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(Leavenworth, Kan.)—The »¨½·Ö±²¥ had two top 10 finishes during competitions at the FBLA-Collegiate National Leadership Conference June 24-27 in Chicago.

Students Charley Monahan and Clayton Steward finished sixth for their community service presentation on Project Raise the Ruff – a yearlong effort designed to increase awareness and raise funds to build a roof over Leavenworth County Humane Society Inc.'s outdoor kennels. 

"Project Raise the Ruff was a way for USM students to be advocates for those who are members of underserved and disenfranchised communities," said Steward, who served as chapter president from 2019-2021. "LCHS, Inc. is the only shelter in the county attempting to build a 21st Century no-kill shelter to benefit the small towns and rural areas that make up our county of northeast Kansas."

Additional FBLA-Collegiate members who worked on Project Raise the Ruff are Chapter 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 Fiorentino of Wichita Falls, Texas; and Taylor Swofford of Berryville, Arkansas.

"We are proud that this year's project not only helped to put a sustainable roof over the outdoor kennels, but we also freed LCHS, Inc. to use their limited funds to purchase other vital items that impact the care and quality of the stay of all of the cats and dogs in the shelter," said Monahan, who serves as USM chapter president. 

Steward also finished fourth in the individual job interview competition. He is a 2022 digital communications graduate with a minor in pastoral ministry and plans to attend the University of Missouri in the fall for a Master of Arts in Journalism.

Monahan is a sophomore at USM who is dual majoring in business administration – marketing and management.

During the National FBLA Collegiate Conference, 900 students from more than 25 states and Puerto Rico networked, listened to speakers, and competed in business and business-related competitions.

For more information on USM's FBLA-Collegiate chapter, contact Faculty Sponsor Bethany Stanley at Bethany.Stanley@stmary.edu. To support Project Raise the Ruff, visit  or follow Project Raise the Ruff on Facebook.

About FBLA, Inc.

Future Business Leaders of America-Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate, 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'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.