Dearest KCE Communities,

As we approach the end of an exciting and successful 2024, we are delighted to invite you to re-enroll in the Kansas Community Empowerment program! Your participation has been instrumental in driving positive change and fostering a vibrant, supportive community. Here’s why re-enrolling is a fantastic opportunity for you and your KCE colleague communities:

1. Continue Making a Difference

Your involvement has already made a significant impact. By re-enrolling, you ensure that your community continues to thrive. Together, we can tackle new challenges, support local initiatives, and create a better environment for everyone.

2. Access to New Resources and Opportunities

The upcoming year promises even more resources, workshops, and events designed to empower you. From skill-building sessions to networking opportunities, re-enrolling gives you access to tools that can help you grow personally and professionally.

3. Strengthen Community Bonds

Re-enrollment is not just about individual benefits; it’s about strengthening our community bonds and learning from one another. By staying involved, you help build a network of support and collaboration that benefits everyone. Let’s continue to work together to make our KCE program community a place where everyone feels valued and empowered.

4. Be a Part of Exciting New Opportunities

We have several exciting opportunities lined up for the next year, and we want you to be a part of them! Your ideas, energy, and enthusiasm are what make the development and sharing of these opportunities successful. Re-enroll to stay informed and get involved with initiatives that matter to you.

How to Re-Enroll

Re-enrolling is easy, but we recommend you wait until January 2nd or later - as our office will be closed from December 23 through January 1 - to make sure someone is in the office to assist you in case you need any help (especially if you're new to the process). Simply visit our website at kce.k-state.edu (the Enroll Button is available right on the front page) or contact our office at KSCE@ksu.edu. Our team is here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Together, we can achieve even greater things in the coming year. We look forward to seeing you re-enroll and continue this journey with us!

Warm regards and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Jaime Menon and Jan Steen

Kansas Community Empowerment Program - KSCE@ksu.edu

You are invited to the 2024 Cooperative Stakeholder Convening, hosted by the Rural Grocery Initiative at K-State Research and Extension.

When: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from 9:00am-3:00pm

Where: 4105 North Ridge Rd, Wichita, KS

RSVP: Registration is free. Click here to RSVP.

As Kansans explore innovative solutions to address local challenges, the cooperative business model is one possible strategy for promoting community development. At the convening, we will examine the potential of this self-help model and its relevance to Kansas.

Check out the full agenda here.

Hope to see you there!

KCE Partner Award goes to Amanda Clasen of Southwind District Extension!

Each year KCE recognizes an Extension professional who goes above and beyond to serve communities participating in the Kansas Community Empowerment Program.

This year we honor Amanda Clasen, Community Vitality Agent for the Southwind Extension District, as the 2024 Kansas Community Empowerment Partner.

The one thing that always humbles me is the amazing energy that our Extension colleagues put into their community work.

Amanda has been a great asset to KCE communities in the Southwind District. From the moment she started in Extension, she was reaching out to ask how she could help, how she could promote the program to the communities of the district and took initiative to engage the active KCE communities there, such as Iola, Humboldt and Savonburg. She also went above and beyond by assisting La Harpe in re-enrolling in the program.

She immediately volunteered to deliver KCE signage to Southwind District communities and used the opportunity to engage each community to learn more about their needs. As I handed signs over to her, Amanda asked about the possibility of Erie applying for the Community Emergency grant opportunity via our program. Through discussion I came to know that Erie’s grocery store had suffered from a lightning strike, which damaged its coolers, and I let her know it was indeed an opportunity that Erie should investigate. She worked with Erie to connect with our office, and they subsequently received the grant to support their restoration efforts.

Amanda has also worked with Woodson County to create, and administer, a community survey to assist the county in their future strategic planning efforts.



This is just the short list of her engagement!

Thank you, Amanda, for your diligence, your engagement, and your empathy. It is truly our honor to have the opportunity to present you the KCE Partner Award at the 2024 K-State Research and Extension Annual Conference! - Jaime Menon, K-State Research and Extension Community Vitality Specialist and co-Coordinator of the Kansas Community Empowerment Program, jmenon@ksu.edu

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.

After a grant was awarded to the Overbrook Betterment Committee, Overbrook PRIDE joined with them to create a community contest for a City Flag Design, after determining that it would be a great opportunity for city promotion due to the fact that Overbrook has never had a city flag. The public was encouraged to submit designs, and Brian Elliot was named the contest winner. Now the flag flies proudly on many flagpoles across the community.

Lucas did a lot of hard work in preparation for their Adam's Apple Festival, as well as continuing to gear up for their upcoming holiday festivities in Quarter 3 and 4. One notable project is the awesome new mural on the side of their recently constructed Community Center and Library! Everyone in the know in Kansas knows that Lucas will never disappoint when it comes to artistic expression and innovation, and this project took only 8 days from start to finish!

The following opportunity, from K-State Research and Extension (KSRE), comes from the partnership and grant writing expertise of Nancy Daniels, our partner at K-State Research and Extension Community Vitality. You may know Nancy from KSRE's Grant Writing Workshops or First Friday E-Calls (just to name a couple of things that Nancy is involved with). Nancy reached out to us to see if this might be an opportunity that Kansas Community Empowerment communities would be interested in. We've heard from communities through the 2022/2023 community survey, through discussions, and out in the field about interest in professional development and leadership training for local volunteers. Jan and I thought that this extensive training might be the perfect opportunity for those of you looking to upskill or encourage those you see as current or budding local leaders!

Thank you, Nancy, for thinking so collaboratively!

Nancy's invitation to you:

For the past five years, K-State Research and Extension has offered our agents, staff, and specialists the opportunity to participate in Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) training. KLC's unique curriculum empowers participants to authorize themselves to lead. It begins with the principles that leadership is an activity, not a position, and that anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere. Participants develop soft skills of engagement, communication and collaboration, including competencies that everyone can learn and leverage – from asking powerful questions and making multiple interpretations, to acting experimentally and making leadership less risky for others. Since progress on the toughest challenges requires stakeholders who disagree to work together, we show how to engage each other productively and build trust with those whose values, beliefs and loyalties differ from yours.

The classes on the KLC Leadership Path are sequential; more than one class may be taken in a year as long as space is available. Participation is limited to slots available. The classes earlier in the year are more likely to be available, so make plans now. Participants are responsible for their travel costs and required texts.

NEW this year! We are opening the classes to KSRE Partners. A "partner" might be KSRE board members, PDC leaders, Kansas Community Empowerment, or collaboration members. Groups who have taken steps 1 & 2 may advance together to step 3 and attend Lead for Change, a 3-day, deep dive into the KLC framework for teams mobilizing others to confront tough problems and tackle complex change processes in their systems. Lead for Change is ideal for collaborations working on Policy, Systems, and Environment change. Partners may apply by responding at https://bit.ly/KLCLeadershipPath. 

Our Masonic partners continue to give locally, and to keep you aware of the types of projects that local Masonic Lodges contribute to (seeing as there are some exciting opportunities coming up from our partners in 2025, stay tuned!), here are some recent projects/KCE community organizations that have received funding:

• The Savonburg Public Library received $500 from Virginia Lodge No. 315

• Toronto Booster Club Received $1,000 from Woodson Lodge No.121

• Silver Lake Trunk or Treat received $150 from Lake Lodge No. 50

• Moran Day Committee received $400 from Marmaton Lodge No. 245

Making connections with new partners and funding entities might seem intimidating, so don't hesitate to utilize our Story Telling Template (you can find that template, and other resources on our Partner Resource page on our website).

For more information on local Masonic Lodge giving, visit the Kansas Masonic Foundation website, or follow them on Facebook.

If you're interested in further resources, contact us at KSCE@ksu.edu. We're happy to learn about your community needs and help connect you with partners that might have guidance or other resources to support you through your community improvement journey! - Jaime Menon, KCE Co-Coordinator and Community Vitality Specialist for K-State Research and Extension, jmenon@ksu.edu

We still have 4 reimbursement scholarships available for this particular workshop. If you are a representative of a KCE community group, when you register and complete the course, you will be eligible for a $60 reimbursement scholarship. The registration link can be reached by clicking on the image above. Once you enroll as a KCE community representative, email jmsteen@ksu.edu with your community affiliation. These are first come, first served.

Office Closures

The Kansas Community Empowerment office will be closed the following days in November and December:

• November 25 - 29, 2024: Thanksgiving Week Break
• December 23, 2024 - January 1, 2025: University Winter Holiday Break

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