Wheatland Electric’s Sharing Success Fund, managed by the Scott Community Foundation, recently awarded four $1,000 grants to non-profits in its service territory.
A grant for $1,000 was awarded to Circles of Central Kansas. Circles submitted the request for the grant to help supply meals on a weekly basis to families involved in the program, purchase curriculum for new participants and help with supply costs for coaches.
Circles of Central Kansas is a poverty-based resolution program located in Great Bend. Circles is committed to sharing with willing participants the important resources needed as well as accompanying them while walking out of generational poverty. Great Bend has had two graduating classes thus far with a third beginning in April 2019. The $1,000 grant will help with the goal of Circles, to help as many people rise above the federal poverty line.
Another $1,000 grant went to Agora Inc., which submitted a request for the $1,000 grant to help with the establishment of the newly created service organization. Agora was created as a service organization to help the Presbyterian Church address its diminishing membership. Agora was created with the specific purpose of providing service to the community while allowing for the continued use of the Presbyterian Church for worship. The concept of the service center was lifted from the historic heritage of the Presbyterian Church being used for community events in the past.
A third grant for $1,000 was awarded to the Caldwell Opera House. The Caldwell Historical Society submitted their request for the $1,000 grant which would help with the replacement of the roof, a larger drain box to be put in and the repairs of a crumbling wall of the Caldwell Opera House. Original construction began in 1879 and housed Caldwell’s first Opera House. Its main use was for entertainment but it also housed a bank in the downstairs. The Opera House has a very colorful history, including shootouts between the citizens of Caldwell and cowboy outlaws.
A fourth grant for $1,000 was awarded to the Harper Art Association. The Association submitted their request for the $1,000 grant to help with the costs of a new HVAC system for the Depot in Harper. The Harper Art Association meets monthly in the old train depot, which was moved to Harper in the early 1960s. It has never been heated or air-conditioned.
The Scott Community Foundation began formally accepting applications for grants from the Wheatland Electric Sharing Success Fund from non-profit organizations on Dec. 1, 2012. Wheatland Electric and CoBank have contributed an additional $5,000 each year to the fund. The program will continue to run until the funds are exhausted. Non-profit groups interested in receiving funding from the Wheatland Electric Sharing Success Fund should contact Alli Conine, manager of Member Services and Corporate Communications, at aconine@weci.net or call 620-874-4563 for further details.
