HOISINGTON —FOCUS (Fostering Our Community’s Unique Strengths) announces that Hoisington has received a sizable pledge to kick off their fundraising efforts to restore pride in Hoisington’s Pride Park on East Third Street. FOCUS hopes to raise more than $80,000 to make much-needed improvements to the park.
CPI’s Barton County Endowment committee has elected to provide a pledge of $5,000 for the project. FOCUS will only receive these funds if they successfully raise an additional $10,000 in gifts by Feb. 1, 2012. The pledge is made possible through the CPI Barton County Endowment Fund, a component fund of the Golden Belt Community Foundation.
The CPI Barton County endowment is a donor-advised fund. It was established by the CUNA Mutual Group when they purchased CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc. in June 2009. The goal of the endowment is to enhance Barton County communities to improve the quality of life where their employees live and work.
Brenda Kaiser of CPI said, "We applaud people who take an active role to make their community better. Our pledge to provide funding for the Hoisington Pride Park project is a great opportunity to make a visible enhancement in the community of Hoisington. We look forward to provide additional enhancements to Barton County in the future."
The pledge will help FOCUS to build on recent successes. In September, Hoisington’s governing body expressed support of the project and authorized administrative staff to work closely with the group to bring the project to fruition.
"A community is only as good as you make it. I am excited to see people in our community working so hard to make Hoisington a great place to call home," said Mayor Clayton Williamson.
The group held a pig roast in October and raised more than $2,500 toward the project. FOCUS’s, Jessica Baze, was elated about the news. She said, "The much needed improvements to Pride Park are a step closer to reality as a result of the CPI Barton County Endowment’s progressive reinvestment in our community. I am confident our community will respond by supporting this much needed project."
In an effort to assist this group, the city has established an account for funds so gifts to this project are tax deductible. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to this project can submit a check at the city office or via mail at City of Hoisington, 109 E. First St., P.O. Box 418, Hoisington, KS 67544. Checks should be made out to City of Hoisington-Pride Park Project.
Volunteers include Hoisington residents Baze, Kris and Jean Brinlee, Tagan Brown, Nona Jamison, Judy Loesch, Jonathan Mitchell, Duane Reif, Jeanne Schmidt, Shannon Stephens, and Randy Strickland as well as Pat Oswald of Beaver. For more information, call Jessica Baze at (620)786-2085 or Shannon Stephens at (620)603-0252 or email hoisingtonfocus@gmail.com.
