10/14/15
Media Contact: Judi Reilly, 913-469-3908, jreilly@jccc.edu
Singer-songwriter Darden Smith presentation kicks off JCCC Veterans Week activities
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Johnson County Community College’s annual Veterans Week, planned for Nov. 4-11, helps honor, celebrate and connect with those who have served or who are currently serving in the military.
Darden Smith, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and founder/creative director of SongwritingWith:Soldiers, visits campus for two days to partner with veteran students. Smith and the JCCC students will craft songs about their experiences. That collaboration will be showcased in Smith’s free public presentation 7-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5, in Yardley Hall.
Attend any of the following public JCCC Veteran Week activities to honor, celebrate and better understand the people who bravely serve or have served our country:
Thursday, Nov. 5
- 7-8:30 p.m., Yardley Hall: Polsky Practical Personal Enrichment Series presents Darden Smith and SongwritingWith:Soldiers in “Collaboration and Change,” a moving musical experience and presentation that honors military veterans and tells their stories through song. The event is free and open to the public.
Friday, Nov. 6
- 4-6 p.m., Welcome Center and Veterans Center: JCCC Admissions and Veteran Services host a Veteran Future Student Open House. Learn about education opportunities at JCCC and tour the campus as well as enjoy refreshments and door prizes.
Monday, Nov. 9
- 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Craig Community Auditorium (GEB 233): AAUW JCCC presents the documentary “Unsung Heroes: The Story of America’s Female Patriots.” This event is free and open to the public.
Tuesday, Nov. 10
- 8 a.m.-5 p.m., COM building: Active Minds and the Veterans Club will raise awareness about the veteran suicide epidemic by participating in #22PUSHUPS, a veteran suicide awareness event. Help us meet our goal of donating 22,000 pushups to the cause. Record your pushups at the table on the second floor of the COM building.
Wednesday, Nov. 11
- 11 a.m., on the hill near the Commons Courtyard: Ron Stinson, JCCC professor, instrumental music, plays Taps. Immediately following, Ed Smith, JCCC research program coordinator, American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance, performs a Native American veterans’ song.
Throughout the week
- Honor tree, Student Center Lobby: Tie a ribbon on the Honor Tree as a silent way to say thank you to many different groups that have been affected by past and present wars. Ribbons and notecards will be available to honor service members and veterans.
- The JCCC Cavalier Quilters created “Blocked In,” a hand-quilted full-size quilt for one lucky winner of a drawing. Purchase tickets on campus in the COM building at the student club table or at ShopJCCC from the JCCC web page (www.jccc.edu). Contact Veteran Services for dates of table sales. The drawing will be at 4 p.m., Nov. 11. Proceeds support the JCCC Veterans Book Scholarship Fund.
- The JCCC Bookstore will be selling special edition Veteran Center t-shirts for $10.
- JCCC’s US Bank branch will have gift bags for veterans and military service members.
- Free JCCC drink cards will be available for veterans and currently serving military service members in the Veteran and Military Student Resource Center, COM 305.
For more information about Veterans Week at JCCC, contact Kena Zumalt at 913-469-8500, ext. 3924, or visit www.jccc.edu/veterans.
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