FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Release

(Jan. 27, 2020, TOPEKA, Kan.) – TARC, Inc. announces the election of new board members to both TARC’s Operating Board and TARC Foundation Board.

TARC, Inc. Operating Board Officers
Board President:  Mike Munson, Central National Bank
Past Board President: Karen Moore, Moore Home Team
Board Treasurer: Mike Kongs, Stormont Vail Health
Board Secretary: Richard Martinez, Kansas Department of Commerce

TARC, Inc. Operating Directors 2020-2021

• Lisa Alexander, University of Kansas Health System St. Francis
• Mary “Mert” Bradshaw, Community Volunteer
• Chad Carsten, Evergy
• Joell Chockley, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Clayton Devlin, Devlin Enterprises LLC
• Nathan Girard, se2
• Judy Dowd, Cotton O’Neil Dermatology Clinic
• Carmen Hill, Security Benefit
• Molly Howey, GoTopeka
• Jayme Painter, Summers, Spencer & Company, PA; SS+C Solutions, Inc.
• Randall Schumacher, Cotton O’Neil Pediatrics

TARC Foundation Board elected one new trustee to serve on the board.

Steven Townsend (Treasurer, TARC Foundation Board) is a Vice President, Portfolio Manager at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka where he manages the investment portfolio, including long-term and short-term investments. Prior to FHLBank, he held several roles including balance sheet strategy and advisory for financial institutions, institutional fixed income sales, corporate finance, and IT consulting and development. Townsend has held this position since June 2017. He graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in May 2009, majoring in both Finance and Accounting. He is a 2020 Level III candidate in the CFA Program.

TARC Foundation Board Officers

President: Matthew Bergman, Frieden, Unrein & Forbes, LLP
Vice President: Travis Stryker, CAS Constructors, LLC
Treasurer: Steven Townsend, FHLBank Topeka
Secretary:  Lindsay Freeman, Advisors Excel
Past President: Ann Shelton, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas

TARC Foundation Board Trustees

• Carolyn Annand, Hill’s Pet Nutrition
• Ron Gwaltney, Evergy
• Madeline Lambing, Washburn University Leadership Institute
• Mike Morse, KS Commercial Real Estate Services
• Robert, Raff, Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
• Kim Savage, Evergy
• Chad Sharp, Hill’s Pet Nutrition
• Ken Scott, Capitol Federal Savings
• Jennifer Sourk, Midwest Health, Inc.

About TARC
TARC is a not-for-profit service organization that works to enhance the lives of people with developmental and related disabilities and their families, with service, support, advocacy and community involvement.

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Winter Wonderland

The 22nd Annual Winter Wonderland was another successful year raising much needed funds for TARC programming.

Pre-events including Walk Through Night, Wheeling Wonderland and the Winter Wonderland 5k were hosted again this year. Cortez Transportation provided shuttles for Winter Wonderland Walk Through Night and helped transport more than a thousand people quickly and safely to and from the event.

The Winter Wonderland 5k Walk/Run presented by the Sunflower State games had record attendance of 252 participants.

Winter Wonderland was slated to be open for 35 nights, but had to close three nights due to rain and snow. The event saw 10,461 vehicles and buses through the gate at Winter Wonderland and raised $196,98081 to benefit TARC.

Plans are in the works for the 2020 event opening on Wednesday, November 25.

About TARC
TARC is a not-for-profit service organization that works to enhance the lives of people with developmental and related disabilities and their families, with service, support, advocacy and community involvement.

About Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland is a beautiful two-mile drive-thru holiday light display that benefits TARC, Inc. The holiday light display runs from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving each year through December 31.

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Media Invite

What: Stormont Vail Foundation check presentation to TARC Day Services
Where: TARC, Inc. GEERS Building, 2701 SW Randolph, Topeka, Kan.
When: Wednesday, January 22 at 1 PM

TOPEKA, Kan. – TARC’s Day Services awarded grant for healthy eating education program.

TARC will begin teaching the “Beginners Guide to Clean Eating” in our Day Services Program. Stormont Vail Foundation presented TARC’s Day Services with a grant of $1,500 to purchase the curriculum for the clean eating program.

“We are very excited to begin our clean eating curriculum,” said Cassandra Phillips, education coordinator TARC’s Day Services. “Learning to make healthy food choices empowers persons supported to be able to make decisions that will help them develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

The bi-monthly class will teach participants skills, techniques and the concepts of clean eating. For six months the 15 participants will attend classes at TARC and will learn about a variety of topics including: how to cut out sugar, go green, keeping it clean when eating out, eat the rainbow, grocery store tricks and how to read nutritional labels.

“People supported who choose to attend our ‘Beginner’s Guide to Clean Eating Class’ will learn valuable life skills to improve and maintain their health how they choose to,” said Phillips. “The class is offered at no cost to our Day Services Participant they only have to commit to attending class twice a month for six months.”

TARC’s Day Services program offers a variety of life skills and enrichment classes including cooking, gardening and art class. Programs offered in TARC’s day services are aimed to help participants gain their independence and grow their confidence. 

“Our cooking classes are really important to participants. They enjoy being able to have an active role in what they’re making here, and they can take those skills to their homes.” said Phillips. “We had an individual learn how to make a hardboiled egg in our cooking class and she took the skill home and made herself hardboiled eggs without assistance.”

About TARC
TARC is a not-for-profit service organization that works to enhance the lives of people with developmental and related disabilities and their families, with service, support, advocacy and community involvement. TARC is dedicated to creating a world where everyone reaches their potential. 

TARC Day Services

TARC’s Day Services provides service and support to Shawnee County residents 18 years of age or older with developmental, intellectual and related disabilities. The program supports adults in gaining independence, providing enrichment in their areas of interest and enhancing their life skills and building confidence.

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