On the Street

Gas money

Visitors driving to Branson through Sept. 20 will be rewarded with Gas Buster discount cards, which are accepted for discounts at more than 50 Branson-area businesses. The cards will be available at the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center, located at the corner of highways 65 and 248 for visitors who present a driver's license and gas receipts of at least $40 spent within two days of arrival in Branson. The Gas Buster discount card can be used at participating businesses for discounts on show tickets, attraction admissions, meals, lodging and retail merchandise. The Welcome Center is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Family court funds

The Greene County Family Court of the 31st Judicial Circuit in Springfield was approved for $162,120 in tax credits from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Funds raised through tax credits will be used to offer therapeutic residential care for juvenile offenders. The Family Court will be able to leverage $324,239 in contributions through tax credits, which are available via the DED's Youth Opportunities Program. Specifically, the contributions will help the Family Court continue its program that has been in place since 1997. The program provides participants a minimum of 13 weeks of residential care followed by two to eight months of aftercare support and supervision. Licensed counselors provide individual and group counseling and Springfield Public Schools provide on-site instructors.

Treasure hunt

Discovery Center of Springfield has received a grant through Community Partnership of the Ozarks Inc. to provide an educational summer activity related to geocaching or the use of global positioning units for treasure hunting. Because of the grant, hundreds of teens from agencies including Boys & Girls Club and Doling Leadership Group will be able to participate in two-day workshops during which they will geocache for treasures in downtown Springfield. Volunteers are needed to assist with the workshops. Volunteer training will be held 4-8 p.m. June 4 and 1-5 p.m. June 5. Registration is required. Pre-registration for the workshop will begin in late July. For more information, contact Andy Marquart at Discovery Center, 417-862-9910, ext. 712.

Slice of Nice

The third annual Trivia Challenge to benefit Ozarks Literacy Council will be held July 22 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2340 W. Grand. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the event will start at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature 10 categories and prizes. The cost is $25 per person, with teams of eight. Ozarks Literacy Council offers programs for children, teens and adults to promote literacy and bring them the joy of reading. For more information, call Ozarks Literacy Council at 417-886-5499.