Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that the Department of Commerce has selected the third cohort of Rural Champions to solve pressing needs in their local communities. These nine experienced leaders will receive support to take on and complete locally identified projects in towns across rural Kansas.
“Rural communities are the heart of this state — and it’s incredibly inspiring to see so many community leaders take on an array of challenges that improve quality of life and create new economic opportunities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These projects address specific local needs — and it takes devoted individuals who have an intimate understanding of their town to get them to the finish line.”
Inspired by a Kansas Sampler Foundation report, the Office of Rural Prosperity, in collaboration with the Patterson Family Foundation, created the Rural Champions program as a way for rural communities facing a lack of capital or other resources to make progress. The Rural Champions program provides a one-year wage stipend of $20,800 to each champion, along with training and resources. Champions also will receive up to $33,000 at the end of the year to move into the implementation phase of their projects.
Awardees from this round of Rural Champions:
- Amy Robertson (Burlington) – Developing a countywide trail network
- Brandi McRay (St. Paul) – Developing safe, ADA-accessible park and ballfield spaces
- Emily Campbell (Hoxie) – Coordinating a healthy food pathway across nine western counties with grower alignment and retail activation
- Emma Walker (Mankato) – Creating a downtown improvement program and a comprehensive downtown beautification plan
- Harley Shaub (Belleville) – Creating a downtown beautification and streetscape plan
- Joseph LaBelle (Cimarron) – Creating a community communication system for volunteers and community members
- Joy Schwartz (Pratt) – Strengthening Pratt County’s food, health and transportation network coordination and systems
- Kac Rae McAlonan (Russell) – Increasing downtown business revitalization, historic preservation and upper-story housing readiness
- Stephanie Imthurn (Alma) – Reducing community blight, revitalizing Main Street, using trails and land stewardship to strengthen rural economies
Since the start of the program, there have been 26 Rural Champions who have created a variety of innovative solutions for community challenges. Completed and in progress projects range from rebuilding a grocery store in Dighton, revitalizing an abandoned elementary school in Wetmore, establishing a 24/7 mental health telehealth resource in Morton County —to opening a childcare center with round-the-clock care in Dodge City and initiating a rural healthcare workforce recruitment campaign in Rooks County.
“Our Rural Champions work on the most difficult challenges that their towns face — and they experience the effects it has on the communities and its people,” Office of Rural Prosperity Director Trisha Purdon said. “These visionaries are really moving the needle forward in our hometowns to resolve community issues that need the most attention.”
This cohort will be funded in part by the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative and the Patterson Family Foundation. The Rural Champions funds are one of the tools provided by Commerce that supports and empowers communities with critical challenges to solve. To view all past Rural Champions projects, click here.
