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(Leavenworth, Kan.)—Committed to the »¨½·Ö±²¥ core value of community, students in the USM Phi Beta Lambda Chapter have been raising funds for the Leavenworth County Humane Society, Inc.

The chapter service project – Project Raise the Ruff – launched in fall 2021 to increase awareness and raise funds to build a roof over LCHS Inc.'s outdoor kennels. USM PBL President Charley Monahan and Past President Clayton Steward presented their work at the Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference on March 5 at Emporia State University. They received top honors for the Chapter Community Service Project competition.

"We are not only helping to put a sustainable roof over the outdoor kennels, but we are also freeing LCHS, Inc. to use their limited funds to purchase other vital items that impact the care and quality of stay for all the cats and dogs that enter the shelter," said Monahan, a freshman business administration–marketing and management major from Easton, Kansas.

During the PBL conference, students networked, listened to speakers, and competed in business and business-related competitions. Steward finished first in two individual events – job interview and marketing concepts – and he also placed second in the macroeconomics competition.

Monahan and Steward will represent Kansas in the community service project event at the PBL National Conference June 23-26 in Chicago, Illinois. Steward will also compete individually in the job interview and marketing concepts competitions. This will be the second time the USM PBL chapter has advanced to the national competition.

"As the former club president and current Raise the Ruff project lead, I am beyond proud of my chapter and the work we accomplished through the efforts of our entire club and the relationships formed with business and community partners," said Steward, a senior digital communications major from Montrose, Missouri.

After graduation, Steward will attend the University of Missouri to pursue a master's in journalism with an emphasis in photojournalism and documentary film.

PBL members who also worked on Project Raise the Ruff include PBL Treasurer Sandra Ramirez of Lansing, Kansas; Ramie Churchill of Kansas City, Kansas; Tommy Quinn of Redlands, California; Kate Madsen of Hiawatha, Kansas; Marquel Thurman of Surprise, Arizona; Sola Florentino of Wichita Falls, Texas; and Taylor Swofford of Berryville, Arkansas.

For more information on USM's PBL chapter, contact Faculty Sponsor Bethany Stanley at Bethany.Stanley@stmary.edu.

For more information on Project Raise the Ruff, visit  or follow Project Raise the Ruff on Facebook. 

About FBLA-PBL, Inc.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., the premier student business organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisers in over 6,500 active middle schools, high school, and college chapters worldwide. FBLA-PBL's mission is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. The association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. For more information, visit .

The »¨½·Ö±²¥ is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of »¨½·Ö±²¥ main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit  for more information.