Topic: Park U's Global Warrior Center, Plaster Center
LTC (R) Kerr is a native of Kenton, Ohio. In 1997 he commissioned as an Armor Officer from the Reserve Officers Training Corps and earned a B.A. in History from The Ohio State University. In 2014 he earned an M.S. in Adult Education from Kansas State University. His military education includes the Armor Officers Basic Course, Armor Captains Career Course, Cavalry Leaders Course, and the Army Command and General Staff College.
LTC (R) Kerr spent four and a half years in his final assignment as the Professor of Military Science and Leadership at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
His prior assignments include; Chief of the Training Division, Operations Group Charlie, Mission Command Training Program (MCTP); Chief of Mission Command, Operations Group Delta MCTP; Executive Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Infantry Division; Executive Officer to the Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division; Squadron Operations Officer, 4-73 Cavalry 4th BDE, 82nd Airborne; Executive Officer, 4-73 Cavalry; Maneuver Plans Officer, (OPFOR) Battle Command Training Program; Combat Advisor, 2-1 Iraqi Special Police Battalion; Armor Training Team Chief, 4-78 Training Support Brigade; Commander, C Troop 1st Squadron 3rd Cavalry Regiment; Scout Platoon Leader, D Troop, 1-509th Airborne (OPFOR); Scout Platoon Leader, A TRP 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment (Korea).
LTC (R) Kerr served 45 months deployed to various combat zones, his tours include; 2003 to Fallujah/Haditha, Iraq as a Troop Commander; 2005-2006 to Fallujah/Baghdad, Iraq as a Combat Advisor; 2009-2010 to Farah, Afghanistan as a Squadron/Task Force Executive Officer; 2012-2013 to Parwan Province, Afghanistan as a Task Force Executive Officer.
LTC (R) Kerr’s awards and decorations include four Bronze Star Medals, six Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with three Service Stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Service Stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Ribbon with Numeral 4, the NATO medal for Afghanistan Operations, the Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab, and Parachutist Badge.
LTC (R) Kerr is married to the former Kathy Keele of Overland Park, KS. They have two children Molly and Daniel.
LTC (R) Kerr will present on Park’ Global Warrior Center and the University’s overall Military strategy. Park supports nearly 8,000 military affiliated students.
Parkville Rotary Helping Ukrainians through Partnership with Rotary Club Chisinau
PROJECT UPDATE: Donations are almost up to $6,000! Thank you to all of those who have donated and if you haven't donated we urge you to donate now as we had a donor come forward today that would like to see if we can raise another $1,000 to which they will match with an additional $1,000 donation. Tell your friends, neighbors, and family as we are working to make this as big as we can! Donate a second time if you are able.
We completed our first wire transfer of $2,000 to the Rotary Club Chisinau in Moldova earlier this week. They should have the money shortly. Included below is an email from their club contact to Steve Youngblood noting their thanks. There is also a facebook video they made for us titled, "Together we are a Force" so please take the time to watch it if you can. A link has been provided below, click on the blue box with Chisinau's name listed on it.
We need your help! I am a Rotarian in the Parkville Rotary Club and we are looking to help Ukrainian refugees. Can you help us?
As you know, the situation for Ukrainian refugees is dire. 350,000 refugees have made their way to the tiny neighboring country of Moldova, where a per capital annual income of just $4,547 means that Moldovans have only a limited capacity to assist their new guests.
Seeing this need, the Parkville Rotary Club is partnering with the Chisinau, Moldova Rotary Club on a fundraiser to assist Ukrainian refugees. Contributions collected here in the U.S. will be used by the Chisinau Rotary to buy food, supplies, and other necessities for the refugees.
Donations are being accepted through PayPal. You can pay with a credit card, debit card, or through a PayPal account. Please use the 'Donate Here' button below.
Donations can also be made by check, payable to Parkville Rotary Club, and mailed to PO Box 12064, Parkville, MO 64152.
If you are able to make a donation, of course that would be great. If you don’t have funds available, we understand. Whether your club donates or not, we would be most grateful if you pass this request around to your members, and anyone else in your community who you feel might be receptive.
Thank you for your generosity.
Service above self,
Scott Walterbach, President, Parkville, Missouri Rotary Club
Dmitri Popa, President, Chisinau, Moldova Rotary Club
Steven Youngblood, District 6040 Peacebuilding Ambassador
Va imbratisam si multumim mult pentru ajutorul, receptivitatea de care dati dovada.
Suntem o forta impreuna. Este de apreciat faptul ca sunteti alaturi de noi. Asa cum spuneam in mesajele anterioare, indata cum ajungem sa utilizam fondurile trimise de clubul dumneavoastra, o sa va tinem la curent cu toate actiunile noastre.
Intre timp, cu permisiunea refugiatilor, mai postam cate ceva pe pagina noastra de facebook.
Va multumim inca odata ca ne sunteti alaturi.
Va imbratisam.
Cu respect,
Dmitri
Translated with Google Translate (its not perfect but close):
We hug you and thank you very much for your help, your receptivity.
We are a force together. It is appreciated that you are with us. As I said in the previous messages, as soon as we get to use the funds sent by your club, we will keep you informed of all our actions.
In the meantime, with the permission of the refugees, we are posting something else on our facebook page.
Thank you once again for joining us.
We hug you.
Respectfully,
Dmitri
The link below will take you to their facebook page. Please note the video posted April 16th at 10:30am is for us. We are a force working together with them and they want to say thanks.
We are planning our final work day for the new flags that were back-ordered and finally came in. There are only twenty, so it should not take long, probably an hour or so.
The date is Monday, April 25, at 10:30 AM, at Meyer's Funeral home. We will go to lunch at the Peanut after we are finished. Come join the fun, or just join us for lunch at the Peanut if you cannot make the assembly line.
Also, I will be putting together flag routes in a few weeks, so be checking your calendars for availability, first deployment is May 26, which is several days before Memorial Day!
Steve Bleish Flag Chairman
Last Friday's Program: Dr. Chris Kuehl RECORDING!
Did you miss last Friday's amazing program? Not to fear you can watch it here! Just click the blue box below!
International Sponsor Opportunity for you and your family!
Every year in June, the military at Fort Leavenworth (it’s a college) bring in some 1,000 US officers, from all branches of the 4 services, along with some 130 international officers, most with families, from some 90 countries around the world.
Most of these international officers attend for one year, a small number will attend for 2 years. These international officers are the "cream of the crop’’ from their countries, and excellent English is a requirement.
There is a system where these international officers/families are matched with a Kansas City family, whose role is to greet them on arrival, and host them, typically for dinner, attend social functions at the Fort, and show them something of our great city and country.
There is no accommodation requirement.
Pamela and I have participated in this for some 25 years, and it continues to be
a most fascinating and rewarding experience. We maintain contact with a number of our officers, a lot have progressed to high rank in their countries militaries. We hosted Ukraine some years ago, and as we speak he is fighting for his country (and doing better than experts thought !!!)
An additional benefit is the interaction with our US military, to whom we owe so much.
Some of the dates of events with the officers and their families:
Sponsor Orientation - June 3rd
Officer Arrivals @ MCI - June 5th - 20th
Icebreaker Fort Function - June 27th
Sponsor Icebreaker - first week of July
Fall Food Fair - September 30th
Holiday Dance - first week of December
Spring Food Fair - March 2023
Officer Farewell/Sponsor Recognition - June 2023
Also needed during the year would be a dinner at your home and a family outing activity such as a trip to the Nelson Atkins, Kauffman Center, or fruit picking, etc.
The program at the fort is very demanding and we have had some officers who just were not able to keep up and couldn’t manage much social stuff which is why we would be there to help.
If you would to explore this further, please call me anytime on 913.484.5412 or email afelton@feltonassoc.com.
Alan Felton
Felton Associates, LLC
23418 W 71ST Terrace,
Shawnee, KS 66227
Draft List of International Participants
Volunteer for Parkville Microbrew Festival
We are looking for volunteers to help with Parkville's Beer Fest on April 30th. The following time slot are open:
11:00am - 1:15pm
Check-In Table, Souvenir & Raffle Ticket Sales, Transfer Items to Tent
Each time slot has room for 11 volunteers so sign up today by emailing Kathy Leibrand at leibraka@gmail.com. Thank you!
Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY)
It's that time of year again when Joe Carroll, Treasurer, and Dalyn Novak, Foundation Chair, reach out to all members and ask if you've donated your $100 for Every Rotarian Every Year. This program, also known as EREY, asks every Rotarian to support The Rotary Foundation every year.
Even if you can't donate $100 that's okay! We just ask each member to donate what they are able to, be it $10 or $1,000 (or more)! We can dream, can't we? :)
These donations are used to directly help Rotary's 7 Areas of Focus:
Promoting Peace
Fighting Disease
Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
Saving Mothers & Children
Supporting Education
Growing Local Economies
Protecting the Environment
These are all areas that we can get behind as Rotarians! All donations for this calendar year need to be in by June 1st to Joe Carroll. Bring a check to the next meeting you attend or have Joe include it on your next invoice. Please email him at: JCarroll@wells-bank.com.
We have had 100% participation by our members in past years. Need even more information behind why? Click on the blue box below...
If you know of anyone who is wanting to sign up for our flag subscription give them this link: https://app.helpingwithflags/parkvillerotary and have them click on NEW SUBSCRIBERS. This link works for members as well and saves our club members time if you use it.
The Membership Committee has been hard at work putting together new membership forms! All members can access the forms by clicking on the blue box below which will take members to a dropbox link with the forms. Give these to potential members! The new spouse forms can be found here as well.
The following forms can be found in the link:
Standard Rotarian Membership Packet
Corporate Membership Packet
Spouse Membership Packet
Please submit the forms filled out to Dalyn Novak (dnovak@wskfarch.com) so she can get new member information added to ClubRunner after the board's approval!
