06/04/2026
On Monday evening, Youth Crew hosted its 2026 End of Year Celebration. For those slightly confused, our fiscal year runs June to June so this is technically the end of the year now.
This is always a great time ❤️ We had 18 YC members and their families join us. We started off with interactive games/trivia including “Get to Know You BINGO”. This was followed by a meal, presentation/recap of our year, awards, and prizes.
We had 12 community service awards meaning that at least 12 YC members submitted at least 15 hours of community service, which is part of the pledge they committed to when they first started.
We also gave out 2 yearly awards: Youth Crew Next Generation Leader Award and our Outstanding Member Award. This year’s Next Generation Leader was Jaci Sandberg. Jaci helped lead the “Kick the Habit” Kickball tournament in August 2025. She also joined the Kansas Youth Prevention Action Council, becoming only the second YC member to be on that council.
Our 2026 Outstanding Member Award went to Esmae Trimble. Because of her perfect attendance to YC meetings and consistent volunteer work ethic, along with a great attitude and desire to contribute at all times, Esmae was most deserving of this recognition.
The best part of the event was watching the families celebrate the youth, but more importantly, seeing the youth celebrate each other. A huge thank you to the Robyn and DJ Knop for allowing us to use their space to celebrate. Thank you to Ellinwood Packing Plant, Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Great Bend for the prize donations. Thank you to Juvenile Services for helping put on the event. It was a great time to reflect and celebrate another year of accomplishments!
