January 2019
From surviving to thriving
As we enter our fourth year of operations, I am thrilled by the difference Thrive! continues to make in the lives of our participants. During 2018, we served 19 families living in financial poverty, representing 54 adults and children . Thrive! volunteers and staff helped these families build community and skills needed to move from surviving to thriving. 
 
Looking ahead, we will be training new Leaders (individuals struggling financially) starting on February 5 and hope to add at least five new families to our program through this training. Elaine Johannes, Ally and board member, has volunteered to provide Ally training and support and has been offering 6-hour Ally training sessions during December and January.  Five new Leaders means we need at least 10 new Allies, so Ally recruitment will be a major focus in 2019.  

Leaders meet with their Allies twice a month (first and third Tuesdays) for Team Time, a chance to work on goals and identify resources. On the second and fourth Tuesdays, we hold Thrive! Conversations — continuing education for our Leaders. I am currently leading a "reducing stress for a healthier you" series. The connection between high levels of stress hormones in the body and physical health is strong, and we are working on finding small ways to reduce stress every day.  

I'm looking forward to another year of community and growth for Thrive!  Thank you for everything you do to make our work possible.

— Jayme Morris-Hardeman, executive director
Staying in the spirit
During the holidays, many of us talk about staying in the spirit throughout the year. Now it's a gray, cold January, and we may be having trouble keeping our pledge. All Thrive! has to do to feel that holiday spirit is to think back to the contributions of a group from Kansas Farm Bureau Financial Services.

Brooke Ediger, Tiffany Lund, Autumn Burfict, Shauna Heise, and Angela Preston from Kansas Farm Bureau Financial Services supported Thrive! this December by participating in a tree decorating contest, and their tree won!
Calling all Allies!
We believe the only way to help someone move from surviving to thriving is through relationships. As our executive director highlighted in her note above, we need more Allies!

If you have time to share in friendship with someone new, and if you enjoy the thought of lending an ear to someone who is working to improve his or her life, we invite you to investigate becoming an Ally.

Allies are community volunteers who join a team consisting of one Leader (individual facing financial instability) and 2 to 3 Allies for 18 months of support and encouragement.  Allies are asked to attend on the first and third Tuesdays of the month for dinner and Team Time from 5:45-8:00 p.m. 

The next Ally trainings are February 22 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and February 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon at First United Methodist Church in Manhattan.
To learn more or to volunteer, contact Elaine Johannes at Emjohanne@gmail.com .

If you are on the Thrive! donor list, you probably received a letter back in August inviting you to continue to invest in your community by supporting our organization.

Thank you for a wonderful response to our simple campaign. We received more than $6,300 from 30 donors. These funds support our operations in many ways, from providing Tuesday night meals and materials for activities for our families to supporting staff salaries.

If you missed this opportunity or if you have more time than resources to give, we look forward to seeing you at some fun fundraisers we have in the works for 2019. Stay tuned!