The annual Thrive Allen County dinner and awards banquet was held on November 21st in Iola, Kansas. The event is an opportunity to share the great work of our county, and to honor people who’ve made a positive difference in our communities.

Here are some highlights from this year’s program:

 

Donna Talkington Award

Donna Talkington was a pillar of civic life in Allen County for over half a century. We see the impact of her service to our county in countless ways. Donna combined a wry sense of humor, an ability to connect with people of all backgrounds, and a willingness to roll up her sleeves and do plenty of plain old hard work in the effort to improve and strengthen Allen County. The “Donna Award” is given to groups or individuals whose service to Allen County exemplifies the standard of commitment and dedication that Donna showed throughout her decades of public service. It recognizes creativity, collaboration, and service beyond the call of duty to our community — all attributes that Donna demonstrated in her work on behalf of Allen County.

The 2014 winner of the Donna Talkington Award is Bill King.

Bill has served as Allen County’s director of public works for 22 years. He handles all the traditional things any county public works director does: roads, bridges, the airport, the landfill. He does his work at an exceptionally high level and with an unusual attention to detail. Our roads are vastly better, our airport has grown by leaps and bounds and is a must-stop for jets needing fuel, and our landfill has become a major revenue source that helps reduce the property tax burden. Bill has taken a regular county public works department and turned it into a highly-professional operation that is the envy of our neighbors.

But that’s not why we’re honoring him.

We’re honoring Bill King because he is the rare figure who has made a lasting positive impact in every single community in Allen County, from Iola to Humboldt, Mildred to Moran, Geneva to Petrolia. That’s because he hasn’t forgotten that we’re ALL Allen Countians and that the county government is there to serve all residents, no matter how far they are from the courthouse. That is Thrive’s belief as well.

Bill believes that public service takes many forms, and that just because public works departments are “supposed” to operate a certain way doesn’t mean they can’t—and shouldn’t–do more. Whether assisting with moving playground equipment from Johnson County to Elsmore, moving the Southeast Kansas Health Department to a new building, or working with volunteers to finish trail projects, Bill King, despite the tremendous pressures of his normal responsibilities, accomplishes them quietly and efficiently.

Allen County, and the people who call it home, are the beneficiaries of Bill King’s commitment to excellence, his commitment to service, and his commitment to building lasting partnerships.

 

Volunteer of the Year Award

Thrive’s Volunteer of the Year Award is presented annually to the individual who has had the most significant impact on the Thrive organization over the past year. This year’s winner rode into our lives last year with a vision for a more bicycle friendly Allen County. It wasn’t a hard sell for us to get excited about this vision, of course. We had the same vision. But what we had lacked previously was someone to run….or should we say pedal…with that vision.

Randy Rasa is a thinker and a doer. He runs Kansas Cyclist.com, which is the state’s top resource for bicyclists. Last year he and his wife Laura moved decided it was time to leave the traffic and congestion of Johnson County and find a smaller community that was walkable, had trails, and which was headed in a positive direction. They had a list of 12 Kansas communities. They chose Allen County not only because of what’s here now, but also because of the potential they saw here.

Randy has adopted Thrive, and we have adopted him. He’s been a big thinker, an inspirer, a hands-on manual laborer, and most impressively a great mobilizer in this year’s National Bike Challenge. Not only did Randy spearhead this event, but we basically won it! Allen County had 80 participants who biked 32,574 miles in 5 months. We ranked #3 in the entire nation. Randy sent out an email the last day of the push asking for our riders to make a last push: they rode 874 miles on the final day, crushing the Lincoln Nebraska team by nearly 100 points.

Allen County’s bike challenge was OF COURSE #1 in the state. With a population of 13,300 we had 80 riders. Topeka/Shawnee County with a population of 178,000 had 83 riders and Johnson County with 566,000 had 82 riders. Allen County had 50% more riders than Lawrence, and rode more miles than they did, despite having only 8% of their population! This wasn’t just about Iola, either. Randy has embraced Thrive’s countywide vision, and he recruited riders from LaHarpe, Humboldt, Moran and Gas. Together, we had 3 of the top 10 cities in Kansas in the National Bike Challenge.

 

Education Award

Nominee: Allen Community College Youth Theater in the Park

The Allen Youth Summer Theatre, the creative brainchild of Tony and Terri Piazza, came to life in the summer of 2000. Tony participated in theatre as a child and when he moved to Allen County he remembered fondly his days in Santa Barbara summer youth theatre. Seeing both a void and an opportunity in our community, the Piazzas got the green light to start what is now one of the few summer theatres in the state of Kansas. With a target of 12-21 year olds, the Summer Theatre has performed melodramas, musicals, Shakespeare and — coming soon! — their first Murder Mystery. And in the spirit of inclusion, their policy is to ensure that everyone who tries out has an opportunity to be on stage.

Nominee: Iola CITF/PRIDE Historic Signage Project

Iola’s Community Involvement Task Force, known as CITF, is nominated for its creative approach of mixing history and beautification to educate visitors to downtown Iola about their community. Their two-phase project consisted of researching the history of downtown Iola and community leaders, and then telling these stories on a series of signs that create a historical heritage trail around the Iola square. Then, research on downtown buildings was done to determine construction dates and original occupants, with this information being included on plaques affixed to the buildings. And THEN, these successes created momentum that led to business owners agreeing to allow Jim Smith and other CITF members to remove the boards from second story windows and freshen up facades with a coat of paint. The result has been not only an educational lesson on history, but an educational lesson on the power of volunteers.

Nominee: Dan Uhlrich, USD 256 Tobacco Cessation Champion

Marmaton Valley High School has not only adopted, but embraced comprehensive tobacco-free school grounds policies. This is due in large measure to comprehensive tobacco education and cessation support services made available by teacher and coach Dan Uhlrich. Now in his third year, Dan serves as the school’s anti-tobacco chief, connecting students that use tobacco to the Kansas Tobacco Quitline. Generally, students are connected to Mr. Uhlrich for violating school policy or, sometimes, through a self-referral. In 2014 Marmaton Valley had 6 of the school’s 80 students referred to the Kansas Tobacco Quitline for cessation services. About this Dan said, “Six students may not seem like a lot, but when we are talking of a student body in the 80’s it’s pretty good. We helped two students completely quit using chewing tobacco this year, which is an important victory in a community where most of the adults chew themselves.”

2014 Winner for Excellence in Education: Dan Uhlrich, USD 256 Tobacco Cessation Champion

 

 

Health & Wellness Award

Nominee: Allen County’s Locally-Owned Media Outlets

An entire community can only get healthier if each and every member of the community knows that being healthy is the goal. Collectively, the Allen County Media nomination consists of the Humboldt Union, the Iola Register and KIKS, all locally-owned news outlets that work day-in and day-out to inform and educate the public. The county’s two newspapers, the Humboldt Union and Iola Register, both trace their roots to the mid-19th century. Together they provide local, state and national news to nearly 5,000 subscribers and are among the few locally-owned newspapers left in the state. KIKS Radio is celebrating its 50th year and covers over 200,000 people living in southeast Kansas through its FM and AM stations. All three provide news coverage of matters of local importance, but they also promote — editorially and through public service announcements — health causes and opportunities to continue improving the health of our communities.

Nominee: Debbie Bearden

A quest began 6 years ago with the question from one concerned citizen: “how do we get a grocery store?” Debbie Bearden’s original question has now become infinitely larger, but she is now part of the solution to the question. The answer comes in the formation of Allen County GROW — the Growing Rural Opportunities Works Food Policy Council, which seeks to build a system of local food production. Debbie has spent countless volunteer hours building this successful grassroots effort, while all the while helping lead and grow the Allen County Farmers’ Market, which under her leadership has become one of the most successful local markets in Southeast Kansas. Debbie’s ability to articulate a vision and build an appreciation of local foods has changed Allen County’s health for better.

Nominee: Terri Kretzmeier

In channeling her natural passion for nutrition and youth Terri has promoted good health among the uninsured and underserved in Allen County literally for decades. But Terri’s passion takes many forms. She is also the creator of the Allen County Youth Enrichment Fund, a fund that helps organizations purchase programming or equipment to support projects for youth in Allen County. She believes deeply in her role of teaching the importance of good nutrition to youth through 4-H and helping them establish a strong foundation for a healthy life, and she has modeled the same for her own children as well. Dr. Bridget McCandless of HCF said it well: “She treats ALL children with respect and compassion, and most especially those children who struggle with health and home issues.”

2014 Winner for Excellence in Health and Wellness: Debbie Bearden

 

 

Recreation Award

Nominee: Iola Soccer Club

In 2007 Brek Ulrich and Jerad Larkey saw a need and an opportunity. They wanted to offer kids a different type of sport—in particular, a sport they loved. That sport was soccer. They started the Iola Soccer Club with one team and 15 players. Today it has grown to nearly 100 children and 5 different age divisions. The club has offered children the ability to play premier soccer in the KC metro area as well as helped players obtain college scholarships. The older players act as role models to the younger kids, and the volunteer coaching staff ensures that the kids build relationships with each other, the coaches, and with the community as a whole — all while staying active.

Nominee: Riverside All-Inclusive Playground

This initiative started as a playground and turned into a community movement. Through a collaboration led by Iola Kiwanis and the Mothers of Miracles and supported by local, state and national organizations, the first fully-accessible playground in the region was built in Iola’s Riverside Park. Through a combination of enthusiasm, grit and determination the original goal of raising $155,000 — a goal that seemed impossible at the outset — was blown out of the water by the group raising more than $192,000. Countless community members and organizations participated in this project, providing money, expertise, grant writing, even digging holes and pouring concrete. This community effort resulted in the only all accessible playground within approximately 60 miles of Iola and a community collaboration we can ALL be proud of.

Nominee: Seniorcise, Iola Recreation Department

This free class for seniors has been a physical, social and emotional bedrock for Allen County seniors every Monday, Wednesday and Friday since 2002. This free Iola Rec Department program is nestled in the Little Theatre at Iola’s Riverside Park, where seniors stay active by participating in low aerobic cardio combined with resistance bands for stretching. The physical benefits are just as important as the emotional benefits, though, with participants looking after each other while they take care of themselves. Once led by Maude Burns, today Charlene Levans leads the class and has continued to keep Seniorcise one of the most popular and well-attended programs in Allen County.

2014 Winner for Excellence in Recreation: Riverside All-Inclusive Playground

 

 

Unsung Hero Awards

The “Unsung Hero” award recognizes the contributions of those who are quietly working to make our communities better places, but who typically are not acknowledged or thanked publicly for their work. These people volunteer their time and talents without regard for recognition or accolades, having the simple goal of making their communities better places for all of us to live and work.

2014 Eastern Allen County Unsung Hero: Bill McAdam of Moran

Bill has been a key figure in the development of Moran, Allen County and Southeast Kansas literally for decades. His business successes are well-known, but his community involvement is just as impressive. Bill is a Mirza Shriner, an Air Force Veteran, a 62-year member of the Jones-Hardy American Legion Post in Moran, and a volunteer firefighter. He has built homes, invested in businesses, served on the board of the Allen County Historical society, is a supporter of the arts and has been Moran’s “go-to” person when it was time to make something happen. Bill McAdam represents the spirit of community that keeps small towns alive and thriving.

2014 Humboldt Area Unsung Hero: Larry Barnett

Larry, known as “Barney” to many, has quietly contributed to improving and building Allen County from his hometown of Humboldt. A longtime and highly successful building trades educator, during his career Larry shaped, coached and encouraged countless youth about more than just a trade. He helped them become better people, and he has a deep and loyal following among these former students. A central figure in the Biblesta Festival, Larry’s contributions to that key part of Humboldt’s cultural identity are deep and longstanding. And as a proud member and officer of the Humboldt Lions club for decades he has contributed time, talent and treasure in the effort to keep Humboldt and its people thriving. It’s hard to find a major project in Humboldt where Larry hasn’t left his mark.

2014 Iola Area Unsung Hero: Donna Houser

Donna is everywhere. She generously volunteers her time and talents giving Molly Trolley tours, being a strong presence at the Allen County Historical Society, and working as an active member of Iola’s Community Involvement Task Force. Donna is a retired school teacher with a huge heart, a ready smile and a generous hug. And not only does she know everyone in town, but she’s seen inside most of their mouths as well as a dental hygienist! And perhaps Donna’s “sweetest” attribute is her secret family recipe for cinnamon rolls that she bakes to acknowledge the kindnesses of others or just to brighten a day. She has made this county a better place, one smile and one cinnamon roll at a time.