May 8, 2015                                                                                                                   Newsblast Vol. 5 No. 6
In This Issue
ICDD Associate Spotlight:
Chapman Food Mart - A Hometown Gem
Farewell, Lindsey!
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I nstitute for Civic Discourse and Democracy

Associate Spotlight

 

Donita Whitney-Bammerlin

-Current Position: Donita Whitney-Bammerlin is an instructor in the Department of Management, College of Business Administration. "I teach every day of the week and utilize a number of the facilitation strategies [from ICDD] in my classroom on a daily basis." 


-Favorite Event: Whitney-Bammerlin says she does not have one specific favorite event or memory. "All of my experiences have been good and each one takes on its own unique character as the workshops and meetings unfold."  Read more


 
Debbie Divine

-Current Position: Debbie Divine currently characterizes her position as a "semi-retired, self-employed planning consultant." She is an active volunteer who tries to utilize civic discourse principles in her everyday life. From presiding over meetings to assisting with facilitation projects, she works to employ the principles of civic discourse. 

 

-First Became Involved In ICDD: Divine first became involved in ICDD when Dr. David Procter invited her to serve on the board.

 

- Job Ties:   Divine is part of the Salina Civic Engagement Team.  "I also use civic discourse ideas to curb my inclination to respond to uncivil, rude, and unproductive letters to the editor in the local newspaper."   Read more
Rural Grocery Initiative 

Chapman Food Mart - A Hometown Gem

  

Chapman, KS, a rural town with approximately 1,400 residents, has a reason to celebrate. On February 16, 2015, a full-service grocery store called the Chapman Food Mart, opened. The store is owned by Doug Thompson, a local attorney, and operated by Ann and Kenny Bush.

 

Prior to February, the closest grocery store was about 12 miles away, making it hard for senior citizens and others to do their grocery shopping. "No longer is it necessary to plan a grocery shopping trip outside the area," Thompson states.  "Now residents of Chapman and the surrounding area can travel a short distance multiple times for grocery shopping without the necessity to 'stock up.'" Read more

Center for Engagement and Community Development

Farewell, Lindsey! 

 

The Center for Engagement and Community Development would like to wish a happy graduation and well wishes to our Event Planning and Special Projects intern, Lindsey Schmeidler. Schmeidler will be graduating K-State with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Women's Studies. She has worked on numerous projects for CECD including the 10th Anniversary Celebration of ICDD, Kid's Voting USD 383, and the ICDD Public Issues Facilitation Workshop. Schmeidler is also a member of the K-State Women's Rowing team. She will be moving to Chicago, Illinois in July to begin law school at Chicago-Kent School of Law, with hopes to pursue a career in public interest law. Congratulations and thank you for all of your hard work, Lindsey!

Kansas State University established the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD) in 2004 to enhance democracy through improved community deliberation. Soon after, the Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD) was created by K-State in 2006 to connect the resources of the university to significant issues of public need facing Kansas and communities worldwide. To help sustain rural communities due to growing economic problems, CECD launched the Rural Grocery Initiative (RGI) in 2008.