09 Apr Going Far, Together
I like the African Proverb that states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Recently, I witnessed an example of going far – together. Moundridge, KS is a town of less than 2,000 (2017 census) residents. When I was there recently, I was able to see just how serious their civic-mindedness was.
I individually met with a several organizational leaders, and every single one of them listed a handful of ways the community rallied together to make their projects a success. For example, the Moundridge Recreation Commission updated their community room this past year – and several entities – including the Moundridge Youth Ministries group helped to make the space cozy and comfortable. Other entities also gave in-kind gifts towards the room…The carpet tiles came from a business that just remodeled their space. The couches and seating were provided by local families (and they were nice, not typically thought of leftover furniture!)
The Moundridge Elementary School was also a part of my visits– and I was thoroughly impressed with how the community assembled around their desire to add classes to serve preschool and pre-kindergarten classes. What started as an expectation from the Kansas Department of Education, became a way for the community to pour love into the needs of the new classroom, including furniture, games and other classroom materials. The addition of the preschool also set in motion the ability for the local daycare to dissolve their preschool services, in order to better meet the needs of parents in the community. The daycare now provides wrap around care (childcare services before and after preschool) and transportation for students. Even more amazing, is that for this first year, there was an additional grant that allowed all students to attend at no cost to the families! (Traditionally, there are grant funds for certain demographics, but not all families would qualify, and would therefore have to pay for a slot within the pre-school.)
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Moundridge, KS – you are a truly special place!