Centurions NOW - September 11, 2023

LEADERSHIP UP CLOSE: TOBY RUSH

Join your Pinnacle Cohort members for a Leadership Up Close with Toby Rush, the CEO and Co-Founder of Redeem, on Thursday, September 21 from 4-6 p.m. at Keystone CoLAB. Toby is an entrepreneur whose passion is building exceptional teams, products, and companies, with an expertise that lies in leading companies to scale by creating growth strategies, building out the leadership team, raising capital and executing. As a founder of two high tech startups with successful exits, Toby has raised capital from Angel investors, venture capitalists, and private equity companies. He also has experience in executing rollup strategies post-acquisition and operating internationally. Register here >>

CENTURIONS | PINNACLE - SOCIAL LUNCH

Recurring Social Coffees or lunches will be held at various locations around KC on the last Thursday of every month. Check GroupMe for locations and specific event contact people each month. Food and beverage will be available for purchase at the venue. Please register for the event here so we will have an accurate headcount for the event. Register here >>

CENTURIONS INFORMATION SESSIONS

Do you know someone who would make an excellent Centurion? Have them join us at our first information session of the season on Thursday, September 14 from 12-1 p.m. at Spark Coworking. The Centurions application is now open and is due January 15, 2024. The application and more information about the Centurions Leadership Program can be found here. Information Session registration >>

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH COFFEE MEETUP

Join the DEI and Social committees as we join together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month on Monday September 18 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at Cafe Corazon in the Crossroads. We have reserved the La Galeria room and will be providing two types of coffee, along with their specialty tamales and empanadas for everyone to try. We will also have the owner's daughter, Dulcinea, providing a yerba mate demonstration and also talking about her artwork which can be found throughout the coffee shop. Register here >>

DEI: CLOSURE IS NOT JUSTICE

This private Centurions event on September 26 will explore the art project that challenges the convictions from the 1988 South Kansas City explosion that killed six firefighters. This event will feature guest speakers Andrew Johnson, creator of the exhibition, and Bryan Sheppard, one of the five people convicted in 1997 of causing the explosion. Bryan was released early from his life sentence in 2017, although he and the other four remain convicted of the crime. All five have always maintained their innocence. Register here >>

REMINDER: SIGN UP TO ACCESS SERVICE PROJECTS ON VOLUNTEERMARK

There are several contact-free, small group, or outdoor volunteer opportunities that are now open and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ready to serve? Check out VolunteerMark for a few opportunities that are still in need of volunteers. Check the calendar regularly as new projects are added weekly and look for newsletter announcements or GroupMe to sign-up for projects in which spots still need to be filled.

Upcoming Projects In Need of Volunteers:

• September 13 – Allen Village Charter School 8th and 9th Grade Career Jumping
• September 14 – Ivanhoe Neighborhood Community Garden Volunteer Day
• September 14 – Savor the Flavors
• September 16 – New Roots for Refugees Market Volunteer
• September 16 – Rebuilding Day 2023
• September 16 – Literacy KC Classic
• September 16 – Fiesta Hispana
• September 17 – Dig In! Benefit for Cultivate KC

CENTURIONS INFORMATION SESSIONS

Do you know someone who would make an excellent Centurion? Have them join us at our first information session of the season on Thursday, September 14 from 12-1 p.m. at Spark Coworking. The Centurions application is now open and is due January 15, 2024. The application and more information about the Centurions Leadership Program can be found here. Information Session registration >>

REMINDER: SIGN UP TO ACCESS SERVICE PROJECTS ON VOLUNTEERMARK

There are several contact-free, small group, or outdoor volunteer opportunities that are now open and are on a first-come, first-served basis.  

Ready to serve? Check out VolunteerMark for a few opportunities that are still in need of volunteers. Check the calendar regularly as new projects are added weekly and look for newsletter announcements or GroupMe to sign-up for projects in which spots still need to be filled

Upcoming Projects In Need of Volunteers:

• September 13 – Allen Village Charter School 8th and 9th Grade Career Jumping
• September 14 – Ivanhoe Neighborhood Community Garden Volunteer Day
• September 14 – Savor the Flavors
• September 16 – New Roots for Refugees Market Volunteer
• September 16 – Rebuilding Day 2023
• September 16 – Literacy KC Classic
• September 16 – Fiesta Hispana
• September 17 – Dig In! Benefit for Cultivate KC

ALUMNI DIRECTORY AND DUES

We will begin updating information for the 2023-2024 Centurions Alumni Directory in the coming weeks.

We want to do our best to help you stay connected to fellow alumni. If you would like to continue your Centurions Alumni Association membership, feel free to follow this link to pay online by scrolling down to the "Centurions Invoice Payment" section to pay the $75 alumni dues. On the form, include the code “AD-2023” when it requests an invoice number, and include your first and last name in the notes section so we can pair each payment to the appropriate alumnus. All Apex 2023 graduates were invoiced in early 2023-2024 Alumni dues. If you registered for the Alumni Luncheon you also paid your dues for the upcoming year as part of the fees.

Alumni Dues: Please Remember that 100% of alumni dues go toward alumni programming, existing scholarships for active Centurions, and beginning last fall, a new DEI Legacy scholarship opportunity. The Centurions Alumni Association is committed to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Centurions program. As a first step in this effort the Centurions Alumni Board has created the DEI Legacy Scholarship. This Scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and trip fees for one professional from a traditionally underrepresented group who is working to create equity within Kansas City. We hope to fund one scholarship per class on an ongoing basis.

Joining the Alumni Association guarantees you a copy of the Alumni Directory once it’s published in the fall. Please stay tuned for more information on upcoming events.