Kansas Community Empowerment

05/29/2026

Back in April, Ashland 2020 Inc - Kansas Community Empowerment teamed up with Green Jay Day Students to plant trees and clean up Ashland City Park! Hope these trees are enjoying the rain KS has had the past couple of days!

05/28/2026

Shoutout to Envision Eskridge members for putting up flags to honor fallen soldiers this week for Memorial Day!

If your KCE Organization wants to be featured on our page, PM us photos and events, and we will share them!

05/22/2026

Summer is here! 🏖️ We are wanting to come to your empowerment group. Tell us in the comments what notable events your organization helps with, and we will coordinate with you on attending! 🚗

05/21/2026

REPOST! Lecompton Community Empowerment and Perry-Lecompton Middle School teamed up to make these flower barrels ahead of America's 250 Independence Day Celebration.

05/13/2026

New face alert! Please welcome our new Program Administrator, Matthew Morrison. Matthew has been with Kansas Commerce since last year as an intern with our Quality Places Division. Recently graduating from the University of Kansas, Matthew is ready to work with communities on showing how great Kansas is!

05/12/2026

Today at noon! 🎉
It’s time for our monthly check-in! Sara’s favorite time of the month is getting to connect with all of you, hear about the amazing things happening in your communities, and share ideas and resources together. 💡🤝

This month’s theme is: ℂℝ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕍𝕀𝕋𝕐!

Come ready to share wins, spark new ideas, and have some fun with us today! The link to register is below. ⬇️

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: KCE Monthly Virtual Check In. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

04/20/2026

One of the best parts of this program is getting to travel across Kansas and experience the incredible communities and spaces that make our state so special.

On Friday, our Board of Directors traveled to Grainfield—a town of just over 300 residents that is truly getting things done! Through the KCE group’s efforts, this small but mighty community has made big improvements, including new sand volleyball and pickleball courts, a refreshed post office, beautiful flower beds, refurbished Christmas decorations, a new community building and fitness center, updated welcome signage, a city website, and so much more.

After our meeting, we had the chance to tour Grainfield’s historic Opera House. Built in 1887, the building features a remarkable Mesker Brothers cast-iron storefront and has served many purposes over the years, from a harness shop and grocery store to an auto repair space. Today, it’s a vibrant civic auditorium and community center hosting everything from local events to even micro wrestling (just last week!).

We wrapped up the visit with a delicious lunch at The Feedlot restaurant. The brisket burger and homemade smoked mac and cheese were the perfect ending to a fantastic day.

Communities like Grainfield are a great reminder that big impact doesn’t require a big population, just vision, collaboration, and pride in the places we call home.

04/09/2026

adventure to Rossville!

We had an amazing day exploring the town’s scenic parks and trails, and visiting a true Kansas treasure—the oldest wooden grandstand in the state at Joe Campbell Memorial Stadium. This century-old landmark, known for its historic covered wooden seating, has been hosting baseball games for over 100 years, including a 1925 matchup against the Kansas City Monarchs.

The newly restored grandstand stands as a powerful testament to community grit and grassroots dedication. It will be proudly celebrated this Memorial Day.

04/06/2026

and that's why we're celebrating National ! Community Development, big or small, matters and we see you out there making changes for your cities. Well done!

03/13/2026

Our staff had the pleasure of attending the CDBG Awards Banquet in Topeka Wednesday!

CDBG stands for Community Development Block Grants, and these funds help improve public facilities in communities - everything from sidewalks and water systems to parks and revitalizing blighted buildings. This year, 50 awardees received more than $22 million!

We were especially excited to see so many KCE communities and counties recognized!

Congratulations to Columbus, Herington, Independence, Overbrook, Valley Falls, Dickinson County, Doniphan County, and Sumner County! We can’t wait to see your projects come to life.

If your community received an award, tell us in the comments what the funds will support, and feel free to give yourselves a little hard brag! 🥳