Rural Community Partners

08/17/2026

Chances are, you’ve already seen Renato Fernando Pinto's work somewhere across Southeast Kansas!

As the owner of Marathon Graphics in Pittsburg, Renato helps local businesses stand out through vehicle wraps, signs, window graphics and more. But his impact goes far beyond graphics. He is also the founder of The Running Collective and uses his passion for running to raise thousands of dollars for local organizations.

Renato’s journey from a personal promise to owning a thriving local business earned him the cover of the premier issue of Rural Connect. His story is a powerful example of entrepreneurship, community involvement and making a home in Southeast Kansas.

Read Renato’s story in Rural Connect: https://digital.ruralcommunitypartners.org

Thank you to our founding partners!! With their support we are able to share stories like Renato across SEK and beyond!!
Kansas Health Foundation, Neosho County Community College, Fort Scott Community College

08/17/2026

WOW!!! CONGRATS TO WILSON MEDICAL!!!

08/17/2026

Rural Connect team will there handing out magazines and fun swag!!

🌭🎉 The lineup is here for the 9th Annual Fredonia Sausage Fest! 🎉🌭

AUGUST 29th

We’re switching things up this year! While we won’t be having the Haute Dog Runway Show, Mr. Hotlink Pageant, or Chorizo Arm Wrestling, we’ve added something we know you’re going to LOVE…

🎶🎉 MUSIC BINGO! 🎉🎶

Come **meat your friends**, grab a bite, and get ready to **relish** a day full of food, fun, music, and questionable sausage-related humor.

And folks… **save room for next year.** 👀

Because the **10th Annual Fredonia Sausage Fest** is already **cooking up something BIG!** 🔥🌭

We’re talking **bigger, better, and even more links than ever before.**

So come on down and **get your buns here!** 🍞🌭

**It’s going to be a wurst… I mean BEST… time!** 😂🎉

08/16/2026

🌟 Rural Connect Spotlight: Nacy Brown

At 40, Nacy Brown took a bold leap. While working full time and raising two kids, she drove an hour each way to beauty school to pursue her dream of becoming a professional hairstylist.

Since then, Nacy’s journey has included plenty of ups and downs, along with important pivots as she’s navigated the realities of entrepreneurship and life. Her story reflects resilience, adaptability, and the courage to keep moving forward even when the path changes.

We’re also fortunate to have Nacy serving on the Southeast Kansas Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC), helping strengthen opportunities for other entrepreneurs across our region.

📖 Read Nacy’s inspiring story in Rural Connect:https://digital.ruralcommunitypartners.org

Thank you to our founding partners who helped us share stories like Nacy’s and more!! Kansas Health Foundation, Fort Scott Community College, Neosho County Community College

08/15/2026

TODAY IS THE DAY! SEED applications are officially OPEN!

Southeast Kansas want-to-be entrepreneurs, this microgrant program was created for you!

APPLY NOW:
🔗 https://goventuredash.com/competitions/967

Strengthening Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (SEED) is designed for people with a business idea or a very new business. You may still be deciding what to sell, who your customers are, or how much things will cost.

You do not need a business plan, business license, sales, or previous business experience to apply. In fact, that’s the way we prefer it!

Eight Southeast Kansas applicants will be selected. Participants who complete the program will receive:

💰 A $1,000 grant
🤝 Mentorship and coaching
🛠️ Hands-on business experience
🌎 Regional connections
📰 A possible feature in Rural Connect

Applications will be reviewed by the Southeast Kansas Small Business and Entrepreneurs Council, made up of entrepreneurs and small business owners who understand what it takes to start and grow a business in Southeast Kansas.

📅 Applications close September 1
📅 Selected participants announced September 15

SEED is supported by the local networks represented through the SEK Leadership Roundtable:

• The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team
• Communities Organizing to Promote Equity-Bourbon County
• Live Well Crawford County
• Communities Organized to Promote Equity
• Crawford County Local Health Equity Action Team
• Grow Labette
• Live Healthy Montgomery County
• LHEAT - Local Health Equity Action Team, Montgomery County KS
• Neosho County Agency Resource Team NCART
• Stay Strong - Live Long - Wilson County
• Cultivate Fredonia
• Allen County Multi-Agency Team-ACMAT
• Woodson County Coalition
• Whole Heart Coalition
• Family Response Advocate
• Pittsburg Police Department
• Caney Valley Agape Network & Food Pantry

Together, these partners are building a stronger and more connected support system for entrepreneurs across Southeast Kansas.

We also thank Network Kansas for its continued support of the judging process and for allowing us to use its online VentureDash platform to make the application process accessible across the region.

SEED is made possible through the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Pathways to a Healthy Kansas, Kansas Health Foundation and Kansas Food Action Network grants.

Have an idea? This is your opportunity to take the next step!

APPLY TODAY:
🔗 https://goventuredash.com/competitions/967

08/14/2026

10 Years of Impact.

A decade of sustained community work is making a measurable difference. Bourbon County is seeing fewer people smoking, healthier weight outcomes, and better nutrition — real signs that long-term, community-focused efforts are working.

FULL STORY: https://fortscott.biz/news/hbcat-marks-10-years-of-measurable-health-progress

08/14/2026

Regional collaboration in action! 🌟

Today, Jody Love with Rural Community Partners joined Matthew Godinez, Assistant Secretary with the Kansas Department of Commerce; Carey Spoon, Executive Director of the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission; and Tim Dawsey, Executive Director of the Materials Alliance Zone of Kansas (MAZK) for a conversation about MAZK and opportunities for Southeast Kansas.

And while we were there, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spread the word about Rural Connect!

We left a stack of magazines behind and talked about how Rural Connect is helping tell the stories of our region’s entrepreneurs, businesses and communities while connecting people to resources and one another.

This is what regional work looks like: relationships, connections and organizations working together across Southeast Kansas.

Find. Connect. Engage.

08/13/2026

An SEK founded business!!

What if your medical scribe could do more than write your notes?

At The Remote Scribe Company, our human scribes support the entire clinical workflow—from documentation to orders, coding, referrals, chart prep, value-based care support, and more.

Think of it as a scribe + medical assistant in one—a dedicated member of your team helping keep the work moving before, during, and after the patient visit.

Because when your workflow works better, you get more of your time back for what matters most: caring for your patients.

🎯 www.RemoteScribe.com

08/13/2026

“How do they do it all?” you ask.

A new magazine. A new website. A new micro-grant program. A new CRM…

We have accomplished so much with the help of talented micro-interns like You E Kry. The best part? It cost us $0 out of pocket for professional, high-quality work.

Through the Kansas Micro-Internship Program:

✅ The intern gets paid
✅ Your organization gains fresh talent
✅ You receive help with graphic design, coding, websites, data analytics, menus, marketing, and more
✅ Your cost is $0

We were so impressed with You E’s work that we eventually brought her on for additional hours!

See her talent for yourself:

👉 You E Kry’s portfolio: https://youe168.github.io/youe-kry-portfolio/
👉 Rural Community Partners: https://ruralcommunitypartners.org

Interested in hosting a micro-intern? Learn more:

👉 Kansas Micro-Internship Program: https://info.parkerdewey.com/kansasemployers

Seriously, what are you waiting for?