Two Bourbon County cemeteries will be a part of Wreaths Across America, a national program to honor U.S. Military Veterans with wreaths on their graves.
According to its website, the mission of Wreaths Across America (WAA) is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom. Volunteers work year-round to share this mission and inspire others to join.
Submitted graphic.
Diann Tucker is the WAA Location Coordinator for Fort Scott National Cemetery.
Tucker said for the last five years, there have been enough funds raised to place wreaths on all the veteran’s graves at the national cemetery.
A submitted graphic from Tucker telling of the speaker and the agenda for the ceremony.
“About 6,800 wreaths will be placed on December 16,” she said. “The ceremony starts at 10 a.m., immediately followed by the laying of the wreaths.”
“A youth group will be driving golf carts to pick up and take them back to their cars,” she said.
The Wreaths Across America transport truck will arrive from Columbia Falls, Maine, at 8 a.m. driven by a veteran.
“We can always use volunteers to off-load from the truck,” Tucker said.
Fundraising for the project is all year round.
“At $17 a wreath and 6,800 graves, it is $115,600 (in funds raised) this year,” Tucker said.
For more information contact Tucker at 620-224-7054 or 620-223-6700.
Uniontown Ruritan Club has initiated a project this year to place wreaths on the veterans in the Uniontown Cemetery.
“We began discussing this in the summer and a couple of months ago decided to move forward with it,” Mary Pemberton, spokesperson for the club said. “It is headed up by Mark Warren, Larry and Judy Jurgensen and myself.”
“Wreaths Across America started in 1992 in Arlington Cemetery and expanded from there,” Pemberton said. “Local cemeteries can participate as well. Funding is from donations and volunteers do the ceremony and lay the wreaths.”
The Uniontown ceremony will be on December 15 at 1:30 p.m.
“Schools gets out early that day and several students will help lay the wreaths,” Pemberton said. “The Uniontown High School band and choir will perform. Mark Warren will be the speaker.”
The names of the veterans will be read as the wreaths are laid.
“The public is invited and encouraged to attend,” Pemberton said.
“If any relative of a veteran in Uniontown Cemetery would like to lay the wreath on their vet’s grave they just need to let us know before to that.”
For more information contact Pemberton at 620-224-9654.
The architect’s rendition of the future Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Submitted graphic.
The area south and west of St. Mary’s Catholic School is a hub of construction.
The August 2022 lightning-strike fire at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church destroyed the structure.
“Fr. Yancey Burgess, the pastor, said the destruction was too great to repair the old church,” according to a news article in https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/new-church-planned-for-fort-scott/. “The engineers have said it would be cost prohibitive to try to rebuild it because the church would lose its ‘grandfather’ status and would have to meet modern building codes.”
Simpson Construction Services, Wichita, is the general contractor for the new church building and has two employees on site, Howard Thome, superintendent, and Tyler Fox, field engineer.
The new church site is located at 702 Eddy, in approximately the same spot as the old one.
Fox said there are approximately 26 sub-contractors from start to finish on the project.
Construction began in November 2023.
“The church will be a little over 7,000 square feet,” Fox said. “The owner occupancy is expected to be November 2024.”
On December 5, R2 Concrete Construction, Fort Scott, was pouring the footings.
The gate to the construction site of the new Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
“We had to go down to bedrock,” Thome said. “We put in a lean concrete to bring it up to bedding. The footing is on top, so should be stable.”
“We should pour the slab in the next couple of weeks,” Fox said. “Then start erecting steel in late January.”
The project is being funded partly through insurance because the church was struck by lightning in August 2022, according to Bo Casper, a church member and also a sub-contractor on the rectory building.
Above 95 percent of the original stained glass windows was saved from the fire/water damage and will be reinstalled in the new church, according to Mark McCoy, who is on the parish building committee.
It is also being funded by a capital campaign that the church parish is doing, McCoy said.
The church will be ADA-accessible with a zero-entry to the church.
The cost of the church rebuild is approximately $6.5 million, McCoy said.
The banner on the outside fence of the construction site.
“The church was one of those founded by Italian-born Fr. Paul M. Ponziglione who helped establish many churches after he arrived in 1851 at the Osage Mission in Kansas” according to the article https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/new-church-planned-for-fort-scott/“Because of the Fort Scott fire, St. Francis Church in St. Paul is now the oldest church in the diocese.”
Church Rectory
Looking east from the new church rectory at 720 Holbrook to the construction site of the church. St. Mary’s Catholic School is to the left in the photo.
Casper Enterprises, a local company, was working on the church rectory, at 720 Holbrook, west of the new church building on December 5.
The Catholic Rectory of Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church is being framed. The location is 720 Holbrook.
Bo Casper said the crew started the framing in November (2023 )of the 1,634 square foot home the church’s priest will live in. It will have three bedrooms, two baths, a large garage and a saferoom.
The rectory should be completed by the end of February 2024 “If the weather cooperates,” Casper said.
The lot where the rectory is being built belonged to the church.
The rectory was torn down and the site moved “because the church was totaled and had to be ADA compliant and needed more parking spaces,” Casper said. “We had to gain footage and tear down the rectory. It was just as old as the church. Bats were coming in through the chimney area. It was a three-story high brick building.”
The new rectory will have a brick facade and regular siding on the rear and sides of the building, Casper said.
The concrete has been poured at the rectory, and the three-man crew is currently framing, which will be done by the end of the week, Casper said.
Bo Casper left, and Frank Casper work on framing the rectory.
The cost of the rectory is approximately $325,000, McCoy said.
Diane Striler, chairperson of the Elevate Christmas on the Bricks Festival, enjoys a ride with her husband, Dean, in one of the horse-drawn carriages in historic Downtown Fort Scott, taken from her Facebook page.
Diane Striler said she is overwhelmed by the positive feedback she has received from the community about the Christmas on the Bricks Festival this past weekend.
Striler was the Elevate Fort Scott Christmas Chairman who facilitated the first annual event.
“While planning this event, my goal was to have a variety of activities available throughout the weekend so everyone could find something they would enjoy doing,” she said. “I wasn’t sure how things would fall into place, but was just hoping that people would show up and have a good time.”
“The best part for me is hearing that businesses profited, the community had fun, people traveled to attend the event, our downtown looks beautiful and people are already talking about next year,” she said.
There were some challenges to creating the event.
“Any time you plan something like this, you will run into some challenges,” she said.
Even though the weather was cold and damp, “People still showed up,” she said. “As for other challenges, I did a lot of praying and things just seemed to fall into place.”
” Lindsay Madison…was my main sidekick in this and I couldn’t have done this without her,” Striler said.
“We are compiling a list of people we want to thank, and we don’t want to miss anyone who supported us,” she said. “We’ll be publishing the list once we have that complete.”
The committee is planning a wrap-up meeting at the Chamber office this Friday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
“We welcome feedback from those involved,” she said. “We’ll use this info to tweak next year’s event to make it even better!”
Next year Christmas on the Bricks will be Dec 6- 8th, staying consistent with the first weekend in December.
Jessica Nielsen leads a group to each historical vignette at Fort Scott National Historic Site on December 2, 2023.
The 42nd Annual Fort Scott National Historic Site Candlelight Tour, December 1 and 2 was entitled Glowing Heartbeats of History.
The vignettes of local history focused on the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health of the soldiers and local townspeople.
The temperatures in the 40s and damp weather did not stop people from attending the tour this year.
1,000 candle lanterns illuminated the site with a peaceful ambiance and reenactors helped bring 1860s history alive at the fort.
During the tour, participants were immersed in ways people have historically been provided the opportunity to be well, despite their circumstances, according to a press release from the fort.
The Fort Scott High School Drama Club wrote the scene at the hospital tent for the tour, the other vignettes were written by the FSNHS staff, Carl Brenner, Program Manager for Interpretation and Resource Management said.
About the Fort
From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation.
The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 am-4:30 pm.
The park grounds are open daily from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset.
For more information about Fort Scott National Historic Site programs or to become involved in the candlelight tour, or other activities, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.
From left, Dwayne Gentleman, Dee Young, Skip Thomas, and Jan Elder converse about life in the community in the 1860s. Submitted by Carl Brenner/NPS. This vignette was at the Officers’ Quarters No. 2 and was a discussion of the budding romance of John Little and Sene Campbell and the growth of the town amidst conflict. Photo credit: Carl Brenner/NPS.
The fort’s well is in the center of the Fort Scott National Historic Site compound.From left to right, Cassie Edson, Susan Anderson, and Chris Morgan depict hospital treatment of injury and disease during the Civil War.Left to right, Justin Hall, Chris Schafer, and Amanda Clark are a group of performers called the Homes Brigade Minstrels, who portrayed the benefits of music during the Civil War. The trio led the group in singing a few Christmas carols.From left, Luke Leighsing and Matthew Wells tell of the health of the horses and survival needs for patrolling the overland trails. Photo credit: Carl Brenner/NPS.
Ashley Heathman, 32, started her new job as assistant director at The Beacon in May 2023.
“The Beacon is a not-for-profit food bank that helps families and individuals facing food insecurity, ” she said. “We also do some financial assistance to help pay utilities and certain necessities.”
“I answer the phones, process The Beacon applications, and help our members find other resources,” she said. “Along with day-to-day activities to keep The Beacon running smoothly.”
She and Beacon Director David Gillen are the only employees of the helping organization.
“The best thing about my career is being able to help families in need and seeing the relief on their faces when they realize you care!” Healthman said. “The most challenging aspect of this position is not being able to do more to help in certain situations, but we do the best we can!”
Heathman is currently in the process of getting an associate’s degree at Fort Scott Community College for business management.
“I have worked in health care most of my life which really prepared me for this position, as opposite as they are, you need a big heart to fulfill the duties in both career paths.”
“The Beacon is always looking for and accepting food donations,” she said. “Seems like winter is the biggest season for food drives but we accept donations year round of in-date food items, hygiene necessities, and women’s feminine products.”
Call 620-223-6869 for more information or visit 525 E 6th St. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday between 9 am and 1 pm.
Timken is located in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park on the city’s south side.
The Timken LLC Plant at 4505 Campbell Road in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park will close in 2025, according to a press release from Timken Media Relations Spokesman Scott Schroeder.
“Today, we notified employees at our belts facility in Fort Scott, Kan., that we will be gradually winding down operations there and plan to close the plant in 2025,” he said. “While difficult, we’re making this change to streamline our operations and restructure our manufacturing footprint to better compete in a global market.”
“We will provide support to help those employees affected by this change, including on-site counseling, benefits planning and retention and severance pay. We wanted to be transparent and provide as much time as possible so employees can plan for their future,” he said.
“We’re committed to providing at least 60 days notice before an employee’s last day,” he said.
Approximately 155 employees work at Timken’s Fort Scott facility.
Timken engineers and manufactures bearings and industrial motion products…to help global industries operate more efficiently, according to the Timken website.
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott signed an agreement with Ascension Via Christi to provide equipment and furnishings for emergency room services in 2019, following the closure of the hospital in 2018.
The loss of the emergency department in Bourbon County on December 20 is on the minds of many in the community.
Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department cited “a steady decline in visits and its overall average daily census” in the press release announcing the closure.
Gregg Motley, Southeast Kansas Regional Manager of Landmark National Bank, proposed a question-and-answer interview on the current medical issues between him and Dr. Randy Nichols that would answer some of the questions the community has. Here is the interview.
Dr. Randy Nichols, who recently retired from a long medical practice in Bourbon County, answers some frequently asked questions from Bourbon County residents about the future of Emergency Room services in Bourbon County.
Motley:
Why do we need an emergency room? Would a great ambulance service with high-quality Emergency Medical Services personnel be just as good?
Nichols:
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Rooms (ER) are mutually beneficial services. EMS is to evaluate the on-scene emergency needs, provide the care available on the ambulance, and transport to the closest appropriate ER. Once EMS is involved, they are legally required to transport the patient to the closest appropriate ER. An ER, on the other hand, is available to both ambulance transfers and “walk-ins” seeking emergency care. An ER has lab and x-ray diagnostic capabilities. It has treatment options not available on an ambulance. Following diagnostic evaluation, a patient can be treated and dismissed or stabilized and transferred for hospitalization to a facility offering the needed services.
Let’s look at our utilization numbers to understand why EMS alone is not adequate. Approximately 2/3 of our ER visits do not arrive by ambulance. Of our total ER visits, less than ¼ ultimately require hospitalization. If most of the people seeking emergency care can no longer bring themselves to a local facility, the number of ambulance calls, and therefore number of transports out of the county, could triple. To staff this would be a prohibitive expense. More importantly, emergencies aren’t scheduled, so if multiple health events occur at the same time without a local ER, our ambulance system could be overwhelmed: people will be waiting longer and some will not get the care they need in a timely manner. Additionally, some people may choose to “ride it out” at home rather than call an ambulance or make a long drive to the closest ER. Both of these decisions put people at increased risk.
A brick-and-mortar ER is foundational to the safety and well-being of our community.
Motley:
Could a stop at an ER without an attached hospital jeopardize the life of a critically ill patient by delaying a life-saving treatment?
Nichols:
EMS is obligated to take a patient to the closest ER providing the needed level of care. However, that care may be identified as a need to stabilize in the local ER while arranging transport to a higher level of care. This is often a more controlled situation, improves patient safety, and, if for example Life Flight needs to be called, may shorten the time to distant hospitals.
Motley:
Why is government being asked to subsidize a private corporation? Do other rural communities fund / subsidize their ERs.
Nichols:
Healthcare reimbursement is unlike other business models. In order to get paid, a healthcare organization must meet a rigid group of CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) standards. Reimbursement is based on “customary and reasonable” and/or negotiated fees. Reimbursement doesn’t equal charges and in many cases, episodes of care are never paid. To have an ER, a subsidy is needed whether it is private or “not for profit.” Of course, the subsidy needs to be based on real and regularly verified numbers.
Many other communities subsidize their health care. In our area, Iola, Garnett, and Parsons all subsidize. Nevada has a ½ cent sales tax to support their hospital. Ottawa, Kansas subsidizes about $2 million yearly to cover the cost of indigent care. In Kansas, more than 50 hospitals are at risk of closure. The Kansas Hospital Association reports many of these would already be closed if not supported by local subsidies.
Motley:
Are there subsidies for rural health care out there to lighten our local burden? Is it anticipated this will be a perpetual subsidy for the taxpayers of Bourbon County?
Nichols:
Federal designation as a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) is being pursued. REH would pay $2-3 million a year as a facility fee. This would support an ER and a limited number of 24-hour observation beds. REH would provide long-term stability to our situation and probably eliminate the need for subsidy. Without REH, the need for an ongoing subsidy will be our responsibility.
Motley:
Will the rural health care system be fixed?
Nichols:
To fix rural health care our legislators must understand how it is broken. Please communicate with them your needs and concerns. In our immediate situation, we need help with waivers of the current rules limiting our ability to have an ER. First is a law dictating that the sponsoring hospital must be within 35 miles. The other is a waiver related to the timing of the closure of our hospital as it relates to qualifying for REH. Please continue to ask our representatives for their help.
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, owners of Perry’s Pork Rinds. Submitted photo.
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, owners of Perry’s Pork Rinds and Country Store, Bronson, were recently awarded the Southeast Kansas Region Award of Merit from the Kansas Department of Commerce.
“Both Thaddeus and I saw it as an honor to be nominated,” Kelly Perry said. “I have no idea who nominated us. I literally cried when I received the notice letter. It’s very humbling that the community continues to support us.”
“The store has brought people in, that are traveling through,” she said. “We have a lot of folks who just want to check us out”
When people stop in the store they advocate for the community and Fort Scott, telling them about the attractions and services that are available, she said.
In a letter from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, she commended the Perrys for their outstanding retail service.
The award is through the 2023 To The Stars: Kansas Business Awards.
“Celebrating your business and its outstanding contributions to the community, state economy, and people of Kansas,” the letter stated. “Your hard work is appreciated and worthy of recognition.”
The business was nominated because it created jobs, products, and services, and has been innovating and diversifying the local marketplace, building community identity, and more, according to the governor’s letter.
The business demonstrated “tenacity, determination, and creativity that was needed to persevere, regardless of the circumstances,” Governor Kelly said in the letter.
The Perrys started out producing pork rind snacks from their home in Bronson, a small town of 300 people in western Bourbon County, in 2017.
They opened a specialty store in 2022 in Bronson to sell their products and other food, including fresh produce, which is needed when one lives 20 miles from a large grocery store.
“We also now have Perry’s Produce Boxes available one time a month,” Kelly said. “Pick-up is at Bids & Dib (in Fort Scott). Purchases are all done via our website www.PerrysPorkRinds.com and customers can select pick-up in Bronson or Ft. Scott. Boxes are each just $18 and usually have double that amount of money worth of produce. Pick up details on our website and FB page.”
One other specialty food is fudge, made on-site.
“The fudge is made by Dee Byrd and I,” Kelly said.
In October 2023 they opened a Recreational Vehicle Park at their site on Hwy. 54, which runs through the town. This venture is to supply accommodations for agri-tourism to the region.
This month they provided honor meals to 59 veterans in their storefront on Veteran’s Day. “We provided brisket, smoked by Thaddeus, loaded baked potatoes, and baked beans. We plan to do this again next year,” she said.
They currently have five full-time and one part-time employee.
The Lowell Milken Center is located at the corner of First and Wall Streets.
This holiday season, the community can donate to the mission of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and receive a gift for their heroes, whether it is a parent, grandparent, teacher, aunt, uncle, or any other role models who have made a difference in their life, ,according to Megan Felt, LMC Program Director.
“The Center would like to recognize the special heroes in the lives of its visitors,” Felt said.
A gift-wrapped Lowell Milken Center Hero ornament. Submitted photo.
“For $15 you can get a set of two ornaments that say ‘Merry Christmas-You Are My Hero’ one is glass and comes gift-wrapped,” Kayla Cannon, LMC docent/administrative assistant and graphic designer said. “A (second) wooden one will be displayed on the Tree of Heros with the name of your hero at the Center.”
The glass ornament can be purchased to give to someone to honor them as a hero. Submitted photo.
“For a $5 donation one can get a wooden one with the name of the hero on it, to be displayed at the Center,” Cannon said. “There will be several wooden ones to choose from a bell, tree, snowflake, or reindeer.”
A photo of one of the wooden ornament options for honoring a special hero. Submitted photo.
“All donations are matched by the Milken Family Foundation,” Cannon said. ” Donations support the Lowell Milken Center’s educational outreach programs.”
“All visitors are encouraged to visit the Center and recognize the unsung heroes who make their lives better every day,” said Felt.
“This is a beautiful opportunity to let those personal heroes see their names on the Tree of Heroes and to receive a special gift honoring all they do for others,” she said.
The Center is located at 1 S. Main in historic downtown Fort Scott.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Center will be closed on Tuesday, November 28.
Graphic from the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
This year Small Business Saturday falls on November 25th and is a day when shoppers are encouraged to buy from local, small businesses for the good of the community they live in.
Supporting local small businesses is beneficial to both the buyer and the business. Savings on gas fill-ups and time are some of the benefits to buyers for buying local, and then there are the benefits to those businesses they buy from.
“What a difference a few dollars spent per shopper can make! ” said Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lindsay Madison said. And the Chamber has been working to encourage local shoppers.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is registered as a Neighborhood Champion for Shop Small, Small Business Saturday, a program initiated by American Express, according to Madison.
Lindsay Madison. Submitted photo.
Neighborhood Champions work to rally the community to shop at local small businesses.
The Chamber has put together a Shop Small Passport that shoppers may pick up from local retailers this Friday and Saturday, she said. “If shoppers earn three or more stamps by purchasing $5 or more, they turn in the passport at their 3rd store for an entry to win $50 in Chamber Bucks. The drawing will take place on Tuesday, November 28th. Chamber Bucks can be used like cash at over 60 Chamber member businesses and restaurants.”
“If you don’t already, we ask you to Like and Follow the Chamber’s Facebook page, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce,” she said. “We have been posting a social campaign over the last couple of weeks to illustrate the importance of shopping local and what a difference a few dollars spent per shopper can make! Some of those social posts have included the following messaging:
“Per score.org, for every $1 you spend at a small business, 67 cents stays in the local community. Forty-four cents goes to the small business owner and employee’s wages and benefits and 23 cents gets reinvested in other local businesses,” she said.
“Your $20 spent locally does more than purchase goods, it weaves a community tapestry, where every thread strengthens the whole. That same $20 circulates. You eat at a local restaurant and tip the wait staff, the wait staff then goes and gets a haircut, the stylist then goes and buys a cup of coffee, the barista then buys a candle at a gift shop, and so on. When you spend $20 online, that $20 is gone out of our community.
“Ten dollars spent at a local store can have a sizable impact. It’s estimated that over $9.3 billion would be returned to our U.S. economy if every family spent just $10 a month at a local business. That’s not even one meal’s worth of spending a month! It’s only a few cups of coffee or a glass of wine a month. What a tremendous impact we could have if everyone could commit to that.”
“As you Shop Small over the weekend, be sure to pick up your Passport,” Madison said. “Have some fun and earn a chance to win while you’re supporting our local businesses are hit up year-round to sponsor events, support school fundraisers, and more. It’s our turn to give back to them.”
The Chamber received a limited amount of promotional products from American Express that is being distributed to locally owned Chamber member small businesses to use during Small Business Season, said Madison.
From Amanda Clasen, Kansas State Extension Community Vitality Agent’s, weekly column:
“In 2010, American Express started the Small Business Saturday effort to help direct consumer’s dollars to local businesses. The nationwide holiday is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Some ideas to help you shop locally this holiday season may include:
Use a local print shop to see if they offer greeting cards or other unique gifts.
Support local flower shops by sending unique holiday arrangements that can be displayed throughout the holiday season.
Shop at local craft shows that showcase youth and Local Entrepreneurs. If your recipient likes to cook, buy a cookbook from a local fundraiser and attach dry ingredients to a new recipe.
Purchase from local grocery stores or farmer’s markets for ingredients in your holiday meals.
Purchase gift cards to local businesses, restaurants, and businesses of interest.
Recognize your own talents that you may have as well to provide a heartfelt gift that may not necessarily be bought at a big box store.
Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is hosting its 1st Annual Match Day Event to double the benefit to local causes.
“We are promoting a match day on Tuesday, November 28 during National Day of Giving where up to $25,000 will be available to match gifts that are given to our Fort Scott Area Community Foundation funds on that day,” said Becky Tourtillott, FSACF Vice President. “Those matching funds are being made available through a grant from the Patterson Family Foundation.”
Becky Tourtillott from the FSACF website.
The FSACF has a unique opportunity, through the grant from the Patterson Family Foundation, to match up to $25,000 for contributions made to eligible funds, according to a press release.
Care to Share, Fort Scott Area Chamber Foundation, and Shirley Yeager Animal Friends Foundation are three local organizations that have recently added an endowed fund with the FSACF, according to Tourtillott.
Those new funds in conjunction with the foundation’s existing funds offer a diverse range of efforts that community members can support, she said.
“Donors will have the ability to specify which specific fund they want to support, including the general foundation fund if they prefer,” Tourtillott said.
Craig Campbell is the president of the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation this year.
“We are very excited for our inaugural Match Day, and the opportunity to grow these endowments and provide ongoing support for our charitable partners,” said FSACF Chairman Craig Campbell. “We invite the community to give together during Match Day because the local organizations and the services they provide are important to Bourbon County and make a true difference.”
The funds are invested to produce present and future income, which organizations can use for operations, programs, or special projects, according to the press release.
The $25,000 match pool will be divided among the participating organizations’ endowments in proportion to their share of community contributions, subject to a 20% limit, according to the press release. The full 100% of each donation will be placed in the organization’s endowed fund, and the match amount will be made available to the organization immediately.
Donations for Match Day can be made in three different ways, according to the press release:
In-person, delivered to Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall, on or before Tuesday, November 28 or
By check, mailed to FSACF, P.O. Box 901, Fort Scott, KS 66701 with a postmark date no later than November 29, 2023. Please make checks payable to: the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation
Here’s a synopsis of what those funds support:
About the FSACF Funds
Anna Faye and Robert Gordon Steele Memorial Funds: provides financial support to Fort Scott Community College Endowment Association, Fort Scott High School Scholarship Fund and Uniontown High School Scholarship Fund-all three for scholarships, Mount Orum Baptist Church of Redfield, Uniontown Methodist Church, Fort Scott Public Library, Old Fort Genealogy Society, The Beacon, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, Paralyzed Veterans Association, Evergreen Cemetery Association, Buck Run Community Center, Senior Citizens Center of Fort Scott, Redfield Ruritan Club, and the American Heart Association.
Care to Share Cancer Support Endowed Fund: provides support to members of the community impacted by cancer with financial/emotional/and transportation support to individuals.
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Fort Scott Endowment: supports worthwhile endeavors in Fort Scott and Bourbon County through annual granting.
Fort Scott Area Chamber Foundation Fund: supports programs such as Downtown Historic District enhancements and events, community advancement projects, educational and leadership programs, and youth scholarships.
Fort Scott Area Community Foundation General Endowment Fund: provides annual funding for competitive grants in Fort Scott and Bourbon County. Since its inception in 2009, FSACF has awarded over $386,000 in competitive grants.
Fort Scott Area Public Parks Endowment: supports the Riverfront Authority, which promotes the preservation and protection of the Marmaton River for the enjoyment and education of residents and visitors.
Dr. Pratt & Pauline Irby Endowment: benefits the charitable causes that the Irbys supported during their lifetimes.
John Valentine & Patricia Jean Neff Health Care Fund: supports grants to organizations addressing healthcare needs in Fort Scott and Bourbon County.
Shepherd Family Endowment Fund: supports the FSACFC’s annual granting, benefiting the residents of Fort Scott and Bourbon County in memory of Ray and Mary Shepherd.
Shirley Yeager Animal Friends Foundation: provides support for the Fort Scott Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.
Members of the FSACF board: Campbell, Tourtillott, Lindsay Madison, Deana Endicott, Sheryl Bloomfield, Janet Braun, Michelle Bruner, Steve Buerge, Jess Ervin, Carla Farmer, Ronda Hassig, Bailey Lyons, Linda Noll, Kirk Sharp, Travis Shelton, David Shepherd, and Jordan Witt.
Two of the Schwalm family members Margery and her, son David. Submitted photo.
The Margery Schwalm family has been providing free Thanksgiving dinners to the Fort Scott community for 28 years.
The Schwalm family poses following the community Thanksgiving dinner during the pandemic. Submitted photo.
“It takes a good week out of my life to do this,” Margery said. “I would like to fix Thanksgiving dinner for my family next year.”
The best part for her is “talking to all the people that call and are so thankful for the meals,” she said. “I get lots of thank you’s from lots of people.”
“But I am tired,” she said. “I would love to have anyone pick it up.”
But for this year, she and about 25 family members along with some others, will be cooking, packaging, and giving away turkey with all the fixings.
There is a drive-through pickup and also a delivery service for those who can’t get out, but no sit-down meal.
The event is this Thursday, November 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. People can call Schwalm at 620.224.6769 to order the meals.
The City of Fort Scott supplies the orange cones that help direct the traffic the day of the dinner at the Elks, and her son David helps with the distribution of the dinners to those who pick up.
Schwalm is a lifelong member of the Elks and gets the use of the facility for free, she said.
Elks Club members Bill Brittain and Pat Bishop gather the turkeys and slow roast them, a few days before the dinner.
“We buy the turkeys from G & W Grocery Store,” she said. “Last year I paid about $700 for the turkeys. G & W donates the carryout bags.”
“Then I round up most of my family and a few friends and will debone them,” she said.
“Cindy Ziegler Schwalm makes sure everything in the kitchen is taken care of, she has several people that help her,” Schwalm said. “She has some big strong guys to help whip up those potatoes.”
Cindy Ziegler Schwalm, facing center right, with the kitchen help at the Schwalm family community Thanksgiving dinner. Submitted photo.
Community Christian Church donates 50 pies and 15 cakes for the event.
“They do a wonderful job with the desserts,” she said.
Parkway Church of God donates money for the dinner rolls.
“The rest of the stuff I buy,” she said. “The carryout plates, seasonings, all the extra fixings to pull it all together.”
A free-will offering is accepted to help with the cost of the meal.
“Freewill donations generally pay for what I am out,” she said.
“We will be out there Thursday in the morning,” she said. “The helpers, the cookers, the handlers who pack up the meals.”
“Once I get everything taken care of, I will be in the background overseeing,” she said.
Aria and Charlee Davis help with desserts and taking meals to the drive-through. Submitted photo.The packaging of the Schwalm family Thanksgiving dinner. It is an assembly line. Submitted photo.
