Newsletter - April 2023 Edition |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- IMPORTANT: Check Your Inbox for an Important Announcement
- Sponsor Spotlight: Midwest Energy
- PRIDE Community Happenings
- Data Management Plans - Chapman Center for Rural Studies
- Reminder from NextGen Under 30
- Partner Highlight: Kansas Department of Commerce
- Continuing Opportunities Section
- External Funding Resources
- Up for a Community Visit? We Are, Too!
- Catch Us on Facebook
- K-State Garden Hour April Webinar
- Awards and Community of Excellence Deadline Reminder
- Events Calendar
- Partner and Resource Links
- Sponsorship Opportunity
- 2023 Kansas PRIDE Communities
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Check Your Inbox for an Important Announcement on Monday, April 3
Hoping life finds you well!
Please keep an eye on your email inbox on April 3 for an important announcement from the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board of Directors, and Kansas PRIDE Program Staff.
Until then, don't forget our awards deadline (May 1st). Details later in this email. Any community can apply for recognition - so get your applications ready, and get recognition for the amazing work you do!
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Sponsor Spotlight: Midwest Energy
We'll be highlighting Kansas PRIDE program sponsors in the newsletter and on social media throughout the year. This month we'd like to give a shout out to Midwest Energy, Inc. Midwest Energy has sponsored Kansas PRIDE for many years. They are a customer-owned electric and natural gas cooperative that serves nearly 100,000 customers in central and western Kansas. They value safety, service, stewardship, integrity, innovation, collaboration and a focus on community.
We appreciate their support of the program by allowing us to bring grants and awards to communities in the state, and we value their presence on the Kansas PRIDE, Inc. board of directors. You can learn more about Midwest Energy here, and if you are in their service area, how to apply for their Community Fund and Community Fund Impact Grant program here.
Interested in becoming a Kansas PRIDE sponsor? Check out our sponsorship details near the end of the newsletter!
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PRIDE Community Happenings |
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Leonardville PRIDE recently held their annual Soup Supper to raise funds for their Hullabaloo event. Their invited speaker for the supper was a resident who rode his motorcycle from Leonardville to Alaska to raise money for veteran suicide awareness. If you'd like to read about last year's Hullabaloo, you can learn all about it on KMAN's website.
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We highlighted Morland Community Foundation's (PRIDE) firepit project in the December newsletter and wanted to share what it all looks like now. Excellent job, Morland! This is a great space for people to congregate and enjoy time together. The project was a joint effort between Morland Community Foundation, the Morland Lions Club, and Morland Firefighters.
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Conway Springs Development Foundation (PRIDE) has been preparing for the community's city-wide garage sale coming up April 29th. If you're in the area, pick up some bargains and a plate of biscuits and gravy. You can learn more about CSDF and its efforts here.
We collect stories and photos to share here from communities' quarterly reports, social media, emails to us, and press releases that come our way. If you have a project or event you'd like us to highlight, send it to pride@ksu.edu.
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Data Management Plans:
Chapman Center for Rural Studies
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During our visit to the Appanoose Museum near Pomona, Kansas, the Chapman Center for Rural Studies had the pleasure of meeting with a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter poised with questions about preserving the documents, files, and photos that their organization has produced over many decades. The DAR began in Kansas around 1896; as one can imagine they have a lot of preservation work to keep up on for future members. The museum’s manager worked with us to host one of our digitization days and to connect over our shared work on preservation of Kansas history. The little museum is in an old schoolhouse and preserves what life was like in the 1800s and what it was like for those who were traveling to settle here. Similar to the museum, the DAR and the Chapman Center are working toward a similar goal: to engage with and preserve rural Kansas history.
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One big challenge that many groups face is how to preserve their institutional memory. In the case of the DAR, questions like, “How do we save decades worth of meeting minutes?” “What photos and documents need to be scanned?” and “How will future DAR members be able to find what they need within our files?” emerged as familiar concerns. Digitization, often in the form of scanning or photographing, is a great tool to preserve the legacy of an organization, but such work can become unwieldy if an organization doesn’t have a plan. Data Management Plans are a great way to keep everyone on the same page about how to keep your organization’s information safe, organized, and findable. Although these plans are often associated with large businesses or federally funded projects, they are a useful tool for thinking about how to store and protect your group’s files, digital or otherwise. When planning to manage your institutional memory, here are a few questions you may want to answer:
- What kinds of materials do you want to save? Are you saving paper copies of meeting minutes, digital photographs, audio recordings? Which materials are most important to save, and which materials can be discarded after a period of time?
- How will you organize these materials and how will future members learn that organization system? For example, will you keep a spreadsheet of all your document names, or create a handbook describing how you organize your materials? Do you have consistent file naming practices?
- If items are stored on computers, how will you back up your data? How will you make sure that data won’t be lost as technology ages? You may want to assess your digital storage every five years so that materials don’t get locked in obsolete formats, like floppy disks!
- How will you make sure future generations can access your materials? Are passwords findable?
An hour or two spent planning can help make sure that your archives are usable to the next generation of volunteers. The Chapman Center for Rural Studies is happy to answer questions about how to keep your memories safe for future generations! Contact us for more information on digitization workshops at chapmancenter@ksu.edu.
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Reminder from NextGen Under 30
Nominations are now open for the 2023 NextGen Under 30 program! At NextGen Under 30, we seek to recognize young individuals who are innovative, creative thinkers, and inspiring leaders. We want to celebrate those who push boundaries, challenge the status quo and move our communities forward. By recognizing and supporting these individuals, we hope to provide them with the mentorship and resources they need to become successful entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders.
We encourage you to nominate young individuals in our communities who fit these criteria. By doing so, you can help us identify and support the next generation of leaders and innovators in Kansas. Nominations are currently open, visit nextgenunder30ks.com to learn more about the program and submit your nomination today!
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Partner Highlight:
Kansas Department of Commerce
A Kansas PRIDE partner since the program's inception in 1970, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. The Community Development Division supports efforts that enhance and grow communities of all sizes. PRIDE communities have access to Commerce's programs and resources, including the option to become an affiliated city of the Kansas Main Street program, Community Development Block Grants, and a network of community development professionals. Meet the Community Development Team and find out more information regarding programs and resources that may benefit your city!
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CONTINUING OPPORTUNITIES SECTION |
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Kansans are blessed with a multitude of opportunities to bring federal and state funding into your communities for housing, downtown development, trails, historic preservation, and more. The Gretzky Rule: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Kansans in 100 of 105 counties have taken Grant Writing Basics classes and reported writing $38 million of successful grants in their first year after completion. Classes are online and named for a local unit cohost. To register https://bit.ly/3P9RhcW. All classes cost $60. NEW THIS YEAR: A micro-credential for completion of the class and supporting documents showing evidence of learning.
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FIRST FRIDAY E-CALLS
K-State Research and Extension offers entrepreneurship webinars every first Friday of the month. Visit our Webpage for all past sessions. Registration information for upcoming sessions can be found HERE.
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External Funding Opportunities |
Want to put your new grant writing skills to use? Here are some opportunities for project funding outside of the Kansas PRIDE grants:
The Kansas Department of Commerce has grants of up to $10,000 (matching dollars) as part of their Certified Site Kansas Support Grant program. Kansas Certified Sites designation is issued when communities demonstrate successfully that their property is ready for development and investment. This new funding opportunity is a great resource for communities with shovel-ready sites. You can find out more about the grant and additional program support here: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/2023/03/new-funding-available-to-help-communities-with-shovel-ready-sites/
Additional Funding Resources
Is your Kansas PRIDE 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 an external grants database and likely can give you some links to potential funding sources. Just email us at PRIDE@ksu.edu with your request and project idea. If you've utilized Jan for grant searches - 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.
Not a Kansas PRIDE community? This resource is a great reason to join! You can also reach out to your local Extension office which should have access to the database as well. - Jan Steen, Kansas PRIDE Program Co-Coordinator, jmsteen@ksu.edu jmsteen@ksu.edu
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Up for a Virtual, or in Person, Community Visit?
We Are, Too!
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Our offer near the end of each newsletter is to engage your community remotely, or in person!
Our model has changed slightly - we prefer virtual for initial steps as our introduction videos can be shared widely throughout the community. We would be more than happy to host a Zoom meeting where your PRIDE group members, city council members, chamber participants, Masonic Lodge, or other groups could individually log in to see the presentation or discussion and ask questions. In person is a great way to get assessments or other community planning done, and we are happy to do a survey read out as a neutral party, or help you through a Strategic Doing session. Just e-mail us at PRIDE@ksu.edu to set up a schedule.
To view pre-recorded webinars giving an introduction to the program, step-by-step instructions on how to enroll or report, fundraising, recruiting volunteers, and more, head over to our Education page for more. - Jan Steen and Jaime Menon, Kansas PRIDE Program Co-Coordinators, PRIDE@ksu.edu
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We often post items of interest on our Facebook page between newsletters. Grants, volunteer training, project ideas, and even the occasional Live stream will pop up. Click the button below to like and follow the program activity there: |
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Awards & Community of Excellence Deadline Reminder!
Just a quick reminder that the Kansas PRIDE Awards deadline for Round 1 of 2023 is May 1. This is also the new deadline for Community of Excellence designation applications.
Food for thought - looking for potential matching funds for your applications or projects? You may consider contacting your local Masonic Lodge. Want us to assist in finding a Masonic contact local to you? Email us and we are happy to facilitate that connection.
And as always, don't hesitate to reach out to pride@ksu.edu with any questions!
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Quarterly Report Due Dates:
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April 15th, July 15th, October 15th, January 15th
Awards Deadlines:
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Partner and Resource Links |
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The Kansas PRIDE 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 Sponsors and Sponsorship page to find out how to donate.
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2023 Kansas PRIDE Communities
The following communities have enrolled in the Kansas PRIDE 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 and Reporting page and click on the light blue "Enroll" button to get started.
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- Admire
- Alton
- Anthony
- Arlington
- Ashland
- Assaria
- Axtell
- Basehor
- Belleville
- Blue Rapids
- Burden
- Bushton
- Caldwell
- Caney
- Clifton
- Columbus
- Conway Springs
- Delia
- Dwight
- Elk City
- Ellis
- Erie
- Fort Scott
- Glasco
- Grainfield
- Grinnell
- Harper
- Herndon
- Highland
- Hugoton
- Humboldt
- Independence
- Iola
- Kinsley
- La Harpe
- Lakin
- Larned
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- Lecompton
- Lenora
- Leon
- Leonardville
- Lincoln
- Lucas
- Luray
- Macksville
- Marion
- McFarland
- Melvern
- Morland
- Morton County
- Elkhart
- Rolla
- Nickerson
- Norton
- Olsburg
- Osawatomie
- Overbrook
- Ozawkie
- Perry
- Potwin
- Randolph
- Riley
- Riverton
- Russell
- Saint George
- Scranton
- Silver Lake
- South Central Neighborhood (Wichita)
- Toronto
- Vermillion
- Wakefield
- 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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