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Polsky Series Endorses Nonprofits
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Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

5/07/08
Story by Peggy Graham

Polsky Series Endorses Nonprofits

Jane Chu
Jane Chu
Joan Israelite
Joan Israelite
David Renz
David Renz
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Polsky Practical Personal Enrichment Series will present Polsky Endowments Support Nonprofits and So Can You from 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, in Polsky Theatre of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College. Speakers are Jane Chu, president, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; Joan Israelite, president, Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City; David Renz,  director, Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The seminar is free, but seating is limited. Reserve tickets by calling the JCCC box office, 913-469-4445. Reserved covered parking is available. Refreshments and networking are offered one-half hour before and after the program.

Speakers will address:

  • Raising money to secure a future
  • Investing at 20 percent a year annualized for five years
  • Building a board of prominent, dedicated and capable trustees
  • Making even a $50 contribution helps you and nonprofits
  • Questions from the audience

Renz, who has a doctor of philosophy degree with a concentration in organization theory and administration from the University of Minnesota, directs the MCNL, an educational and research enterprise that serves more than 5,000 current and emerging nonprofit leaders and managers through a combination of public and contracted programs and services. Through its involvement in the research conducted by Department of Public Affairs faculty, the MCNL is becoming well-known as a source of high quality applied research, particularly in the areas of governance, nonprofit effectiveness and community leadership. The center was created in 1991 to serve the nonprofit community in Kansas City and the adjacent six-state region of Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Renz also serves as the chair of the Department of Public Affairs in the Bloch School.

Israelite has been the president of the Arts Council since the agency was founded in March 1999. The Arts Council strengthens and enriches the community through the arts by developing visibility, participation, support, information, education and partnerships. The Arts Council just completed the inaugural campaign for a new united arts fund for the region, entitled the ArtsKC Fund. Israelite was recently appointed by President Bush to a six-year term on the National Council on the Arts.

Chu began her position on Nov. 1, 2006, as the first president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Chu leads the development, strategy, programming and community initiatives for the facility, both in its pre-opening phase and beyond. The Kauffman Center, scheduled to be open for the 2010-2011 performance season, will be the performance home for the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet. It will also feature a diverse range of performances including dance and music of all types, as well as smaller Broadway and off-Broadway touring productions.

This series of educational presentations is underwritten by the Norman & Elaine Polsky Family Supporting Foundation within the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation in partnership with JCCC. The series includes a number of topics which are not now being offered elsewhere. Successful local professionals share their knowledge to benefit you. Each event is free and open to senior citizens, students and the general public.

Polsky Series seminars can be viewed at http://video.jccc.edu anytime or on Channel 17 (Everest or Time-Warner ) or Channel 22 (Comcast), Johnson County only, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and 3-6 p.m. Saturday.

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