SparkWheel- Sparking Success for Students in Uniontown Receives Grant
CFSEK Awards $180,000 in 2025 General Funds Grants
Since 2001, the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) General Funds grant cycle has been making a difference across the region. This year is no different, with $180,000 granted to 68 organizations in 20 towns across 10 SEK counties for projects in the focus areas of Arts & Culture, Basic Human Needs, and Youth Activities. Since 2001, the CFSEK General Funds grant cycle has awarded over $2,100,000 in competitive grants across SEK!
“Our General Funds grant cycle is always a highlight for us because it allows us to support all of Southeast Kansas,” said Devin Gorman, CFSEK Executive Director. “Our review committee has the opportunity to evaluate proposals from so many different communities, each with their own unique needs. We are proud to support these wonderful organizations that work hard to improve our region.”
This year’s recipients are:
Arts & Culture
- Altamont Flag Day INC- Bringing Art and Culture to Altamont Flag Day 2026
- Cato Historical Preservation Association, Inc.- Cato Celebration for Kids (Cato Kids Day)
- First Baptist Church Riverton- BE THE ART
- Josiah Fletcher Foundation- Josiah Fletcher Jazz Camp Theme
- Northeast Unified School District #246- Less Stress Through Crafting
- Oswego Historical Society- Historic Arts Workshop Series for Youth
- Safe Families for Children- Support Through Reading
Basic Human Needs
- Building Health, Inc.- Unlocking Home
- Caney Valley Agape Network, Inc.- Family Crisis Intervention
- Care Cupboard Hygiene Pantry- Hygiene for Hope
- Catholic Charities Inc.- Housing and Homeless Services
- Catholic Diocese of Wichita – The Lord’s Diner-Pittsburg- Healthy Bodies, Healthy Living
- Cherokee County Health Department- Good Night, Sleep Tight, Protecting Babies, With All of Our Might
- CLASS LTD- Client Emergency Assistance Fund
- Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas- SEK Diaper Stock
- Cornerstones of Care- Stopping the Spiral
- Crosstimbers Food Pantry Association- Cooking on a Budget with Shelf Stable Foods
- DBLO Association- No Longer Sleeping on the Floor for SEK Children
- Dream Center of the 4 States- Help and Hope Community Meal Project
- Family Resource Center, Inc.- Detection and Prevention of Bed Bugs in Cherokee and Crawford Counties
- First Baptist Church Riverton- Share with Love Food Pantry
- First United Methodist Church Wesley House- One Monty Supply for Food Pantry
- Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries- Restore
- Foster Adopt Connect, Inc.- Family Stabilization Assistance
- Habitat for Humanity of Crawford County KS, Inc- Handicap Accessible Ramps for Two Crawford County Families
- Homer Cole Community Center Inc- Height Matters…
- Hospital District 1 Crawford County Foundation- Pressure Check: Expanding Access to Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Integrated Behavioral Technologies, Inc- Acquisition of Needed Assessments and Program Materials for SEK Autism Program
- Labette County Emergency Assistance Center- Emergency funds for Labette County Residents
- Mosaic- Making Healthy Lives Happen for People with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities in SE KS
- Outside the Wire Veterans Foundation- Unit Reunification and Mental Health Wellness retreat
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Four States- Meeting Basic Human Needs for Families with Hospitalized Children
- Safehouse Crisis Center, Inc- Soles for Survivors
- SE Kansas Women Helping Women- Basic Needs
- Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging- 60+ Nutrition Kitchen Upgrades
- Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center- Assertive Community Treatment
- Southwind Extension Education Foundation Inc- Libraries with Heart: Empowering Rural Communities to Take Charge of their heart Health
- Stay Strong Live Long Wilson County- Free Community Baby Shower
Youth Activities
- Arma Rec- Arma Rec Free Signup for Basketball and 2 New Goals
- Caney Valley Agape Network, Inc.- At-Risk Youth Support
- Care to Share Cancer Support Group of Bourbon County, Kansas, Inc.- FortFest 25
- Chanute Public Library- Literacy4Littles
- City of Mulberry- New Playground Equipment for Park
- City of Pittsburg – Memorial Auditorium- 2025/2026 School Outreach Series
- City of West Mineral, Kansas- A Gathering Place for All
- Compass Academy Network, Inc.- Pitsco Modules at Compass Academy Network in SEK, 2026
- Curious Minds Discovery Zone, Inc.- Exploration Through Energy Release
- Families and Children Together Inc.- Autism Safe and Play
- Fostering Connections- Teen Impact Events
- Frontenac USD 249- Next Gen Assembly at Frontenac USD 250
- Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland- First Aid and Safety Fair
- Inspire Health Foundation, Inc.- Inspire Health Careers
- Kids First Daycare- New Playground Equipment
- Learning Tree Institute at Greenbush- Interactive Video Wall
- Miners Hall Museum Foundation- Franklin Community Park Playground Improvements
- Oswego Historical Society- Voices of Oswego: Youth Oral History Recording and Digital Access Project
- Our Lady of Lourdes Parish/St. Mary’s Colgan Catholic Schools- Playground Fun
- Ozark Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America- Ozark Trails Council Recruitment Activity Materials
- Pittsburg Kiwanis Club (Noon)- Kiwanis Park Improvements
- Reach One Teach One Foundation- Youth QPR Suicide Prevention Training
- SEK Running Camp- The Running Camp
- SparkWheel- Sparking Success for Students in Uniontown
- Special Olympics Kansas- Unified Games in Southeast Kansas
- Spring River Mental Health and Wellness- Pathfinders 2025-2026
- The Foster Closet, Inc.- Family Enrichment Events
- The Salvation Army- Gifting Indoor & Outdoor Play Items
- USD 257- Writing Our Way Out: Publishing Youth Perspectives in Allen County
- Victory Life Church- Back2School Event 2025
CFSEK also granted $5,000 for youth activities to each of its affiliate foundations in Columbus, Fort Scott, and Girard.
CFSEK would like to congratulate this year’s recipients and thank them for their work in Southeast Kansas every day, making this a great place to call home.
AD: The City of Uniontown is Searching for A City Clerk
Would you like to make an impact in your community while broadening your skill set, connecting with people, working close to home, and receiving good pay & great benefits?
As Uniontown City Clerk/Municipal Court Clerk you can do all this and more! This is a 40 hours per week position with above average wage and benefits, including:
- Paid Time Off: 10 Holidays, PTO, & More
- Retirement Plan: participate in KPERS (Kansas Public Employees Retirement System)
- Health & Life Insurance available
- Wage Scale: $18.00/hour or negotiable depending upon experience
Personal Requirements:
- You must be a Motivated, Self-Starter
- High Attention to Detail
- Basic Computer, Accounting, and Secretarial Skills
- Ability to Maintain Professionalism, Confidentiality, and Discretion
- Live Within 10 Miles of Uniontown
- Valid Driver’s License & Pass Pre-Employment Drug Screen
The Clerk position entails performing all duties as defined by Kansas State Statute and City Ordinances: receive and disperse monetary funds and maintain financial records; complete various administrative reports; grant applications & administration; prepare, mail and apply payments of monthly customer utility billing; assist residents via phone or walk-in; attend and record minutes of all city council meetings, write monthly community newsletter; maintain city website; other duties as required (a more detailed job description and list of duties available upon application).
Apply in person at Uniontown City Hall, call 620-756-4742, or submit your resume via email to [email protected] . Applications accepted until Noon, August 7, 2025.
Obituary ofHazel Marie Gulliford
Hazel Marie Gulliford, age 99, a resident of Nevada, Missouri, passed away Monday, July 21, 2025, at the Moore Few Care Center in Nevada. She was born on January 11, 1926, in Garland, Kansas, the daughter of Charley and Viva (Clyburn) Bley. She attended school in Bronaugh, Missouri and after graduation, Pittsburg State College. She married V. H. Gulliford on April 30, 1947. He preceded her in death in 2016.
Hazel taught school in a one room schoolhouse. She then worked as a teacher’s aide in the Nevada school system. She later worked in the accounting department for The Western Insurance Company.
Hazel enjoyed quilting and was a member of the Jolly Circle Club. She had an affection for animals and was quite the baker, especially her rolls. Hazel loved spending time with her family. Her sister Charlene lived with her from the age of nine.
Survivors include her sister, Charlene Widmar, Franklin, Kansas, and several nieces and nephews. Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Nancy; 3 brothers, Marvin, Lee, and Clyde Bley; 2 sisters, infant Chelsea Bley and Glenna Gordon; and her parents.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, July 24th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. The family will receive friends from 10:30 AM until service time at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to Vernon County Cancer Relief and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports July 23
Human Resource Roundtable Hosted by the Chamber on July 29 at Labconco
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Summer Spotlight at The LMC: Breaking Records & Sharing New Stories
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Location: Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
Date: Thursday, July 24, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM
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2025 Discovery Award – Submissions Closed
Summer Adventure Awaits at the Lowell Milken Center!
Perfect for families, friends, and history lovers!
Plan your visit today: 
(620) 223-1312
Congressman Derek Schmidt Newsletter
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ArtEffect Certificate of Excellence Winners
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Fort Scott’s Design Advisory Board Meets July 31
The City of Fort Scott Design Review Advisory Board Meeting
When: July 31, 2025
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: City Hall
The meeting is open to the public and the recording is available to watch on YouTube after the meeting is held.
Submitted by Lisa Dillon
Chamber Coffee hosted by Fort Scott Presbyterian Village on July 24
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KS Modernizes Child Welfare System
DCF Announces Contracts Awarded to Modernize State’s Child Welfare System
New System Will Help Agency Work More Efficiently, Effectively
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) announced on July 22, 2025, three contracts have been awarded for the department’s new Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS). The CCWIS project will modernize DCF’s child welfare information systems and develop interfaces between the various agencies serving DCF’s Prevention and Protection Services (PPS) and Adult Protective Services (APS) programs.
Many states are pursuing CCWIS projects. Kansas’ CCWIS project will consolidate the functions of the agency’s multiple legacy information systems – most of which are based on 20th century technology – into a single, integrated solution that is flexible and collaborative, streamlining work processes and services for employees, partnering agencies, and clients.
The three new contracts joining the DCF project team include: Design, development, and implementation (DDI); independent verification and validation (IV&V); and quality assurance (QA). The three selected vendors will work with the DCF CCWIS project team to develop and implement the new system.
Design, Development, and Implementation Contract
The DDI contract is the largest contract for the project. This contractor will work alongside DCF staff to develop and roll out the new system. Eleven bids were received for the DDI RFP. RedMane Technology LLC, a Chicago-based software solutions and systems integration company, was selected during the competitive bid process and has been awarded a $44 million contract to design, develop, and implement the department’s CCWIS.
Since 2000, RedMane has created software solutions to help health and human services organizations implement, modernize, and optimize systems for child welfare, child support, and critical case management.
Independent Verification and Validation Contract
Maximus US Services, Inc. has been selected as the IV&V vendor. Maximus brings 23 years of experience, providing IV&V and real-time objective assessment services to the CCWIS project as well as independent oversight of the DDI contractor’s project performance and adherence to schedules and scope of work. The contract award amount is $2,192,200.
Quality Assurance Contract
CSG Government Solutions, headquartered in Chicago, has been selected as the Quality Assurance (QA) vendor for DCF’s CCWIS project. The CSG team offers 25 years of experience delivering quality assurance services for complex health and human services agencies across the country, including multiple active CCWIS projects.
Under the awarded contract valued at $4,745,760, CSG will provide quality analysis of the project’s output, validate system functionality, and ensure Kansas receives the system as contracted.
“A modern and adaptable information technology infrastructure system will help our employees and partners seamlessly work together to better serve Kansans,” said DCF Secretary Laura Howard. “We’re happy to be working with RedMane, Maximus, and CSG to bring the information technology side of Kansas’ child welfare system into the 21st century.”
Benefits of a CCWIS
The new CCWIS will replace multiple older systems, eliminating redundancy and standardizing practice and service delivery statewide. The CCWIS solution will better support key child welfare functions such as management of client files, intake functions, ongoing case management, visitation report entries, court record production, comprehensive reporting, and decision support processing.
Other key benefits may include:
- Improved interfaces with Title IV-A (TANF), Title IV-D (Child Support Enforcement), Title XIX (Medicaid), and the State’s financial and administrative systems;
- Better data sharing with key community partners, including courts, schools, law enforcement, and other state agencies;
- Data accuracy and timeliness.
Once implemented, the CCWIS solution will be fully compliant with the CCWIS Final Rule and subsequent communications by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
“This project aligns with our mission to protect children and promote healthy families by transforming our dated child welfare information technology systems into a modern, adaptable ecosystem that will provide the right services and supports needed to help support the well-being of Kansas children and families,” Howard said.
Process and Funding
DCF has spent the past few years planning for the new CCWIS. The project is expected to cost a total of $100 million over the estimated four-year development period. Approximately 50% of the total cost will come from the State General Fund and 50% from Federal IV-E funds.
During the 2024 Legislative session, Governor Laura Kelly requested, and the Kansas Legislature approved, an enhancement request for an additional $17 million per year for four years starting in FY2025. This $68 million of additional funding, along with $32 million from the base budget, will provide $100 million over the next four years to finish the development. The total cost includes contracts for DDI, QA, and IV&V vendors as well as costs for internal salaries, staffing contractors, travel, training, and other required contracts.
Timeline
Project initiation is anticipated to begin immediately now that all contracted partners have been approved by ACF and the State of Kansas. The DDI contract, the centerpiece of the project, is for four base years and includes three optional 36-month renewals.
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