Speech, vigils to mark Veterans Day at KU

A speech by a former Vietnam prisoner of war and a pair of 24-hour vigils will mark Veterans Day at Kansas University.

The events start at 4 p.m. Thursday with a joint retreat ceremony at the flag pole in front of Strong Hall, organized by ROTC units on campus.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Barry Bridger, who was a POW from 1967 to 1973, will speak at 4:30 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium. The speech by Bridger, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., is free and open to the public.

It will be followed by 24-hour vigils by ROTC cadets and midshipmen at KU’s Vietnam War Memorial and the Campanile, which is a memorial to those who died in World War II.

Forum explores world religions

Baker University will present a poetry reading and forum on world religions at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Espress Yourself coffee shop in downtown Baldwin, as a preview activity to International Education Week, which runs Nov. 15-19.

Readings and songs from a variety of spiritual traditions will be presented. Participants include Baker faculty, staff and students; Baldwin community members; and representatives of the Bhaktivana Yoga Center, the Kansas University Hillel Foundation, the Islamic Center of Lawrence and Haskell Indian Nations University.

A question-and-answer session will follow the forum.

For more information, contact the Baker Learning Resource Center at (785) 594-8352, or lrc@baker.edu.

LHS beats the bands in marching competition

The Lawrence High School marching band and color guard beat about 30 bands to win the grand championship trophy at the Neewollah Marching Competition Oct. 30 in Independence, Kan.

The Marching Lions received a 1 rating — the best rating — for color guard, drumline, parade performance and field performance.

The group also was named best drumline and best in Class 6A.

Parks and Rec offers language classes to kids

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is offering classes for children to learn Spanish and American Sign Language.

Spanish Adventures will be from 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays, Nov. 9 through Dec. 14, for children 3 to 5 at the East Lawrence Center, 1245 E. 15th St. A section for children ages 6 to 12 will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Sign Language for Kids will be from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Thursdays, Nov. 11 through Dec. 16, at South Park Recreation Center, 1141 Mass. The program is open to children ages 5 to 9.

The cost for each five-week program is $17. Individuals can enroll online at www.lprd.org or by visiting a Lawrence Parks and Recreation facility.

For more information, call 832-7930.

Grandparents set up medical fund account

The grandparents of a Lawrence High School sophomore are trying to raise money to help pay costs associated with her hospitalization in Minneapolis.

Willie and Orene Sevier have set up an account in the name of their granddaughter, Sarah Gudenkauf, at Lawrence Commerce Banks for acceptance of donations.

Sarah, 16, is at Fairview University Medical Center, where she recently underwent a bone marrow transplant. Sarah has metachromatic leukodystrophy, which is a genetic disease that causes the nerve cells in the brain to deteriorate.

Sarah is expected to be in the hospital at least four months, her grandfather said. Her mother, Julie Gudenkauf, is with her and staying in a Ronald McDonald House. Although the Gudenkaufs have medical insurance, it won’t cover all costs, Willie Sevier said.

The Seviers recently spent time selling tacos during special events at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds in their efforts to raise money for Sarah.

Donations may be sent to Commerce Bank, 955 Iowa, Lawrence 66044.