The following people were elected to the Southtown Board of Directors. They will be serving a term of two years unless noted.

Roll up your sleeves to help with the Tulips on Troost project! Volunteers will work together on Saturdays between now and November 4 to till the ground, to build tulip beds, and to plant bulbs along Troost Avenue. To schedule a planting day, please contact Alicia Douglas at (816) 501-4306 or alicia.douglas@rockhurst.edu or Durwin Rice at (816) 812-8530 or durwinrice@durwinrice.com with the date, time, and number of people in your group.

Dislocated workers include those who have been downsized, laid off or forced into early retirement; individuals who have been downsized and are now employed in positions for which they are overqualified; and/or other dislocated categories and considerations depending on the individual situation.

Merrigan & Co., 1012 E. 55^th, is the recipient of this month’s Southtown Council September Sparkle Award. A writing and marketing services agency in the KC area for nearly 20 years, Merrigan & Co. has called the corner of 55^th and Troost “home” since February 2006.

Now is the time to begin getting your flower beds ready for the October tulip planting season. The “Tulips on Troost Avenue” Project got a kick start several weeks ago when Rockhurst students and neighborhood volunteers installed ten flower beds around the tree wells on the west side of Troost in the 5500 block. It looks wonderful! More tree wells are available if you are interested in helping, just call Durwin Rice at 816-361-6825.

Perhaps, you have long forgotten or have given up on your New Year’s resolution to “get fit.” Now that September has arrived, your resolutions may be a faint memory. For one Southtowner, the determination and desire to “get fit” is alive and well. David Najarian, Buildings and Facilities Coordinator at Church of the Nazarene International Headquarters, was selected by KCTV5 in April as one of the “Get Fit with Five” participants. David was only one of 5 individuals chosen as a participant out of 600+ who entered. In his application letter to KCTV5, David signed his letter as “A desperate want-to-be ‘loser’ in Kansas City.” And, a “loser” he has been since starting the program in April. At the August “weigh-in,” he had lost 30 pounds and is showing signs of improvement in every other area.