Dexter, Missouri - On Thursday, December 5th, Rotary Interact students will host a fundraiser with Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut will donate 10% of any purchase of a regular priced menu item to the Interact group between the hours of 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. on December 5th,

"This is a great opportunity to support our local Interact Club," stated Phil Ternes, owner of Pizza Hut.  "The Dexter Rotary Club sponsors these students and each year they use money raised for service projects and scholarships."

Students will pass out flyers at Town & Country on Saturday, November 23rd from 8 a.m. - noon as they collect donations for their food drive. 

Take the flyer to Pizza Hut on December 5th to ensure the students receive their financial donation.  Interact students recently helped with a beautification project in Dexter.  They were up early on a rather cool Saturday morning planing Crepe' Myrtles at the One Mile Road/Poplar Bluff Exit in Dexter. 

They also plan to deliver food to the Stoddard County Gospel Mission on Saturday and they will be making Christmas cards for local seniors living in residential care facilities in the area.  You might even find them out caroling this holiday season!

Any Stoddard County student may join the Rotary Interact Club.  Freshman and Sophomores are encouraged to join early during their high school career.  Service Above Self is their motto and these students definitely demonstrate those qualities. 

They meet on the second Sunday of each month at 4 p.m.  at the Evangelical Free Church at 16287 North Outer Road, Dexter, Missouri.

Bloomfield, Missouri - The 5th Annual "Claus for a Cause" will be held this Sunday, November 24th from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Bloomfield, Missouri.

Come have your picture made with Santa just in time for the Holidays. Picture packages ranging from $10 to $25 will be available for purchase. No appointment necessary.

They have raised over $10,000 in their first four years.  It's a great way to raise money and the memories will last a lifetime!

All proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and 18 Fore Life. The public is encouraged to attend and Everyone is welcome!

The church is located at 704 W. Missouri Street.

Dexter, Missouri - Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.  Everyone should experience the tradition of a great meal, family and a fun afternoon of visiting.

The Student Council of Dexter High School knows all to well how tradition is important and again this year they will host the Senior Citizen's Turkey Dinner on Tuesday, November 26th.

Dinner will be served at the High School at 5:00 p.m. with entertainment and BINGO to begin at 6:15 p.m.

All Senior Citizens are encouraged to attend and no per-registration is required.  There is no charge for this wonderful meal.

Pictured with some of the BINGO prizes are Student Council members: Honey Patel, Alexis Smith, Zach Sims, Lacey Midgett, and Hayli Petty.

Dexter, Missouri - It's becoming a trend.  Youngsters are asking for money for their birthdays, but not for themselves.  They are choosing to donate their birthday money to charities.

Liza King, a middle school student at Dexter, decided to donate her birthday money to the Ben Kruse 18 Fore Life Foundation this year.  They give "love offerings" to local people undergoing treatment for cancer.

In June 18 Fore Life donated their 1 millionth dollar.  A goal Scott Kruse and his fellow fundraisers set years ago.  And until there is a cure for all cancers they will strive towards their next millionth dollar!

"She's a great student," commented Kruse, principal of T.S. Hill Middle School and organizer of 18 Fore Life.  "I am amazed each time a student donates their own money.  My brother would be so proud." 

As many of the Dexter community already knows, Ben Kruse started the ball rolling when he wanted to have a golf tournament to raise money.  He loved helping people and he loved golf.  He was tragically taken away, but his memory is not forgotten.  Today, 18 Fore Life is instrumental in this area to helping those suffering from the hardships of cancer.  They host annual events including Hits for Hope, 10 Pins for Ben, a Charity Golf Tournament, Crappie Tournament, and more.

Liza donated $100 of her birthday money.  What a wonderful contribution as knows the importance of what a community can give to each other.  It hits a little closer to home for her though. Her Dad is currently battling cancer. 

Thank you Liza!  The Dexter community is extremely proud of you!

Written by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Dexter, Missouri – Liberty Hill General Baptist Church will be holding their fourth annual Relay For Life 5K run on Saturday, November 23^th, 2013 at 9:00am. Just like the previous years, it will be held at West City Park in Dexter. This event is not only for runners, but walkers as well.

Liberty Hill focuses on raising money for Relay for Life all year long. It is an incredible effort that they put forth and in 2011, they raised nearly $20,000 and in 2012 they raised $25,000. They have spent many years working and perfecting fundraisers so they are able to contribute to Stoddard County’s very own Relay for Life. They participate in a wide variety of events and fundraisers throughout the year, but the upcoming 5K is one of their larger events that they encourage local people to participate in. The 5K isn’t only to raise money, but it is for the runners/walkers to represent and honor a loved one who fought or is fighting cancer.

The coordinators for this event are up and ready to get this show on the road with pre-registration. Pre-registration for this event costs $20 and this includes the 5K, a t-shirt, and a light breakfast following registration. Late registration or Racing Day registration is only $25 but if you wait to register on race day, your preferred t-shirt size is not guaranteed. If you do not want to participate in the walk or run but you would like to purchase a t-shirt to support this event, you can order a t-shirt for $15. All runners or walkers that participate in pre-registration are guaranteed a t-shirt.

Sponsorships for local businesses are also available for purchase and their company name will be placed on the back of the t-shirts that are being sold. One business logo will be sold at the cost of $100 and the companies that choose to participate will each receive two free t-shirts.

Times will be given out to the walkers and runners at the end of the 5K but no awards will be given out because this is not meant to be a competitive event. The main goal of Liberty Hill’s 5K is to honor those who have been diagnosed with a type of cancer, remember those who have lost the fight to cancer, and raise money to help the awareness campaign for the 2014 Stoddard County Relay for Life Team.