2012 Thive Special

Building a Brighter Tomorrow

Thrive A llen County

ALL THRIVE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.


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February 20 February 20 LaHarpe Community Center

April 16 April 16 Mildred Methodist Church Annex Building

June 18 June 18 Petrolia - Location TBD

August 20 August 20 Iola - Thrive Office Conference Room

12 W. Jackson

October 15 October 15 Gas - Crossroads School

2012 “Community Conversation”

Schedule

“We are no longer an experiment. We are worthy of your investment.”

— David Toland,Thrive executive director

Join us in our efforts to make Allen County saf-er, healthier and more attractive. All gifts of time and participation are appreciated.

Donations are tax de-ductible. Call 620-365-8128 or thriveallen-county.org or come visit us at 12 W. Jack-son, Iola, Kansas 66749.

Thrive Allen County 2012Making Allen County a better place to live

Become a Thriver!

DESIGNEDBY

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www.thriveallencounty.org 8 620-365-8128

Person by person, service by ser-vice, Thrive Allen County strives to make Allen County a better place to live by helping meet the needs

of the underserved, bringing com-munities together in conversation and celebrating success with posi-tive recognition.

In a little over four years we’ve grown to encompass more pro-grams, more services and our most valuable resource — more people.

Lofty goals? ABSOLUTELY

• The underserved, including those in poverty;

• Those who lack transportation for medical and dental services;

• Those who suffer from substance and physical abuse;

• Those who want to change their life-styles to become healthier;

• Those who need help finding assis-tance.

• Those who, like us, want to help, but don’t know where to start.

Thrive is pulling the county together. Before, we were all separate enti-ties looking to see how we could benefit only ourselves. Now, we’re seeing we all have the same needs and how we can do things to-gether. I’d never even been to Elsmore before. What a neat little town with such nice people!

— Karen Gilpin, board member

Goals • Improve access to health-

care;• Be a resource for people in

need of help;• Promote healthier behav-

iors;• Be an advocate for positive

change.

How is Thrive funded?

Thrive Allen County board of directors are, front row from left, Don Burns, Georgia Masterson, Karen Gilpin; back row from left, David Toland, executive director, Brian Wolfe, Alan Weber and Randy Weber.

Because of my job with the Kansas De-partment of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS), I frequent-ly come in contact with people who don’t have access to proper health care, people who are our poorest residents. Thrive’s activities, such as free medi-cal and dental transporta-tion and Farmers Market VI-SION cards, have helped address the needs of some of these people.

— Georgia Masterson, Thrive board member

71%Foundations

16%KDHE

9%Fees

4%Gifts

(Thrive receives no local tax support.)

71% of Thrive’s funding comes from private founda-tions. To date, Thrive has re-ceived generous support from the REACH Healthcare Foun-dation, The Health Care Foun-dation of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas Health Foundation and the Sunflower Foundation.

4% percent fromprivate donations.

16% by a contract with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to promote healthy behaviors.

9% from program fees, such as registration fees when participants sign up for a 5K or a meltdown.

www.thriveallencounty.org 2 620-365-8128 www.thriveallencounty.org 7 620-365-8128

Who we serve

Who belongs to Thrive?Is it a club?

THRIVE WELCOMESevery citizen of the county to join its efforts to build healthier, more vi-brant communities. There’s no fee to join, no membership, just a will-ingness to come together for the good of the cause.

THRIVE ADVOCATESfor positive change. Thrive set the framework for Allen County and

Iola commissioners to pledge 2010 as “The Year of the Hospital.” In 2011, Thrive organized efforts to in-form the public about the benefits of a new hospital. The vote for a new hospital received 72% voter approval. However, not everything is a success story. In 2008, Thrive supported fluoridation for Hum-boldt’s public water supply. It was resoundingly defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.

THRIVE PARTNERS with groups to support efforts including ....• Allen County Farmers Market• Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run for Your Life• Allen County and SEK Meltdowns• Vision Iola implementation • Community playground and fitness equipment • Community conversations across the county• Allen County Community Foundation• Walking trails and bike routes in Humboldt• Outdoor exercise equipment in Humboldt.• Elm Creek Community Garden• Free medical and dental transportation services• Jingle Bell Jog• Smoking Cessation Efforts• Iola Dog Park• Recruiting dentists to Allen County

Together, We Can!

We really focus on the advocacy side of things — bringing better recreation, educa-tion and health care to the citizens of Allen County. We’ve also become the go-to resource when someone has an idea or question. We are an incubator for ideas, con-cerns and questions people have. Thrive doesn’t always have the resources to solve the problem, but when you go there, you’re going to be put in the right direction. Sometimes concerned citizens come in and say they want to get involved and they don’t realize there might already be local efforts championing the same cause.

— Randy Weber, Thrive board member

THRIVE PARTNERSwith communities. Through Thrive ini-tiatives, both Moran and LaHarpe became PRIDE communities to foster community organization. Transporta-tion to the Iola Municipal Pool for the children of Elsmore, Savonburg, Mo-ran, LaHarpe and Mildred was made possible through the efforts of Mo-ran’s Thrive/PRIDE group.

Thrive Allen County has helped provide an organized effort to improve the health and welfare of our local residents. Before Thrive, Allen County generally didn’t have a central organization to lead this charge, which is important because Allen County has tradition-ally ranked among the lowest counties in the state in terms of general health. Thrive has helped us reach some of those goals.

— Alan Weber, Thrive board member


The GoalTo promote access to health care and raise Allen County’s health ranking from the lower rungs of the state. Allen County ranks 94 out of 105 counties for overall health ac-cording to the Kansas Health In-stitute’s county health rankings. Thrive’s goal is to raise it to 85th by 2015.

To build on that partnership and develop a local bike shop, Thrive conducted a survey at Iola High School which found students want-ed a bicycle shop in the area. “The students learned their voices mat-ter to Thrive,” said Jodi Grover, IHS leadership class instructor. Thrive

has applied for a grant to fund such an endeavor. Word is expected of its success by mid-April. If it comes through, students would help man the shop and learn how repair bikes.“The difference between a bike shop and our other projects, is that the others could be considered ‘one-time only.’ A business like this, however, could become a sus-tained project,” Grover said.

Through the efforts of Thrive, the Allen County Farmers Market re-emerged in spring 2009. In 2010, Al-len County Farm Bureau took the reins and now manages the weekly markets on the Iola square from

April to November.A grant from the Kansas Health Foundation allows for an outdoor kitchen at the market for healthy cooking demonstrations. Funds from the grant will allow for pur-chase of fresh foods from market vendors. Also through the grant is funding for the market’s part-time manager, and to continue provid-ing VISION card services for low-in-come residents buying produce.

•Engaging YouthStudents in USD 256, USD 257 and USD 258 have partnered with Thrive on programs ranging from Melt-downs to trail cleanups to Earth Hour.

•Bike Shop•Farmers Market

Partnering for ExcellenceVibrant, strong communities come from people working together for positive change. Thrive is building a strong network of supporters because of its belief that we can accomplish more by working together as a community than we can individually. Thrive also is a big believer in empowering communities to try new endeavors, and giving them the support they need to succeed.

• In Humboldt, residents extended Thrive’s 12-week Allen County Meltdown for another 8 weeks with its “Couch to 5K” program. Thrive also secured funding for upgrades to Centennial Park including new playground and exer-cise equipment, outdoor exercise equipment and bike routes throughout the town.

• In Elsmore, Thrive helped residents secure playground equipment and exercise equipment. Elsmore now has a community fitness center open to the public as well as a playground where once was a vacant field.

• In Iola, Thrive wrote a winning $50,000 grant for Elm Creek Community Garden in 2009. It’s gone gangbusters ever since, becoming a model for other community gardens across the state.

I’ve come to know and appreciate a lot of people through Thrive. It’s a good ve-hicle for bringing people together. Students enjoy volunteering at the Jingle Bell Jog and Charley Melvin 5K. A wide swath of people got on board with the hospital vote effort. It was fun working for a common cause. And the rail trail is more than just a venue for exercise — the aesthetics of being out in the countryside are tops.

— Don Burns, Thrive board member

The rewards of serving

The GoalTo have a walking/biking path wind its way not only to Humboldt, but also farther south to Chanute. That could make the trail almost 70 miles long from Ottawa to Chanute.

Prairie Spirit Trail

The Iola ConnectionIn 2008, Thrive Allen County supported the City of Iola’s winning grant to extend the rail trail from Cofachique Park on the north end of town, to Riverside Park, 1.5 miles to the south. They submitted the grant to the Kansas Department of Transportation, which agreed to finance 80 percent, or $396,000 of the trail’s con-struction, while the city of Iola put toward $100,000.

Onward to HumboldtNext on tap is to extend the Prairie Spirit Trail another 6.5 miles from Riverside Park to Humboldt. This time, Thrive wrote two $25,000 grants to the Sunflower Foun-dation and the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City to help fund the extension. Local groups, including students and Scout troops, and the City of Humboldt, have pledged their commitment to help clear the old rail bed of brush and debris. If you are interested in helping build this trail, please contact the Thrive office!

I ride the trail from spring to fall. One day we met a couple from Kansas City at the picnic site in Colony. They’d driven to Iola just to enjoy the peace and beauty of the trail. Thrive does have economic implications. If you have opportunities for rec-reation and wellness, then by definition that will enhance the economic climate because people will want to be living here.

— Brian Wolfe, chairman, Thrive board of directors

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IolaIola

HumboldtHumboldt

CarlyleCarlyle

LaHarpeLaHarpe MoranMoran

ElsmoreElsmore

SavonburgSavonburg

GasGas

BassettBassett

MildredMildred

Petrolia


Helping To Build A Stronger Allen County


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2012 Thive Special