Wishing Chimps Well

Fifty years ago, Dr. Jane Goodall set off into the African wilderness to begin her groundbreaking chimpanzee research. Mary Lynn Oliver had the excellent idea to honor this milestone with an awareness and fundraising campaign to support the Jane Goodall Institute. The institute sponsors ongoing efforts in Africa and its Roots & Shoots youth program, now in 110 nations. Oliver, daughter of aviation legends Olive Ann and Walter Beech, suggested wishing-well-shaped kiosk fundraisers. The kiosks – displayed at zoos across the United States – invite folks to watch as their donated coins spiral down a hyperbolic funnel, and entice them to drop in more.

View Jane's fundraising campaign.

Do The Deed - On the Road With Miss Kansas

Last fall, Greteman Group teamed up with The Wichita Eagle to launch a campaign that inspires simple acts of kindness. Do the Deed has gone viral, attracting support from Amsterdam to Sao Paulo. Small churches to big businesses. Kids to seniors. Miss Kansas is taking Do the Deed on the road as her platform. It also earned notice from the Kansas Press Association, which recently awarded The Eagle first place in community service. Contest judges put it well and succinctly: "What a cool idea." Check it out for yourself at DotheDeed.org. Even ArtAID, Wichita's ribald revue to raise money for AIDs-related services, got in on the act with a fun, only slightly suggestive, Do the Deed ad.

See Miss Kansas' campaign art.

NBAA 2010: New Hope,
New Energy

As we stepped off our jet at DeKalb
Peachtree Airport, the smell of business and airplanes filled the air at the 63rd annual NBAA convention. The sold-out static's 93 aircraft and supporting corporate chalets plus 1,083 exhibitors at the Georgia World Congress Center welcomed close to 25,000 visitors. We're not saying that the boom days have returned, but we did sense a definite upward shift. Standing-room-only crowds at Tuesday's opening session. A packed house for Flexjet President Fred Reid's talk "Evolution or Obsolescence." Long lines to check out everything from Bombardier's new long-range Global Express to Piper's VLJ single-engine Altaire. Everyone seemed eager and ready to move forward.

GGers on the loose at NBAA.

A Fair of the Heart

Pounding Pronto Pups. Pacing the
pavement. Smashin' the high striker (also known as the "test-your-strength-bell-ringer-gizmo). Losing ourselves and each other in the raucous, riotous racket, a gaggle of Greteman Groupers took on the Kansas State Fair. And won. Sure, we scored a few baubles from the carnival games. Mostly, we won an evening of sheer joy. At large among the silly and the sublime, we laughed, danced, gracefully rose above it all on the Ferris wheel and unceremoniously crammed ourselves into a kiddie ride. The fair drew more than 354,000 visitors, the most since 1998. We're sorry, though. We just can't bring ourselves to try the deep-fried Coca-Cola. Even GGers have to draw the line somewhere.

More fair photos. Actually, they're better than fair, they're pretty hilarious.

Sonia, proud of and thankful for the great start she got at Wichita State University, tries to return the favor whenever the opportunity arises. Currently a board member for the university's Ulrich Museum of Art, she recently also accepted appointment to the school's National Advisory Council. She joins a broad cross-section of the university's most successful, engaged alumni – graduates dedicated to promoting WSU and its foundation.

Some iPhone apps are fun. Some are useful. A lot are downright silly. What
if you found one that could save you hundreds of dollars? If you operate aircraft, Signature Flight Support has the perfect deal for you. Its new iFBO App lets pilots and flight planners fly by wireless to any of Signature's 100-plus locations around the globe, check fuel prices and instantly calculate current fuel discount savings. The app gives flight crews super handy mobile access to vital information about Signature's far-flung locations. It even allows them to keep a list of favorite locations at their fingertips. Now that's an app worth having. Heck, you could pay for your iPhone with the savings from one use. Unfortunately, it does mean that you'll have to move that monkey-face-mirror app off your
home screen.

Check out Signature's iFBO.

Are You Ready to Come & Give It?

Did you know Kansas is No. 8 in volunteerism in the United States? That's pretty impressive, but one organization won't rest until Kansas is No. 1. That's the vision of Volunteer Kansas. Its newly launched website offers a means to get there. The campaign inspires Kansans to roll up their sleeves and make a difference. Improving the lives of their neighbors. And their communities.

Check out our video animation to learn all the ways you can participate in this new initiative. And then decide how you're going to Come & Give It!

A Show-Stopping Booth

Each fall, FlightSafety International mounts one of the most impressive
booth graphics at the National Business Aviation Association convention. And that's saying something – NBAA crawls with cool. FlightSafety fills an entire wall with photos and quotes from dozens of leaders of major corporations testifying to the high quality training and service they receive. But FlightSafety doesn't stop there. For the 2010 convention, a bold headline drove home the point that the company provides training for nearly every business aircraft out there – 94 percent of all business aircraft types, in fact. A fun, colorful supporting graphic instantly conveyed the impression of every conceivable aircraft. Not done yet, the booth also touted FlightSafety's legendary, comprehensive customer service. Whew.

More show-stopping NBAA graphics.

If You Think Banking Is Boring,
You Don't Know Jack

That's the message Derby High School Panthers heard as they began the 2010-11 school year. Dapper spokespanther Jack represents Verus Bank's new Big Green School of Money. This Verus branch is not just located inside the high school. It's student run. So they learn by doing. The branch got off to a good start with 40 students signing up before school even began. And quickly grew to well over 100. Students drop in to open a free checking account, complete with a debit card sporting the school colors: green and black. They can also take a photo with a life-sized, cutout Jack and post it to their Facebook pages. Jack has his own Facebook profile, of course. You can friend him and join some pretty enlightening conversations. Who knew things like ROI and APY could be so fascinating?

Divine Intervention

With an inspired new identity for Mending Place Ministries, Pastor Gates says he's feeling mighty blessed. His new church now has a brand as fresh-faced as the young, multi-ethnic families who primarily make up his congregation. The intertwining threads of the logo communicate diversity, fellowship and the individual relationships that make up the membership's united whole. The center cross positions Christ at the heart while the chartreuse-and-teal color palette vibrates with possibilities and tender new growth. A highly stylized web template allows the ministry to easily manage site content. It furthers the brand with visual cues, from running stitches to sheared fabric. No typical church iconography here. And that, says Pastor Gates, is just what they prayed for.

She Also Answers to
'Your Highness'

Ashley Bowen Cook juggles 10 projects at a time. She makes hard, sophisticated work look easy. She cleans her desk sometimes. And she does it with a smile.

Not the smile that was in the Wichita Eagle (go here for more on that), but it's a great smile. She is a leader. Her recent promotion to associate vice president merely acknowledges that fact.

AshDeeds
• Named one of Wichita's 40 Under 40
• Member of GG's chief operating group
• Wichita Aero Club Golf Classic committee
• Co-chair, annual Aero Club Ball
• Previously worked for Bombardier Learjet and Flexjet

Should You Care About the New
Twitter Update?

By Jared Brickman

Twitter recently introduced an enhanced user interface, which attracted an untweetable number of positive reviews. We agree that the changes represent a big step forward. But we don't really understand why everyone is so excited about features that have been integral to Facebook for years.

Continue reading.