We had a massive training requirement for our company. Training Umbrella and Clare Babcock took…read moresuch great care of us. Made the process so easy. I highly recommend using them!

Reviewing a training facility is something I wouldn't have had the motivation to do, but Training…read moreUmbrella broke the ice. Normally, whenever I attend work-related training off site the facility is your standard office building with classrooms. That is about it. No amenities aside from the required bathrooms. Training Umbrella takes hospitality to an unprecedented level. Never before have I attended a training course and been privy to the assortment of complimentary items they offer. Every morning there is free breakfast food (cinnamon rolls, bagels, breads, cakes, bagels). You can get your fill of unlimited coffee, tea, or sodas from the fridge. There is a microwave and a toaster if you need them as well. A basket of salty and sweet snacks is always stocked on the counter. Not only that, but every afternoon the desk clerk bakes fresh chocolate chip cookies and brings them into the classroom. It's almost surreal.

I work at KU but on the West Campus so I rarely venture to the Union. Recently, I was required to…read morego there for a graduation ceremony. I was dreading this like a toothache. I pictured terrible parking, difficult to find room and too many people crammed in a poorly ventilated mini-auditorium. To my surprise, the Union was quite a pleasure. Parking was not the nightmare I envisioned and I was able to get a space within walking distance of the Union. I was able to easily locate the Woodruff Auditorium. Staff did a great job of posting directions at easy-to-find locations. I was able to find the auditorium and easily get a seat. The Woodruff Auditorium was big and spacious. I had no problem finding a seat and getting situated for graduation. This is a large auditorium but they did not squish people into spaces. There was plenty of room and it was the perfect climate. The acoustics were great, too, and I could hear perfectly from the back of the room. I was very impressed with this venue. I did not really have a chance to shop or venture into any of the other parts of the Union. From my quick glance, though, I could see this place was stocked with all the amenities people would need. There was a small convenience store, a large bookstore, a bank and other stores tucked away inside this building. Very nice place and the perfect venue for graduation.

I love the Union. It's hard to emphasize how much I love the Union, but I'll sure give it a try!…read moreNow for a walk down memory lane: - Freshman orientation: I first set foot in the Union for freshman orientation. Obviously, I had no idea what I was in for. My dad knew his way around and mysteriously managed to walk us past his "Outstanding Graduate of 1976" plaque. "No pressure" he told me. Yeah right. - Bookstore: "Wait, I need books?" Yes, books are good. The Bookstore has great deals on student essentials ranging from books and papers to Apple products (score!). Remember to load Beak'em Bucks on your student ID during enrollment -- especially if it's on your parents' dime ;) -- and you can use your KU card here instead of cash for some items (not sure if that really works for books, but I doubt it). - Walking to Memorial Stadium for football games: To get to the football stadium, there is a great shortcut through the Union. You enter on the 4th floor and go down to the bottom and presto -- the field is right in front of you! Go 'hawks! - JayBowl: I reviewed JayBowl separately, so I'll be brief. Bowling. *Extremely* student-friendly pricing. Bowling. That simple. - Classes: Yep, I even had a few classes in the Union. The lecture hall on the 4th floor is very nice! - Student Involvement and Leadership Center: If you're interested in getting involved on campus, you should DEFINITELY swing by the SILC office. Tons of awesome organizations to get involved in. Student Senate, Natural Ties, Alternative Breaks, KU LEAD, Greek Life and dozens of other organizations. Definitely something for everyone and lots of interesting people to meet. - Inter-Fraternity Council: Interfratters unite at the IFC office. Not sure how much work gets done, but I'm pretty sure those guys have a good time! - Blueprints Leadership Conference: For aspiring leaders and folks that are just interested in leadership (shout-out to the Leadership Minor), the Blueprints leadership conference is awesome. Check it out. - Rock Chalk Revue practice: I even had a few RCR practices in the Union. For the un-initiated, RCR is an annual variety show and philanthropy founded in the '50s. My wife and I met when we were partners in Rock Chalk so those days hold a special place in my heart, plus we won Rock Chalk pretty handily that year!. I'm sure I'm missing plenty of other great gems about our beloved Union. I hope you have as good of a time as I did! Rock Chalk!

My company has a special tie to Sion because, frankly, it's where we got our start in KC. Our…read morestrategy was to offer our classes nearly free to the first round of students and hope word of mouth would spread after that. At first there was some understandable resistance and hesitation, but then the principal, Michelle Olson, graciously consented to let us teach our first group of Sion girls, and I had my first chance to teach these young women myself. Now, mind you there are two all-girls schools in town, and while I have a special tie to one of them, I do really enjoy the students who come from both. Apart from the individual consideration of each girl (how she feels when she visits that campus) the two other big considerations for attendance are alumnae and and geography. STA is up in KCMO, Sion is in South Johnson County. While there are girls from KC who drive down to Sion and vice-versa, the vast majority of the girls from that area go to that school. Both are great, and are producing among the best-educated young women in Kansas City.

When one understands that there are no good public school options for students in the urban core of…read moreKansas City, and that there are just two private schools in midtown of any quality, then the attitude at Sion makes sense. The administration knows that there are few options and treats parents that way. That indifference is astounding, particularly in consideration of the tuition. We moved to a quality public school district prior to the last year of our student's time at Sion, but decided to keep him there - HUGE mistake. Particularly if you are a boy, 8th grade at Sion is an afterthought as they groom the girls for attendance at the all-girls Sion High School. Our elective selections this year? Crochet, knitting, music for life, and poetry. The Math program is an absolute disgrace, taught by an individual better suited to be a prison warden. There are committed teachers at this institution, but they are let down by an administration that simply does not care to address its own and the school's shortcomings. Stay far, far away.

Make: KC is the group that brought the first Maker Fair to the Kansas City area. It was last year…read moreduring the Parkville Days event in the English Landing Park in Parkville, MO. That will be repeated this year only it is planned for a full three days instead of just one and will be the exciting culmination of Kansas City's "Maker Summer" that starts with the two-day event in June at Union Station. Make: KC has "Build Nights" twice a month at HMS Beagle in Parkville, and a :Show-and-Tell Night" at the Metro Community Colleges' Business and Technology Center off of Front Street and it helps with numerous family oriented technology fairs and exhibition as well as classes all over the Kansas City area. The address shown IS NOT the address of Make: KC (I don't know where that address came from). Their physical address is 180 English Landing Drive, Suites 110 & 120, Parkville, MO 64152.

Annette offers so many great opportunities for her children that you don't receive in a daycare…read morecenter. She incorporates music classes, yoga, and fresh home made meals. My children spend a ton of time playing outside! There is a variety of age groups which has been very beneficial for both my children to learn the role of being an "older" or "younger sibling" and dynamics that go along with it.

We have had each of our 3 children at Clever Clog's and you couldn't ask for a more loving and…read morenurturing environment! Along with learning the preschool essentials, our kids were taught the true "essentials" such as being kind, how to be a good friend and to love everyone!

I love this place great shows. Its a non profit and very awesome. Please come check out Shakespeare…read morein the Parking Lot Sept10,11,17,18 all shows at 4pm! Say hi if you stop by!

If you die today, are you going to Heaven or somewhere else?…read more The answer is; Yes, no or I don't know! If it is one of the last two, come see our family in Christ this Sunday at 10:45am...Jesus is the answer!

Wonderful church that is very friendly and welcoming. Never belligerent when inviting folks to…read morechurch. Not a holier then thou kind of atmosphere. Just a church that realizes us sinners need Jesus, because on our own we're a mess.

Small school, great professors-students interactions and personal attention to care for students'…read moreneed. The school is non-denominational evangelical main-stream teaching. I also love their seminary school. The classes offered is perfect for people who need to work during the day time but love to earn a MA degrees. This type of class offered on Mon-Thur evening from 5:30PM-9:30PM. They have some weekend modular classes which allow you just attend 1 weekend class time, and do the homework on your own path within given reasonable time frame. They have so many practical majors (please check out their website) I wish I can take all of them, but my personal favorite is their Biblical Counseling class. It teaches you both basic theology and very practical counseling methods according 100% on God's Words without humanistic base secular psychology influence. Some examples of Biblical Counseling classes are: Crisis Counseling, Family Counseling, Addictions Counseling, Counseling Women...etcs. Professors share real cases stories (but use anonymous names for people or church involved) and students can learn from the hands-on analysis for counseling. I also enjoyed their their theology classes. Professors encourage students to ask questions (and there is no dumb questions) and discuss their thoughts according to God's Words. I have been student here and enjoyed every single class from all my professors. They are kind, patient, helpful, have a listening heart, knowledgeable, scholar, servant heart, and also serve in churches with real-hand on experience to share with students. They also have radio station in Kansas Ctiy area. Tune in FM 88.5 to listen to their Christian music and daily short preaching while driving to work or home. If you are interested in their programs, email or call their Admission office, they can send you a package so you can have more ideas of what classes are offered. Yes, they also offer credit or sit-in-non-credit-auditing class for personal enrichment. Love it, I move from Indiana to Kansas just for attending this school.