Buying a home can be a daunting process. This summer, the Seward County LHEAT partners with Bank of Beaver City, Sunflower Bank and Plains State Bank to bring home buying tips and financial literacy to potential home buyers.

The first event took place on June 22. Staff from the Bank of Beaver City answered questions. There are two remaining events left this summer. Events are free and childcare will be provided. Prize items and gift cards will be raffled at the events. Scan the QR code below to register.

5:30-7:30 pm at Blue Bonnet Park

5:30-7:30 pm at CrossPoint church

Income and wealth inequality has been increasing in the U.S. by about 20% between 1980 and 1960, according to the Pew Research Center. This is a cause for concern as people in the lower rungs of the economic ladder may experience diminished economic opportunity and nobility.

The Wyandotte County LHEAT sees an opportunity to spotlight equity advocacy in front of a key audience, members of the U.S. congress. Kim Weaver (LHEAT Lead) and Essence Miller (CHW Supervisor), were in Washington D.C. for the Poor People's Campaign. They visited congress along with other likeminded champions from all over the country to call for a dignified life for all, revive moral revival to fight against injustices and reframe narratives surrounding poverty.

The Wyandotte County LHEAT monthly community laundry day in June took on a special meaning on June 19. This laundry day occurred on Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

Tyrone A. Garner, Mayor and CEO of Kansas City, Kan., also attended the celebration and shared it on his social media. He was seen in the above picture with Mary Ricketts (COPE LHEAT) and Sheleah McPherson (owner of Leah's Laundromat on the Q).

This celebration took tremendous efforts to organize. Many COPE personnel and their family members offered their support. Thelmairi Moran (CHW) not only worked with all of the guests but also provided interpretation for those who need it. The family of Kim Weaver (LHEAT Lead) worked diligently with the community. Ricketts, Moran and Tatiana Darby (Regional Community Lead for the Northeast Region) distributed laundry bags to guests.

"Something as simple as the ability to have clean clothes may not mean

Carrillo Martinez recently received her MBA (see our December issue) and has been know in the community-engaged circle.

Joining the 2023 Miss SWKS competition "wasn't only about learning how to wear high heels but constantly working on my positive self-talk and learning to acknowledge my emotions of stress and anxiety levels," said Carrillo Martinez. 

She also said "Through the conversations that I had with friends, it was also eye-opening how when we would start the conversations and share our own experiences, we had that sensation that we were not alone and that many of us go through depression, at times severe anxiety and stress, even those that look like they are always happy."

Image credit: Miss SWKS

Disability Pride Month celebrates disabled persons embracing their disabilities as integral parts of who they are, reclaiming visibility in public and interacting fully with their disabilities out in the open, and rejecting shame and internalized ableism.