Overheard

Wehrenberg Theatres, which owns 15 movie theaters in the Midwest including Springfield’s Campbell 16 Ciné, is looking for a buyer, St. Louis Business Journal has reported.

The 112-year-old St. Louis-based theater chain informed its approximately 800 employees in November of its plans, according to the journal; UBS Investment Bank is leading the search.

Wehrenberg would likely sell for about $30 million, private investment banking firm The Douglas Group told the journal.

The company has received offers in the past and is considering a sale because of industry consolidation, the journal reported.

Slice of Nice

Representatives of Positronic Industries’ Employee Charity Committee delivered a $15,000 check to the Child Advocacy Center in November.

The funds, raised by Positronic’s 500 employees,

will be used to help children living in alleged abusive situations, said Barbara Brown, the center’s executive director.

This is the second year Positronic employees selected a local agency on which to focus their fundraising efforts.

Throughout the year, employees held coffee and bake sales, dress-down days and raffles for a Branson vacation and Springfield Cardinals tickets.

The Child Advocacy Center, 1033 E. Walnut St., assembles forensic interviewers, investigators, law enforcement officials and medical personnel to make decisions on behalf of the victims. The center covers an 18-county area and will have served more than 800 abused children this year.

For more information, go to www.childadvocacycenter.org or call (417) 831-2327.

Twice of Nice

Through Dec. 21, the Nixa Fire District is collecting toys for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

Since 1947, Marines have given toys to needy children during the holidays.

The stations at 711 N. Main or 301 S. Nicholas Road are drop-off sites for new, unwrapped toys. All donations remain local. For more information, call (417) 725-4025.

Thrice of Nice 

Nearly 30 Drury University students this semester developed and managed five projects that raised $2,259 for a Zambian orphanage.

Amy Lewis’ Project Management class created programs such as Project Goat, which allowed the pastor of the Ngo’mbe orphanage to purchase three goats and build a pen, and Project Sanitation, which funded the construction of an outhouse.

The students raised the money through campus solicitations, corporate and private donors, coin collection jars and working McAlisters Deli’s fundraiser nights.[[In-content Ad]]