Through a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, Thrive has been working intensely with residents of La Harpe, Kansas, a community of 500 which has long been defined by generational poverty and decline.
Through this grant we have partnered with ioby (in our back yards) to participate in the Healthy Communities Challenge which supports residents taking an active role in creating a culture of health in their neighborhoods by providing a flexible funding option. With support from the Kansas Health Foundation, ioby has matching funds available to double what is raised on crowdfunding campaigns up to $10,000!
In the last three years, the La Harpe City Park has significantly changed from outdated and minimal playground equipment to adding new amenities each year to continue the development of this unique built environment. Residents want to capitalize on that momentum of revitalization of their park by fixing their main staples (i.e. the baseball field/The Sandlot, adding drinking water access, creating a new and exciting BMX kid-friendly pump track, installation of benches throughout the park).
Throughout the last year, La Harpe residents have expressed in community conversations, town hall meetings, surveys and REAL Talks (one-on-one’s) that it is very important to them to bring back their La Harpe Days Celebration, which has been dormant for years now. Residents believe funding these projects around the park, where the La Harpe Days Celebration has been hosted in the past, will create the best La Harpe Days to date, bringing community identity and pride back to the town, while also showcasing the newly completed projects to the surrounding towns in the county.
La Harpe continues to be intentional in identifying unique projects that will change the landscape of the community to be a more welcoming place for everyone to come and play. Because of their central location in the county the residents in town have adopted the new town motto: La Harpe- The Heart of Allen County.
Help La Harpe residents continue to breathe new life into their town and offer unique alternatives to what the landscape of a park can look like! They ask for everyone that has a passion for play to share their vision and help them reach their goal. For more information or to donate click here.
