ELLINWWOO — Saturday dawned a little foggy and overcast, but that didn’t keep nearly 30 volunteers working with Ellinwood’s newest community nonprofit revitalization organization from bringing sunshine to some neighbors in need.
Ellinwood Rise Endowment kicked off its first project in March as a non-profit group with the mission to engage neighborhood involvement in projects benefitting the community. The organization began as the brainchild of Ellinwood Emergency Medical Services Director Brittney Bailey, with more than 10 years in that role with more than 16 years as an employee of the City of Ellinwood.
Known as the community’s “unofficial cheerleader,” Bailey as a lifelong resident has garnered a few accolades in local fundraising efforts and gaining honors for her department as the 2019 Volunteer Service of the Year, as well as being named to the Great Bend Tribune’s “20 under 40” Class of 2024. With her husband, Ellinwood Police Chief Chance Bailey, she is co-owner of the 10-39 Cafe and 10-39 Treats, as well as co-owner of Two Chicks and Some Old Bird antique shop and boutique on Ellinwood’s Main Street.
Origins of Rise
The idea for the organization grew out of an idea Britney had to finish a Certified Manager class.
“I needed a Capstone project, and this was it,” she said. The official start to the organization was last November; that included adoption of a mission statement, creating the organization structure, selecting board members and determining eligibility requirements. With all that done came the task of getting the word out. Jan. 1 was set as the deadline for the first-quarter applications. Brittney serves as the organization’s director.
The first official project was on March 5, with Ellinwood High School’s LEAD class and sponsor Sean O’ONeill cleaning up the city park.
Saturday’s project
On Saturday, Rise gathered with members of the Ellinwood Community Church congregation organized by Nancy Baird. The project was a residence in need of yardwork in the 300 block of Fourth Street, but the key project was the garage, noted Ellinwood Police Chief Chance Bailey.
“A tree had fallen on the east side of the garage, and so we needed to put up some new timbers and facia on,” Chief Bailey noted. “Joiner Construction donated the shingles, which we will install as soon as we remove the old wood shake shingles.”
Twenty-seven church members assisted with the cleanup, bringing a truck and tractor to load and cart away the trash. Ellinwood Hospital & Clinic donated food and beverages for lunch as work progressed into the afternoon. The garage was also prepped for painting, which will be accomplished when weather allows.
“Chance is in charge of code enforcement with the city, but his biggest problem is that a lot of people that are in violation don’t have the means to fix the problem,” Brittney noted. “That’s where Rise comes in. We just received applications for Quarter 2, and we will probably approve all of those applications. Once we get our name out there and people find out about us, we’d like to do four projects per quarter. The community, the business owners, have really backed us and we’ve gotten a couple grants so far.
“The real story here today is the people who showed up ready to make a difference,” Brittney said. “So many volunteers, organizations and sponsors coming together to make this happen — it’s exactly why we’re so proud to call Ellinwood home.
“Here’s to neighbors helping neighbors.”
