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November 19, 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 (conta.cc/3ZduMKO) to this Tidbits
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Every day we show up to do this work in, with, and for Kansas-- and so do you. You are part of what makes this grassroots network strong. From exploring to doing, thank you for being part of creating communities of the future.
We invite you to be part of our year-end giving campaign which helps pay for efforts like these We Kan! Tidbits, the holiday shopping list, the Do-alogues, the BKRT PopUps, and the myriad of ways we gain and share our knowledge of rural community needs and opportunities. Our goal this year is $50,000. Donations can be made by check and mailed to Kansas Sampler Foundation, 978 Arapaho Road, Inman, KS 67546 or online using our new giving platform for a donation by credit card or via Paypal or Venmo. Invoicing is available for organizations that would like to support our work. See who has invested to date in 2024.
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TIPS FROM THE KSF PowerUp MANAGER
The power of a core group: Recently a PowerUp shared about the people that made them feel most welcome in the community when they moved there. They highlighted the ways in which a “local” took the time to pass along valuable institutional information about the community. Another person who made them feel welcomed was someone who had been in the community for about 15 years but was a transplant. The camaraderie around being the new person to town helped that person feel seen and connected. Whether you’re the new person in town, the longtime resident, or the transplant, look for ways to connect to someone new. Email Simone Elder, PowerUp & Engagement Manager if you have examples of a core group that helped you feel welcome.
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ONLINE: Our first issue of the 2024 Holiday Shopping List of Kansas products went out on Sunday. 1) Do you know of products that should be on this list? If so send the store name, city, shopping cart link, and a one sentence description of what they sell.
2) Would you like to be a sponsor and be placed at the top of the list? We send updated lists out for four weeks. Sponsorship is $250 per issue. More than 2,000 people have opened the first list. Contact marci@kansassampler.org if interested.
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AN EASY-GOING PIE SHOP: Nancy Kimbrough decided to put a self-serve, self-pay pie shop on her front lawn at 1001 Dixon in Green (Clay County)! Nancy's Bake Shoppe is open sunrise to sunset on Sundays with pie, breads and assorted sweets for sale. After Thanksgiving, you'll find the stand open on Tuesdays, too.
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NEW REST AREA: The accessible toilet at Matfield Green (Chase Co.) is the only public facility on a 27-mile stretch from Cassoday to Cottonwood Falls. It's already a popular stop for travelers, railroad workers and county employees. A multilevel watering station is in operation, offering a drink bowl for dogs, a wheelchair-height fountain, and a bottle refilling port. Pads have been poured for a sheltered picnic area. Large slabs of limestone have been set by master stone mason Luke Koch into curving walls at seat height along the footpath, and plans are being finalized for a bike wash-and-repair station.
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MASONRY ADVICE: Find techniques here for reviving history masonry surfaces.
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ALL THINGS KANSAS: This data base, a K-State 105 project, offers statistics in many areas including housing costs; birth and death rate of businesses, plus vacancies; broadband on the farm; healthcare vulnerability index and location of hospitals; childcare capacity and access; and so much more. | |
GOOGLE TRANSLATE: Want to communicate with someone who speaks a language that you don't speak? Go here. It's easy! If you use it on your phone, click on conversation to look at the screen together. | |
MAKING THE EFFORT TO CONNECT: Twice a month, radio station KVOE in Emporia hosts a Spanish-speaking radio show, Las Voces, featuring Luisana Chaida who shares how Spanish-speakers are making a difference in Emporia. | |
READY TO RETIRE?: The RedTire program, which stands for Redefine your Retirement, is an economic development initiative from the University of Kansas that matches qualified alumni and aspiring business owners from any college or university with successful business owners looking to retire and sell their business. | |
HOLIDAY AID: We are interested in knowing what kind of efforts are being made in communities across Kansas to help get people through the holidays. Whether it's a community Thanksgiving dinner, an extra effort at food pantries, a coat drive, or anything else, share with KSF at marci@kansassampler.org. Please send event, one sentence description, a high resolution photo, and name of city. These may be shared. | |
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EXPLORE THE CO-OP MODEL: This workshop in Wichita on December 4 will help stakeholders consider whether the cooperative model is right for their community, for a grocery store.
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CHILD CARE INNOVATIONS IN HAYS: Join K-State's First Friday e-call on December 6 from 9:30-10:30a to hear about child care innovations in Hays. Go here for more information.
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CHILD CARE HEALTH & SAFETY GRANTS: KDHE is now providing grants for licensed facilities with regulatory or statutory violations, to assist in correcting these violations with minor renovations, repairs, or other safety-related expenses. Application is open until June 30, 2025. Check your eligibility and apply for funding at KDHE. | |
SCULPTURE OPPORTUNITY: The Bethel College Social Work Department (North Newton) is celebrating 50 years of social work would like to commission an outdoor sculpture or piece of visual art to represent the values and themes of social work. Find out more here. | |
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WELCOMING AMERICA: Part of Welcoming America, participants in the Rural Welcoming Initiative (RWI) may access technical assistance and coaching, free Welcoming America membership, and ongoing learning opportunities to strengthen welcoming efforts in rural communities. For more information, click here.
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JOB DESCRIPTION: A Director of Trails position is open in Allen County. Learn more. | |
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SOD and STUBBLE: The sneak peek premiere of the Sod and Stubble movie will take place on Fri., Nov. 29 at 7:30p; Sat., Nov. 30 at 2p and 7:30p; Sun., Dec. 1 at 7:30p in Smith Center at the Center Theater. Sod and Stubble tells the story of the Ise family based on the book by John Ise with Von Rothenberger. The Ise Family pioneered in north central Kansas in the late 19th century and the book and film tell the story of the challenges of pioneering on the plains and raising a family in the west. The film was written and directed by Kansas's Ken Spurgeon. The movie was filmed near Downs, Wichita and El Dorado. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Miller Hardware in Downs or at the door. Questions? Contact 785.454.6231.
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GRANTS FROM STATE PROGRAMS: Kansas Department of Commerce grants calendar includes grants for tourism, art, Office of Rural Prosperity programs, and more. | |
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. | |
SIGN UP FOR THIS NEWSLETTER: If you get this Tidbits through a forward, go here to sign up for We Kan! Tidbits. Find the KSF Facebook page here. | |
ONE THING WILL RETURN: The Road Trip report will return when we're back on the road! Until then, here is where we've been to date. | |
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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 everyone in the family is recognized. 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 or renew. Members also receive an online Explorer Extras.
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