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Message from the President 
Happy Summer!
With the new class of 2018 now with us for a month or more, many things
are happening, we all are busy and filled with anticipation for interaction
as the Icebreakers are over. If you are a new sponsor, be sure to go over
the paperwork about the background and people of your sponsored country.
That will help with some of the “unknowns” that will surface from time to
time.
The Fort’s military sponsors have some specific areas with which they’ve
been tasked: housing, bank accounts, furniture, perhaps even a used car,
and the coordination of getting a Kansas driver’s license. By now,
most of this has been accomplished. Be conscious of what you’re hearing
from your officer. Make sure your officer is covered for all the
necessary items, and pitch in where you are needed.
These are fun times for the Paces and they should be for you… getting to
know the new officers, having them over to your home for a dinner,
figuring out who they may know from previous sponsorships, and finally
putting faces with names. It’s that much more fun to spend time with
their children!
I thank you for your commitment to our chapter’s mission. Keep in touch
with your officer, your involvement and communication with them is
crucial! We hope you found the Sponsor Orientation helpful. Sometimes, it
also raises questions. So, if you have any additional questions,
concerns, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to call me.
Again, many thanks for all you do to support our important work!
Have fun!
Randy Pace
President
Board of Directors
Greater Kansas City Chapter People to People International
816-810-4004 Phone
Flag Ceremony Monday, August 14
Dear Sponsors,
 The Flag
Ceremony on the 14 of August will begin at 09:30 and will last about an
hour. Attendee transportation will run from the Bell Hall parking lot at
08:30 and return immediately after the ceremony up until 12:30 p.m. You
are welcome and encouraged to attend. Be sure to have your base access
card or otherwise make your access arrangements. A brief reception will
follow, but IMS must be seated at 13:15 (1:15 p.m)
for the Commandant's Opening Class Address.
Calendar
Click here to download calendar in PDF
 Ice Cream Social!
Sunday, Sept 24
Ice Cream Social! Sunday, Sept 24
You are invited to an ice cream social
Hosted by Greater Kansas City People to People
At Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
Sunday,
September 24, 2017
1:30-5:00 pm
13800 Switzer Rd. - Overland Park, Kansas 66221
- Cost: $5.00/person
- Free for children under 2
The Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead,
established in 1978, was designed to depict a 1900s Kansas farm.
Click here for a map and more information about the Farmstead.
Your ticket price includes admission to the Farmstead, some children’s
activities and cookies and ice cream! Please do invite family and friends
who might be potential GKCPTP members and IMS sponsors (same costs
apply).
Please RSVP, including payment by Friday, September 8, 2017. This is a hard
deadline for both our chapter members and the IMS, so please contact your
officer immediately to plan the day together.
Register and pay by credit/debit card online at www.gkcptp.org
(click on events) or mail the attached form with
your check to: GKCPTP c/o Kim Nitz - 14025 Knox Street - Overland Park,
Kansas 66221. Please consider a donation beyond your family’s
tickets in order to help offset the costs of our IMS families.
Thank you very much!
Special note from our chapter president:
Those that have attended the Deanna
Rose Children’s Farmstead event in past years will notice
that we have changed up the event this year. It no longer includes a meal
for attendees as the costs for the meal, tents, chairs, service, bus
rental for IMS families, etc. became prohibitive over the years. The
event expenses were subsidized by our chapter and via generous grant
money from our parent organization, People to People International.
We believe the Farmstead continues to be a wonderful place for sponsors
and IMS to gather and enjoy a more reasonably priced (and still
subsidized) event. We hope you do, too, and encourage your feedback to
me, chapter president Randy Pace.
Celebration of International Friendship, Friday, Sept 29
Hold the date.
We'll have information on how to purchase tickets soon. Here is the basic
information.
You are cordially invited to this very special event sponsored by the
Command & General Staff College Foundation (CGSCF) and the Kansas
City Chapter of People to People International. It will feature some
notable speakers, presentation of the IMS class of 2018 and a musical
performance.
- Date:
Friday, September 29, 2016
- Time:
TBA
- Location: Kauffman
Center for the Performing Arts
- 1601
Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Featuring
the U.S. ARMY Chorus
Future Changes in Local Access Control (LAC) Procedures
Mike Brettman
of the International Military Student Division (IMSD) at Fort Leavenworth
recently notified each sponsor organization about upcoming changes to
improve Local Access Control (LAC) procedures going forward.
Summer is an extremely busy time with officers leaving and officers
coming to Fort Leavenworth. The Visitors Control Center (VCC) has
processed over 14,000 pass applications this summer. To alleviate the
summer workload, the VCC has agreed to issue the majority of sponsor LACs
in January and February and have them expire a year from that date.
Below is a summary of changes:
- All
GKCPTP sponsors holding LACs renew them in February of 2018
(FYI, the Operation International sponsors will renew their LACs in
January of 2018)
- IMSD
will work with GKCPTP sponsors who are going to be gone during
February to find a month that suits them
- In
May of 2018 when GKCPTP has assigned sponsors for the IMS Class of
2019, IMSD will collect LACs from any sponsors from the 2018 class
who are no longer sponsoring and destroy those LACs
- New
sponsors must submit their applications by the 15th of June each
year so IMSD has enough time to process their paperwork before the
sponsor Icebreakers.
- IMSD
will hold a meeting each Wednesday with the VCC to reconcile the LAC
status (submitted LACs and what their status is).
These improvements should lighten the
load for all parties during the busiest time of the year when the
officers arrive. Please let me (Sharon
Valasek) know if you have any questions.
My Life by Zahid Awan 
GKCPTP member Zahid Awan has become known
as a leader in the local Pakistani community while building a life that
includes work, family, citizenship and business ownership. Learn more
about this high-achieving IMS sponsor by reading his
article here.
Member Testimonial: Barbara and Larry Dolci
Long-time GKCPTP members Barbara and
Larry Dolci have had many, many great experiences with international
military students and their families. In this linked
article, they share some of those experiences with you. Be
sure to take a look at this quick read and enjoy. Both Barbara and Larry
are also past board members (including both serving as chapter
president), and encourage all members to consider board service to enrich
their membership experience.
Would You Like to Help GKCPTP Have Even More Impact?
Your help is needed and you can choose
to become involved by volunteering to become involved in the newly
established Outreach Committee of GKCPTP. This committee has been
charged with the responsibility of increasing membership and
sponsorship---and establishing and managing programs to help increase the
exposure and knowledge about the mission of PTPI and GKCPTP throughout
metro Kansas City. If you have such an interest, please contact Marlin Cone at: marlincone@gmail.com or 816-820-6698. Marlin
has more to say on this topic. Read his full article here.
Ike's Invitational Golf Tourney Monday, Aug
14
Ike's Invitational Golf Tournament
Monday, August 14
The Ike’s Invitational Golf Tournament is a fun and important annual
event that will allow each player and sponsor to directly connect with
President Dwight D. Eisenhower via his favorite game while supporting his
living legacy, People to People International (PTPI). All proceeds from
the Ike's Invitational Golf Tournament benefit PTPI’s activities which
promote educational, cultural and humanitarian activities.
RSVP by Friday, August 11, 2017
National Golf Club of Kansas City
$200 per per person, $800 for foursome
Breakfast and Registration: 7:30 a.m.
Shotgun Format Tee Time: 9:00 a.m.
Thank You Luncheon: 1:00 p.m.
For general information contact Croix Thompson at <development@ptpi.org>
or call 816.531.4701.
To learn about foursomes of GKCPTP members/friends contact Randy Pace at
816.810.4004.
Share Your Sponsoring Tips with Us
Sponsors, we’d
love to hear from you!
As we enter a new IMS sponsorship season, we would like to better harness
the great ideas, insights, and challenges of our sponsor members, in
hopes of enhancing the experience of all sponsors and IMS officers and
families. We recognize that our sponsors represent an amazing
wealth of knowledge, and we are asking you to share it with GKCPTP, so we
can summarize it for the membership in an upcoming newsletter.
Whether it’s a great activity you’ve enjoyed with your officer, or a
question or observation that might be beneficial to others, please send a
quick message to Kim Nitz and let us know your thoughts.
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