Hutchinson Municipal Band

Award: $11,450

While the performance/placemaking space built in Carey Park during the pandemic through the support of a Changemakers at Work grant has proved to be popular, audience members have cited safety and accessibility concerns. Grant funds represent partial funding in support of suggested improvements to the performance space, which may include more sidewalks, permanent landscaping elements that double as seating, and/or park benches.

Hutchinson Theatre Guild (Stage 9)

Award: $5,000

The brickwork behind the sign at Stage 9, the home for Hutchinson Theatre Guild productions, is deteriorating, allowing rainwater to penetrate the building’s façade and leading to water damage inside the building. Grant funds will be used for repairs, which will include removing the sign, masonry contract work and replacement of the sign. This necessary upkeep will allow the Stage 9 venue to remain a safe and appealing spot for the group’s productions and other community concerts and events.

Arlington Community PRIDE Association

Award: $3,725

The Arlington Community PRIDE Association works to make Arlington a place that residents are proud to call home and a town that Reno County is proud to hold. They want shared community spaces to be welcoming and safe for residents and visitors. Grant funding will support repairing the community court at the highway park, so it is useful for the whole community to enjoy tennis, pickleball and basketball.

Arlington United Methodist Church

Award: $15,000

Arlington United Methodist Church is a hub of community activity, including worship, children’s activities, community meals, annual events and community outreach. The building includes three floors, and the design of the current stairway limits access for those with mobility issues and those moving supplies and equipment between floors for events. Grant funding, combined with contributions from the church’s building fund and a regional grant, will allow for construction of an ADA-compliant entry and installation of an elevator, making this community gathering place accessible to all.

Partridge Community Church

Award: $6,500

With the loss of a public school and a local café, the Partridge community is without two critical places where people once gathered. Grant funds will be used to create a gathering place in a vacant lot using trees, native plants and educational features. Community organizers and volunteers are creating a place where people can share experiences and learn from one another. They see the potential for a community garden, building appreciation for native plants and animals and a beautiful setting for musical events, shared meals and quiet contemplation in this community space.

Alzheimer’s Association-Central & Western Kansas Chapter

Award: $5,000

Funding will help provide direct services, such as support groups, care consultations and community education, to over 1,220 individuals in Reno County.

Bluestem PACE-Hutchinson

Award: $10,258

Bluestem PACE-Hutchinson, which works to help seniors maintain independence and enhance their quality of life, will use funding to purchase an Air-300 Leg Press and small compressor so Reno County participants have access to onsite weight training equipment for strengthening leg and pelvic floor muscles.

Emanuel Lutheran Church

Award: $750

Grant will support the continued work of Emanuel’s growing mission to provide rebuilt bicycles to those who have no other form of transportation.

Grace Dental Day, Inc.

Award: $20,000 ($10,000 per year for two years)

A high number of people in Reno County are unable to afford dental care. Grant funding will support Grant Dental Day, an annual event where community members can receive free dental services, education on the importance of proper oral hygiene and the impact it can have on overall health, and oral care products for personal use. This event represents the collaboration of many local dental professionals, support team members and volunteers, all working together to provide free dental care to those who need it.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, Inc.

Award: $2,100

In the past 18 months, four of seven senior staff positions have seen turnover. Maintaining high-quality programming and operations at the club is essential for the organization and the youth who benefit from those programs. Grant funding will support the club’s upcoming steps to build capacity and clearly define roles for new leaders and senior staff members through position-specific trainings, leadership development courses, and coaching opportunities, helping ensure the club’s continued success and positive impact on local youth and families.

Fairfield Schools-USD 310

Award: $7,300

Results from the most recent Kansas Communities That Care survey indicated Fairfield schools’ areas of concern are bullying, social/emotional health, depression, suicide, and student engagement and connectivity. Grant funding will be used to engage Rachel’s Challenge, an evidence-based program that addresses prevention of school violence, bullying and suicide among students. In addition to the time students and parents can engage in activity with the Rachel’s Challenge staff, follow-up curriculum will be accessed designed to help students and staff develop plans that promote a culture of respect and kindness.

Faris Elementary School

Award: $1,063

Funding will support the purchase of equipment for Bal-A-Vis-X exercises, which are designed to build concentration, stamina, cooperation, focus and self-regulation skills.

Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters Serving Reno County

Award: $6,430

Big Brothers Big Sisters aims to provide quarterly organized activities for their Bigs and Littles. The grant will purchase supplies and pay entry fees and other expenses associated with those activities and will also support the development of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ office community space, allowing it to be a free and appropriate spot for Bigs and Littles to spend time together.

Pretty Prairie United Methodist Church

Award: $15,000

In preparation for starting a child care center in the building, Pretty Prairie United Methodist Church will use this grant, along with support from the congregation’s building fund and money from the Great Plains UMC, to construct a new ground-level, ADA-compliant entrance. This grant is made from the Helen Adams Hamilton Children and Education Fund of Hutchinson Community Foundation.

Award: $2,500

Grant funds will allow for the addition of a permanent shade structure for the sand area in the community park, encouraging outdoor play and interaction even on the hottest of days.

Award: $1,000

Grant funding will be used to help with the development of a dog park, which will provide an adequate and safe gathering place for Haven dog owners and their pets to enjoy activity and interaction with one another.

Award: $2,500

The city will use grant funding to add outdoor seating, outdoor games, shade and turf to an empty lot in the business district. The resulting activity park will provide outdoor space for the after-school program at the adjacent library as well as during community events.

Award: $2,500

Neighbors will build a sense of community through a group cleanup day at Bernard White Park in Hutchinson’s Creekside Neighborhood. Funds will be used for a mailing to neighbors announcing the workday, dumpster and equipment rental, gloves, tools, and food for the volunteers.

Award: $1,910

Grant funds will be directed toward Emanuel’s ongoing mission to share rebuilt bicycles with low-income individuals. The bicycles provide an economical way to reach various destinations within the city, such as job interviews, places of employment, medical appointments and community events.

Award: $2,500

The Falcon Family Program will create and foster an interconnected web of supportive relationships among children and trusted adults, who may be staff members or volunteers. Access to supportive relationships can contribute to a reduction in risky behavior and build a sense of belonging and community. Grant funding will be used to purchase materials and curriculum.

Award: $2,500

Farmington Park neighbors are eager to enhance the new trail recently installed in the park by the City of Hutchinson. These grant funds will allow for planting new shade trees where older ones had to be removed and for the installation costs of two benches already purchased for placement along the trail, making the trail even more inviting.

Award: $2,500

After observing high rates of neighborhood participation during the city’s spring cleanup day each year, Founders Neighborhood leaders, in collaboration with Iglesia Nueva Vida church members, will organize an additional fall cleanup – complete with volunteers to assist those who have difficulty transporting objects to the dumpster provided. Grant funding will cover the cost of mailings to advertise the spring and fall cleanup days and the cost of meals, gloves and necessary tools for event volunteers. This joint effort among residents aims to help create a cleaner place to live and instill a greater sense of neighborhood pride.

Award: $2,500

Residents of Grace Arbor Neighborhood will purchase soccer goals with their grant funding as the first step in turning an empty space into a gathering place for the neighborhood. The Salvation Army of Reno County is partnering with neighbors and Hutchinson’s Parks Department in turning the vacant field near its building into a park through a series of improvement projects.

Award: $2090

The Mary Magdalene House building is utilized for mental health awareness, mental health classes, mental health connection groups, grief therapy, clinical counseling services, and events for foster care/adoptive families. The organization is continuing to add programming, and because many programs occur at night, the funding will be used for a solar-powered light to illuminate the parking lot, helping to ensure the safety of attendees.

Award: $1,500

Reno County students in fifth through eighth grades will spend a day at Hutchinson High School learning and building leadership skills with high school Rise Up Reno Youth Leaders, who lead groups in fun projects, presentations and activities. Funding will assist with the fee for a featured speaker during YES.

Award: $2,500

Grant funding will cover the cost of three benches and the concrete necessary for installation as part of one of the first steps neighbors have requested in creating a park in the lot near the Salvation Army’s building. The City of Hutchinson, Salvation Army and neighborhood residents are partnering on planning and carrying out this project.

Award: $2,500

SW Bricktown Neighborhood will use this grant funding to purchase two soccer goals for residents and community members to enjoy while in the park. Neighbors believe the addition of this equipment will increase use of the park, creating more opportunities for neighbors to engage with one another.

Award: $1,000

Residents sparked a conversation with their Hutchinson City Council representative about the possibility of bringing back the eternal flame that once burned at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at the intersection of First Avenue and Walnut Streets. The City of Hutchinson and Kansas Gas Service collaborated with community members to ensure the return of the eternal flame. Grant funds will help with fuel costs and maintenance of this memorial that is a source of community pride.

Award: $500

Funds will purchase curriculum and materials aimed at helping middle school students improve their interpersonal skills.

Award: $300

Funds will purchase youth-friendly books and activities.

Award: $450

Funds will purchase craft supplies and educational materials to enhance the quality of the district’s after-school care.

Award: $630

The organization will use the grant to print coloring books for its Black and Brown Leaders Coloring Book Series, a collaborative project with USD 308. The project aims to help youth identify and relate to local leaders, who will be the coloring subjects in the books.

Award: $760

Funds will help provide a canopy tent shelter and portable bike rack for the growing youth cycling team to use on race weekends.

Award: $1,000

Money from this grant will help support the necessary seed and livestock feed for the group’s youth-run community garden, which teaches members about urban farming and access to healthy foods. The group will then donate the food grown.

Award: $920

The grant will purchase creative play equipment to enhance children’s gross motor skills during indoor play on inclement weather days at the only licensed state day care in the school district’s territory.