5K Champions Run on June 25
Sponsored by the SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association, SkillsUSA will be holding the fourth annual 5K Champions Run in Kansas City during the National Leadership and Skills Conference. This year, the race takes place on Friday, June 24, at 9 a.m. at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary, 8880 Clark Avenue in Parkville, Mo.

Transportation to the park will be provided from the Convention Center at 8:00 a.m. (students can shuttle from hotels to the Convention Center on Friday morning and then ride a designated bus to the 5K race or use private transportation).

Registration is $20 per person and includes a unique T-shirt to the first 300 who register. Awards will be presented to the first 300 finishers and the fastest three males and females will be recognized. No headphones, strollers, animals, skates or skateboards will be allowed on the racecourse. Register now to be a part of this fun event that benefits the alumni organization. For more information, please visit: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni5k.shtml. Registration is available on site in Kansas City up to the day prior to the event at the alumni headquarters in Bartle Hall in Room 2104A.

Registration is $15 per person and includes a unique T-shirt for the race. Awards will be presented to the first 300 finishers.

Road Closings
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will remove and replace the Broadway Bridge over I-670 in the southwest corner of the Downtown Loop in the spring of 2011 and the new bridge won’t be complete until mid-September. Alternate routes into Kansas City from the airport will be posted. Updated information is available at MoDOT’s Kansas City website, www.modot.org/kansascity.

Please note: The following roads will be blocked off during the convention due to Champions Plaza:

• 13th Street between Wyandotte Street and Broadway Boulevard, from 12:01 a.m. June 19 to midnight June 23.
• Central Street between 12th and 14th streets from 12:01 a.m. June 19 to midnight June 23.
• Several lanes around Bartle Hall will be closed for shuttle buses and the loading and unloading of supplies.

The West 12th Street bridge remains under construction, but will be partially opening allowing traffic flow. It is strongly recommended, however, for those driving to Kemper for opening and closing ceremonies and contest observations, to please use the detour route found at the following link: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscdir.shtml.

Blood Drive
This year, there will be two blood drives as part of the National Leadership and Skills Conference. Both drives will be sponsored by the Kansas City Community Blood Center and will be held:

• Monday, June 20, Bartle Hall, Room 2101 – 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and
• Friday, June 24, Bartle Hall, Room 2105 – 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Kansas City Community Blood Center hopes to receive donations of at least 25 pints of blood from each drive. Blood collected will be used in the Kansas City community and they are very much in need of donations. At last year’s blood drive, 43 donors registered to try to donate and 29 pints were collected. There were 36 first-time donors.

Please try to take the time during one of these days to stop by when you can and participate in this worthy cause and help save a life. All students who register May 9 to August 13 to give blood will be entered into a drawing to win a free iPad. Appointments can be made ahead of time at www.esavealifenow.org and enter the sponsor code "SkillsUSA."

Note: Donors must weigh no less than 115 lbs and must be at least 17 years of age (or a donor can be 16 years of age with written parental permission).