Robert's Rural Community Development Blog

Youth Involvement

2008-05-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

There is the lack of opportunity for young people having meaningful involvement in the civic life of our communities. Young people have contributions to make long before the legal attainment of adulthood. The prevailing attitude, however, is that young people are either problems to be fixed or adults-in-waiting. We need to provide new avenues for youth participation and influence. As adult community members we need to recognize the ways in which we label and exclude youth. We need to work toward norms and ideas that include young people in the public life of the community. Can we create dialogues, activities and processes that will bring youth and adults together as partners to create a healthier society? Can we as adults take responsibility in fostering constructive criticism and providing constructive ideas and/or solutions for our youth to consider? We must include them in our future projects and goals of our communities.

Very Special People

2008-02-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is one of if not the largest provider of one-to-one youth mentoring services in the United States. These mentoring services to our local youth promote positive outcomes in their relationships with family, peers and they are less likely to skip school, drop out, become pregnant, abuse drugs or become involved in criminal activity. It is important to take the time to thank and recognize the people that make the effort and contribute to this organization. These people contribute all year long, whether it is donating time, baking cookies or giving money they are all very special people. They are setting an example of leadership for these youth. I was especially happy to see that the local high school organization (KAY) Kansas Association for Youth was involved. These are high school youth that are becoming involve in the community and may become leaders one day. I also noted in the Morning Sun article that much of the proceeds go to paying for the background checks done on each volunteer to ensure the safety of the youngsters who participate. I am sure all or our local legislators support the background checks, but could they end or reduce the financial aspect of this burden on Big Brothers Big Sisters. There can be no worthier cause than the future of our children. Thank you to all the surrounding area communities, local leadership, groups, organizations and businesses for your caring, your commitment, and your dedication to the youth of America.

Crawford County Focus and Progress Community Award

2008-02-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Focus and Progress in Community Award Feb 24, 2008
I enjoy working towards the betterment of the communities. There are many challenges and opportunities for us in helping build strong, significant nonpartisan relationships within communities. We have to develop shared visions that are critical to sustaining successful partnerships. We have to build relationships that maintain ongoing communications. We have to be a matchmaker, identify potential partnerships. We have to constantly restructure and adapt to our challenged environment. It is our responsibility to improve and provide opportunities aimed for high achievement and successful models. We are instrumental in bringing together leaders and organizations to develop partnerships to explore and find solutions to various public issues and concerns facing our communities.

Franklin Community Council, Inc., better known as FCCI, is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2003 after the tornadoes affected southeast Kansas by a devastating act of nature. What began as an organization to rebuild the community of Franklin has become an exceptional non-profit that provides programs and services that benefit the entire area of southeast Kansas. The leadership of the organization has been outstanding and the level of volunteerism is something to be envied. This organization continues to strive to make Crawford County a better place through a variety of projects and programs. Volunteers range in age from youth to seniors in their 90s. It is admirable to see the youth working side by side with a senior citizen on a variety of volunteer projects. News of this non-profit has had far reaching effects and shines a bright light on all of southeast Kansas. As the world reads about their efforts it reflects well on the entire region and shows what small communities can accomplish when working together for the good of all. FCCI (Franklin Community Council, Inc.) owns and maintains the Franklin Community Center and Heritage Museum and the Franklin Community Park. We are very proud of these facilities as they were made possible by a very dedicated group of volunteers and area businesses and residents of Crawford County. FCCI has proven their commitment to provide events and a facility for the entire area of southeast Kansas. Area residents and businesses are very supportive of the council. Our hard work and dedication has been obvious since the formation of the council. 100% of monies and products that have been donated have been used wisely and go directly toward specific projects and programs. The board of directors is comprised entirely of volunteers and none are paid for their work.

A welcome sign was constructed so visitors traveling along Highway 69 and Highway 47 would see the pride in the community. A historical marker was placed by the Saia family denoting their presence on that corner in the early 1900s.

The Community Center and Heritage Museum is a well used facility. The council is very aware of the needs of the citizens of the community and works diligently to provide the services they request. The Heritage Museum is a beautiful historical remembrance of the past 100 years of activity in the community and the area. The special Veterans Display is a highly visited attraction. Two former POWs (Tony Zemlock and Clark Fikes) who have been Franklin residents donated much of their military memorabilia for everyone to enjoy. Other veterans or their families have donated items to complete the display. School pictures dates back to the early 1900s. This building houses many historical
items lovingly preserved in glass display cases for all to see. Many, many residents and former residents have donated beautiful pieces of history. Everywhere you turn you will see items that will tell the story of the hard working and dedicated residents of the area.

The Community Park is another facility we are proud to have built. Through the hard work of many volunteers, and many generous donors including the Pritchett Foundation which is managed by M & I Corporation, Pittsburg, Ks. the park has become a reality. The park is used on a daily basis. It was constructed to be a shining light in the center of the community after the devastating tornado of 2003. The walking path which surrounds the park has become an exercise facility for adults while their children play in the park. The memorial garden is filled with pavers remembering residents from the community. Many historical artifacts are included in the park and add to the enjoyment of a visit. The shelter is used for many family and community activities. The park also includes bocce courts, basketball courts, horseshoe pits and playground equipment. The park sign houses the beautiful artifacts from St. Philip Neri Catholic Church which was torn down shortly after the tornado. They were donated by the Touchy/Pitts family who wanted to be assured that these items remained in the community. One early resident, John Nepote, brought his skills as a bricklayer back to the community and constructed all the signs along with the bbq pit at the park. He had a group of volunteers who helped him with the projects.

Franklin Community Council, Inc. committed to being among the finest communities in Kansas. It will provide effective, efficient and affordable services leading to a safe, secure and healthy community, an environment for growth, and promote a favorable quality of life.

Develop a Web Site or Improve It.

2008-02-16T00:07:00.000-08:00

Third class cities and rural communities have a very cost effective and efficient way to market their community. As a person who wants to escape this summer to rural parts of the state, I rely on the internet to find places to go. Many of the smaller communities and rural areas do not advertise or promote themselves.

Nothing beats word-of-mouth marketing, of course, but investing more in marketing a web site may improve the awareness of what the community or area has to offer.

A Special Thank You

2007-11-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank all who made our Veterans Celebration a success in Franklin Kansas. Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, Representative Bob Grant, State Senator Jim
Barone and Anne Emerson, Community Development Director for Senator Sam Brownback all took time from their busy schedules to spend the afternoon
with our most deserving citizens – our veterans. We appreciate the time
they spent with us and their inspiring words. We thank Dr. Ron Seglie for
coming “home” to Franklin to share his experiences and thoughts with us.
We are so grateful to dedicated teachers like Lori Pommier and Renee
Popejoy. Lori brought her 4th & 5th grade students to perform a USO type
show which was the highlight of the afternoon. Renee and her KAY (Kansas
Association of Youth) high school students served our luncheon. We
appreciate their wonderful show of respect for our veterans. These
students are sure to be our future leaders. Thanks to Larry Ent of Alpha Phi
Omega for his help throughout the day. We were honored to have Tony Zemlock and Warren Jones share the day with us. Tony & Warren are both former POWs. Chester “Clark” Fikes, a former POW, intended to join us but was hospitalized and unable to attend. We send our prayers and best wishes to him. We would also like to thank Frank Bozich for sharing the day with us. We were proud to have the
opportunity to honor him for his special award as “Oldest Living Kansas
Veteran”. A special thanks to the dedicated volunteers who worked
tirelessly to plan and organize the event, prepare the refreshments and
take charge of the entire afternoon.. It would not be possible without
these dedicated people. Thank you all for your support. We would like to give a special thanks to all veterans honored on this day. They are all true heroes.

Working With Public Entities

2007-11-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

There are many challenges and opportunities for us in helping build strong, significant nonpartisan relationships within the public entities. We have to develop shared visions that are critical to sustaining successful partnerships. We have to build relationships that maintain ongoing communication for collaboration. When we increase collaboration we reduce duplication and misdirection. We have to be a matchmaker, identify potential partnerships. We have to constantly restructure and adapt to our challenged environment. It is our responsibility to improve and provide opportunities aimed for high achievement and successful models. We should work to provide support for unique and time-sensitive situations. We are instrumental in bringing together leaders and organizations to develop partnerships to explore and find solutions to various public issues and concerns facing our communities.

The Personality Clash Obstacle

2005-03-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

Personalities and their incompatibility “personality clashes” between others can be an obstacle within community councils/boards and committees that can become a very big opportunity to develop into positive outcomes. However with some gentle effort and some heightened perspective we may be able to work well with practically anyone. Community leadership must take responsibility to make these personality clashes to turn into positive outcomes. We must not insist that other people see life or behave the way we do. Personalities have various effects on the objectives and goals that communities are working towards. They will effect attitudes, outcomes of projects and have potential to foster incompatibility. Community’s boards and their committees are made up of many volunteers and residents that have many talents to offer. They all have to work together to accomplish the goals the community has decided to work towards. Leadership of the community (Chairman or Chairpersons) boards or committees maybe key in reaching the objective of fostering positive compatibility between all members of boards and committees. This issue can be a real challenge. It is probably the most difficult of all obstacles to produce positive outcomes. Controversial issues do arise, and the ability to make decisions based on merit rather than personalities is a must. We must find ways to maximize positive outcomes when dealing with personality incompatibility. We have to encourage and implement ideas and suggestion that will promote a culture of teamwork. We may need to take a look at our own personality clashes,not only the ones between others. Letting go of them may take a huge weight off of our shoulders and allow us to have a more open mind and accept different concepts from others.

Dealing With Obstacles

2005-03-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

When we are pursuing our goals to improve our community we are confronted with many obstacles or should I say opportunities for development. They can cause us to lose our sense of direction and focus of our objectives and goals. Obstacles provide opportunities to develop and also high levels of stress within community boards and committees. Obstacles may mean we need to change our course slightly to adjust to that obstacle. It may also be telling us or the community that it needs a new approach or to explore new ideas and ways of effectively moving forward. Communities should not look at an obstacle as being negative, but look at it as a learning tool. Obstacles should encourage a community to be creative and foster exploration of their abilities and talents within. They will prepare a community for future setbacks. Obstacles will call upon the spirit, participation and determination of the community and its leadership. Obstacles are only temporary setbacks that have to be dealt with along the way.

Establishment of a Unincorporated Rural Community

2005-03-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

Rural communities must first have desire to improve the quality of life. They generally foster strong positive moral values. Many rural communities do not have a governing body. They are unincorporated and do not know where to begin the long challenging process of forming a local governing body. The community of Franklin Kansas (unincorporated) was in the path of an F-5 tornado on May 4, 2003. The devastation was beyond comprehension. The community center, post office and one third of the homes were totally destroyed. That is what began a challenging opportunity. It seemed to fall into place. By that I mean it just seemed that the community pulled together and the sprit of Franklin came to life. That was the desire needed to accomplish the many great opportunities for development that were ahead. The economic devastation was so great that rebuilding the community seem beyond realistic hope. Anything is possible if the desire is there. After the tornado help was quick to move in. FEMA and USDA were on the location in a matter of hours and began to help. As the next few months went on the community had no governing body to provide leadership or organization in the clean-up or rebuilding process. In order for the community to receive financial aid from the government the community had to have a controlling internal body that could be held accountable for the processes required to obtain funding for rebuilding the community. So that was the first challenge. The community started with two steps that were the very critical for the rebuilding process to begin. The implementations of a website and community council were the first two steps. The website (www.franklinkansas.com), to provide vital information needed to inform the public of issues related to the rebuilding process. The community council, to provide leadership, direction and organization for the community. The Franklin Community Council, Inc. was formed in Oct. of 2003, 6 months after the tornado. I sat down and began to put together a list of people that were and had been involved in the community in the past. I didn’t really know where to start so I picked nine of them. It seemed like a good number for a community council. I didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into with this project. I soon found myself searching to find resources for information on this issue. The community needed to form a community council and become a not for profit organization (501-C-3) to acquire grants and accept gifts. Many government and state agencies require this status before they will award funds. Also many corporations require the same status before they will donate or make contributions. After the development of the website and community council that is when we started our endless but diligent effort to make sure the the community of Franklin will live forever.

The Spirit of Rural Communities

2005-03-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

The spirit of a rural community is essential for maintaining the life of the community. It must involve community residents that have the ambition and energy to work endless hours. Leadership must be present within, and be willing to take on challenges that may overwhelm them from time to time. Every community has a different culture it supports or would like to foster. Communities are like big families and have their own ideas on how they would like to grow and move forward. Only the communities that are aggressive will be able to move forward. It is a struggle and challenge as their resources and knowledge is limited at times. There are many times that they find it would be easier to fade into the process of deterioration. If leadership and knowledge are offered to communities then there are usually residents within willing to devote their talents and abilities to the cause. Everyone has something to offer. Our jobs as leaders must be to recognize those talents and abilities. We must provide opportunity for the utilization of the talents and abilities of those in the community. This will help to foster and maintain the spirit in the community. We must create projects and programs that will promote participation from every level of the social status of residents in the community. We must recognize the other side of the equation. It involves the buy-in of the residents and the efficient, effective execution of ideas and suggestions that will foster participation.

Patience, Persistence and Perseverance

2004-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have found that patience and persistence are essential traits you may want to retain. You have to be patient and persistent to be successful when working within the realms of bureaucracy. State and Federally funded programs can involve lengthy processes. These processes are to ensure that you’re community projects are completed properly and your tax dollars are spent effectively and effiently. Program applications and approval processes can be lengthy at times. Most require a 30 to 90 day approval period. The agencies and there staffs are very helpful and work diligently with endless effort to help communities with the programs they provide. They work very hard to provide access of funding programs to all communities. I have found that respect and appreciation will go along way. We must continue to build a relationship with Rural Development and other agencies. We must work together and contribute with positive and constructive suggestions and/or ideas that will foster opportunity for community development. The key is persistence when working toward development of any community project or program. You have to be persistent in follow-up and making sure everything continues to move a forward direction. You have to make sure that the agencies have all the support and information they need from your community. You must be will to put an endless amount of hours into your efforts. The barriers that communities face in their development are only conquered through perseverance, patience and persistence.

The Support That Rural Communities May Need To Survive

2004-10-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have found that there may be a lack of support offered to rural communities by many state agencies. By lack of support I mean resources that provide knowledge of programs and/or technical support offered to rural communities. Programs that will provide quality training in leadership. I believe that we need to direct more attention to this issue. We need programs in place that provide opportunities for communities if they desire to proceed in the direction of growth and governing organization. The programs should include support in technical knowledge and funding resources that will encourage rural communities to develop governing bodies. Rural communities need help in forming community councils, community boards and so on. Rural communities have leaders within them. They may not know what steps to take in getting started. Our state agencies may need to start a campaign that will inform rural community leaders of programs they initiate. We need to work with state agencies to develop committees or programs that will foster this concept and culture. We need to as citizens begin to provide training and begin to educate our young people to be leaders in their communities. Every person has abilities and talents that will compliment their community. The challenge is to recognize what they are. We need to help them utilize their talents and abilities in an effective way within the community. Our rural communities are slowly disappearing. Rural communities produce individuals and families that can problem solve. They have to learn the problem solving process in order to survive. We must do everything we can to help facilitate the processes that will allow rural communities to survive.

My Intentions

2004-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

In the future I would like to post issues that are constructive, positive and may help to preserve rural communities. Rural communities face many barriers in their efforts to grow and provide opportunities for growth. Our community has worked through many of those barriers and continues to do so. Rural communities play an important role in our society. It is only through perseverance that rural communities can make some achievements and accomplish their goals. Future post will detail past experiences that our un-incorporated community of Franklin Kansas has faced and still faces. It is my hope that in the future this will foster growth for other rural communities. Please feel free to contact me for additional communication on the issues. "Visit" our website www.franklinkansas.com (community council link) to see the principles we support and our objectives. Check back soon to follow up on this blog.