WICHITA – Kansans who care about the future of their communities will gather in Wichita Wedneday, Oct. 2, through Friday, Oct. 4,  for the fifth-annual Kansas Community Leadership Initiative Summit, a week of inspiration, education and intense civic leadership training.
Among those participating are members of Leadership Golden Belt (Barton, Edwards, Rush and Stafford counties). This includes: Anna Bassford, Santa Fe Trail Center; Arvin Fontarum, Quivira Council, Boy Scouts of America; Candice Moeder, CPI Qualified Planning Consultants; Debra Colglazier, Larned State Hospital; Geneva Applebee, Benefit Management, Inc.; Jenna Miller, Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau; Kevyn Soupiset, Advance Therapy & Sports Medicine; Kimberly Becker, Daniel R. Trickey Memorial Life Giving Center; Laura Smith, Country Place Senior Living; Linn Hogg, Barton Community College-Volunteers in Action; Renee Dykes, CPI Qualified Planning Consultants; Scott Goodheart, Hoisington Recreation Commission; Sue Cooper, Golden Belt Community Foundation; Sydney Blanton, Stafford County Economic Development.
 Hosted by the Kansas Leadership Center, participants include the directors/facilitators of community leadership programs and either their current leadership class, the class that most recently finished or the upcoming class.
 The Kansas Leadership Center is unique in the nation. No other entity has KLC’s statewide reach, robust funding and focus on leadership for the common good.
 Why such a tremendous investment? Because the Kansas Leadership Center believes place-based, civic leadership programs will play a critical role in helping Kansas communities make progress on the deep, daunting challenges that most concern them.
 “We’re tremendously excited for this gathering of Kansans under one roof,” said KLC President and CEO Ed O’Malley. “They’re living, breathing examples of effective civic engagement, by their effective use of the ideas we share at KLC.”
 Other participating programs include: Leadership Chanute, Leadership Dodge City, Leadership Emporia, Leadership Garden City, Leadership Greater Topeka, Leadership Hays, Leadership Labette, Leadership Lawrence, Leadership Newton, Leadership Reno County, Leadership Salina, and Southeast Kansas Regional Leadership Development (13 counties in southeast Kansas.)
 All KLC Summit events will take place at the Kansas Leadership Center & Kansas Health Foundation Conference Center, 325 E. Douglas, Wichita. A similar summit for other community leadership programs in Kansas is being planned for spring 2014.
 The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, and is charged with fostering civic leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities. To learn more, visit www.kansasleadershipcenter.org.
 For more information, contact Shaun Rojas at srojas@kansasleadershipcenter.org or at 316-712-4956, or Jamie Crouse at jcrouse@kansasleadershipcenter.org or at 316-712-4948.