Almena Community Development Committee

07/25/2026

🇺🇸 Leave a Lasting Legacy at the Almena Veterans Memorial & Community Park 🇺🇸

The first phase of our Veterans Memorial & Community Park is almost complete, and we can’t wait to celebrate with our community!

📅 Mark your calendars for our Phase 1 Ribbon Cutting on September 12! As part of this special celebration, we plan to dedicate the first round of engraved memorial bricks.

🎯 Our goal is to sell 20 engraved bricks for this first round! To guarantee your brick is permanently installed in time for the September 12 dedication ceremony, all orders must be received by August 14.

🧱 How to Order:
✔️ Order online
✔️ Pick up a paper order form at the Almena Market or Almena City Office

Every brick purchased helps build this special place for our community while creating a permanent tribute that will be enjoyed for generations to come. If you have any questions, please reach out to one of the committee members:
• Janette Calloway
• Rachel Hays
• Valerie Marble
• Annette Puent
• Hannah Sproul
• Mim Tubbs
• Stacy Whitney
• Cathy Rivera

❤️ Help us reach our goal of 20 bricks by August 14!

07/20/2026

🇺🇸OUR BRICK FUNDRAISER IS LIVE!🇺🇸

We are excited to officially launch our Veterans Memorial & Community Park Engraved Brick Campaign! For $100, you can purchase a personalized 4" × 8" engraved brick that will become a permanent part of the Veterans Memorial in downtown Almena. Your brick will help honor a veteran or active service member while supporting the completion of this exciting community project. Every brick purchased helps us move one step closer to creating a place where our community can gather, remember those who served, and enjoy future amenities—including a playground, splash pad, and picnic area.

🧱 Order Your Brick Today!

👉🏼Complete the online order form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeE16maGipnxK7IQWEPxRR8MENFl9LfSYyFn_g3h6_EyMPslw/viewform?usp=header

OR stop by the city office to get a paper version of the order from.

💲 Cost: $100 per engraved brick

📬 Payment Options:
✔️ Drop off a check at the Almena City Office
✔️ Mail your check to: Almena City Office, PO Box 277, Almena, KS 67622

Please make checks payable to Almena Community Development and write "Park Fund" in the memo line.

📌 This will be an ongoing fundraiser until the project is completed, so if you're not ready today, there will still be opportunities to purchase a brick in the future.

❤️🤍💙 Please help us spread the word by liking, commenting, and sharing this post! Together, we can build something truly special for Almena!

07/17/2026

We’re sharing this post from Northern Valley Schools to help spread the word about the Beyond the Backpack school supply initiative! 🎒💚

This effort aims to help provide school supplies for Northern Valley students and create a fun Back-to-School Kickoff Night for local families. If you’re looking for a way to give back, please consider making a donation. Every contribution helps move this program forward and brings them one step closer to making it an annual tradition for our community!

✨ All donations are tax-deductible through the Beyond the Match Foundation, and they're happy to provide a W-9 for businesses or anyone who needs one.

Thank you for helping us invest in our students and our community! 💚

🎒 Exciting News for Northern Valley Families! 💚
We are excited to share a brand-new community initiative coming to Northern Valley this year!
Beyond the Backpack, hosted by Beyond the Match Foundation, is working to provide school supplies for Northern Valley students through the generosity of local businesses, organizations, and community members.
📅 Mark your calendars for Monday, August 10!
Families are invited to join us for a fun Back-to-School Kickoff at the Almena Community Building from 6:00–8:00 PM. The evening will include:
🎒 School supply distribution
🎨 Face painting
📚 Story time
🖍️ Coloring station
🥤 Refreshments
🤝 Community resources..and more!
If you're able, we encourage families to wait for additional information before purchasing school supplies. Our goal is to provide every Northern Valley student with the supplies they need to start the school year with confidence, and we'll share more details as the event approaches. This is the first year for Beyond the Backpack, and we are incredibly grateful to the Beyond the Match Foundation and the many businesses, organizations, and volunteers helping make this event possible. We hope it becomes a tradition that blesses Northern Valley families for years to come!
💚 Want to Help?
We're currently seeking community partners to help make this event a success! Whether you're a local business, organization, parent, grandparent, alumni, or community member, there are many ways to get involved:
• Sponsor the back to school night event
• Donate school supplies
• Make a monetary gift
📲 Donate online: https://givebutter.com/the-beyond-the-match-fund-tfgggy
📧 Interested in sponsoring or donating?
Contact Valerie Marble at [email protected]
Together, we can help every Northern Valley student start the school year prepared, confident, and supported. 💚🐾

07/15/2026

Who's attending the Festivities on the Island this weekend?!? 🚗💚🤩

Festivities on the Island Tournament Registration Forms!

🥎 Family Slow-pitch Softball Forms: https://forms.gle/6wDeVJMjQ4AXT7Cs9

♠️Pitch Tournament Forms: https://forms.gle/DD2yyd4EVbvn1hfD6

Find your teammates and get signed up!

Contact Landry Gebhard at 785-854-8148 if you have any questions!

07/15/2026

🇺🇸 An Exciting Update for Our Veterans Memorial & Community Park! 🇺🇸

We’re thrilled to share that our beautiful limestone monuments honoring each branch of the United States military are scheduled to be installed at the beginning of August! This is such a meaningful milestone, and we can’t wait to watch this vision continue to come to life. ❤️

The image is an AI-generated rendering to give you an idea of what the finished monuments will look like. While the final installation may vary slightly, we’re incredibly excited about the direction this project is heading.

As we prepare for the next phase, we’re putting the finishing touches on several fundraising opportunities that will allow our community to leave a lasting legacy.

🧱 Memorial Brick Program – Soon, you’ll be able to purchase an engraved brick to honor a veteran. These personalized bricks will become a permanent part of the park for generations to come.

🤝 Community Sponsorship Opportunities – We’re also developing sponsorship opportunities for specific features throughout the park, and we’d love your input!

What would you like to see available for sponsorship? Would you or your business be interested in sponsoring:
• A bench
• A picnic table
• Landscaping
• Trees
• Lighting
• Playground equipment
• Splash pad features
• Or something else?

We want this park to truly reflect the people who call our community home, so your ideas matter! Drop your suggestions in the comments below.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far. Every donation, volunteer hour, shared post, and word of encouragement has helped move us one step closer to creating a place where we can honor our veterans, celebrate our community, and make lasting memories with our families.

The best is yet to come! 🇺🇸💚

07/04/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Independence Day from the Almena Community Development Committee! 🇺🇸

Today we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy because of the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. As we look ahead to the future of our Veterans Memorial & Community Park, we’re reminded that this project is about more than a park—it’s about honoring those who made our freedoms possible while creating a gathering place for generations to come. HONOR THE PAST. SPLASH INTO THE FUTURE!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who donated, volunteered, shared our mission, and supported us during Match Day. Your generosity, encouragement, and belief in this project mean more than you know. We can’t wait to receive the final Match Day totals in the coming weeks and share those exciting numbers with all of you!

Over the next few weeks, you’ll also begin to see the vision come to life as we install the beautiful limestone memorial stones honoring each branch of the United States military. This is a meaningful milestone in creating a lasting tribute to the men and women who have served our nation, and we can’t wait to share the progress with you.

Every contribution, every kind word, and every show of support is helping turn this vision into reality. It’s incredible to watch our community come together to build something that will honor our veterans while creating a place where families can gather, children can play, and memories can be made for generations to come.

From all of us, thank you for believing in this dream. ❤️🤍💙 Have a safe and blessed Independence Day, and thank you to all who have served our country. 🇺🇸

06/24/2026

🎉 MATCH DAY IS HERE! - Wednesday, June 24th🎉

This is your chance to make DOUBLE the impact for Almena!

Every donation made to the Almena Veterans Memorial & Community Park Project during Match Day will be MATCHED, helping us bring this exciting vision to life even faster.

📍 Stop by the Heaton Building in Norton, on Wednesday, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM
💻 Or donate online at: https://www.nortonccf.org/matchday

We are raising funds to create a meaningful gathering place in downtown Almena that honors our veterans while bringing families, neighbors, and visitors together. This project is about more than a park—it's about restoring pride in our community, encouraging family activities, and creating a space where memories can be made for generations to come.

The project is already underway, with Phase 1 currently under construction. Phase 1 includes the main portion of the Veterans Memorial, wheelchair accessible sidewalks/picnic tables, and a public restroom. Every donation helps move us closer to completing the full vision!

❤️ Honor our veterans.
🏡 Strengthen our community.
🤝 Build Almena's future.

Please share this post and help us spread the word. Thanks to the Norton County Community Foundation , and a $150,000 matching pool provided by Jim & Lida Sharp and the Patterson Family Foundation, your gift goes twice as far!

06/23/2026

🎉 MATCH DAY IS ALMOST HERE! - Wednesday, June 24th🎉

This is your chance to make DOUBLE the impact for Almena!

Every donation made to the Almena Veterans Memorial & Community Park Project during Match Day will be MATCHED, helping us bring this exciting vision to life even faster.

📍 Stop by the Heaton Building in Norton, on Wednesday, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM
💻 Or donate online at: https://www.nortonccf.org/matchday

We are raising funds to create a meaningful gathering place in downtown Almena that honors our veterans while bringing families, neighbors, and visitors together. This project is about more than a park—it's about restoring pride in our community, encouraging family activities, and creating a space where memories can be made for generations to come.

The project is already underway, with Phase 1 currently under construction. Phase 1 includes the main portion of the Veterans Memorial, wheelchair accessible sidewalks/picnic tables, and a public restroom. Every donation helps move us closer to completing the full vision!

❤️ Honor our veterans.
🏡 Strengthen our community.
🤝 Build Almena's future.

Please share this post and help us spread the word. Thanks to the Norton County Community Foundation , and a $150,000 matching pool provided by Jim & Lida Sharp and the Patterson Family Foundation, your gift goes twice as far!