Newsletter - July 2022 Edition
IN THIS ISSUE:

  • PRIDE Community Happenings
  • It's Awards Time Again! - Deadline for Awards is September 1
  • Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board Meeting Highlights
  • The Chapman Center for Rural Studies - History Preservation Tips, Installment 2
  • Sponsor Highlight: Nex-Tech
  • Continuing Opportunities Section
  • External Funding Resources
  • Up for a Community Visit? We Are, Too!
  • Catch Us on Facebook & Facebook Live!
  • K-State Garden Hour July Schedule
  • Events Calendar
  • 2022 Kansas PRIDE Communities
PRIDE Community Happenings
Twenty-seven children will have a safer ride in their vehicles thanks to a child passenger safety seat check conducted by Haysville PRIDE and the Haysville Police Department.

Children up to to 9 years old were checked and fitted with the correct seats. Eight to 14 year old youth were checked for correct fit of their lap and shoulder belts. Eight out of ten car seats needed some kind of correction. Education for parents plays a big role in a car seat check. The average car took 30 to 40 minutes to check the seat and educate the parents on the proper reinstallation of the car seat. 
Children served were from Haysville, Wichita and Council Bluffs, IA. The response from the community was awesome. Sponsors for the event who purchased seats were Haysville PRIDE, American Family Insurance, Community Bank, Doug’s Auto Service, Haysville Senior Center, Haysville True Value, Haysville Friends of the Library, Haysville Chamber of Commerce, Trudo’s Automotive, Shelter Insurance, ART Therapy, and Derby Optimist Club. These local merchants and organizations furnished children with high back boosters with 5 point harness, convertible car seats, big kid belt positioning boosters, and base booster seats. The remainder of the seats purchased for the event will be used by Haysville PD and PRIDE technicians to help children the rest of the year.  This event furnished car seats to be provided to children whose existing seat was either recalled, outdated or not appropriate for the child’s size or age. The car seats were checked by certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, who have had at least one full week of training and passed a written test given by Safe Kids World Wide. These technicians volunteer their time to make children safer. The following people helped make Saturday a very successful day. Technicians Aaron Watkins, Jessica Starnes, JD Willis, and Det. Chad Case, Det. Brady Simmons and Det. Justin Henke (Haysville Police Dept.), Brenda Gibson (Haysville PRIDE), and Sgt. Lenny Rose (Wichita Police Dept.), Christina Havice (Sedgwick Co.), Kyle Trower, Chrystal Freeman (Pratt Co.) were in attendance.

A Car Seat check also takes many other volunteers to direct traffic, help parents fill out the child passenger checklist, assist the technician, and clerical work. PRIDE members Tom Gibson, Phil Harris, Jennifer Masters, Christy Arneson, Wanda Gilmere, Joni Selenke, Penny Rosendale and Janet Parton were volunteers for scribing and traffic control. One Haysville Middle School volunteer was Maverick Hatfield.

This year was the 24th year for the event. We have served over 1,300 kids over the 24 years. The Haysville Police Department has the most certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians for a police department in the State of Kansas. The City Of Haysville provided us the parking lot.
Haysville Completes June Service Project
Haysville PRIDE also hosted a shred event recently where residents could bring bank statements, receipts, expired records, and more to be destroyed. Approximately 4,000 pounds of paper was shredded and 100 cars came through the line.

You can see more pictures here.
Columbus PRIDE Utilizes Community Promotion Grant for Signage
Columbus PRIDE shared the results of their Community Promotion Grant project. It is stunning! Columbus participated in the First Impressions program and one of the topics brought up in the discussion was that of making the entry points to the city more appealing. Partnering with Commerce Bank, the City of Columbus, and K-State Research and Extension, Columbus PRIDE volunteers joined forces to address that need by creating a sign that will represent Columbus for years to come. Congratulations on a job well done!
Kansas PRIDE Awards - Fall Deadline September 1

It's that time again! Award opportunities are open for Kansas PRIDE Communities!

What awards specifically? Well, here is a list:

Grants:

  • Community of Growth
  • Community of Action
  • Community Promotion
  • Community Emergency Grant
  • Volunteers Impact PRIDE

Descriptions of funding opportunities can be found on our Funding Page. CLICK HERE to visit our Funding Page.

Recognition:

  • Community of Excellence Recognition/Designation

If you are a Community of Excellence that is renewing their designation, or a Community of Action aspiring to become a Community of Excellence, you can find the application (as well as an example application that you can pattern yours off of if you are new to the process) on Promotions Page. Visit the Promotions Page for the Community of Excellence Application.

DON'T FORGET YOUR FOLIO!!!

  • Folios are required (one per community, not one per award, that you are applying for), but all of the education on the folios is not. Good standing is definitely required, but anything after that counts towards points on their applications.

  • To clarify that, more weight is given for points towards grant applications than recognition, with Community of Excellence as the exception. CLICK HERE to go to our Folios Page.

  • If you start your folio and end up learning more, feel free to update and resubmit. If you submitted a folio for the spring awards round, and have not updated your education, just note that when you email us your application, and we will transfer your previous Folio to the new round.

We are excited to see your applications, and if you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at PRIDE@ksu.edu to ask or set up a phone call, we are happy to help! - Jaime Menon, Co-Coordinator of the Kansas PRIDE Program, jmenon@ksu.edu
Kansas PRIDE, Inc. Board Meeting Highlights
Inside the Young AmeriTowne® of Kansas facility in Lenora
Vintage Conoco station in Norton
A portion of the They Also Ran Gallery
The Kansas PRIDE, Inc. board of directors held their quarterly meeting recently. The meeting was a hybrid format with members and guests attending either in person at Nex-Tech’s facilities in Lenora, KS or via Zoom. A set of tours followed the normal business portion of the meeting.

Board members representing Kansas PRIDE’s communities, sponsors, and partners – including the Kansas Masons - were in attendance, as were guests from Norton PRIDE, Lenora’s PRIDE group, and the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. Also in attendance were additional representatives from Nex-Tech, the Kansas Department of Commerce, K-State Research and Extension’s Twin Creeks District, and the Kansas Rural Water Association. Meeting highlights included welcoming Jada Ackerman to the board representing Blue Valley Technologies, and the review and approval of the Awards Committee's recommendations for grant funding and recognition awards this cycle. We’ll announce the winners once they are officially notified.

Following the meeting was a tour of Young AmeriTowne® of Kansas in Lenora’s former high school building. The classroom experience is a part of a financial literacy curriculum for 4ththrough 8th graders teaching entrepreneurship, economics, employment, and more. A field trip to Young AmeriTowne® of Kansas puts students in real-world roles and scenarios to put their learning to use.

Following the tour and lunch, attendees caravanned to Norton where Norton PRIDE was presented with their Community of Excellence designation. The visit continued with a walking tour of important and historic sites, including the Heaton Building, Norton Area Chamber of Commerce, They Also Ran Gallery, Norton County Museum, Norton Theatre, vintage Conoco Station, and several more.

A special thank you to Cindy Wegener of Nex-Tech (and Kansas PRIDE, Inc. board member) for coordinating the meeting, food and tours, and to Reva Benien from Norton PRIDE for assisting with the tours. We’d also like to thank the cities of Lenora and Norton for their hospitality and opportunity to visit. - Jan Steen, Co-Coordinator of the Kansas PRIDE Program, jmsteen@ksu.edu
Norton PRIDE's Community of Excellence Presentation
The City of Norton made sure we felt welcomed!
Norton Theatre - a great theater on the Plains (thanks for the popcorn!)
The Chapman Center for Rural Studies - Tips on Preserving History, Starting with Your Family Heirlooms Installment 2: Sharing Your Findings
In the March Kansas PRIDE newsletter we shared tips and tricks for getting started on organizing your family photos and documents for future generations. Now that you've organized your archive, are you looking for ways to share this newfound information with your family, friends, and the broader community? The Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State University is committed to preserving the stories and history of the Great Plains and would like to offer some strategies to get your unique stories “out there.”

1. Social Media & Hashtags (#):
Most information is now accessed online on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These highly viewed sources offer the public a chance to engage in topics that interest them. This format, while maybe a bit daunting, is perhaps the easiest way to share information with your extended family and friends. Plus, your posts can reach untold amounts of people if tagged correctly. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, using hashtags to highlight people, places, things, and themes relevant to your post will allow the online search function to get new eyes on your family history. You may find that through the comments of others, your knowledge of a particular subject may grow exponentially! But how do you write a hashtag? First, find a word or a phrase that is easily recognizable and memorable. For example, two popular hashtags the Center uses are #SunflowerStamps for our historic postcard collection and #AutographedByKansas for our autograph book collection. Then, make sure to remove all spaces between words. Do a quick search to check that your hashtag isn’t too common. For example, #cats will return hundreds of thousands of cat photos, so it may not be the best for sharing photos of the Katz family. Once you’ve found a hashtag you are happy with, start tagging by adding your hashtag to relevant posts. You can share your hashtag with your family and friends who can use it as well! Anyone who searches for your hashtag will find all posts that contain that hashtag.
2. How to @ a commenter:
Conversations online can get stressful if multiple folks comment on a post. “Tagging” the person you want to reply makes the process simpler. On any online platform use the @ symbol and then type the handle (online name) of the commenter to create an alert to the person you responded to. This allows you to have a discussion with a single partner rather than the entire comment section. If you have a family member or friend you would like to see a post, you can also use tags to get their attention. For example, if you post a photo of an ancestor and would like to get a cousin’s attention you can @ them and it will show up in their alerts.

It is important to make sure you tag the correct person using the right handle. Some people choose to use their full name, a nickname, or other descriptors to identify online and they can change from website to website. For instance, on Facebook, the Chapman Center for Rural Studies’ handle is @chapmancenter. You can find the handle for any organization or person visible on the top of their page.
3. Local historical and genealogical societies:
A final suggestion is to see if your local historical and genealogical societies have an online presence. If they do, you can tag them in posts relevant to their pages! This is a great way to get connected to other people who care about history. Tags can be added to images either during the upload process or at a later date if the website offers the ability to edit posts.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks! Check out our most recent projects at @chapmancenter on Facebook or @ksuchapmancenter on Instagram, or visit us at Grandparents University on August 1st: https://coe.k-state.edu/about/news-events/grandparents-university/ to learn more!
Sponsor Highlight: Nex-Tech
Let’s take a look at another Kansas PRIDE sponsor. Nex-Tech is a broadband and technology company serving more than 45 communities and rural areas with a super-fast fiber-optic network. They also offer voice, television, business solutions and much more. Nex-Tech cares about the communities they serve, the growth and development of our youth and the future of rural America. Thank you, Nex-Tech, for your support of Kansas communities! You can visit them online here.
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.
CONTINUING OPPORTUNITIES SECTION
From K-State Research and Extension

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS
K-State Research and Extension Grant-writing workshops are now online. The online workshop is designed to be presented to participants in two 3-hour courses and will cost $60. Local Extension agents are the hosts for the workshops, but since workshops are online, you can attend any workshop in the state. There are two ways to participate: go to our website (https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/community/) and under "Events" on the right side you can register at a scheduled workshop or ask your local extension agent to host. For more information, contact Nancy Daniels: nkdaniels@ksu.edu
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.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Ever wonder what people visiting your town think? First impressions are important as the community works to improve the overall quality of life and develop its sense of place. Interested in First Impressions for your community? Visit our Webpage to learn more.
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:

If your community is served by the Waste Management company you might be eligible to apply for funding. Areas they support are environmental conservation, environmental education, and community vitality. The application period is continuous. To find out more, visit their site: https://www.wm.com/us/en/inside-wm/social-impact/community-impact

The Roddenberry Foundation offers a Catalyst Fund opportunity to anyone, anywhere in the world who has an early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges. These ideas have a high potential for impact across a community, city, or country. Funding for $2,500 up to $15,000 is available. The application period is continuous. Find the application and other eligibility criteria here: https://roddenberryfoundation.org/our-work/catalyst-fund/

Lisle International offers Global Seed Grants for projects that will bring people of diverse backgrounds together for shared learning. Innovative projects which seek to bridge a variety of community divides, including ethnic, cultural, religious, racial, or gender perspectives are eligible to apply for funding. Grant amounts are $500 to $5,000 and the application period is continuous. For more details take a look at the Lisle International grant page: https://lisleinternational.org/lisle-grants/


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 a 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. 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
Up for a Virtual, or in Person, Community Visit? We Are, Too!
Our offer at 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. Keep your eye on that page, as we will be updating our Toolkit soon! - Jan Steen and Jaime Menon, Kansas PRIDE Program Co-Coordinators, PRIDE@ksu.edu
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:
Reminder! Quarterly reports for Q2 are due July 15!
You can also find the K-State Garden Hour schedule for July through December on our Facebook page.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Quarterly Report Dates:
  • January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, October 15th

Awards Deadlines:
  • May 1st, September 1st
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The Kansas PRIDE office will be closed on Monday, July 4th for Independence Day. Have a safe and happy holiday!
2022 Kansas PRIDE Communities
The following communities are currently enrolled in the Kansas PRIDE program for the 2022 program year. To enroll your community visit our Enrollment and Reporting page and click on the light blue "Enroll" button to get started.
  • Admire
  • Alton
  • Anthony
  • Arlington
  • Ashland
  • Assaria
  • Axtell
  • Basehor
  • Belleville
  • Blue Rapids
  • Burden
  • Bushton
  • Caldwell
  • Caney
  • Clifton
  • Columbus
  • Conway Springs
  • Courtland
  • Delia
  • Dover
  • Dwight
  • Elk City
  • Ellis
  • Erie
  • Florence
  • Fort Scott
  • Glasco
  • Grainfield
  • Grinnell
  • Harper
  • Haysville
  • Herndon
  • Highland
  • Hugoton
  • Humboldt
  • Iola
  • Kinsley
  • La Harpe
  • Lakin
  • Larned
  • Lecompton
  • Leon
  • Leonardville
  • Lewis
  • Lincoln
  • Lucas
  • Luray
  • Macksville
  • Marion
  • McFarland
  • Melvern
  • Moran
  • Mount Hope
  • Newton
  • Norton
  • Olsburg
  • Osawatomie
  • Overbrook
  • Ozawkie
  • Perry
  • Portis
  • Potwin
  • Quenemo
  • Randolph
  • Riley
  • Riverton
  • Rossville
  • Rozel
  • Russell
  • Saint George
  • Savonburg
  • Scranton
  • Silver Lake
  • South Central Neighborhood (Wichita)
  • Stockton
  • Toronto
  • Vermillion
  • Wakefield
  • Wilson
  • Yates Center
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