Kansas Community Empowerment Newsletter | |
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- Signage!!! Check Your Inboxes
- NextGen Under 30 - Exciting Opportunity
- Community Spotlights
- Sponsorship - Who Benefits?
- Continuing Opportunities
- K-State Garden Hour December Webinar
- External Funding Opportunities
- Events Calendar
- Enrolling for 2024
- Partner Resources
- 2023 Enrolled Communities
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Signage!!! Check Your Inboxes
If you have not had the opportunity as yet, please check your inboxes concerning signage. Here's what to know:
- One sign has been provided for all KCE communities, free of charge, by our partners the Kansas Masons and the Kansas Department of Commerce.
- You must enroll in 2024 to receive your sign, and let us know where you plan to display your sign.
- If you are replacing KDOT Right of Way signage, you will have to work directly with KDOT in your region.
We know it will take time, but if you can approach your KCE community leadership team and return a response before January 1, that would be amazing (it will help us purchase in bulk and ensure that each community will receive a sign)!
Have questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to us at KSCE@ksu.edu - we're happy to help!
THANK YOU for your patience, your assistance, and for all you do!!!! - Jaime and Jan
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NextGen Under 30 - Exciting Opportunity
We have heard from many communities that there is a fear that younger generations don't want to engage, or assist in their communities. In truth, there are members of your community, at any age...possibly even under 30, that you could recognize for their contribution to your community, or even for choosing to stay, or locate, to your community.
Let's call this exciting opportunity NextGen Under 30.
On September 12, 2023, Jan and I were honored to have the opportunity to speak and network at the NextGen Under 30 Day at the Capitol. Other speakers included former Kansas State Senator Tom Hawk, Lieutenant Governor David Toland, Kansas Community Empowerment Co-Coordinator Jaime Menon, and past honorees of NextGen Under 30 Joseph Shepherd, Roy Moye III and Kelsey Haile.
The NextGen Under 30 program recognizes individuals under age 30 who demonstrate talent, drive, and service to their communities. This year, over 250 individuals were honored and recognized. Many that Jan and I had the opportunity to connect with recognized the importance of local volunteerism in keeping a community vital. They are looking for opportunities to support local efforts through leadership or being a community partner in leadership efforts.
This could be a great opportunity for your community to recognize, and honor, those in your community that show up, care and contribute.
The program and application process is rather straight forward, and there are so many honoree categories to choose from (which not only gives them distinction in your community, but in their field of work), that it makes it easy to honor someone under 30 that is making your community a better place to be.
I (Jaime) also had the honor of being at the NextGen Under 30 Awards Ceremony in Wichita on October 20. Many of the speakers and awardees recognized noted that Kansas was their place of choice to reside, work in, and raise their family. I met so many honorees that were not only excited at the opportunity to be recognized but were also touched very deeply that their community cared that they were there, and recognized the contributions they were making. There were quite a few that expressed that it made them feel that much more committed to their community!
Click on the button below to learn more! - Jaime Menon, K-State Research and Extension Kansas Community Empowerment Co-Coordinator, jmenon@ksu.edu
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Content for this section comes from emails, quarterly reports, and community website/social media updates. If you'd like to highlight recent activities or promote an upcoming event in a future newsletter, email us at: ksce@ksu.edu. | |
Lincoln PRIDE was awarded two grants for their third instrument in the Music Park that is working to be installed in the Lincoln City Park. This is the third instrument they have added this year. They have scheduled a fundraiser and hope to secure enough funds to purchase the final instrument by summer of 2024. | |
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Delia's third quarter report highlighted a partnership between the Jackson County Tourism Council (with additional funding from the Mandala Art Project and a Barn Quilt Art Project), the City of Delia and Delia PRIDE, who were proud to dedicate a mural and sculpture with Native American themes on September 10th of this year in conjunction with the celebration of Delia Days.
The project, taken on by artist Garrett Larson, is designed to honor Native American Culture and expand ideas about public art by integrating art forms in conjunction with murals to engage public interest and participation in the arts within Jackson County. The mural depicts Mshewe Hale, a young Prairie Band Potawatomie singer and drummer from Delia, who has received national honors for his drumming and singing abilities. The sculpture that accompanies the mural is of a buffalo, made from mild steel is mounted on the south wall of the community center.
The dedication at Delia Days honored the theme “Celebrating young people upholding traditions of their heritage.” There was a live performance featuring traditional singing and drumming along with dances by the dancers featured in the mural. The Fancy Shawl Dance and the Fancy Dance were performed, and Potawatomi youth and adults represented other traditional dances.
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Sponsorship - Who Benefits?
Sponsors are a major part of the Kansas Community Empowerment program. Communities benefit from companies and organizations sponsoring the program at the state level because those dollars are turned into Community of Growth and Community of Action grants to help fund local projects. The dollars are used for Rising Star recognition awards to honor and highlight some of the great people, businesses, and other entities working to make things happen locally, and for Project Excellence awards to show the rest of the state the amazing things happening in those cities, towns, and unincorporated areas around Kansas.
Sponsors also have the opportunity, if they wish, to serve on the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board of Directors, the committee that guides the program to ensure it remains relevant and beneficial to participating communities for years to come.
By having sponsors, the program has resources communities can utilize to improve their quality of life. Making Kansas a better place also makes it more attractive to potential residents, businesses, and tourists – a definite benefit to our communities in the state, and a benefit to our sponsors serving those areas.
What other benefits do sponsors see? Sponsors are featured in print in our Annual Review, digitally on our website, in our monthly newsletters, and on social media. We also highlight sponsors at multiple conferences and presentations during the year, including the Kansas Rural Water Association, League of Kansas Municipalities, and K-State Research and Extension annual conferences. Combined, that’s tens of thousands of impressions every year.
If you are affiliated with a company or organization that would like to support communities’ improvement efforts throughout Kansas, I invite you to check out our Donation page. While you’re there, take a look at our current sponsors – you’ll be in great company!
Please email us at ksce@ksu.edu with any questions you might have. Thanks for your consideration and for serving Kansas! Jan Steen - K-State Research and Extension Kansas Community Empowerment Co-Coordinator, jmsteen@ksu.edu
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External Funding Opportunities | |
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If you're looking for project funding outside of the Kansas Community Empowerment program, here are some potential opportunities:
The Kansas Department of Commerce has released a Grants Calendar online. This resource lists grants that are offered on an annual basis, including details about their purpose, dollar amount available, deadlines, and more. You can reach the calendar here: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/grantscalendar
Is your community served by Black Hills Energy? If so, Black Hills Energy has an opportunity to apply for sponsorship or donations through their website. Find out how to apply here: https://www.blackhillsenergy.com/community/request-charitable-sponsorship-or-donation
Some communities have reached out to us in the past asking if there is funding available for offering yoga classes locally. The Give Back Yoga Foundation has funding to launch and sustain outreach projects that expand access to yoga. You can see examples of past funded projects and how to apply on their website: https://givebackyoga.org/yoga-grants/
Additional Funding Resources
Is your community looking for funding to help with certain projects? Let us know what the project is, how much you're seeking, and what your timeline looks like. We have access to multiple external grants databases and likely can give you some links to potential funding sources. Just email us at KSCE@ksu.edu with your request and project idea. If you've utilized Jan for grant searches - KCE/PRIDE community or otherwise - please report back to us on any successes you might have so we can determine effectiveness and continue to provide this service.
You can also reach out to your local Extension office which should have access to the database as well. - Jan Steen, Kansas Community Empowerment Program Co-Coordinator, jmsteen@ksu.edu
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Events Calendar
Quarterly Report Due Dates:
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January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, October 15th
A reminder that you can get to the reporting database here: https://reports.kce.k-state.edu/
Awards Deadlines:
Office Closed:
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December 21, 2023 - January 1, 2024 - Holiday break/University closed.
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Enrolling for 2024
You've done great work this year and are no doubt looking forward to what 2024 brings. The enrollment database will be available for the new year starting January 1st. You'll have an opportunity to confirm your community's information when you log in after that date, or change it to add new contacts, newsletter subscribers, resolution numbers, etc.
Don't forget to also complete your 2023 4th quarter reports for your records, and so we can see what you've been up to as well. These stories are shared with a wide audience throughout Kansas! You'll find enrollment and reporting buttons on our main website here. Thanks for all you do to make your communities and Kansas amazing!
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Partner Resources and Links | |
2023 Enrolled Communities | | |
The following communities have enrolled in the Kansas Community Empowerment program for the 2023 program year. Communities are added to this list each month (or this list more frequently) as they enroll for the current program year. To enroll your community, visit our Enrollment page to get started! | | |
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Admire
Alton
Anthony
Arlington
Ashland
Assaria
Axtell
Basehor
Belleville
Blue Rapids
Burden
Bushton
Caldwell
Caney
Canton
Centralia
Clifton
Coats
Columbus
Conway Springs
Courtland
Delia
Dwight
Elk City
Elkhart
Ellis
Erie
Florence
Formoso
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Fort Scott
Glasco
Grainfield
Grinnell
Harper
Haysville
Herndon
Highland
Horton
Hugoton
Humboldt
Independence
Iola
Kinsley
La Harpe
Lakin
Larned
Lecompton
Lenora
Leon
Leonardville
Lincoln
Lucas
Luray
Macksville
Marion
McFarland
McPherson
Melvern
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Morland
Mount Hope
Nickerson
Norton
Olsburg
Osawatomie
Overbrook
Ozawkie
Perry
Portis
Potwin
Quenemo
Randolph
Riley
Riverton
Rossville
Russell
Saint George
Savonburg
Scranton
Silver Lake
Toronto
Towanda
Vermillion
Wakefield
Wichita (South Central)
Wilson
Yates Center
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Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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