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Newsletter
August 2026 - 3rd Quarter
| | Building Connections and Providing Services in East Central Kansas | | Note from Crystal Anderson, CEO | |
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As summer comes to a close, many of us look forward to the excitement of a new school year. For children, it's often a time of fresh starts and new friendships. For many families, however, back-to-school season also brings added financial pressure as they work to provide school supplies, clothing, childcare, and the stability their children need to succeed.
At ECKAN, this is one of the busiest and most rewarding times of the year. Our Head Start classrooms are preparing to welcome children, while staff across our service area are helping families access resources that ease the burden of this season—from housing and utility assistance to food, weatherization, and, of course, school supplies. Together, these supports help strengthen families and communities. We know that when families have the resources they need, children are better prepared to learn and thrive.
Of course, this work couldn't happen without our incredible staff and dedicated community partners—many of whom are highlighted in this newsletter. Throughout the summer, they continued serving our communities with compassion, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to helping others. Their dedication is what makes ECKAN's mission possible every day, and we are incredibly grateful for each of them.
As we continue celebrating ECKAN's 60th anniversary, I invite you to be part of our $60 for 60 Years campaign. Every gift helps ensure that children, families, and seniors across our 16-county service area have access to the programs and opportunities that create lasting change.
I also encourage you to take a few moments to explore this edition of our newsletter. Inside, you'll find just a few of the inspiring stories, partnerships, and accomplishments that reflect the impact our staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners make possible every day.
Thank you for your continued partnership and for believing in the work we do together. Here's to a successful school year and another season of building stronger families and stronger communities.
Crystal Anderson, CEO
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ECKAN 2nd Quarter Impacts
April to June 2026
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- Provided weatherization services to 20 households
- Used $228,484.04 from 5 funding resources
- Average invested to improve energy efficiency per home $11,424.20
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- Strengthened HR processes and onboarding to better support employees.
- Updated policies and supported recruitment across programs.
- Partnered with leadership to prepare teams for a successful program year.
- Invested in employee growth and workplace resources.
- Empowered staff to make a greater impact in the communities we serve.
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- Children Served: Head Start - 184 | Early Head Start - 147
- Volunteer Hours: 7833
- Donations: $4,113.41
- Parent Goals Achieved: 68% of 240 families have completed their goals. (Including buying a car, better housing, going back to school, and budgeting)
- The current waitlist is 154 for all options
- Meals served
Breakfast: 4,326
Lunch: 4,350
Snack: 1,030
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- Unduplicated Individuals Served: 2,015
- Unduplicated Households Served: 779
- Pounds of Food and Retail Recovered: 302,905
- CSBG Expenditure on Direct Service: $172,511.32
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- Unduplicated Active Vouchers: 193
- Quarterly Housing Assistance Payments (HAP): $253,857
- Current Households on Waitlist: 441
- Active Housing Choice Voucher Landlords: 83
- Owned ECKAN Rentals: 53
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- 93.81% of ECKAN's agency expenses went directly to program services
- 6.19% of ECKAN's agency expenses were for general administration
| | Teresia Templeton, Franklin County Human Service Coordinator, spoke with the parents of children who attend the ECKAN-sponsored Summer Lunch Program for children ages 1-18. The parent shared that the daily lunches and snacks provided Monday through Friday, along with the swim passes offered through the program, save her family approximately $700 per month during the summer. She expressed that these resources have made a significant difference by helping reduce household expenses while ensuring her child has access to nutritious meals and recreational opportunities. | | |
One Douglas County family found meaningful support through Nourish Douglas County, a fresh produce pilot program made possible by a grant from the Douglas County Community Foundation.
Because of dietary restrictions, traditional food pantry options did not always meet the household's needs. Through Nourish Douglas County, they were able to access fresh fruits and vegetables each week, providing healthy food options that were otherwise difficult to find.
The customer shared that the program made a real difference for their family and expressed hope that opportunities like this will continue in the future.
Providing flexible, person-centered support that meets people where they are is an important part of ECKAN's mission. Through programs like Nourish Douglas County, ECKAN is helping connect neighbors with the resources they need to support their health, stability, and well-being.
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Heather Carver, Coffey County Human Services Coordinator, obtained a total of 380 swim passes through a combination of purchases and generous donations to distribute to individuals and families during the summer months. Since receiving the passes, she has distributed 300 to community members.
The swim passes are for the Burlington Recreation Center, which features both indoor and outdoor pools and is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. These passes provide children and families with the opportunity to stay active, cool off, and enjoy safe, affordable recreational activities throughout the summer.
| | Meet the Faces of ECKAN | | For nearly five years, Colleen Smith has served as the Human Services Coordinator for Lyon and Morris Counties, helping individuals and families connect with essential resources such as food assistance, rent and utility support, transportation, and more. Guided by the value of empathy, Colleen is committed to ensuring every customer feels heard, supported, and valued while providing compassionate guidance tailored to their unique needs. Her dedication to connecting people with the right resources reflects ECKAN’s mission of strengthening individuals, families, and communities. | | | | | For the past month, Tanna Turner has been serving ECKAN as a Temporary Accounts Payable Accountant, helping support the agency’s financial operations so resources remain available for the communities ECKAN serves. Guided by a heart for helping others, Tanna is proud to contribute behind the scenes to an organization that shares her commitment to assisting those in need. Her work plays an important role in supporting ECKAN’s mission of strengthening individuals and families across East Central Kansas. | | Ember Shumard recently returned to ECKAN as Health Specialist after previously serving as a Family Advocate, bringing valuable experience and a passion for supporting children and families. Focused on building strong systems and improving processes, Ember works behind the scenes to ensure programs run smoothly so children receive important health screenings and access to community resources. Guided by ECKAN’s commitment to taking intentional actions to show others we care, Ember believes that even small improvements can make a meaningful difference for staff, children, and families alike. | | | | | For five years, Drake DeRegutes has served ECKAN by helping families reduce their energy costs and create safer, more comfortable homes. Through education and the weatherization process, Drake helps homeowners better understand their homes, identify energy challenges, and make improvements that lower utility bills. Guided by the value of integrity, Drake is committed to providing honest, high-quality service that creates lasting, positive results for the communities ECKAN serves. | | For 12 years, Diana Cárdenas has served as a Family Educator in Douglas County, partnering with families to promote healthy child development and strengthen parent-child relationships. Guided by the value of collaboration, Diana works alongside parents while connecting them with community resources that help their families thrive. Her dedication to encouraging parents, celebrating their successes, and building strong community partnerships reflects ECKAN’s commitment to creating brighter futures for children and families. | | | ECKAN's Partnerships in the Community | | |
For many years, Arvest Bank has partnered with ECKAN and other local organizations through the annual Million Meals Campaign, helping provide resources that address food insecurity in our communities.
This year, Arvest Bank presented ECKAN with a $1,200 donation from the campaign, continuing a long-standing commitment to supporting neighbors facing hunger. Funds raised through Million Meals stay local, helping organizations like ECKAN connect individuals and families with food and other essential resources when they need them most.
Partnerships like this demonstrate the power of community collaboration. Through the ongoing support of Arvest Bank and its customers, more people in East Central Kansas can access the resources they need to build stability and move toward brighter futures.
We are proud to partner with organizations that share our commitment to strengthening communities and helping neighbors thrive. Together, we are making a lasting impact, one meal at a time.
| | Heartland Community Health Center | | |
A huge shoutout to Heartland Community Health Center for their outstanding partnership with ECKAN Head Start since 2022. Heartland has been a valued partner at our screening days, providing essential services to children and families, including well-child checks, immunizations, blood lead screenings, hemoglobin testing, dental services, health education, and connections to additional community resources.
One of the most significant impacts of this partnership has been in the area of blood lead screening. In some of the communities we serve, children were only receiving the 12-month blood lead screening. However, Kansas EPSDT guidelines require screenings at both 12 and 24 months of age. Heartland has helped ensure that children receive their required 24-month screenings, improving compliance with state requirements and helping identify potential health concerns earlier.
This collaboration has made a tremendous difference for the children and families we serve and has had a positive impact on our Program Information Report (PIR) outcomes. We are grateful for Heartland Community Health Center's continued commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our Head Start children and families.
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Theel has proudly provided electrical, HVAC, and plumbing services to our communities since 2006. Throughout the years, they have consistently delivered affordable, reliable, and high-quality service to many of our clients.
Since opening their doors, Theel has been a trusted HVAC contractor for ECKAN Weatherization. Their professionalism, craftsmanship, and commitment to customer satisfaction ensure that our clients receive new heating and air conditioning systems they can depend on.
ECKAN Weatherization appreciates Theel's longstanding partnership and looks forward to their continued dedication to serving our communities by helping families stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
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ECKAN has had the opportunity to partner with the Coffey County Library to provide a variety of programs and services that benefit our customers and the community. Through this partnership, we have supported collaborated on such things as the Summer Lunch Program for children during the summer months and story time activities that gave Community Center and Head Start staff the opportunity to connect with families and share valuable resources for children and their families.
One of our most recent events was an "Art in the Afternoon" class, where both adults and children from the community created beautiful artwork, and ECKAN was honored to receive several of the paintings to display in our Community Center.
| | CSBG Staff CPR Trained Soon! | | | | ECKAN's CSBG Anderson County Coordinator, Karessa Johnson, a certified trainer in CPR and First Aid, will conduct a training session for the entire CSBG department on August 13th. After the training, all participants will be certified to perform CPR and First Aid. | | Weatherization is moving at the end of 2026 - beginning of 2027 to their new office space in Downtown Ottawa. | | | Your Opportunity to Make an Impact | | This fall, as neighbors prepare for cooler weather and children return to school, your generosity helps ensure families have safe homes, lower energy bills, and access to the support they need. | | | | |
