reached it’s initial fundraising goal of $100,000!  That feat has fueled the school with the resources to hire its first staff members and to launch full-scale student recruitment activities.

To celebrate these accomplishments and to further prepare for the coming school year, the Community Outreach Task Force, a dedicated group of parent and neighborhood volunteers, is planning the Crossroads Academy Launch Party on Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-12 noon at Studio B; 2016 Main Street. Parents seeking to enroll their children and everyone interested in elevating public education in Downtown Kansas City is encouraged to attend!

For more information visit http://www.crossroadsacademykc.org

Downtown Council endorses continuation of Downtown streetcar feasibility study

“Kansas City Mayor Sly James is starting the new year pushing hard for a downtown streetcar plan, traveling to Washington this week to lobby federal officials and winning early support Thursday from a key local constituency, the Downtown Council,” The Kansas City Star reported in today’s edition. Downtown Council leaders Ron Coker, board chairman, and Bill Dietrich, president and CEO, were part of the mayor’s team that visited Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to advance the streetcar plan.

To read the full story in today’s Star, go to:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/05/3354629/mayor-lining-up-support-for-streetcar.html

Saveur and Today Show Agree: KC’s Food Scene is On the Rise
Kansas City as a top culinary destination for 2012

Kansas City made a national splash on NBC’s Today show on Thursday for the second time in three months. Saveur, one of the nation’s top culinary magazines, announced its Top Food Trends for 2012 — proclaiming Kansas City as America’s next great culinary destination for 2012.

The announcement was made by James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur and a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. “We’ve long thought of Kansas City as a good barbecue town,” Oseland said, “but its high-end dining is really on the rise.”

This high-profile ranking is a result of a 2011 media visit hosted by the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association. The organization’s PR department hosted Saveur Executive Editor Todd Coleman in March and also contributed messaging for Thursday’s broadcast story.

The story specifically mentions Debbie Gold and the American Restaurant, one of more than 250 restaurants, cafes and bars in greater Downtown Kansas City.

To view the Today show story and read its blog, click here.

Praise for Kansas City continued on the Today show blog, also released on Thursday. In it, Oseland said Kansas City is “going to have its moment in 2012.”

“This Midwestern city has a deep-rooted food culture that’s been around for well over a century, one that’s now poised to reinvigorate itself and position the city as a new culinary destination. We all know about Kansas City’s reputation as a great barbecue town, but recently there’s been a fantastic wave of smart, new high-end cooking that’s been lighting a fire in the heart of America,” the story says. “Laying the foundation are chefs like Debbie Gold, Celina Tio, and Colby Garrelts, whose restaurants … are galvanizing the area’s independent and organic farmers and producers, and inspiring Kansas City’s next generation of chefs to reach for new heights.”

What a better way to celebrate this good news with a great, New Year’s out at the Downtown restaurant of your choice??