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Holden Chamber Hears LifeFlight Eagle Presentation

In the absence of president Dennis Mason, vice president Sam Raber presided over the regular meeting of the Holden Chamber of Commerce which was held on Thursday, August 2, at the Harmony House.

Steve Sanborn, director of development at LifeFlight Eagle presented the Chamber with an update on the emergency transport service. Holden residents will remember the LifeFlight Eagle visit on the opening day of the Farmers’ Market.

In citing historical perspective, he said helicopter based emergency services began with the military during the Korean War and Vietnam. A lot was learned about how to treat patients in the field. When mortality rates were compared with those from World War II, they found a significant drop with air transport. It fell from four deaths per 100 down to one death per 100. Because of the impressive differences in trauma outcomes, the helicopter emergency transport was introduced in the U.S., first in Denver. The program out of St. Joseph hospital in Missouri was the fifth. At that time the name of the organization was Spirit of St. Joseph. It evolved over the years, going from one aircraft in 1978 to a fleet of five at present. The name evolved when St Luke’s and then Research Hospital participated, changing from LifeFlight to LifeFlight Eagle.

A significant change came when they took the helicopters out of the metro area and placed them farther out in more rural areas where they were needed. Clinton has just been added as a base with the new hangar opening in September.

The scope of emergency services encompasses a 150-mile service area around metropolitan Kansas City, and a 100-mile area around each base making air transport even more available for trauma and emergency patients. In addition, Sanborn stated that 70 percent of their transports are from facility to facility to provide patients with access to specialty care and procedures.

Sanborn said the cost of emergency transport is expensive. The average charge is now around $12,000. Sanborn informed the Chamber that LifeFlight Eagle, which is a non-profit service, provides a membership plan. If the patient is a member of the plan, the cost of transport will be limited to whatever the patient’s insurance company will reimburse. The patient will not be responsible for non-covered charges or co-payments.

Sanborn went on to say that they have signed up 4,000 members and are hoping to double that number. Membership costs $59 a year and covers the member, spouse and dependent unmarried children under the age of 23. For further information, contact membership services at 1-800-936-9533 or visit www.mylfe.org. Sanborn asked Chamber members to help with distribution of informational flyers.

In other business, Bill Dryer reported that at Whiteman Air Force Base, the community council was losing personnel due to both downsizing and heavy deployments. Sam Raber said that Dryer was doing a great job representing Holden at Whiteman.

Raber reminded the members that supporters of Mayor Mike Wakeman need to attend the next city council meeting at 7 p.m. on August 14. Raber said that he thought Wakeman “got a raw deal”.

The next Chamber After Hours will be August 13, sponsored by Embarq and held at Tiger Jack’s.

In community business, it was reported that pavers can be purchased online at the Chamber web site, www.holdenchamber.com.

Raber reported that the gate at the downtown park has been repaired and now opens properly.

The history book is selling well at the banks and the library. Raber said it is possible there may not be enough to meet the demand.

In market news, Jo Ann Nolan said that the Farmers’ Market has been very busy with three or four new vendors every week.

In other business,the building committee is reported to be looking at different locations and will report more at a later date.

In fair business, Jenny Sollars noted the fair committee shows insurance coverage of only $300,000 when they should have one million dollars in coverage. Bill Dryer made a motion that the Chamber spend more for premiums. The members agreed.

There was no old business discussed.

In new business, Jenny Sollars suggested the proceeds from the basketball tournament in January be targeted for the Christmas lighting fund.

Beginning in January, there will be a monthly sesquicentennial event. The banquet committee is planning a sampling of the monthly events to be previewed at the banquet.

The reenactment will be held at the city lake but chip and seal for the road will not be an option because of the cost. Raber said it will be important to work on keeping the dust down.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 6, at 7:00 a.m.

By Terri Vink
News Staff

Program Rewarding For Holden Freshman

Editor’s Note: The following is a journal of Holden High School freshman Morgan Griggs’ trip to the United Kingdom with the People to People Student Ambassador Program. Morgan is the daughter of Vince and Julie Griggs of rural Kingsville.

Recently, I was accepted into the People to People Student Ambassador Program. As part of our orientation I had to attend a monthly meeting where we learned about what we would be doing when we arrived in England, Ireland and Wales. We also had activities to get to know each other. Finally it was time to leave. I had both my suitcases and my carry-on bag ready. At the Kansas City International Airport our flight was delayed. Instead of leaving at 2:05 p.m., we wound up leaving at closer to 5 p.m. Then once we arrived at the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, we had to rush around to make our flight. But we made it and we were finally on our way. The flight to London was nearly eight hours long.

Day 1 - It was 7 a.m. when we arrived at London Heathrow Airport. We went straight to our first activity, a tour of Windsor Castle.

Day 2 - We took a tour of London and we saw The Tower of London. The Tower Of London was a castle before it was a prison, and it has four walls of protection? While we were there, we got to see the crown jewels.

Day 3 - We went to Buckingham Palace and saw The changing of the guard. Then we took a boat tour on the Thames River and saw more of London. Later we saw a musical called We Will Rock You. The only thing they sang were songs by the band Queen. We didn’t arrive back at the hotel that night until after midnight.

Day 4 - First we met a member of Parliament. Then we went to a WWII museum and ate lunch in the park outside of it. Then we rode the London Eye, which is the largest Ferris wheel in the world. Later we walked from one side of London to the other and went shopping in the Covent Gardens.

Day 5 - We saw Stonehenge today. Nobody was allowed to get too close to it because people had once put graffiti on it. We visited the town of Bath to see the Roman Baths. Then we left for Wales.

Day 6 - Today we went to the coal mines. There are nearly 1,300 acres of mines in Wales.

Day 7 -We left for Ireland on a ferry by crossing the Irish Sea. When we got off the ferry we went to Waterford, Ireland, where we visited The Waterford Crystal Factory.

Day 8 - Blarney Castle was the first thing we visited today. I never got the chance to kiss the Blarney Stone because the wait in line was an hour long. Instead I walked around the Blarney Garden and walked up and down the Wishing Stairs with my eyes closed. We then went to a national park where we had a scavenger hunt.

Day 9 - We took a boat ride on one of the many lakes in Ireland. The mountains surrounding the lake were beautiful. Then we got to ride in a buggy pulled by a horse and we rode through the mountains. The sites were amazing. Ireland is truly very green.

Day 10 - We explored a cave today. It was very cool. Then we went to the Cliffs of Moher.

Day 11 - Today we met our home-stay family in Dublin. Our hosts names were Mary and Patrick. The were very nice and made delicious home-cooked meals. We always ate meat and potatoes. Their home was very similar to what is found in the United States. Mary likes to watch CSI.

Day12 - We went to the GAA today, which stands for Gaelic Athletic Association. We learned about the sports hurling and soccer. Then we went out onto Croke Park (the biggest stadium in Europe) and learned more about Gaelic sports. Later we went to a natural history museum.

Day 13 - We went to a farm today. We made soda bread, milked a cow, made a jump-rope out of hay, learned an Irish dance, and learned to play a few beats on an Irish drum.

Day 14 - We left Ireland. Once again we rode the ferry back to Wales. Today was the first day that I ever played rugby. It was amazingly fun.

Day 15 - We repelled down the side of a castle today. The harness was uncomfortable but going down was worth it. We also learned about going outside our comfort zone.

Day 16 - We did an environmental project today. We cleared out plants that were choking out all of the other plants in an area in Wales. That night we learned a few words in Welsh.

Day 17 - Today we went to Warwick Castle. There we had dancing lessons, watched an archery display and a battle enactment. Right before sunset we watched a really large catapult throw a flaming ball into the sky. That was really cool.

Day 18 - We went back to Warwick Castle today and walked up 532 stairs to get from one end of a staircase to another. Later we went to William Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-on-Avon, and took a tour.

Day 19 - We went to Oxford University today. The college we visited was Christ’s Church. This is where part of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed.

Day 20 - Today was the last day of my trip. We got to the airport in London, and left early in the morning. Then there was a six-hour layover at O’Hare in Chicago. But finally we made it home. It’s great to be back!

I would like to thank Phelps Enterprises and Holden Fastop, F&C Bank, Casey’s, Auto Zone of Warrensburg, Luann Weeks, Edith Lawler, Grandma Bee and Papa Charlie, Grandma Jenny and Grandpa Charlie, my mom and dad, and all of my friends and various individuals for helping me raise part of the funds to take this trip. Without the support of these local businesses and these individuals, I would not have been able to have this once in a lifetime opportunity.

By Morgan Griggs