Harvey County Community Partnership, Inc. $1,500
The MLK “United We Serve” Campaigns a collaborative effort of Harvey County Volunteer Program, Harvey County Homeless Shelter, Harvey County Community Partnership, Diversity Task Force, USD 373 K-12 Instructors, and  Bethel College Campus leaders in Harvey County.  This event will be lead by the HCCP Service Learning Volunteer Student from Bethel College/Diversity Task Force Volunteer Chair, Kate Alison.  Grant funds will assist in purchasing promotional materials, t-shirts, and art supplies to create art projects to raise awareness of the needs of the Harvey County Homeless Shelter.  There will also be a “March” down Main Street and an educational session hosted by student volunteers and staff at Bethel College to better share in the “United We Serve” message. 

Children First : CEO Kansas Inc. $1,500
Children First: CEO Kansas, Inc. will engage 45 volunteers (35 female mentees and 10 female mentors) on their MLK Day of Service to assemble science learning kits for low-income children which will be used during the summer program at Inter-Faith Ministries. Additionally, as a service-learning opportunity, the mentees with their mentors will create the instructions and a fact sheet that will accompany the kits.  Inter-Faith Ministries will also present to the volunteers about the importance of their programming and how the kits will impact the low-income children they serve. Children First provides educational opportunities to low-income students in Wichita, KS. It operates the Future Women in A STEM Career program, which provides a path for low-income girls to choose higher paying jobs in Aviation, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. All activities are designed to (1) increase knowledge about aviation and STEM careers, (2) increase confidence and core competencies in science and math, (3) build upon the strengths of each girl, and (4) increase workforce readiness.  Children First has partnered with Inter-Faith Ministries (IFM). IFM is a local non-profit that provides programs and services to low-income families, including the Summer Lunch Program.

Rosedale Development Association $1,500
The goal of this project is to engage the residents of Rosedale in serving others through volunteerism. The proposed projects is an intergenerational reading program focused on educational stories about the Civil Rights movement and its leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at elementary schools in Rosedale.  They will plan and implement a reading program that is led by community resident volunteers partnering with Rosedale Development Association, Holy Name Catholic School, Frank Rushton Elementary and T.A. Edison Elementary. A volunteer training session, led by a community leader, will be hosted to give teaching tools and materials about school-aged children and Civil Rights movement era the week before the event.  Rosedale Development Association plans to hold informational meetings to explain their proposals and to generate interest and ideas from the partnering schools. From the interest generated they hope to gather participants, suggestions, and community supporters.  Rosedale Development Association will conduct their reading program the week of January 14th – 18th, 2013 (the week prior to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).  At the end of their reading program they hope to increase awareness about the importance of intergenerational communication, community empowerment and education. They plan to reach at least 25 community residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Rosedale Development Association, Holy Name Catholic School, Frank Rushton Elementary and T.A. Edison Elementary, in addition to over 800 students.

ECKAN Youth Action Council $500
The ECKAN Youth Action Council would use the $500 to volunteer and help support Silent Siren. Silent Siren is a new nonprofit trying to educate police officers and other emergency responders about people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Grant funds will be used to purchase Silent Siren logo decals that we would distribute to PTSD victims. Decals will serve as a symbol of awareness for those who respond to persons with PTSD-related emergencies, such as the police, fireman, emergency room personnel, and EMT services. Additionally, decals will remind Emergency Responders to receive calls from our PTSD families urgently, but carefully- almost silently. A goal of the Eckan Youth Action Council is to encourage Emergency personnel to Stop and Think about their response in a crisis that involves PTSD, and to be prepared to act outside of their normal response routine. By volunteering with Silent Siren, the Eckan Youth Action Council hopes to engage more volunteers to assist PTSD victims in various capacities in our communities.

Harvesters - The Community Food Network $500
Harvesters has planned a day of service in remembrance of September 11th that will provide a volunteer opportunity alongside police and fire vehicle demonstrations. Harvesters is targeting families with children for this event because they feel that they will be most interested in the emergency responders presentation. In addition to learning about the work of local law­ enforcement and emergency responders, volunteers will also have the opportunity to work alongside emergency responders while packing BackSnack for children in need. Harvesters' BackSnack program is designed to give school children access to good food on the weekends by providing a backpack filled with nutritious food for each participating child to take home on Friday or the last day of school each week.

The Volunteer Connection/Kansas Wesleyan University $500
The Volunteer Connection will collect a minimum of 911 hygiene items. e.g., sunscreen, lip balm, body wash, deodorant, disposable razors and thank you notes to be sent to deployed military service personnel through Heart of America, Inc. Collected items will help maintain both the physical comfort and morale of those who are serving our country in response to the events of 9/11/2001, including the 108th Aviation Battalion which just deployed from Salina in July. Grant dollars will be used to enhance collections, provide recognition for outcomes of the 9/11 project, and purchase shipping supplies for items which are collected. Collections will be conducted in multiple North Central Kansas Counties through The Volunteer Connection's youth volunteer corps, RSVP and North Central Kansas Regional Medical Reserve Corps programs, providing visibility for volunteer service opportunities, as well as tangible evidence of support for the deployed members of military families. Heart of America, is an all-volunteer non-profit entity whose founder, Amy Paden, was "influenced by the events of 9/11, which certainly made an impact on (her) way of thinking," and initiated in response to a request from a cousin's deployed husband, who requested small items to share with fellow soldiers and children in the area of operation.

Baker University $500
Baker University's, a designated "Military Friendly" institution, Dean of Students Office & Office of Student Life will host a 9/11 National Week of Service & Remembrance the week of September 9-15. This week will include a variety of volunteer opportunities (direct service & opportunities to connect to area agencies) & recognition of military personnel, families, veterans, emergency management personnel & current BU students who have served. Events will include the following: Student service trip to Lawrence Interdenomination Nutrition Kitchen to serve meals to homeless in Lawrence: Kick-off to the Great Amer-I-CAN food Drive to benefit Harvesters Food Network serving 26 counties in Northeast Kansas: An annual letter writing campaign to thank troops currently serving: Thank you correspondence to all current Baker students who are currently or have served in military service: Distribute 9/11 remembrance ribbons to faculty, staff, students, and community members at the Baldwin City campus: Recognize local emergency management personnel including volunteer fire departments for Palmyra Township and Baldwin City: Weekly Chapel service with a focus on 9/1 1 remembrance: Student service trip to Harvesters Food Network to package senior commodity meals or snack-packs.

RSVP Four County $500
RSVP Four County is sponsoring 9/11 Acts of Kindness as its project for the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. RSVP Four County is taking this project to the community encouraging organizations, businesses and individuals to participate in various ways. Local schools will participate by encouraging students to open the door for someone, sit with someone you don’t know at lunch, say “hi” to someone, pick up any trash you might see, or tell your teacher “thank you”. Volunteers at Open Arms Diner will be serving a free meal to individuals on 9/11. A special time will be set aside to pay tribute to those who died on that day and to honor those who are serving in our military in response to 9/11. The Independence Community College Baseball team, 47 strong young men, will be moving over 911 household items for a local couple - on of which is a Veteran- who are moving to a new home in town. A local church is helping an elderly couple by providing cleanup of debris from their property after it received significant damage. By promoting a variety of projects - both young and old can participate and have an impact in their community in multiple ways. Additionally, RSVP Four County hopes to inspire more people to continue to serve through Acts of Kindness.