ELLINWOOD – The Ellinwood Sunflower Bank Community Ambassadors kicked off their first session with a field trip to Ellinwood’s 1894 Hotel Wolf which housed Starr Antiques and has been a cornerstone business in Ellinwood for over 35 years. The Hotel is directly over a portion of the old Ellinwood Underground World and has a rich history of Ellinwood.
The Ellinwood Seniors toured the Underground and were guided through the original passageways to three of yesteryear’s underground businesses. One view in the pictures are an actual 19th century harness shop, a barber shop and bathhouse, as well as a section of original tunnel passage and coal storage.
The High School Seniors were educated with stories of early Ellinwood, when the underground world existed and they learned about why it closed and how a portion was saved. The purpose of this first class is to learn about what Ellinwood has to offer in terms of local economic Development. The Underground tunnels are on the National Registry of historic places and Sunflower Bank is pleased to show the students what is so important about their community. The Tunnel Tours host over 3000 visitors each year. Many students mentioned it had been several years since they had taken the tour and they learned so much more about the rich history of Ellinwood.
“As a community bank we invest time, effort and have a passion for our hometown community. Being able to provide this program year after year to our area youth is always exciting and certainly vital for our future generation of leaders,” said Becca Maxwell, Retail Service Officer about the program. “Our unique program provides the opportunity for our Ellinwood High School Seniors to learn more about their community. We’re pleased to have the entire Senior class from Ellinwood participate again this year.”
The Community Ambassadors is a leadership program established by Sunflower Bank in 2006 that encourages entrepreneurship and promoting hometown pride among high school seniors. Each year, every Sunflower Bank market selects a diverse group of students as Community Ambassadors. These students get an insider’s look at what makes their hometown tick: entrepreneurship, economic development, local government, giving back to the community and gaining a valuable background by consulting with local business leaders.
Student ambassadors start season with historic tour