What's Happening at Ranken Technical College

The Grainger Foundation Supports Ranken Technical College

Donation helps launch Adventure Academy

(LTR)  Don Pohl, vice president of education, Ranken Technical College; Todd Dietrich, Government District Sales Manager, W.W. Grainger;  Doug Coleman, St. Louis Branch Manager, W.W. Grainger; Stan Shoun, president, Ranken Technical College; Timothy Willard, vice president of development, Ranken Technical College; John Wood, vice president of student success, Ranken Technical College.

The Grainger Foundation, Lake Forest, Illinois, donated $15,000 to Ranken Technical College in support of its mission to provide comprehensive education and training necessary to prepare students for employment and advancement in a variety of technical fields. 

“This donation will provide start-up funding for the first year of a new Adventure Academy,” said Stan Shoun, President, Ranken Technical College. “The skills taught at the Academy are the foundation of many technical careers and we believe the experience will help inspire young people in our community to become leaders in their chosen profession. We are grateful to The Grainger Foundation for its generosity.”

The objective of the Academy is to provide middle school students with learning experiences that are both educational and fun. Adventure Academy students will participate in activities such as building go karts, assembling and operating robotic kits, building high tech computers and constructing bird houses. The five day Adventure Academy will be led by Ranken instructors and members of the student-body will participate as volunteers. 

This donation was recommended by Doug Coleman, Branch Manager of W.W. Grainger, Inc.’s downtown St. Louis location.  Grainger has been a part of the St. Louis business community for more than 70 years as the leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products. “We are proud to recommend the programs offered by Ranken Technical College,” said Coleman. “The objective of this particular program is to help younger students explore certain skills and offers a unique educational alternative for summer activities. We realize the importance of providing educational opportunities to the students who will someday comprise our future workforce.”

The Grainger Foundation, established in 1949 by William Wallace Grainger, founder of W.W. Grainger, Inc., has provided substantive support to a broad range of organizations including museums and educational, medical, and human services institutions. 

Ranken Will Participate in Neighborhood Wellness Fair

Ranken will be participating in "The Ville's" Wellness Festival, on Saturday, July 17th. 

The festival will feature free health screenings focusing on:

• Diabetes
• Asthma
• Blood Pressure
• Cholesterol 
• Hearing
• Vision

The event will also have free food, free back packs and other school supplies. There will be appearances by the St. Louis Rams cheerleaders, gospel choirs, a dance contest, a car show, and much more! 

Ranken will have an informational booth at the festival, so come by and get a free health screening, and get more information about the College!

Where: 4200 & 4300 blocks of Kennerly, St. Louis Mo.

When: Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Local Vendors and Supporters Include:

Delta Dental

Alderman Sam Moore

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation

The Ville Commission

Grace Hill

BJC's Stroke Team

City Health Department

Ranken Technical College

Ranken Accepts Donation to Further Hybrid Training Program

Photo: Left, John Wood of Ranken Technical College accepts the Esurance donation from representative Tom Bozeman.

(St. Louis, MO) On June 1, 2010 Ranken representatives were in O’Fallon, Ill. to accept the donation of a 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. The vehicle was donated to the College by Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. (Esurance).

Tom Bozeman, a Ranken alumnus and a representative of Esurance, which is an online insurance company, facilitated the donation of his former company vehicle.  Ranken will use the vehicle for training purposes in the hybrid technology portion of its automotive maintenance technology curriculum. 

Bozeman has long-standing ties to Ranken, as he graduated from The Automotive Collision Technology program in 1975, and his father, Thomas Bozeman, also graduated from the College’s Precision Machining Technology program in 1946. “Ranken really prepared me to start and run my own collision repair shop in O’Fallon and Belleville Ill., Tom’s Auto Body.” said Bozeman. 

Vice President for Student Success John Wood was be on hand to accept the donation. “This donation is going to be an asset to the College, allowing our students access to the latest in hybrid technology, and keeping them on the cutting-edge of technical education.” Wood said.