Kansas Community Empowerment Newsletter

July 2024

IN THIS ISSUE:

Sponsor Spotlight: IdeaTek
KCE Signage - Deliveries Abound!
Speaking of Signage...
Quarterly Reports Reminder
Community Happenings
NextGen Under 30 - Networking Workshop Opportunities
Spring Grant and Award Winners Announced Soon
Continuing Opportunities
K-State Garden Hour July Webinar
External Funding Opportunities
Events Calendar
Closed for Independence Day
Partner Resources
Collaborative Partner Highlight: Kansas Association of Counties
Sponsorship Opportunity
2024 Enrolled Communities

Sponsor Spotlight: IdeaTek

IdeaTek is a broadband service provider headquartered in Buhler, KS. Their mission is "Fighting for Internet Freedom" and they do that by deploying fiber optic infrastructures to bridge the broadband gap in rural communities. One of Inc. 5000's fastest growing companies, IdeaTek knows that it's not enough to bring the fastest internet in the world the Kansas communities, they must also be involved and give back. They are committed to supporting the communities in Kansas in which they are privileged to do business.

Thanks to everyone at IdeaTek for supporting Kansas communities through your own work and for your sponsorship and service on our board of directors!

Interested in becoming a Kansas Community Empowerment sponsor? Check out our sponsorship details near the end of the newsletter!

KCE Signage - Deliveries Abound!

An awesome volunteer of Olsburg PRIDE receiving their new KCE Community Sign!

Jaime Menon poses with a representative of the City of Iola for a KCE Signage handoff!

Jaime connects with the the phenomenal volunteers of McFarland PRIDE for their sign delivery.

KCE Signs are still being delivered across the state - a HUGE thank you for those volunteers that have taken time out of their schedules to coordinate and meet for receiving signs, and for our signage delivery volunteers (representatives of the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board from Blue Valley Technologies/Networks Plus, Blue Rapids Community Action Team and Nex-Tech are among those making delivery rounds).

Congratulations to our featured communities of Olsburg, Iola and McFarland on continuously improving their amazing community!

Speaking of Signage...

We've had requests from communities that are wanting to purchase additional signage - well, the wait is over! If your community is interested in purchasing additional signage, visit our Recognition Page and view the Customized Local Signage tab. The information you need is right there - but do engage us at ksce@ksu.edu before ordering, we just might have a sign reserved for you!

Quarterly Reports Reminder

A friendly reminder that 2nd quarter reports are due on July 15th. Let us know what you've been up to! There are options in the reporting system to add photos, request additional assistance, and even report for previous quarters if you need to catch up. You can get to the reporting database here.

The reports system is a great recordkeeping tool for your community. It's also a way for you to connect with other groups doing similar projects, and how we can tell program partners and sponsors you're making a difference. Email us if you have any problems reporting and we'll be happy to help - ksce@ksu.edu.

Community Happenings

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.

From Dover's first quarter report - In March, Dover Pride held our annual Free-to-the-Community Egg Hunt at the Dover Community Center Grounds. There were approximately 85 children/adults in attendance. A local high schooler volunteered to be our Easter Bunny and our local 4-H club helped with filling and hiding eggs. “We always get compliments on how organized our hunt is and that it isn't chaos. (Leave it to a teacher to come up with a good plan of organization and still have fun!).” It’s extra awesome when a grandparent says thank you and hands you a donation to help with next year!

Community health is extremely important! La Harpe Pride worked with their community to host a Health and Resource Fair at their City Hall. “We worked with several local agencies to share information about health and other resources that are available locally.” Free information concerning nutrition, radon testing, in home care, transportation, violence/abuse services, and public health services were featured, and immunizations for the flu, COVID, Tdap and Pneumonia were offered. What a great service to the health of the La Harpe community!

From Lecompton's first quarter report - Lecompton Community Empowerment held a Bingo Night and once again it was greatly received and attended. Probably the largest group we have ever had! We plan to continue this throughout the year. Our large three floor rummage sale was held two Saturdays in March and was also greatly attended. Six volunteers put an enormous amount of effort into this project and it is currently our largest fundraiser of the year.

NextGen Under 30 - Networking Workshop Opportunities

A quick heads up - our partners at NextGen Under 30 are hosting 2 networking workshops available to community members (under 30) that are making a difference in communities. This is an opportunity for them to connect with industry and organizational leaders to learn about what's out there to get involved in and make high level connections for their paths moving forward. The workshops will be hosted in Manhattan and Dodge City - check out their pages (click on the city name for their respective webpage) for the latest information and details!

Spring Grant and Award Winners Announced Soon

The Spring 2024 grant and award winners have been selected. Look for an email and social media posts announcing winners soon! Our next step is to receive acceptance from the selected winners to make the list final.

K-State Garden Hour July Webinar

Succulents and cacti have been popular as houseplants for decades but can also make great landscape plants. Join Calla Edwards, Butler County Horticulture Agent, to learn how to care for your indoor and outdoor succulents, as well as recommendations for some cool plants you can try around your home. You can find out more and register for this free webinar here or click on the image.

External Funding Opportunities

If you're looking for project funding outside of the Kansas Community Empowerment program, here are some potential opportunities:

Evergy offers a Community Investment program for communities in their service area. Priority is given to requests for funding aligned with environmental leadership and community vitality. You can find more information here: https://www.evergy.com/community/community-involvement

Midwest Energy offers a Community Fund for charitable, educational, and nonprofit organizations in their service area. Deadlines to apply for the fund are March 1 and October 1. They also offer an Impact Grant with a deadline of August 1. Learn eligibility requirements and how to apply for both funding opportunities here: https://www.mwenergy.com/community/community-fund

The Firefighters Charitable Foundation offers grants to organizations wishing to implement an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) program for their community. They also have funding for Community Smoke Detector programs to assist with implementation of smoke detectors and battery replacement. Grant details and the application page are located here: https://www.ffcf.org/organizations

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

Events Calendar

Quarterly Report Due Dates:

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:

May 1st, September 1st

Closed for Independence Day

The Kansas Community Empowerment office will be closed on July 4th in celebration of the Independence Day holiday.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Partner Resources and Links

Collaborative Partner Highlight:

Kansas Association of Counties

The Kansas Association of Counties (KAC) is a long-time collaborative partner with the Kansas Community Empowerment program. The KAC seeks to advance public interest by promoting effective, responsive county government in Kansas. Founded in 1975, they serve county governments through:

Legislative representation
Technical assistance
Leadership
Professional education

Their mission is grounded in state law and shaped by the leadership of its governing board. A representative from KAC also serves on the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. board of directors, providing guidance and support of the program and its communities. Thank you, KAC, for your ongoing efforts to support the great things happening in our state!

Sponsorship Opportunity

The Kansas Community Empowerment program uses no state or federal dollars to fund community projects or recognition. Sponsors support communities participating in the program by helping to fund grants and awards and have the opportunity to serve on the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board of Directors. It’s not just the communities that benefit – the sponsors get a lot out of it, too! To see how your company's or organization's support can benefit communities throughout the state, visit our Donation page to find out how to donate.

2024 Enrolled Communities

Below is a list of communities that have enrolled in the Kansas Community Empowerment 2024 program year so far. 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!

Admire

Alton

Anthony

Arlington

Ashland

Assaria

Belleville

Blue Rapids

Caldwell

Caney

Centralia

Clifton

Columbus

Conway Springs

Delia

Dover

Elk City

Elkhart

Ellis

Erie

Formoso

Fort Scott

Glasco

Grainfield

Grinnell

Harper

Herington

Herndon

Highland

Horton

Humboldt

Independence

Iola

Kinsley

La Harpe

Lakin

Larned

Lecompton

Lenora

Leonardville

Lincoln

Lucas

Luray

Lyons

McFarland

Melvern

Morland

Mount Hope

Nickerson

Norton

Olsburg

Overbrook

Ozawkie

Perry

Portis

Potwin

Quenemo

Randolph

Riley

Riverton

Russell

Saint George

Savonburg

Silver Lake

Towanda

Vermillion

Viola

Wakefield

Yates Center

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