Get up from your desk and on your feet for a walk at lunch April 25 to celebrate National Walk @ Lunch Day

National Walk @ Lunch Day is designed to complement – not compete with – your busy lifestyle. Created to improve personal health and decrease the costs of health care for employers and employees, National Walk @ Lunch Day is the start of your new daily walking routine, helping you to improve your health step by step.

Participation is fun and easy. On April 25, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas  invites employees of Topeka businesses, state employees, legislators and elected officials, and the public to join its employees for a rally and walk at the north grounds of the Kansas Judicial Center. Melissa Brunner of WIBW TV-13 will join Andy Corbin, BCBSKS president/CEO, in leading the walk! The short rally will be followed by a walk around the perimeter of the Judicial Center grounds. Join in the fun by wearing comfortable shoes to take a walk at lunch.

The first 300 participants who stop by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas table at the event will receive a free National Walk @ Lunch Day T-shirt.

 Walking is one of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise; taking a brisk, 30-minute walk five times a week can reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and be a positive influence on heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. But it can be challenging to find even 30 minutes a day in our busy lives; that is why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is asking you to join its employees to turn a working lunch into a walking lunch April 25.

Join us on Wednesday, April 25 and begin walking toward a healthier Kansas ─ and a healthier you. Visit www.bcbsks.com to learn more

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For 70 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has built a reputation of trust with its members and contracting providers by providing outstanding customer service while quickly and accurately processing claims; fairly administering benefit plans and contracts; offering programs, services and tools to help members improve or maintain their health; and operating under the highest ethical standards while being good stewards of premium dollars. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and is the state’s largest insurer, serving all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte. For more information, visit www.bcbsks.com.

Keep America Beautiful-Topeka/Shawnee County Announces Great American Cleanup Activities

In recognition of the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup, and in celebration of Earth Day the following services will be offered to residents of Shawnee County, free of charge (except where noted) on Saturday, April 28.

Saturday, April 28--Earth Day Events

• Rolling Meadows Recycling and Disposal Facility will offer a free landfill day, sponsored by Waste Management of Kansas, Inc.  The landfill located at 7351 N.W. Highway 75 will be open from 7 a.m. to Noon.  To be eligible for free disposal all loads must be covered, contain no tires, hazardous waste items or appliances that contain Freon.  The free disposal of trash is available for individual Shawnee County residents only, no businesses.  For more information contact:   246-0305.
• The City of Topeka Yard Materials Recycling Facility will also be open the same day for free disposal of yard waste for all Topeka residents.  The hours will be 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at I-70 and MacVicar.  They will accept trees, limbs, leaves and grass.  All loads should be covered or secured.  The free day is available to all of Shawnee County except for businesses.  For more information contact 368-3700.
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• Extreme Recycling has announced they will accept electronic waste and large appliances such as stoves, microwaves, washers and dryers.  They will not accept large appliances that contain Freon, such as refrigerators and freezers, or smoke detectors and thermostats.  There is a $15 fee for televisions and $10 for monitors.  They will receive the materials at 7215 S. Topeka Blvd. Bldg. 3 Door 8, from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm.  For questions on this event or other electronic materials they accept for recycling, please contact them at 785-267-1700.
• As part of Bridgestone’s One Team One Planet Program, there will be a tire recycling collection for Shawnee County residents only, at Expert Tire, 3701 S. Topeka, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. – 4 tires per household.  They will also accept residential do-it-yourself oil, car batteries and anti-freeze.

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Vince Frye moved into the DTI offices this week as the new President and Chief Executive Officer.

“I believe Vince will be a great asset to DTI,” said Debra Clayton, chair of DTI board of directors. “He’s committed to downtown, has served as a board chair of DTI and is well known within the community. He’s familiar with the issues unique to downtown and will be a strong collaborator and advocate for downtown. We’re looking forward to his leadership.”

Vince has extensive experience in advertising and promotion and a long record of service to the community. He was a member of the first class in Leadership Greater Topeka, a program that targets current and future leaders and provides training and opportunities to learn and hone their skills. LGT is sponsored by the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce.

After working in sales and then as general sales manager at WIBW-TV, Vince joined his wife as a partner in FryeAllen, an advertising agency. The agency was involved in many projects that helped build and promote Topeka, including designing campaigns for fundraisers for the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Curtis State Office Building and Great Overland Station and for ballot issues to implement sales taxes for economic development and roads and bridges.

“I am very honored to have been selected to be President and CEO of Downtown Topeka, Inc.,” Vince said. “This is a great time to be involved in DTI. I look forward to working with the many outstanding merchants and businesses that have made their commitment by choosing to locate in downtown.  I am eager to hear input on the future of downtown.”

Vince is chairman of the Topeka & Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame; vice president of Arts Connect; a board member for the Topeka and Shawnee County Sports Council, Junior Achievement, Sunflower State Games, and Housing and Credit Counseling Inc.; and a member of the Business Hall of Fame Selection Committee and Sales and Marketing Professionals.

Vince was chosen from a large pool of candidates from across the nation.

“We are very excited to have Vince join us,” said Mark Kossler, chair of the DTI search committee. “Our committee reviewed over 30 applicants, narrowing the list as we ranked the candidates on a number of qualities, including education; managerial, entrepreneurial and downtown experience; communication skills; creativity; and volunteer recruitment.

“Vince quickly became one of our finalists. After a series of interviews with the top candidates, Vince was the unanimous recommendation from the committee to the full DTI board, which voted similarly to extend an offer to Vince,” Mark said. “I look forward to working with Vince.”

Vince is eager to keep DTI and Downtown moving forward.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to revitalize and re-energize,” Vince said. “I will work hard to do whatever I can to help make downtown a place of great pride for all of us.

What do you envision for the newly merged Parks and Recreation Program?

The Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is conducting a 15 stop listening tour throughout the area to hear the your responses. The meetings are open to the public.

During these meetings, residents will be asked about what they want to see from the merged parks and recreation department. There will be at least one meeting in each city council district and at least two meetings in each county commission district.

Attendees will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, which will also be available on city and county websites soon. Click here to fill out the questionnaire. 

Upcoming listening meeting locations:

• Thurs., March 1 6:30 p.m. | Big Gage Shelter
• Mon., March 5 6:30 p.m. | Lake Shawnee Event Center Bettis Family Sports Complex
• Thurs., March 8 6:40 p.m. | Central Park Community Center
• Fri., March 9 6:30 p.m. | Crestview Community Center
• Mon., March 19 6:30 p.m. | American Legion Post

There were 15 total stops on the listening tour, click here for the full schedule.