Pilot Club of Great Bend has joined the Kansas Leadership Center in the Kansas Beats the Virus initiative to slow the spread of COVID-19. Especially now that vaccines are on the horizon for delivery to all individuals in our communities by spring, the Pilot Club of Great Bend will partner with the KLC to promote local activities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 until the vaccine is readily available and Kansans can be safe from this devastating virus.   

Pilot Club, a local civic organization, is proposing a strategy to inspire local solutions to keep Kansans healthy, keep schools and businesses open, help keep our health services from being overwhelmed, and protect Kansas’ economy amidst the pandemic. 

“We hope to mobilize leaders in our community – pastors, coaches, neighborhood leaders, business owners, community officials, PTO members, volunteers, educators, civic organizations, and everyday Kansans,” said Rhonda Knudson, club president. Empowering these people can help them stop the spread for themselves. 

“Our communities in the county have differing strengths, challenges, and needs,” she said. “Pilot club wants those closest to the problem, the leaders and everyday people, to find the right solutions to keep their families safe and communities healthy.”

Great Bend Pilots action plan to slow the spread of the virus is to raise awareness, provide information, and ask people within the community to wear a mask in public, social distance, and wash their hands frequently, she said. “There is no single solution that will stop the virus, but if this action plan gets more people to follow these basic steps, we’ll have fewer cases; our schools and businesses can stay open; and we will help alleviate the strain on our health care system.”