We Kan! Tidbits - Deadline to register for Do-alogue is Sept. 24.

September 18, 2024

The Kansas Sampler Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit located near Inman.

Our mission is to preserve and sustain rural culture.

Follow Kansas Sampler Foundation on Facebook.

You can support our work, including these We Kan! Tidbits, at our support page here.

Link (xxxxxx) to this Tidbits

TIPS FROM THE KSF PowerUp MANAGER

The power of intergenerational friendships: Sometimes making friends in a rural community is a numbers game, especially when the focus is on finding people with similar interests or around your age. In my conversations with PowerUps, as many times as people mention the struggle they have in finding friends their age, there are many who have noted that the most meaningful friendships they have are with people older than them in their community. There is an opportunity to forge strong bonds with people who have lived experiences and are willing to simultaneously learn from younger generations. This article from the New York Times shares heartwarming stories about intergenerational friendships and might inspire you to find one yourself. Share your story of a friendship with an age gap with Simone Elder, KSF PowerUp Manager at simone.elder@kansassampler.org.

KSF's next Do-alogue

Language Exchange

Intercambio de Idiomas

connecting through language

Oct. 1, Tuesday

10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Emporia

$30 (includes lunch)

DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS SEPTEMBER 24.

If you're a business owner or just community do-er and would like to learn a few tips and tricks to engage people of other cultures or who speak other languages - consider attending our upcoming Do-alogue in Emporia on Oct. 1.

This event is a follow-up to sessions and conversations from the Kansas Sampler Foundation's latest We Kan! Conference, which took place in Newton earlier this year. We received feedback from conference-goers who said they were looking for concrete ways to make their communities more welcoming.

You'll learn basic Spanish at this Do-alogue with the aid of cheat sheets and flash cards but also see and hear ways to invest in diverse groups of people in a way that will make your community more inclusive and dynamic. The home of the Emporia Spanish Speakers will be a safe place to gain skills and confidence to interact between cultures.

We’ll take a short walk to see murals in downtown Emporia that highlight the area’s Latin culture and wrap up with Q and A over lunch at a locally owned Mexican restaurant.

Some knowledge of Spanish may be helpful but absolutely not necessary. The most important prerequisite is an interest in finding more ways to have authentic connections. You’ll come away with tools and ideas to take home.

The purpose of a Do-alogue is to bring a small group to a site where something excellent is happening and learn the details from those who are doing the work so you can go home ready for action (or doing).

Those of you who register will receive additional information.

LEARN ABOUT KANSAS EVENTS--IN ANY LANGUAGE: Go here to see the most complete listing of events going on throughout the state on the Kansas Tourism site. At the bottom left, the drop down list will help you convert to almost any language.

IT'S WELCOMING WEEK: One of the events in Garden City during Welcoming Week is a community food sampling event called "Global Delights, Local Bites". For participating communities across the nation, Sept.13-22 is a week dedicated to celebrating a community's efforts to make their home more welcoming and inclusive for all. In early September, the Garden City Commission passed a declaration proclaiming Sept. 13-22 as Welcoming Week in Garden City. Learn more about this Welcoming America project.

PORCHFEST: The first Porchfest will take place in Osawatomie on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 2-6 p.m. It's a completely free family-friendly community event, open for anyone to attend or perform. Acoustic or low amplification musical performances take place on porches, and in yards and driveways, as a celebration of the community and local artists. Read all about Porchfest here. It started in Ithaca, New York and now over 200 communities across the United States, Canada and Australia take part.

TAKE THIS IDEA AND RUN WITH IT: Play Streets is a global movement to create public play spaces by temporarily closing local streets to traffic so that children and their parents can play and socialize together, have a barbeque, a box car race, or mini fair outside. Emporia's version of Play Streets is called Empovía. Imagine yourself skateboarding down the street without worrying about dodging traffic, or spiraling across the grass in a giant inflatable ball, or taking a leisurely walk through the park. That’s what you’ll encounter on Saturday, Oct. 12, for Emporia’s third annual Empovía celebration at Peter Pan Park,

515 S. Congress. Photo credit Emporia's Empovía web site.

FOR PARENTS: A Virginia library is making public spaces more accommodating for parents of small children with its innovative parent-child computer workstations. The Henrico County Public Library's Fairfield branch, features a computer workstation alongside an enclosed safe play area for babies and toddlers. The design was the brainchild of library staff who had observed that the standard computer lab model didn't work well for parents of young children.

GOOD JOB: Kudos to the Newton Library for the energy and vitality that comes through in their web site and logo, colors, photos, themes, copy, and programming. Now through November, Newton Public Library presents "Hungry for the Library." Kids and adults can participate in programs and activities focused on food, drink and cooking. Facebook page.

BUILDING MAPPING SCANNER: Do you have an older building that you are attempting to restore or modify to expand housing in rural areas? K-State's Technology Development Institute is providing a no cost service to scan these buildings and help get things started with the creation of a dimensionally accurate 3D virtual model of the building. Questions? Contact Bret Lanz. Read more about it.

Photo credit from the Tech Dev. Inst.web site.

HUMANITIES KANSAS: Looking for a Humanities Kansas event to attend? Look here. HK, this is the best event calendar ever!

SAVE THE DATE: 2025 is the year for the Kansas Sampler Foundation's Big Rural Brainstorm. It will take place in McPherson on April 3.

CLOTHING EXCHANGE: This is an Earth Day (April) project at K-State to exchange gently used clothing items. As a way for K-State student and community members to connect, you can revamp your wardrobe, donate clothing before moving out of the dorms, and be a contributor to slow fashion and community service.

RURAL EMS 2024 GRANT PROGRAM: This Patterson Family Foundation competitive grant is designed to fund equipment, protective gear, training and certification, and/or operational expenses needed by EMS and first responder teams across the Patterson Family Foundation’s Kansas and western Missouri philanthropic catchment. The overall effectiveness and sustainability of EMS in many rural communities depends heavily on adequate funding, proper equipment, and trained personnel. This grant program aims to help rural EMS or first responder agencies with these critical gaps so they can continue providing essential medical services in under-served communities. Registration for this grant closes on Oct. 7.

RAISE KANSAS: Would you like your school to be able to provide 75-minutes of in-person STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medical) career exploration for 6th through 12th grade for free? Plus, learn about opportunities for student networking, job shadowing, and mentorships. Learn more here and contact Raise Kansas.

INNOVATION FOR RURAL HEALTH: This is happening today! You can listen online to hear finalists in this innovation showcase who provide solutions to enhance healthcare delivery and access, support families and caregivers, address behavioral health needs, provide maternal care from pre-birth to postpartum, and improve community well-being. This presentation organized by NXTUS will help you know how your community can participate. Register here. Use code "LIVESTREAM" for free registration.

GRANTS FROM STATE PROGRAMS: Kansas Department of Commerce grants calendar includes grants for tourism, art, Office of Rural Prosperity programs, and more.

SHARING HISTORY ON A BIKE: On Oct. 12, Nicodemus, the oldest surviving black settlement west of the Mississippi following the Civil War, will conduct bike tours to share their history. Tours are 33 miles, 21 miles, or just around the town site. Register. Learn more here. What a great idea, Nicodemus!

SERVICES OF EMPORIA SPANISH SPEAKERS (ESS): Emporia Spanish Speakers offers 1) professional translation services, 2) comprehensive verification services to ensure the proficiency of your bilingual employees, and 3) custom language learning courses designed specifically for professionals. Learn more about these services. Contact them here to get support for your efforts.

GRANT WRITING BASICS: K-State Research & Extension will offer an online grant writing workshop on Sept. 24 from 1:30-4:30 for $60. Register here.

An in-person workshop will take place in St. John on Sept. 27 from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Register by contacting Ryan at ryan@staffordecodevo.com. $60.

LOCAL FOOD FELLOWS PROGRAM: Food system partners across the state of Kansas can apply to host a fellow to work on a site-specific local food system project. Projects may be related to research, education, marketing, or community engagement of local food system participants including producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and/or consumers. Learn more here. Questions? Contact Amanda.

TOURISM: Learn about all aspects of the Kansas Tourism industry through Sunflower Snapshots.

CONFERENCES:

Workforce Innovation Conference, Oct. 1-2, Salina. Learn more.

Kansas Arts Council Symposium, Oct. 9-10, Salina. Learn more.

Kansas YP Summit, Oct. 10, Salina. Learn more.

Annual National 2024 Conference for Growing Community Foundations. Hosted by

Kansas Association of Community Foundations. Oct. 16-18, Wichita. Learn more.

Kansas Tourism Conference, Oct. 21-23, Olathe. Learn more.

ONE THING

Kansas Sampler Foundation co-directors Sarah Green and Marci Penner are on a statewide journey to every incorporated city. As of Sept. 17, 2024 they have completed research in 23 counties and 120 cities, with 502 to go. Their mission is to see how cities are doing in their present day environment and learn thoughts about their future. What are their hopes and dreams, roadblocks and setbacks, and solutions to move forward?

As of Sept. 17, we've also been to every city in the following counties: Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Doniphan, Douglas, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Lane, Morris, Morton, Norton, Pawnee, Rice, Scott, Sherman, Stafford, Stanton, Sumner, Thomas and Wilson. See "One Thing" from those 120 cities here.

SEE PREVIOUS TIDBITS: The September We Kan! Tidbits was full of excellent information.

BECOME A KANSAS EXPLORER CLUB MEMBER: For 31 years Kansas Explorer Club members have received six print newsletters a year, chock full of things to see and do in the nooks and crannies in the state with guidance to 1) dare to do dirt, 2) interact with the locals, 3) feel good about spending money in independently-owned stores, 4) enjoy the journey -- and more! For $18.61 you can become an individual member or spring for $30 so the everyone in the family gets their name listed. The club was created to inspire, educate, and encourage the exploration and appreciation of Kansas...and to have fun doing it! The main goal is to create a thoughtful audience for Kansas communities. Join today!

YOUR DONATIONS HELP US DO THIS WORK: Please consider becoming a KSF Supporter to keep our work going. The two main components of our work - to connect and support rural Kansans and their communities, and to educate Kansans about Kansas in order to create a thoughtful audience for rural - help leverage and complement new and existing programs, and fill gaps of knowledge and information.