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: $915

Funds will support the addition of permanent musical instruments, such as hand drums, chimes and bells, in Graber Elementary School’s outdoor classroom, providing yet another reason for students to make use of and enjoy this educational space.

Award: $2,500

Hutch in Harmony, in collaboration with Hutch Rec, the Reno County Museum and Darrell Pope, is developing a series of videos capturing stories of the civil rights struggle and progress as it was enacted and witnessed by Reno County residents. Funds will allow for a professional media company to edit the videos into a feature-length film that will be shown locally and then housed at the Reno County Museum.

Award: $2,170

Funds will support the purchase of a spiderweb climbing feature that will be part of the new Nature Play area at the Hutchinson Zoo. The area will also include other features and opportunities for children and families to interact outdoors and will be open to zoo visitors in the fall of 2022.

Award: $915

The school is in the process of constructing an outdoor classroom, which will provide a new learning experience for the students and allow them to experiment with growing plants and tending flower boxes and the butterfly garden. During this first phase of construction, grant funds will support the purchase of supplies to build the concrete story stage planned for the outdoor classroom.

Award: $2,500

Partridge Community Church is beginning a three-phase project to create an outdoor community venue for music, storytelling, gardening, learning and fellowship. In addition to providing a space to bring area residents together, community members hope to share the harvest from the future community garden plots with families in need of fresh produce. Funds will support installation of electricity and water.

Award: $1500

YES! is an all-day event led by Reno County high school students and Rise Up Reno staff for students in fifth through eighth grades. Through a series of activities and discussions with community members — including business owners, a mental health professional, a sheriff’s officer and a motivational speaker — students will become better equipped for transitions into middle and high school. They will learn about dealing with stress and anxiety and how to access leadership opportunities all while beginning to build relationships with caring adults and older students. The grant will support the cost of the youth motivational speaker.

Award: $2,500

The SW Bricktown Neighborhood Committee is organizing and hosting two events in 2022 in celebration of Hispanic heritage: a Cinco de Mayo event in May and the second-annual SW Bricktown Fiesta in September. All Reno County community members are encouraged to share in the celebrations. Funds will be used to support the costs of entertainment and logistics, such as security and waste management, for the Cinco De Mayo event.

Award: $2,000

Reading Under the Lights is an evening event designed to encourage summer reading opportunities and maintain or improve reading levels among children ages 5 through 8 during the break from school. Students and their families will find opportunities to participate in story walks, hear stories read by community celebrities, share dinner with their family and friends, sign up for library cards, and leave the event with free books to begin their summer reading.

Award: $500

The grant will help provide snacks for the organization’s new Community Space where Bigs and Littles can meet.

Award: $600

Funds will help update the club’s teen-run Snack Shop with equipment to add smoothies and other drinks to the menu.

Award: $590

Money from this grant will help expand the library’s junior nonfiction and young-adult graphic novel collection.

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.