The Beacon Year in Review 2024
Community Needs Assessment Survey 2025
February 5, 2025
- Welcome: Nineteen members representing sixteen agencies attended the meeting held at the Scottview Apartments Conference Room.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Larry Jump- SEK-CAP Early Childhood Community Liaison. The Fort Scott Head Start center is fully staffed. Head Start also offers home visiting services throughout the county. SEK-CAP is conducting a community needs survey to drive future policy. Please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey.
- Craig Campbell – Good Neighbor Action Team – GNAT builds ramps, and helps with grants and application assistance. Looking for low-tech work that individuals involved in the justice system can work on.
- Heather Shepherd- CHC Social worker- Heather works with the CHASE program. She helps students and parents overcome obstacles.
- Stephanie Breckenridge- Family Resource Center Family Response Advocate – Stephanie can provide support to families with children in the following areas: parenting, concrete support, and advocating.
- Kelli Mengarelli – Family Resource Center, Early Childhood Block Grant
- Jannelle Tate- ECBG – Area schools/centers are finishing winter testing
- Michelle Stevenson- Fort Scott Early Childhood Program (funded by ECBG) Offers services to families with children prenatal-6. Michelle provides developmental screenings, parent activities, and resources. She currently has a couple of openings and will have a lot more in June.
- Christine Abbott – SE KANSASWORKS- located in HBCAT from 9:00-4:00 on Tuesdays. Can help clients needing assistance finding employment, youth career guidance, work experience, and on-the-job training. Clients can set up an account online or walk in as needed.
- Angela Handly- Salvation Army/Compassionate Ministries- Angela can help clients with gas vouchers, rent assistance, utility assistance, shoes, and clothing. Angela is also helping with the Girl Scouts. She has cookies for $6/box. Also looking for more girls to join Girl Scouts.
- Dave Gillen- Beacon- 2024 marked 40 years of service for the Beacon. They provide food and are a hub for several Bourbon County programs. See the attached “Beacon Year in Review” document to see how much of an impact the Beacon had in 2024.
- Star Culp – Parents As Teachers Bourbon County – Parents as Teachers just received the PAT Blue Ribbon, the highest standard for PAT programs. PAT offers a free home-based early learning program. There are no necessary qualifications, but must have a child prenatal-6. PAT has an open position for an additional parent educator.
- Shanna Willey – Community Health Worker in the clinic at CHC – Shanna can help clients with medicare savings applications, KanCare applications, Kansas medical assistance, and LEIP applications.
- Patty Simpson – Housing Authority – The Housing Authority operates 190 income-based apartments. There is a short waiting list for all sizes of units. Taking applications every day. Applicants must be 18 years old or emancipated through the court. A felony does not necessarily disqualify an applicant.
- LeaKay Karleskint- K-State Extension & Research SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator – Offer free SNAP-Ed programs for 3rd grade and up, just need a space for the lesson. Also offering a walking program for seniors with arthritis at Buck Run.
- Tammy Alcantar -Crawford County Health Department- Work with Bourbon County Health Department to offer teen pregnancy, Baby & Me Tobacco Free, and prenatal classes in Bourbon County.
- Elsie Gardner – DCF Independent Living – Program works to prepare youth ages 18-26 for adulthood. Can provide financial benefits and help connect with community partners. Independent Living works in multiple counties in SEK.
- Dee Dee LeFever- Greenbush Community Liaison
- Program: Allison Duke, Kinship Navigator Specialist, FosterAdopt Connect
FosterAdopt Connect Kinship Navigation is a free program for people caring for children who are not their own, especially youth at risk of entering or reentering foster care. Kinship care can be anyone with a previous relationship to the child. Prefer to work on the informal side- no legal recognition- before the courts are involved. Also will work with formal cases where DCF or other agencies are involved. FosterAdopt Connect offers support in the following areas: basic resources (food pantries, clothing), childcare/education support, advocacy systems and applications support (food stamps, mental health, TANF, etc.), can help navigate the foster system, limited emergency financial assistance is available, and can partner with Kansas Legal Services. There are a few requirements: biological parents cannot live in the home, income cannot exceed 200% of the poverty limit, and must live in Bourbon or Crawford County. Kinship Navigation can refer to other programs within FosterAdopt Connect. FosterAdopt Connect is funded by a TANF 2Gen grant. Referrals can be made through IRIS or at FosterAdopt Connect.org. The Bourbon/Crawford County office opened in January 2024 and is currently working with two families in Crawford and Bourbon County.
- Open Forum: Nothing further came before the membership.
- Adjournment: The next General Membership meeting will be March 5, 2025.