History of Team Wallace County and Community Development Work

Wallace County is located on the far western border of Kansas.  We are two hours from Hays, six from Topeka and five and one half hours from Wichita.  Our location is in the rural section of Kansas and yet we have big dreams.  Our dreams may seem modest by some standards but are yet very important to us.  We dream of a future with successful businesses, happy families, full schools and active churches.  We dream of a place where second and third generations can return to their home communities and where there are opportunities for all.  That certainly seems to be a lofty goal when compared to the harsh realities of many rural communities but the residents of Wallace County are more than willing to roll up their sleeves to accomplish these goals.

Rural communities in many areas of Kansas have suffered over the last decade.  In particular, the drought and economic difficulties of the last five years have placed a great deal of stress on residents and businesses alike.  Other factors have also changed the face of a rural community including out migration of residents and the influence of technology.  So often, it can be difficult to assess what needs to change and what should stay the same and even more problematic to motivate residents to embrace that change.

Wallace County has struggled with many of the same problems as other rural areas such as a lack of communication between governmental units and community groups.  Competition between towns in the county was also a problem and the lack of a unified vision made progress quite difficult.

However, the residents of Wallace County are not willing to be satisfied with status quo.  We believe we live in a beautiful and dynamic area that has much to offer its current residents and even more possibilities for the next generation.  With that in mind, we created Team Wallace County.  Team Wallace County is a group of individuals with one purpose in mind and many ways to get there.  We envision a bright future for Wallace County and are willing to work very hard to achieve those goals.  Team Wallace County enlisted the assistance of Terry Woodbury and his company, Public Square Communities LLC to help us to reach those goals.  We were attracted to the principals of this community development effort which revolves around the concept of recreating the “Public Square”.  The public square is made up of individuals and organizations from business, health and human services, education, and government and it requires that these sectors work together to bring improvements to the community based on the identification of those needs by community members.

These efforts started with the organization of a Steering Committee or Working Group comprised of individuals throughout the community.  We chose not to associate immediately with any established organization in the community due to the many conflicts, prejudices and lack of communication.  We believed that a grass roots organizational effort would allow many people to become involved and to express their views and opinions.

Team Wallace County began with a steering committee of ten members who developed a plan to introduce these concepts to the community. They raised the initial seed funding and began working with Terry Woodbury.  The funds were raised from each of the four sectors with individuals, businesses, and organizations all contributing.  The funds were raised as the result of direct contribution requests and interest generated from the interview and organization process.  The process was regularly reported in the community newspaper.  Mr. Woodbury continued the effort by conducting over 50 interviews with community members and organizations.  This culminated in a Community Conversation on March 7, 2005 with over 180 residents in attendance.  This is more than 10% of the total population of Wallace County and a remarkable testament to this community’s commitment to the future.  Even more noteworthy is the inclusion of individuals from all three towns within Wallace County including Sharon Springs, Weskan and Wallace.  The Community Conversation lasted for more than two hours and produced tremendous ideas and opportunities for cooperation that left the participants energized for more.  Residents nominated 35 individuals to attend the Vision Retreat, which marked the next step in our community development.

Following the Community Conversation, Mr. Woodbury collated the ideas and concepts generated by community members.  These ideas were the fodder for the Vision Retreat training and discussions. Vision Retreat attendees dedicated an entire day to this effort and created four action teams to continue the momentum.  The teams include Positive Culture – improve positive attitudes and create positive recognition, Increase Local Investment – increase local investment of local dollars, Reinvest in the Community – create a system of community reinvestment in youth, and Coordinate Communication – improve / coordinate communication within the community.

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Local Investment 

This action team worked to produce a DVD that represents Wallace County schools, organizations and community activities. It was played at the Sharon Springs High School Alumni Reunion.  Previously, the EDA requested copies to be distributed in response to requests for more information from as far away as Germany. 

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Reinvest in Local Youth 

The youth job and mentor project involved more than 14 area youth participating in jobs or shadowing of local businesses.  The group also prepared a silent auction at the Wallace County Alumni with contributions from local artisans.  This raised $300 to be used for youth activities.  The group also worked with a number of volunteers to create a computerized database on alumni members.  They also created a promotional booth at the Wallace County fair in cooperation with the Positive Culture team.  The Foundation continues to strengthen and is hard at work on the infrastructure needed for a successful organization.  They have hosted an alumni tour in June 2008 highlighting local improvement efforts and the difference a dollar makes in Wallace County.

The summer recreation program was also very active with over 80 kids participating in the second year. Close to 70 participated in year three and additional activities were held including soccer where the kids played at half time of the football games and basketball where they played at half time of the boys games. The fun continues in year four with field improvements and five youth teams participating. Previously, kids who wished to participate in a ball program had to travel to Goodland to play there several times each week. It was felt this was quite a drain on the community and could be a great way to get positive activities started. Many pitched in to help with multiple organizations contributing time and volunteers. The Rec Director position was co-funded by the City and the County. Improvements continue with a new fence built with local donations. The recreation committee met following the season and determined the need to work with area communities for improved games schedule and to incorporate some additional fun activities such a possibly a softball tournament, football camp, etc. 

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Positive Culture 

Positive Culture met once a month.  They have met in unusual places in the community each month. They worked with the Sharon Springs School on a presentation to address the issue of bullying project. This group has also negotiated the opportunity for a joint grade school play day.  Positive Culture also helped with the children’s activities at the Community Rod Run.  They plan to continue these activities next year.

They are getting great feedback from community members including one who was familiar with the process and wanted to contribute through having supper for their meeting.  An educational booth was also set up at the widely attended Wallace County Fair in August. 

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Communications

The website was created.  They also worked to create a page on the website that is used for the call center project.  Recently, pages have been added for homes for sale and jobs available in the community.  The local newspaper now features a special section for reporting Action Team groups.

Several joint projects have been completed with members from each Action Team contributing.  They include work toward including our community as a potential site for a call center that would be part of a proposal distributed from the Kansas Department of Commerce in 2006.  Although this proposal is still pending from the state, it was a great exercise for our teams in joint communication and planning for a new community business opportunity.  Information was compiled to meet the requirements of the program’s request and should be available for companies who are going bid to the state.  An additional page on the website was created for business opportunities.

The groups have also worked together to create a newsletter called Good Things are Happening in Wallace County.  It has been used for local communication, promotion at outside events and plans are underway to distribute this more widely to alumni who may be interested in supporting community activities.

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Planning for the future of Wallace County 

This project and its development have not been without barriers along the way.  Probably the most significant is the fact that many of those participating already have very full personal demands with work, school obligations and other volunteer roles.  Often conveners and team members have had to work together to re-energize their groups or activities.  Leadership from this effort has been instrumental in this process along with individuals from the community who have a strong desire to see this community succeed.  It has been very challenging for the Local Investment team particularly with three Economic Development Directors in three years.  Wallace County had extremely difficult years due to the agricultural situation and blizzard, placing severe demands on residents and business owners alike.  We faced the closure of a major business, the local John Deere dealership, which employed 19 individuals and kept many of the local farmers in town for parts.  Many of those people now must travel to outside communities.  With these challenges, we’ve developed new ways to work with each other and solve problems.  The consolidation of Action Teams into existing organizations signified much more than just consolidation of efforts.  It also symbolized increased confidence in the ability of these groups to work together to achieve goals and a greater degree of trust in community institutions.  These groups formally embraced the concepts and ideas:

Wallace County Rotary – Positive Communication

Blessed with one of the best reporters in the county and an inherent mission for improving communities, a natural choice for positive communication leadership.

Wallace County Economic Development Alliance – Local Investment

Great progress arrived in 2007 in the form of John Foster, the new EDA director.  He has revitalized the board, conducted a community assessment and created a framework for improved economic development.

Wallace County Foundation – Reinvest in Local Youth

This group gained new energy in 2007 with several investments toward local scholarships and youth programs.  Hard at work organizing a solid infrastructure for long term stability, they are helping to create new solutions to old problems such as activities for area youth and out migration of our best and brightest.  Wallace County’s two school systems were listed as two of the top seventeen schools in the state!

Wallace County Chamber of Commerce – Positive Culture

This long standing group counts membership from many diverse businesses and human service organizations from across the county and continues fun events such as Rod Run, 4th of July fireworks, and the return of the joint county play day.

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