Sunflower Bank’s “ABC’s of Being True To Our Schools” program raised $31,500 for students and schools in communities served by the bank. Sunflower has a Lawrence bank.

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Catherine Howard, Lawrence, was the keynote speaker at the 40th anniversary meeting of the South Carolina Christmas Tree Growers Assn. near Lexington, S.C. She talked to growers about marketing real Christmas trees. Howard is the editor of Christmas Trees Magazine, an international trade publication that is published by Tree Publishers Inc., Lecompton.

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Sherry Turner will join the staff of the Kansas Women’s Business Center, a program of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County, as executive director on Monday. Turner replaces Sandy Licata Bartow, co-founder of the center. Turner previously was director of Small Business & Entrepreneurship with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The Lenexa-based center provides training, mentoring, consulting and networking programs to women entrepreneurs in Kansas and the Kansas City, Mo., area.

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Kim Mathews, of TherapyWorks in Lawrence, recently attended the Kansas Physical Therapy Assn. course on functional and neuromuscular electrical stimulation in Wichita. The course was designed to provide training in the use of neuromuscular electric stimulation to improve movement skills for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and other upper motor neuron lesions. Mathews is a 2003 graduate of Kansas University.

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Learning Curve Inc., a Lawrence-based education company, recently joined the Education Industry Assn. EIA is a professional network of educators dedicated to the business of delivering and advancing the education of children and youth.

Learning Curve specializes in designing and delivering reading, writing, and math programs for children in kindergarten through eighth grades. Summer camps are scheduled in June and July. Shawn and Susan Fowler are the company’s owners.

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Thomas Bell will become president-elect of the Kansas Hospital Assn. on July 1. He will become president when Donald Wilson retires at the end of the year.

Bell began his career at KHA in 1986 as vice president and legal counsel after working as an associate for the firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds and Palmer. Since then, he has been senior vice president and legal counsel. He is executive vice president for KHA and the Kansas Health Service Corp. The association’s primary roles include state and federal legislative advocacy on behalf of its membership.

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The Douglas County Visiting Nurses Assn. board of directors elected new officers and representatives during its annual meeting May 19. New officers are Patrick Donahue, Midland Professional Assn., president; Jerry Magnuson, Express Personnel, vice president; Belinda Rehmer, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, secretary; Patricia Webb, certified public accountant, treasurer. New board members are Eric Huerter, medical director; Dudley Crow, DR Crow Consulting; Robbie Strahm, registered nurse; Paulette Strong, Quail Run School principal, and Brenda McFadden, The McFadden Group.

Mindy Mitchell, Barbara Carswell and Charles Yockey were recognized for their years of service as they retired from the board. All board members serve on a volunteer basis. The association is a nonprofit home health agency.

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Hospice Care In Douglas County elected new officers and representatives during its annual meeting of the Hospice Advisory Committee on May 17. New officers are Shari Kretzschmer, Lawrence Memorial Hospital Oncology Center, chairwoman; Robert Bryant, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, vice chairman; Theresa Gordon, social worker, secretary; and Diana Deutsch, University Bank, treasurer. Janice Early-Weas was recognized for six years of service as she retired from the committee. Hospice Care In Douglas County is a nonprofit hospice.

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Mark Hess, of Realty Executives/Hedges Real Estate in Lawrence, attended the National Association of Realtors’ annual MidYear Legislative meeting May 9-14 in Washington, D.C. He was among more than 8,000 Realtors who discussed their concerns about federal pre-emption of state powers, affordable housing and small-business health insurance plans.

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Thomas Howe, of Reece & Nichols Acres Realty in Lawrence, has received the Certified Residential Specialist designation by the Council of Residential Specialists. Realtors who receive the designation have completed advance courses and demonstrated professional expertise in the field of residential real estate. He is a member of the Lawrence Board of Realtors and president of the board of directors for Tenants to Homeowners.

Honors and awards

The Hy-Vee Food Store at 4000 W. Sixth St. has been selected by Hy-Vee Inc. as a winner of the company’s 2004 Springtime Party competition. It captured third place in its division, which included 220 stores in the Midwest. Store director Shawn Brown received a commemorative plaque and special recognition from Hy-Vee CEO Ric Jurgens during a recent meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.

The event, which was May 1-2, is a promotion designed to kick off the summer season. Stores are encouraged to do their “spring cleaning” and adopt themes to be carried out in the decoration, advertising and employee attire.

Coming events

Toby Rush, president of Rush Tracking Systems, will be the keynote speaker during the Lawrence Technology Assn.’s meeting at 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Hereford House, Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.

Rush Tracking Systems is a Kansas City-based RFID solutions provider. Rush’s expertise in RFID systems has led to projects in asset tracking, warehouse management and inventory control systems.

The cost is $15 for nonmembers and $20 for nonmembers. To make reservations, contact Peggy Williams by e-mail at pwilliams@ittc.ukans.edu., voice mail at 864-7354 or fax at 864-0387.

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Bennett Griffin, president and founder of Griffin Technologies, will be the guest speaker at the Kansas International Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Alvamar Country Club.

Griffin has more than 13 years of experience in executive management in the technology industry. He also founded Gtronics Software, a custom software development and integration firm. He also worked as a software developer at Kansas University.

The cost is $15 or $10 for students. To make reservations, contact the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce by phone at 865-4426, fax at 865-4400 or e-mail at kabram@lawrencechamber.com.