Orchard Breeze Neighborhood Association

News From Our Neighbors At Starkey

Oct 25, 2006

Help benefit individuals at STARKEY
Come join the fun at one of these community events! Midwest Beerfest on October 21. At the Midwest Beerfest, sponsored by the Wichita chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food, participants can find a variety of
brews from distributors and regional breweries - as well as a fine sampling of beer-themed mirrors, lights, signs and other merchandise at the silent auction. The silent auction, a fund-raising event for Starkey Inc., features more than 200 items donated by local beer distributors and other businesses. Retro-styled bicycles, stainless steel coolers, pool cues, spa packages - it?’s all there for the bidding. This year?’s Midwest Beerfest event will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at Century II Exhibition Hall in Wichita, Kansas. For admission information
and a list of auction items and featured beers, please visit www.midwestbeerfest.com.

Simon Evening of Giving on November 19 It?’s a chance for holiday shoppers to buy gifts early, without fighting large crowds, and at discount prices. It?’s called the Simon Evening of Giving, and the 2006 event is set for Sunday, November 19 at Simon Mall?’s Towne East Square, Kellogg
and Rock Road in Wichita. After the mall closes for the day, it will reopen to shoppers who have
purchased an Evening of Giving ticket for $10 (with $7 going to the charity of their choice and
$3 to the Simon Youth Foundation) from 7 to 10 p.m., giving those individuals an opportunity to shop unencumbered by the typical pre-holiday crowds and to enjoy special in-store sales, drawings, refreshments and entertainment at the same time. Starkey is selling Evening of Giving tickets at its main facility, 4500 W. Maple, and at its administration building, 144 S. Young. For information, call Cate Adams, Starkey?’s events coordinator, at (316) 512-4116.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT
STARKEY and its programs, please visit www.starkey.org
or call 942-4221 to schedule a tour. We are proud to be a part of the Orchard Breeze neighborhood! Article submitted by Jamie Opat, Public Relations Manager, Starkey Inc., (316) 512-4101, jopat@starkey.org.

Starkey E-Cycling Program Up and Running
Good news, neighbors! The electronic
recycling program at Starkey that was supposed
to begin in early summer is up and running
early! Please bring your computers, monitors,
keyboards, hard drives, printers, VCRs, DVD players or copiers to the north side of Starkey?’s warehouse (4500 W. Maple) and ring the bell. Someone will come to assist you and take your donation. Hours for the program are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, if you can?’t make it during this time, or just have questions,
there is a special phone line to call: 512-4243. Help us keep electronics out of landfills and create steady jobs for individuals with developmental disabilities, all at the same
time!
American Family Golf Classic to benefit Starkey Foundation
If you love to golf, please consider signing up for the American Family Insurance Golf Classic to benefit the Starkey Foundation. The tournament will be Monday, August 14, at Willowbend Golf Course. Player positions are $150 each, which includes breakfast, lunch, a tournament shirt, goody bag and fabulous prizes! For information
visit www.starkey.org or call Cate Adams, events coordinator, at 512-4116.
If you would like any information about Starkey and its programs, please visit www.starkey.org or call 942-4221 to schedule a tour. We are proud to be a part of the Orchard
Breeze neighborhood! Article submitted by Jamie
Opat, Public Relations Manager, Starkey Inc., (316) 512-4101. jopat@starkey.org.
Starkey?’s First Community Living Setting
?“White House?”

Editor?’s note: This is a story shared during Starkey?’s 75th anniversary last year about a home that used to stand in the Orchard Breeze neighborhood. In 1979, Starkey opened its first community living setting at 4930 W. Douglas, a two-story, six-bedroom house built in 1910 that was purchased for $42,000. Nine individuals with disabilities and two ?“house parents,?” as they were called then, lived in the home after an extensive renovation period. According to a Wichita Eagle article, ?“the house had been subdivided into three apartments before Starkey bought it, and had fallen into decay. The building?’s old interior was torn away and replaced with new sheetrock, carpet, cabinets and paint. Much of the labor and materials were donated by Wichita laborers and businesses.?”

The West Wichita Lions Club led the charge to raise money for Starkey, operating bingo games and donating all of the proceeds, a total of $52,000 over three years. They also volunteered their time to paint and help renovate the home.

The director at that time, John Frye, said he hoped to open six to eight homes very soon after seeing how the ?“White House?” worked out. Then, as now, finding dedicated employees was a challenge. ?“You can go to school to learn how to be a journalist or an administrator. But you don?’t have a place to train people to manage a group home. You just have to learn through experience,?” he said. ?“The job doesn?’t pay all that well, it confines the house parents to the house and it?’s a physical and emotional drain at times. You have to be very dedicated. Not that many people out there are willing to take on that task.?”

Starkey opened its next three homes in 1983, and seven more by 1987. The White House no longer stands ?– it had not served as a Starkey home since 2000 and was torn down in 2004 due to the prohibitive cost of refurbishing the home. Starkey currently has 40 homes throughout Wichita, including two five-person homes and an apartment complex in the Orchard Breeze neighborhood. There are a total of 391 individuals served in programs at Starkey; almost 200 of those are in the community living program. If you would like any information about Starkey and its programs, please visit www.starkey.org or call 942-4221 to schedule a tour. We are proud to be a part of the Orchard Breeze neighborhood! Article submitted by Jamie Opat, Public Relations Manager, Starkey Inc., (316) 512-4101
jopat@starkey.org.


FREE EXTERIOR PAINT FOR HOMEOWNERS
Neighborhood Improvement Services has free paint to freshen up the exterior of homes in the target area for income-qualified homeowners. Homeowners living in the area bounded by I-235 on the west, Pawnee on the south, Hillside on the east and 25th Street on the north are eligible. For more information, contact Neighborhood Improvement Services at 462-3712.