Cindy Delise straightens up a shelf in the Jurassic Park Retail Store in the Fort Scott Industrial Park on May 12.
Summer is almost here and the 4th of July is the keystone event of the season for many people
Fireworks are a big component in celebrating the independence from Britain in 1776, that the day commemorates.
Fort Scott has its own distributor of fireworks, since October 2021, in the industrial park just off of Hwy. 69, south of the city.
The Jurassic Park Fireworks retail store at 4500 Campbell Drive.
Jurassic Fireworks, 4500 Campbell Drive, sells both wholesale and retail fireworks. This building is the former site of Firstsource Solutions.
The business is owned by a father-daughter partnership of Frank and Bree Elliot, Colorado.
“This is a family run business, started by his father in 1965,” said Cindy Delise, Fort Scott, who mans the business here, and whose title is distributor.
“I’m the only employee here currently, but we are taking applications for the season,” she said.
The fireworks season is June 26 to July 6 in Fort Scott. During that time the hours are 8 a.m. to midnight.
Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. the rest of the year, Delise said.
Jurassic Fireworks, Fort Scott, can be reached at (919) 369-8710.
They have retail stores in Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Indiana, as well.
The Third Annual Shead Farm Homestead Festival is Saturday, May 20 at 2468 Cavalry Rd. near rural Garland, south of Fort Scott.
The Larry and Vickie Shead farm, rural Garland.
The day is geared toward sustainable living by a family that is doing just that.
“A lot of people were wanting to know about sustainable living,” Vickie Shead, the matriarch of the family, said. “God is good and we are trying to keep up with all He is leading us to do.”
The festival will feature 36 vendors or activities that use creative ways to teach garden/farm knowledge.
“There is no charge to vendors,” Vickie said. “This is to benefit entrepreneurs who are wanting to start a business.”
“Come join us for a fun filled educational event for the whole family,” said Vickie, who along with her husband Larry and their children and grand children will be hosting the event. “It’s a great family outing!”
Vickie and Larry Shead, 2020, from her Facebook page.
In addition to the Shead family, they have 106 volunteers helping at the festival, for which they are grateful.
On tap will be live music, lots of children’s activities, a farm tour, and farm store, vendor booths and a food court.
The admission fee for a single ticket is $5 or for a family (4+) $20.
To view a map of the Shead Farm vendors/activities:
The farm tour includes the gardens, greenhouse, animals, beekeeping and learning how to graft a fruit tree.
For sale will be animals, worm farms, plants, berries, carts, compost and trees.
Vendors will be selling soaps and salves, honey, eggs, spices, baked goods, baskets, weaving, spinning wool, plant propagations, farm decor and kitchen items.
The Sheads will be selling walking tacos for $5, and Supercharged Cookies for $2. A snack shack will be selling cotton candy, lemonade, ice cream and pastries.
Shead Farm Store items for sale will be Veggie Powder, toys, hats, aprons, books,quilted Items, bouquets, and more.
It’s that time of year, the 42nd Annual Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days, with theme this year: “Back to the bricks”.
It’s a few days of all manner of entertainment: shopping, live music, eating and seeing friends.
The event kicks off on Friday, June 2 at 6 p.m. with a parade.
Parade goers line the streets of Main and Wall to view the Good Ol’ Days Parade in 2019.
Bring a lawn chair and line up along the parade route: Main Street from 6th Street north to Wall Street then west to National Avenue, then south to 6th Street.
The parade grand marshal this year is retired Fort Scott Chief of Police Travis Shelton.
Click here for vendor application.
Click here for the Good Ol’ Days website.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, June 3 will be the race called the Dragoon Charge.
Then historic downtown Fort Scott will come alive with craft vendors, food trucks, pony rides and so much more, according to the Good Ol’Days Facebook page.
“We have some great entertainment lined up for the weekend,” Shawn O’Brien, chairman of the Good Ol’ Days Committee, said.
“We will have a stage in front of the pavilion at 1st and Main,” he said. “There will be live entertainment featuring some great local musicians.”
On Friday night June 2 from 7-8:30 PM the Whisky Outlaws, a Red Dirt and Classic Country band will perform, then from
8:45-10 p.m. Bobby Degonia will perform Solid Old and New Country music.
On Saturday June 3 from 10 AM-1 PM, Zane Grimes will perform, then from 2PM – 5PM – Bill and Monica’s Excellent Adventure, who are a 90’s Tribute Band, then from 7PM-10PM, 80’s and Out.
“We will have many activities for kids like we have in the past,” O’Brien said. “The bounce houses will be located at Third and Main this year. They will run from 9 a.m. to noon then from 1-4 p.m. They will be $5 per session for unlimited bounces.”
Caricature drawings and a balloon artist will be on Skubitz Plaza free of charge, he said.
“Care to Share, a local helping organization, will host their second annual fundraiser “Children’s Cove” on Skubitz Plaza,” O’Brien said. “They will have fun games and much more to offer. For further information please contact Lavetta Simmons.”
“The annual Red Garter show will have their showcase,” he said. “They will have one show on Friday Night at 7 PM. Then they will have shows every hour on the hour starting at 10 AM on Saturday. Their final show will be at 5 PM.”
The Red Garter Show from the Good Ol’Days Facebook page.
The Good Ol’ Chicken Dinner, from Chicken Mary’s in Pittsburg will be available for pick-up behind the Lowell Milken Center on Friday, June 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The $9 ticket includes chicken, two side orders, bread and a bottle of water.
From the Good Ol’ Days Facebook page.
Tickets for the Good Ol’ Days events are on sale at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce and Regional Tourism Center at 231 E. Wall St.
From their Facebook page:
Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days Festival
Draft Schedule of Events
Where To Find Everything Fun!
Friday, June 2nd
11:00 AM – 2:00PM (on the hour) – Trolley Rides – 231 E. Wall St (Chamber of Commerce) – Adults-$6.00, Children 12 and under $4.00
Maria Whitson, rural Garland, is the mother of five children and married to Clayton.
She is also a children’s book author.
The Process
Her journey as an author began with a college assignment to write and illustrate a children’s book.
“That is when the whole series of books called ‘Lessons for the Least’ was birthed,” she said. “But it was a couple years before I wrote down all the ideas for the series.”
She wrote the main content for all the stories while single, assisted by family in refining and editing her writings.
When she started looking for someone to illustrate her books, she looked to family. She worked on one book and sent another to her Aunt Judy Walters to illustrate. Then a second cousin, Zoe Acuna, got involved in the illustrations.
Every time Acuna sent her preview illustrations, “I was so thrilled with her style and ideas,” Whitson said. “We made a small tweaks and then they sat for a while as life got busy.”
About the same time she and her husband were working on a manual for disaster preparedness, for a class on the subject.
They edited that book, then published it, on their own. This began a business called Swift Word Publishing.
“He loves helping others take their written work and getting it into a tangible product,” she said.
With her husbands help, she published her first book Reuben the Rooster in 2020. It is available on Amazon.com and also can be purchased at the Shead Farm Festival, rural Garland, on May 20.
About the Books
The first book, Reuben the Rooster, tells of a courageous rooster who learns the value of standing up for his friends. Children will learn how courage and empathy can help overcome adversity, Maria said.
Currently they have three books in the Lessons from the Least series, with another being published this week.
Each book in this series has a double story, according to Maria. Each young animal’s adventures are encountered with relatable-to-children life lessons. There is also a secondary story unfolding in the illustrations, with directions at the end of each book on how one can uncover the mystery story. The hidden story is there to be discovered as the child is ready. The rhythmic verses, make them an enjoyable read-aloud experience for parents and children.
The age range for her books is 3-8 years old. Submitted pages.Maria Whitson’s first book, Reuben the Rooster. Submitted pages.A book in the series that Maria Whitson has authored. Submitted pages.A sample page. Submitted.A book in a series, by Maria Whitson. Submitted pages.A sample page. Submitted.
About The Author
“My husband, kids and I love being in God’s creation,” she said. “We have a passion for growing in our knowledge of the Kingdom of God and how it operates here on earth.”
“Most of my writings are birthed from that passion and I have so many more books in me, waiting on timing,” Whitson said. “There has been many times that the Holy Spirit will give me an idea that takes a while to figure out how to go about writing it and publishing it.”
Her family lives on a small farm close to her parents Larry and Vickie Shead’s farm, where she grew up. They home school their children.
The Whitson family. Submitted photo.
They launched a family business called The Journey Home that is an umbrella for their whole family’s creations, including two of their children
Book publishing, art, jewelry, cast iron accessories, homeschooling, foraging, homesteading, disaster prep, herbal remedies, are some of the interests of the family business.
“The Journey Home name meaning captures our heart,” she said. “Our company is about everything that is centered on the home life and family, but going even deeper it centers on our eternal home (the kingdom of God) and living life in a way that lives that life out now.”
Jesse Frye, from the Bourbon County Sheriff’s website.
Jesse Dean Frye was arrested on May 8 for vandalism of some businesses, a residence and a vehicle in the early morning hours on that day.
Charges for Frye are theft, a misdemeanor and criminal damage to property, a felony, with bond set at $2,500.
“He was involved in throwing rocks or objects through windows,” Lt. Caleb Bell, with the Fort Scott Police Department said.
“From the info we have, he is believed to be homeless,” Bells said.
“We have identified him in several security surveillance videos.” he said.
Those who were victims of the vandalism are the Lowell Milken Center, Empress Event Center, Iron Star Antiques, Merle Humphrey Photography, City State Bank, Patterson Dental Office, Farmers Insurance and the Jerry Witt residence in downtown Fort Scott.
In addition, a vehicle was vandalized as well.
Norm Conard, director of the Lowell Milken Center on North Main Street in the historic downtown area, said “On our security camera, the man threw a rock, it didn’t break the window. Then he put his feet in our fountain (adjacent to the building), then thew a rock a second time.”
The Witt’s have a residence in the historic district and said that they had some outside decor knocked over and some strewn about.
The next step in the process for Frye is “We will forward all the info to the Bourbon County Attorney’s office, then court proceedings will take place at a later date,” Bell said.
The mural will be on this wall that faces the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Jerry Witt, owner of the building, had Mid-Continental Restoration Co. do the work of preparing the wall for the mural.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Downtown Division is working to bring about a downtown historical mural’s creation that will feature the Civil War’s 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment that were stationed in Fort Scott.
“Kansas was the first Northern state to recruit, train, and send Black soldiers into combat during the Civil War,” according to the Fort Scott National Historic Site website. “Fort Scott served as the home base for both the 1st and 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry, with both regiments being mustered into federal service on Fort Scott’s former parade ground.”
Captain William Mathews –a free Black, a businessman and station master on the Underground Railroad –recruited former slaves into the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Fort Scott. From the FSNHS website.
Jerry Witt is the owner of the building at 19 N. Main whose north outside wall faces the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Country Girl Cuts Salon is housed in the building currently. It is this wall where the mural will be created.
The plaque on the building at 19 N. Main states that at one time the building was a clothing store and the second floor a bordello. Submitted photo.
Witt contracted with Mid-Continental Restoration, Fort Scott, to “tighten up the building, tuck pointing, in preparation for the mural painting,” he said. “Any loose paint, etc. taken off so as not to deter the new mural going up.
Jerry and Judy Witt hand out Halloween candy in from on their home on Main Street in this photo from October 30, 2021, taken from the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. The Witts live in a historic downtown building, and own several storefront buildings in the downtown.
“We’ve had several people want to paint a mural there,” Witt said. “But this project, we are excited about because we wanted to enhance something about the history of the fort.”
The Mural Project: Looking For An Artist
“The mural public art project will offer one artist the unique opportunity to showcase their original art in the historic district of downtown Fort Scott,” according to fortscott.com
“The chosen mural will be painted on the exterior building wall facing the National Historic site, where the group was sworn in and was the first African-American regiment to fight against the Confederacy in the Civil War.
“The artwork will remain the property of the City of Fort Scott.
For request for proposal of a mural, artists are to submit the following:
Mural sketch including the following:
At least three soldiers from the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry
The selected mural will be painted on the Star Clothing building, 19 North Main Street, on the north wall facing the National Historic site. Mural size will be 25′ x 12′, covering the existing mural.
Schedule
“All proposals are due by 11:59 pm on Monday, May 29, 2023, and must be submitted via the Visit Fort Scott web page dedicated to the mural. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted. All proposals will be reviewed by a panel of African-American consultants to ensure the mural is culturally sensitive, and then proposals will be judged blind by a panel of local artists, historians, and stakeholders. The winning proposal will be announced on Juneteenth (June 19, 2023). The winning artists must be prepared to have their murals installed no later than September 30, 2023.
“Proposals not selected may be invited to participate in a special art show hosted by the Artificers Gallery in Fort Scott, KS, to be held in January of 2024. Additionally, any proposal submitted may be used for marketing purposes by the City of Fort Scott or the Fort Scott Chamber. The artist will be cited for their work.
Selection Process and Criteria
“One artist will be selected by a panel of local judges comprised of local artists, historians, and community stakeholders. Criteria will include artistic merit, historical appropriateness, and how well the subject will translate to a mural.
Eligibility
“The Fort Scott Chamber Foundation , a 501c3 organization, has opened the call for artists, and is open to any Kansas resident willing to submit a proposal that can complete the requirements as specified, including the design and installation of the mural. Any design that includes advertising, soliciting, campaigning, or any other promotional or commercially-driven entries is ineligible.
Artist Compensation
“The chosen artist will be compensated through a payment of at least $5,000, which is intended as a design fee and will be paid at the completion of the mural. The selected artist will also a given a daily per diem during the project period (up to seven days) for meals/lodging if travel accommodations are required for the project. Project material costs will be covered up to $5,000 by The Fort Scott Chamber Foundation in addition to the artist fee. The artist fee could be more than the amount listed if additional funds are raised through crowdsourcing.”
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center in Fort Scott has recently signed an agreement with Legacy Health LLC for the center to move into the former Mercy Hospital Building at 401 Woodland Hills.
The building was recently vacated by Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas who moved to another Fort Scott building.
The former Mercy Clinic Suites C and D, at 401 Woodland Hills, will be renovated by the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Clinic and move in will be thereafter.
“We don’t have an official date for the move as we need to secure a contractor for some renovations but are hoping this summer,” said Holly Jerome, SEKMHC’s director of marketing and human resources said. “Once a move date has been set, we will be notifying clients and the community.”
“We are certainly not new to Fort Scott,” said Jerome. “We were established in 1961! But due to our growth after becoming a Certified Community Behavioral Healthcare Clinic ( in 2022) we are outgrowing our current building which is located at 212 State Street.”
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Fort Scott.
“We will continue offering our current and expanded services,” Jerome said. “This new space will allow us to continue adding to our team!”
“SEKMHC is one of the first five community mental health centers to earn certification,” CEO Nathan Fawson said in a press release https://fortscott.biz/news/legacy-health-partners-with-southeast-kansas-mental-health-to-expand-services. “The CCBHC model of care concentrates on the overall health of a client, not just their mental health. We have expanded our care to integrate holistic care approaches, connect people with care coordination, and increase accessibility to services throughout our six–county catchment area. Looking into the future, we are striving to provide each client with a much more individualized experience by assisting clients in recovery–oriented ways in their homes, in our communities, or via telehealth whenever possible. We know that recovery is possible when youtreat the person, not just their mental health challenge.”–
According to its website https://www.sekmhc.org/ the services they provide to the community are:
Substance use and addictions counseling
Clinical therapy and counseling
Community support and groups
Crisis intervention
Psychiatric and medication management
They have locations in:
Allen County
Anderson County
Bourbon County
Linn County
Neosho County
Woodson County
Last year they served over 4,000 clients, according to its website. The staff provide school based therapy and case management in 12 school districts. They have 15 team members in the crisis department and 10 in the psychiatry department.
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center is in transition to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), according to its website. A CCBHC provides comprehensive behavioral health services, while also focusing on physical health and whole person wellness.
What the transition means is, the following is added:
Patient navigation services
Comprehensive behavioral health screening at intake
Primary health screening including gathering health metrics (height, weight, and blood pressure)
Primary health resources and referral
What won’t change is:
Access to counseling and therapy
Access to crisis services
Access to medical services and psychiatry
Community-based services for adults and children
Services and programs previously provided, unless otherwise noted
Upcoming Community Self-Care Event:
A Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center Self-Care Fair will be held on May 23, from 5-8 p.m. at the Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. 12th.
For questions about the self-care fair, contact: Dawne Burchett at 620-496-8702 or Vicki Wright at 620-212-9391.
About Legacy Health
Legacy Health has a mission to bring development and healthcare to rural communities through sustainable and proactive approaches, according to the Legacy Health press release. Legacy believes that for a project to be successful, it is necessary to understand the needs of the community and the people.
Legacy Health LLC was registered on June 7, 2022 as a Limited Liability Company – CA company type incorporated at 269 WEST BONITA CLAREMONT, CA 91711. according to /https://ca.ltddir.com/companies/legacy-health-llc/
Troy Schell is the Legacy HealthChairman of the Board, according to the press release.
Chief Clinical Officer is Jennifer Massey and she is the contact person at [email protected]
Chief Strategy Officer is Merrill Eisenhower.
Locally, Matthew Wells is Legacy Healthcare Foundation Director of Plant Operations at the 401 Woodland Hills site. His duties are technical and equipment maintenance. Wells recently helped the building receive joint hospital accreditation, which is necessary because of the patient care given in the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department that is also housed in the facility, he said.
The Legacy Health Foundation received the building from the Bourbon County Commission in November 2022. In addition to the building, the commission gave Legacy Health Foundation $2 million dollars from funds received from Mercy Hospital and American Rescue Plan Act Funds to develop the property, according to a prior story.
Fort Scott Farmers Market begins its 2023 season on May 6, this Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon.
“It’s going to be a great day for a farmer’s market,” Teri Hamilton said. She is the new president of the market members group.
The market is in front of the Fort Scott National Historic Site on Skubitz Plaza.
Spring veggies, fresh bread, meat, flowers, eggs, honey, live plants and handmade crafts will be for sale from local vendors.
The group is looking to add other events to the market.
“Our goal is to connect with acoustic type music to have live music at the event, and other fun activities,” Hamilton said.
This first market of the season, the local Bourbon County Democrats are serving breakfast/ brunch on Saturday from 8 a.m. – noon.
They will serve fresh coffee or bottled water, fresh fruit, and a choice of fresh-baked coffee cake–all for $5.
“We will deliver in town,” said Carol MacArthur, Bourbon County Democrats chairperson. “For delivery or more information, call 620- 215-1505.”
“We also invite you to bring a lawn chair, if you wish to come, eat, and socialize!” she said.
Teri Hamilton, owner of Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery, is the president of the Fort Scott Farmers Market this year.
Teri Hamilton is the new president of the Fort Scott Farmer’s Market. Submitted photo.
“Melinda Goff has been the president for the last several years and we are transitioning leadership,” Hamilton said.
The cost of booths for vendors is $10 for the first day, which includes $5 registration and $5 booth fee.
“If you sign up for the whole season, its $108 to reserve a spot,” Hamilton said. ‘We welcome any new vendors. We can have 25 percent of the booths selling handmade crafts.”
Returning vendors will be given first priority for spots on the plaza.
Some of the returning vendors are the Hamiltons , Still Waters Farm-Katie and Ethan Holly, the Little Flower Farm-Kelly Richards, Chet and Linda Bower-fresh veggies, Ron and Beverly Brown-farm produce and preserves, Tim Allison-honey, Mrs. Tibbits and Mrs. Hawkins-sellilng crafts, Nickie Kraft-home sewn items, Roger Stumfoll-farm produce and eggs, and others.
There are four new vendors who will be selling baked goods, crafts, live plants and eggs.
A National Avenue stationary pavilion is on the horizon for the Fort Scott Farmer’s Market use in the near future, following a T-Mobile $50,000 grant in 2021.
Papa Don’s Restaurant day staff: Sheila Rygmyr, Emily Martin, Jessica Joyce, Shayla Cowlshaw, Amy Walker.
Mother-daughter team of Sheila Rygmyr and Brita Bolton are the owners of Papa Don’s Pizza Restaurant in historic downtown Fort Scott.
From left, the evening crew of Papa Don’s Pizza, Cash Rygmyr-Rose, Melody Cooper, Abby Sczpanski, Brita Bolton and Daswon Wilson. Submitted.
They originally opened the business at 22 N. Main in March 1991 and after a break of several years reopened at 10 N. Main on May 2, 2011.
They strive to provide their community with all manner of food service.
“We actually do it all,” Brita said. “Not only dine-in and carry-out but also delivery, catering, online ordering and curbside. From pizza, pasta, salad bar, ice cream and deli sandwiches. Plus gluten-free and low carb is available.”
Hours of operation are Monday to Saturdays 10:30 a.m, to 8 p.m. and the first Sunday of every month 11a.m. to 3 p.m.
To contact the business: email at [email protected] or by phone 620.223.4171 or find them on Facebook Papa Don’s Pizza.
They currently have 15 employees that includes the owners.
The best part of being a small business owner in Fort Scott is “the local support from the community and surrounding schools that we cater lunches for every week,” Brita said.
Papa Don’s back patio is a pretty place to eat a meal on these warm spring days.
Photo taken in 2019 of the Fresenius Medical Care Center at 2526 S. Main.
The newer building just in front of Walmart in Fort Scott has been empty since 2019.
The building which housed a kidney dialysis center is still under lease, according to Mike Panek, President of Phoenix Realty Management, owner.
“We would be happy to find a new tenant so the building had some life,” Panek said. “The economics of property and the state of commercial real estate have made it challenging to find a suitable tenant with interest. Since it went dark, we have local and national brokers working on it.”
Phoenix Realty Management offices located are at 464 Heritage Rd, Southbury, CT 06488, can be reached at (203) 262-1922 or (203) 736-4813.
The Closure
Fresenius Medical Care was the renter of the building at the time of closing and was the only kidney dialysis center in Fort Scott. The doors closed on September 30, 2019.
Patients had to make arrangements to either drive to Pittsburg, 30 miles away, or Chanute, 50 miles away, to get this specialized, life saving treatment, or do home dialysis.
The building was built in 2014 and is over 7,000 square feet.
At the time of the closure, Panek said they would be working with Fresenius to see what their plans are for the site as there was a lease in place for that location.
Fresenius spokespeople did not give a reason for closing the kidney health care facility.
Ecker lives in Fort Scott and is a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church.
In his spare time, Ecker enjoys a variety of activities.
“I love to golf, gardening, bike riding, hiking and watching almost any sport,” he said. He has two daughters, Sarah in Durham, NC and Amy in Centerton, AR and two grandchildren.
Bailey Lyons. Submitted photo.
Lyons Realty Group recently announced Ecker’s hiring on its Facebook page:
“Bill is no stranger to rural living, in fact, that’s what he prefers. He moved to Fort Scott in 1994 from a rural community in Central Illinois, and has enjoyed building a life in this community ever since.
“While Bill is new to real estate, he is not new to customer service and helping people. He has worked in sales and service his entire life, and is passionate about exceeding his customer’s expectations.
Coming originally from the farm lands in Illinois, Bill has working knowledge of agricultural properties and their uses.
“Bill’s father was a carpenter giving him knowledge of general construction. His diverse background makes him well-qualified to help with any facet of real estate whether it be agriculture, residential, or commercial.
“Bill entered the real estate business in hopes of helping others achieve their goals of property ownership, and he gets great satisfaction out of helping others succeed. Finding the right property for the right person is his newest passion.”
Fort Scottian Jennifer Michaud attended a seminar several years ago where Deborah Factor spoke about the Core Community program, her husband Bill said.
Factor started with a youth mentorship program and then added the Core Communities program, to help families as well,
Bill Michaud, said in an interview with fortscott.biz.
Bill Michaud. Submitted photo.
“I have been in contact with and getting to know Deb for…several years,” Bill said. “I recognized that poverty is an issue that is well documented and often discussed in southeast Kansas but I’m not aware of any programs that work so directly to hit the issue head-on. I believe that this is a program that has great potential to help change peoples lives so I brought it up a few times during different community-focused conversations in which I was involved over a several year period.”
Submitted graphics.
A small group of people came to see the potential that Bill Michaud saw, so there were a couple of follow-up informational meetings.
“In February Jennifer and I, Rachel Carpenter, Lindsay McNeil, Lisa Robertson and Destry Brown traveled to Greensburg, Kansas to attend one of Deb’s regular Monday class sessions and were able to see the program in action and hear more stories of lives impacted first-hand,” Michaud said.
“In March we asked Deb to come to Fort Scott to present to a larger group of church representatives, social service organizations and anyone else we thought might have an initial interest in learning about the program,” Bill Michaud said. “(Bourbon County Commissioner) Clifton Beth was in attendance at that presentation and at the conclusion, asked Deb to set a time to do an abbreviated presentation to the county commission.”
Submitted graphics.
In April, Bill Michaud and Deb Factor(on a Zoom call) presented to the commission on the Core Community Ministry.
Factor stated she started in 1998 in Greensburg, doing ministry for youth, according to the commission minutes. During the process she had kids she worked with for years walk into adulthood and follow in the cycle of poverty.
Factor said that her goal was to help the kids grow into healthy, thriving adults who can give back in their community and not be under the constant burden and struggle of poverty, according to the commission minutes.
Submitted graphics.
In 2015, after modeling a program that had been successful elsewhere, she launched the poverty program, Core Community.
They have 13 programs in Kansas and one in Illinois currently.
The program consists of weekly meetings, 48-50 weeks per year, and will continue to meet with the individuals for two to five years. The program tries to educate the community on what poverty really is, according to the county commission minutes.
Factor told the commission the program identifies barriers and helps people push through them, with 70 % increasing their income.
Core Community is tracking those that are out of poverty for ten years to gather data to see if they are maintaining the upward trajectory.
The first step in bringing the program to the community is fundraising. Then a community coordinator would be hired and reside in the county with CORE Community being their employer, and an advisory board formed.
Michaud said this is a fundraising-based organization and would not ask the county for money to sustain the program.
Bourbon County Commissioner Clifton Beth said he worked in home health and hospice in southeast Kansas and saw first-hand the poverty that residents are facing and would like to see the school district, college and city government come together to make this program happen, according to the commission minutes.
Michaud stated about five churches in Fort Scott have been asked to become involved.
The Bourbon County Commission in a vote of 2-1 voted to give Core Community program $50,000 to get it started in this community.
Nelson Blythe voted against it, stating that “he doesn’t believe charity is the role of government, and there is nothing stopping others in the community from writing a check.” Nelson stated “This is taxpayer’s money that should go toward making the courthouse run and roads better”, according to the commission minutes.
The county’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Bancroft, stated the money would come from PILOT funds received from the windmill money to the county for economic development, according to the commission minutes.
There is a requirement to have approximately the first years budget raised before launching the program, Michaud said in an interview. This could take up to 18 months.
“Before we launch our program in Bourbon County we are going to work to identify what sustainable funding sources we think we will be able to count on to fund the program in future years,” Michaud said in an interview.
The City of Fort Scott and the Bourbon County Commission have approved money to help with start up costs.
The city has approved $15,000 and will be meeting with the Core Community representatives on May 18, FS City Manager Brad Matkin said.
“The City and County funding that has been approved are remarkable gifts that will allow us to get this program launched and accelerate the time frame for this program to begin helping people, but this program is not one that we anticipate will require future city / county funding,” Michaud said. “We have developed an advisory board that consists of representatives of several church and social service organizations so that we have input from a very broad base of representatives. This…board will also guide the organization once we launch the program.”
