By:  Ernie Wren

The Southern Boone School District continues to bring out the best in all the students who attend our schools.  Two of those amazing students are Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members Lauren Parker and Kristyn Schaller. The mission of the FBLA is “to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.”  Lauren and Kristyn will be competing in the FBLA national convention June 29th through July 2nd in Chicago, IL. In true business-like fashion, they have partnered with a local restaurant to fundraise for their trip expenses. Trail Boss BBQ will be donating a portion of all proceeds of their Pork Steak dinner fundraiser to the pair on Saturday, June 25th, 5pm to 8pm. Your $13.99 meal includes a nice sized pork steak with the choice of two sides (baked beans, potato salad, or cole slaw). This is a dine-in or carry out fundraiser located at 207 W. Broadway in Ashland. So, make plans to help two of Southern Boone’s fantastic students!

Will the Ashland Police Department soon have its own K9 program? A fundraising effort has been initiated by the Southern Boone YMCA which has stated, “In an effort to increase public safety within our community, the Southern Boone Area YMCA is proud to announce collaborative fundraising efforts with the Ashland, Missouri Police Department to establish a K9 program. *All donations will be made through Going To The Dogs. Going To The Dogs, a 501c3, focuses its efforts on generating donations and assisting law enforcement agencies with the acquisition of dogs to retirement and beyond. For more information, please visit www.southernbooneymca.org  and choose Special Events.

Ashland Police Chief Gabe Edwards shared what a K9 unit would bring to the community. “In this time of explosive growth in our community, your police department is working hard to keep up with the need – moving from an otherwise small-town police PD to a small, yet professional, full-service police agency. A police service dog is a force multiplier. Not only as an enforcement tool used to find illicit substances, track fugitives, and locating missing persons, but for handler protection too. Police dogs are also a very useful tool used for community engagement by way of K-9 unit demonstrations at various events, organizations, clubs, day cares, and schools.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal