Local Girl Scout goes on a dog sledding adventure

Winter break – a two week vacation from homework, teachers, and tardy cards. A time when high school students all over the nation bask in the glow of video games, i-pods, television sets. For most teenagers sleeping till noon is the best and only way to spend winter break, but for Sara Mabry sleeping in was not an option.

Mabry, a Raytown High School junior, spent her winter break on a destination.

Mabry is a Girl Scout.

Today, Girl Scouting is about more than crafts, camp outs, and cookie sales. Through Girl Scouts, girls all over the country are learning respect for others, finding their place in the world, and discovering how they can positively impact their communities.

Mabry is no different.

December 28, 2006, Mabry packed up her snow gear and set off to Minnesota on an adventure.

The teen Girl Scouts program, Studio 2B, encourages girls to take a destination trip – trekking through a Costa Rican rainforest, on a simulated mission to the moon at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. or canoeing through the Everglades. They can make a movie in San Diego, be a counselor at a camp for girls with physical disabilities here in Kansas City, or become a musher on a dog sledding adventure in Minnesota.

According to the Girl Scouts USA Web site, “all destination events provide an opportunity for individual members to broaden their perspectives.”

Mabry, after reading through her list of options, settled decisively on – dog sledding in Ely, Minn.

“I saw dog sledding and I thought, how many people can say they went dog sledding, and that is pretty much how I fell in love with dog sledding,” Mabry said.

Though, as a child, Mabry had seen the movie, “Balto” (about a dog who leads a dog sled on a 600-mile trip through Alaska to help save children from diphtheria), and was admittedly hooked on dog sledding ever since, Mabry discovered that actually doing dog sledding herself was “very different.”

Fighting the cold was a challenge Mabry said, adding that “whenever we complained that we were cold our instructors would make us run to keep warm.”

Mabry had to learn how to guide the dogs who were pulling 600 pounds of equipment on their sled across the frozen lake.

“Basically, we moved all day and then we had a couple hours of sunlight left, so we would set up camp, cook dinner, and stuff like that. Then we just laid a tarp down in the snow, put our sleeping back down over that, and then, usually, put a tarp over us and then went to bed,” Mabry said. “It was kind of cold.”

“We each had our own dog that we were responsible for,” Mabry said. “My dog was Chester, and he had three brothers who were on our team.”

The destination event was about more than just learning how to get a pack of dogs to pull a sled.

For Mabry it was an opportunity to build life skills that will benefit her for long after her eight day adventure.

“I know it’s corny, but it made me stronger. In obviously a physical way because that was like 600 pounds of stuff that you had to push when it got knocked over. But I even built my personal skills by getting to know strangers. I learned just general life skills, because I had to fend for myself because there wasn’t mom and dad to go get me things. It was a lesson in independence,” Mabry said.

According to Gina Garvin, public relations and marketing director for the Girls Scouts of North East Kansas and North West Missouri, destinations are a great opportunity for teen girls. “Different councils across the country, and even international, will sponsor these destinations that [the girls] can go on. Some of them are about community service, some of them are about skills, and some are an opportunity to try something new. All of them are an opportunity for Girls Scouts from all over to get to know each other and build bonds.”

For Mabry, this was a big part of her destination. “I still have phone numbers and emails. I didn’t know any of those girls. They were all kind of stand-offish at the beginning and by the end you couldn’t separate us.”

Dog sledding in Minnesota has not been the only adventure that Mabry has been able to participate in while a member of Raytown Girl Scout Troop 3157.

“We went to Maine in summer of 2005. It was a blast, we went to the beach almost everyday. We went sea kayaking and tide-pooling. We stayed at the College of the Atlantic which was beautiful. Also, one year at resident camp I spent 10 days 'roughing it' instead of staying in cabins. We went out and found a spot in the middle of the woods and dug out a spot to put our tents up. We had to cook all our meals except a few times and we were definitely queens of the camp! All the other campers idolized us for being able to camp out by ourselves for that long.”

Outside of Girl Scouts, Mabry stays active in her school, swimming; playing in the band; singing in the choir; and participating in theatre. Mabry is currently working on Raytown High School’s play Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mabry will play the part of Jo Harper.

It is not unusual for girls who are active in Girl Scouts to also be active in their schools.

“We have a really strong teen program. Girls, like Sara, who really have been active in the community – girls who have grown up in girl scouting,” Sally Allen, membership manager, said.

“By the time our Girls Scouts are in their high school years, most of those girls who are in those leadership roles, that are top their class, are Girl Scouts. They’ve taught them leadership all throughout the way, taught them to be independent, they can go on a camping trip and pack their own stuff, they can be responsible for themselves. Raytown is really lucky. We have a really strong teen program.”

The friendships and opportunities that Mabry has been given in Girl Scouts are what kept her involved in the program.

“We do so much. There is so many things that you can do when involved in Girl Scouts – so many opportunities that you don’t have otherwise.”

Mabry began the Girl Scouts program as a Brownie (ages 6-8) and is currently working on her Gold Award (the Girl Scout equivalent to the Boy’s Eagle Scout Award).

For more information on Girls Scouts or to volunteer visit www.girlscoutsksmo.org

Model trains entice: Holiday Village attracts train lovers young and old, to Union Station

Superheroes and rock stars are there.

Thomas the Tank Engine, the Seven Dwarfs, and Marilyn Monroe are there, too. There is a junk yard and an amusement park complete with a hot air balloon. The detail that is displayed is enough to keep visitors to Union Station's Grand Hall interested for hours.

Throughout the year, volunteers from all over the metro gather at Union Station and meticulously put together track, trains, and scenery. The 40' by 60' display includes everything from the Daily Planet to Heartbreak Hotel.

"We work on it all year," Mike Laboi, of Raytown, said.

Twenty to 30 volunteers spend thousands of hours year round to make this Garden Railroad exhibit bigger and better every year.

"It is a group effort. It takes a lot of people," Laboi said.

Laboi, vice president of the Union Station Model Railroad Society is just one of the many who volunteers their time to bring this tourist attraction to life.

The G-scale Holiday Village is truly something to see. Taking up 2400 square feet of space in Union Station's Grand Hall with 16 tracks and an average of 36 trains running through numerous detailed villages there is something for everyone.

Ted Tschirhart, president of the Union Station Model Railroad Society oversees the operation that attracts tourists from New York to Germany. The smiles and excitement on the faces as they watch the trains carefully traveling through the tunnels and over the bridges, rounding the bends, and passing numerous homes and stores, makes the hours of work well worth it.

The volunteers work diligently to make sure that all trains are running smoothly, though there is the occasional wreck or derailment.

"Sometimes I think the visitors like the wrecks just as much," Laboi said.

"We are the only Union Station exhibit with 100 percent positive feedback," Tschirhart said, acknowledging that even when their exhibit has a problem (i.e. a crash) the visitors are still entertained.

The Union Station Model Railroad Society took over the Holiday Village two years ago, and was started four years ago by the Kansas City Garden Railway Society. Each year the exhibit grows in size and complexity. This year O-gauge Lionel trains and S-gauge trains join the large G-gauge garden trains. The hope is to continue to add trains of various sizes and scales so that each scale is represented.

Also new this year is a model of Disney World complete with the infamous characters and princesses. The Disney portion was added to compliment Union Station's upcoming Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland exhibit.

While the Holiday Village is only on display for a couple of months each year, the work behind the scenes is continuous.

"It takes constant work," Laboi said. "We are always looking for volunteers."

The Holiday Village is on display now through Jan. 2, 2008 with trains running 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free but, donations are accepted.

For more information on sponsoring the Holiday Village or to volunteer call Union Station at (816) 460-2020 or stop by Union Station located at 30 W. Pershing Road in Kansas City.

Elbasani’s new vision creates a Focus on Independence

Barry Elbasani, of Raytown, is, in many ways, just your average guy. He is finishing his Masters Degree at Drake University. He enjoys watching Inside the NFL and driving his Ford. The difference is, Barry’s Ford E 150 van had to be outfitted with $63,000 worth of computers and modifications just so that he would be able to drive.

It was in July of 2002, at the age of 28, that Barry’s world changed dramatically. Barry had a shallow-water diving accident. His neck was broken; leaving him with paralysis from the chest down and a desperate need to re-discover himself, his life, and his dreams.

Before the accident, Barry had recently completed his Bachelors in Psychology, had an interest in sales, and was busy searching for a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

Since the accident, Elbasani has undergone extensive surgeries and months of rehabilitation. He is enrolled in the Masters program at Drake University and has recreated his life’s purpose. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, and the situation, that life left him in after suffering a traumatic spinal cord injury; Barry has taken his experience and has turned it into a vehicle to help others.

One thing Barry discovered quickly was putting his glasses on and keeping them in place was not as easy as it once was. After spending one afternoon afraid to move his wheelchair after his glasses had fallen off and landed near the wheel, and unable to simply bend down and pick them up, Barry decided that it was time to do something about it, and he called up Dr. Daniel S. Durrie, MD of Durrie Vision.

In 1999, Dr. Durrie, after becoming inspired by watching Christopher Reeve struggle with his glasses, began performing free LASIK eye surgeries for quadriplegics. “People with spinal cord injuries are so dependent on caregivers; it is a great feeling to give them back a piece of their independence by taking away the need for glasses or contacts,” said Dr. Durrie.

It was in 2003 that Barry Elbasani rolled into Durrie’s office. Barry was just hoping to gain back a bit of his independence by eliminating his dependence on eyeglasses and in turn, the need to constantly rely upon his father to help him clean them, put them on, and adjust them throughout the day. However, Barry received more from his visit with Dr. Durrie than just good vision.

Barry Elbasani and Dr. Durrie formed the nonprofit group, Focus on Independence (FOI), in 2005 shortly after Dr. Durrie performed Barry’s LASIK procedure. Together Barry and Dr. Durrie have built FOI based on a shared vision and desire to help eliminate an easily fixable problem. “It is a great feeling to be able to give something back to people who have already lost so much,” Elbasani said.

Eventually, Dr. Durrie and Elbasani’s desire is to take FOI nationwide, but for now, they agree that the most important thing is to “concentrate on getting a good local foundation for Focus on Independence,” said Elbasani. To that end they are currently working towards helping their 50th patient. “[Focus on Independence] is a wonderful way for Durrie Vision to give back to the community. Most of my staff is involved, we all help move the patients from their wheelchairs to the operating table and back, and we all feel just great after each surgery. It is a win-win situation. The staff of Durrie Vision is as happy as the patients are,” Dr. Durrie said.

Focus on Independence has even caught the attention of Dr. Robert Maloney of Maloney Vision Institute in Los Angeles. In 2006, Dr. Maloney began offering free LASIK surgeries for quadriplegics. Dr. Maloney says, “[That] for many people glasses are a real nuisance, but to quadriplegics glasses are an actual disability. With the Focus On Independence program, we aim to make day-to-day life a little bit easier for these patients.”

Barry Elbasani, Dr. Durrie, and Dr. Maloney all share the same desire to reach out to every individual that would be able to benefit from corrective eye surgery.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 people in the United States would be able to qualify, and that number is rapidly growing. Each year there are approximately 11,000 new cases of high-level quadriplegia, people with C4, 5, or 6 injuries each year. The financial strain that these individuals face is enormous and so are their needs. By eliminating even just one of these needs, one which would most likely always remain on their financial wish list, Barry Elbasani hopes that Focus on Independence, with the help of talented doctors like Daniel Durrie and Robert Maloney, can help make the lives of these individuals a little bit better the same way Dr. Durrie helped him.

Barry Elbasani will be receiving his Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Administration in December of 2007, and hopes that he will continue to be able to reach out with understanding to those, who like himself, have suffered from a spinal cord injury.

Focus on Independence, Inc a not-for-profit organization that’s mission is to increase the independence of people that have been disabled due to spinal cord injuries by reducing or eliminating their need for glasses and contact lenses with vision correction surgery. For more information about Focus on Independence, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit them online at www.focusonindependence.org.

Cake baker finds outlet at Momma’s

It was the love of creating new recipes combined with a strong desire to share his creations with others that drove Donnell Chambers to begin Chambers Cakes and Cookies. When asked why he bakes, Donnell simply says, “It’s my passion.”

He also cited his mother’s “good roots in southern cooking” and love of “rich flavors,” that helped inspire him to create recipes that he loves and is proud to share with others.

There is one recipe that Donnell is especially proud of -- Orange Pumpkin Spice Cake. In fact, it was that recipe that managed to catch the attention of Martha Stewart.

It was in 2002 that Martha Stewart made a visit to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Donnell, like hundreds of other fans, waited in line to meet Martha Stewart at her book signing. Little did Donnell know that three years later he would get the opportunity to bake a cake on the Martha Stewart Show.

That day, a photographer from the Kansas City Star took a photo of Donnell and Martha. It was that photo that first caught the attention of the Martha Stewart Show. The producers saw the photo and contacted Donnell. After spending a year corresponding back and forth, even sending the show’s producers a six-page write about himself and his love of baking, Donnell finally came up with the perfect recipe for Martha to test – Donnell’s Orange Pumpkin Spice Cake. It was a recipe that he had created; the same recipe that Dean & Duluca sampled and raved about. It was a “winner,” according to Donnell.

After Martha’s staff tested the recipe he was invited to be a guest on her show. He flew to New York to tape the show and to go whisk to whisk with Martha Stewart. After his appearance on the show, in October 2006, Donnell’s recipe was the number one requested recipe on the show’s website, and he started being recognized around town.

Donnell, who currently works as breakfast cook at Hy-Vee in Raytown, said “customers lined-up to meet [him],” after his show aired. He was also invited to appear on KC Live last December. The television appearances bolstered Donnell’s fame in Kansas City, and he was recognized by the ladies in the State Farm office that is located next door to Big Momma’s Bakery in Woodson Village.

It was at the urging of those women that Donnell approached the owners of Big Momma’s with the idea of placing his cakes in their store.

Toad-ally creepy

This year at SummerFest children and adults alike will be able to see something a little bit…different. Vinzent Cooper's Creepy Cane Toad Collection began as a way to help eradicate Queensland, Australia, of their Cane Toad problem. The Cane Toad also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad is a large toad that is native to Central and South America.

In 1935, Cane Toads were introduced to Australia to help combat the native Cane Beetle. Within two months the Cane Toads had rapidly increased in number from 102 to more than 3,000. Due to the poisonous toxins that these toads create, the large numbers, and their lack of natural predators in Queensland, all efforts are now being made for their eradication.

Cooper, in an effort to find a use for these major pests found that the skin of the Cane Toad is strong, durable, and distinctively unique. Using the skin of these toads, Cooper has created Toad-ally Leather designs. Creating everything from wallets and key chains to purses and hats out of the pesky Cane Toads.

The curious and the strong-stomached can check out Cooper’s Creepy Cane Toad Collection at SummerFest this weekend.

Amy Corn – Obsessed with the Bots

For Amy Corn art is all about the fun. After spending her entire life drawing on everything and everyone, it was photographs of graffiti that inspired Amy’s latest pen and ink designs.

While browsing a website dedicated to the art of graffiti, Amy discovered photos of graffiti from Argentina. The robots that had been painted seem to have sparked something in Amy. She became not just inspired by the robot design, but she became “obsessed.”

She began by airbrushing her Argentinean inspired robot design onto a t-shirt for a friend, and continued painting robots on everything. After her son was born, Amy began creating her Bots in pen and ink because “it was much easier to just get out a pen and paper while Connor was napping.” Connor, her son, is the inspiration for many of her Bots.

Amy [then Amy King] graduated from Raytown South High School in 1999 and went on to CMSU, where she studied illustration. Her desire was to illustrate children’s books.

In 2004, she attended UMKC and studied Graphic Design. She worked at World’s of Fun as an airbrush artist for many years before she realized that she could do it on her own. Currently, Amy owns Hot Air Airbrush, designing and creating airbrushed designs on t-shirts and more. Amy is married to Russ Corn.

Amy’s work is on display at Benetti’s Coffee Experience and can also be viewed online at KC Present Magazine [http://www.presentmagazine.com/]. You will also be able to view and purchase Amy’s work this weekend at SummerFest.

English is Her First Language

Tuesday nights have become a time for cross-cultural ministry for Stephanie Johnson at The Community Church. Tonight she enters the large, glass doors of The Community Church and walks down the expansive hallway to the Common Ground Café, the room looks like a coffee shop one would expect to find in Border’s Bookstore, but tonight the café is not filled with socializing coffee drinkers but rather; it is filled with the voices of Chinese men and women learning to speak English. There are six teachers and eleven students in the church’s English as a Second Language (ESL) class, which allows most to work in groups of one or two. Stephanie is the youngest teacher, a Central Missouri State University graduate student, and the most passionate, talented, and enthusiastic instructor the program has.
Stephanie sits at one of the small, round, silver tables surrounded by books on ESL and pronunciation, preparing for tonight’s lesson. Stephanie found her passion for ESL while she spent a year in Japan. “I really need to take some more Japanese classes,” she says. “I’ve lost a lot since I’ve been back. The language is easy to lose if you are not using it everyday.” This is why Stephanie is here at The Community Church. Together they want to help their students feel more at ease using English in their daily lives. Stephanie seems to understand the importance of simply getting them to use English everyday. “If you aren’t constantly speaking it then it is so easy to forget it,” she says. “It is much easier to just fully immerse yourself into the language. That’s what I had to do when I was in Japan, and that’s what these students are having to do now. They are surrounded by people speaking English, but they still need help in order to understand it, and that’s why I’m here. I want them to be able to understand, to communicate, to read, and to write all in English. I think it is important,” Stephanie says as she waits eagerly for her student.
Stephanie continues to look at her notes for tonight’s lesson with Hui Ming. Tonight’s lesson will be on vowel sounds, “Bead and Bit – I love teaching pronunciation,” she says as she smiles. For other teachers pronunciation is the hardest thing to teach, but Stephanie makes it seem simple.
Ching Yu, one of the organizers of the ESL program is fluent in English, but still struggles with perfecting his pronunciation, “It is difficult. I still have to stop and think about certain words,” he says. “Stephanie does a great job teaching the pronunciation. She really knows how it is best to do.”
Her student finally arrives. She is fifteen minutes late, but that is expected. Most of the students work full time and lack the transportation to bring them to ESL classes on a regular basis.
Stephanie stands up from the table and greets Hui Ming with a hug and a smile. Together they go and get a glass of water before they start their lesson. Stephanie and Hui Ming take their glasses of water and sit back down at the table covered with Stephanie’s books. They begin by talking a bit about the past week, and Stephanie listens closely as Hui Ming explains in broken English that she is very tired. That she has been working a lot, and is just very tired tonight. Stephanie smiles at her, and tells her that she understands. She too is tired from school, but maybe they can work for a little bit tonight on the vowel sounds and then on telling time. Hui Ming seems confused as she slowly repeats Stephanie’s words, “telling time?”
“Yes, telling time,” Stephanie repeats slowly while pointing at the clock on the wall next to them.
“Oh, clock. Telling time,” Hui Ming says as she makes the connection between the phrase and the object.
Stephanie continues the lesson having Hui Ming repeat the carefully selected words back to her as she holds up flash cards with the words printed on them the vowels in bold. The cards have simple illustrations to allow Hui Ming to make the connection between what she is saying and what the word means.
“Pin,” Stephanie says slowly emphasizing the short i sound.
“Pin,” Hui Ming repeats the word slowly trying carefully to form the same sound. Stephanie praises her efforts, and they continue on.
“Pie,” Stephanie says this time emphasizing the long i sound.
“Pie,” Hui Ming points to the picture as she says the word perfectly and she smiles. “Apple Pie,” she says.
They finish their lesson on vowel sounds, and Stephanie takes out a yellow textbook, and opens to a page filled with photographs of clocks. Stephanie points to the first clock and begins by asking Hui Ming, “What time is it?” When Hui Ming says that she doesn’t know Stephanie encourages her, “That is okay, let’s see the little hand is on the three and the big and is on the twelve.” Stephanie points to the hands of the clock as she explains. Hui Ming nods understanding. Stephanie continues, “The little hand points to the hour and the big hand points to the minutes. We count the minutes in fives, and when the big hand is on the twelve we say it is something O’clock,” Stephanie stops to make sure that Hui Ming is understanding, and Hui Ming nods and repeats parts back to her, so Stephanie continues. “So if the little hand is on the three and the big hand is on the twelve what time would it be?”
“Umm, little hand three, big hand twelve, umm, three o’clock?” Hui Ming looks up at Stephanie waiting to see if she got it right.
“Good job. That’s right. Three o’clock,” Stephanie says as she smiles at Hui Ming. Stephanie continues the lesson pushing Hui Ming further by explaining the differences between AM and PM, noon and midnight, and the common phrases that we use when telling time; Half-past, Quarter-past, Quarter-Till, etc.
Later after all of the students have left Stephanie sits with the other teachers and discusses their student’s progress. “I love seeing the progress,” she says. “When they start reading and really becoming truly fluent, it makes my time worth it. I love teaching.” Stephanie continues to talk with the other teachers trying to come up with new ways to encourage their students to keep up the hard work even as they grow tired. “What if we had an awards night? We could create a certificate that showed them how many hours they had put towards learning English. It would make them feel like they were accomplishing something.” Stephanie is beaming. The ideas keep flowing. “Maybe we should have a calendar. If we laid out the plans for each week, maybe they would be encouraged and excited to come,” Stephanie says. Taking her hands from the pockets of her red hoodie and reaching for a pencil, she is full of ideas, and she gets everyone else excited about them as well. That is Stephanie’s way. It is her dedication and passion for the students at The Community Church that she draws her energy from, and it is her talent and knowledge that helps them succeed.