Inside: Americans will spend more than ever See A4
Football: Detroit among Thanksgiving winners See B1
The Weekender Saturday, November 30, 2013
SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER
Iola Middle School student Zackorie Craney, center, practices his shot with NiAk Peterson during a physical education class. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Teaming up for a good cause By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Iola Middle School students and the American Heart Association are teaming up and taking their cause to the court. Hoops For Heart is an event where students can play basketball and learn how to stay healthy while raising money for the American Heart Association. Lori Oestreicher, IMS physical education teacher, led the program at a former school. It’s the first year IMS has participated. The event will be on Dec. 17 during each P.E. class. “Students are required to bring at least one donation ($1 minimum) to participate,” Oestreicher said. Oestreicher has set incentives for the students to help raise money for the event. Top fundraiser in each class gets to be the teacher for a day. “They will get to lead what basketball games the students play in the class,” Oestreicher said. During a regular class, P.E. students are required to wear a standard uniform. Each class that raises $250, has free rein over what they
At top, Joyce Roath, left, and Marsha Burris serve up another plate full of traditional Thanksgiving fare Thursday at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Above, Brenda Trent and Scott Black were among scores of folks who took advantage of the community Thanksgiving meal at St. Timothy’s Thursday. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
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A HUMANITARIAN EFFORT Rutledge’s military career moves beyond war By STEVEN SCHWARTZ The Iola Register
Justin Rutledge and his wife, Jamie, are moving to Armenia for two years with a National Guard program. COURTESY PHOTO
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No.25
Justin Rutledge has spent his fair share in the theater of war, but his military career has evolved into something much different. On Sunday, Rutledge, Derby, will move to Armenia as a bilateral affairs officer with the Kansas National Guard — a position much more involved in the “humanitarian side” of the military. Rutledge, originally from Humboldt, has been in the National Guard since he joined in 1995, prior to receiving his bachelor’s degree in plastics engineering from Pittsburg State University. “I’m all about the humanitarian aspect of the military,” Rutledge said during a phone interview. The Kansas National Guard participates in a partnership program with Armenia to train their officers. Rutledge’s career path has been a long time in the making, he said, but it seems to be in the right direction. After joining the Guard, Rutledge
took a job with Beecher Aircraft in Wichita, what was then Raytheon. He was then deployed in 2004 to Fallujah, Iraq, with the Guard. He came back to his position in Wichita in 2005, and then transferred to Spirit Aerosystems. He then served another tour in Fallujah from 2006 to 2008. But, it was his tour in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010 that seemed to take hold. He began work with an “agri-business development team,” working with farmers to improve their knowledge and tactics for growing healthy crops. He said much of his time was spent speaking with locals and getting to know them. “There were a lot of times drinking chai with the village elders,” he said. “You could take off your gear and relate to people.” He spent around 200 days working with farmers to improve their lives in an arid environment — maybe not such a difficult task for people from the Midwest. “Quite a few of the men were farmers back home,” he said. “Maybe that’s why they tapped the (Kansas) National Guard. We were very well received.” SKIPPING to current day, Rutledge is packing and preparing for the move to Arme-
“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” — George S. Patton 75 Cents
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