Three community projects – including plans to build a sidewalk along a portion of 19th Ave. in Winfield – are part of $84,000 in grant funds that RISE Cowley has partnered with community agencies to secure.
The funds are part of the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas initiative. The three grants are part of $200,000 in funds BCBSKS has earmarked for RISE Cowley over the next two years.
The City of Winfield was awarded $51,000 to build a sidewalk along 19th Avenue for safe pedestrian access to the grocery center and other areas of the community, including the downtown commercial center and the Broadway Sports Complex.
The improvements to the roadway will allow separation of pedestrians and vehicles in Winfield’s busiest commercial area where an estimated 5,000 vehicles use the road each day, according to a media release from RISE Cowley.
City manager Taggart Wall said the plan is to install a path – that’s six-feet wide – from Andrews to Menor.
Wall said the project will also help to provide a connection between the soon to be completed Broadway Trail – under construction now through a Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks grant – and the west levee system trails.
Access to food and access to healthy activities are both important goals achieved with these projects, he said.
Legacy Regional Community Foundation was awarded $18,000 to create mini documentaries highlighting health inequities faced by county citizens. A team of nonprofit frontline service providers will offer narratives detailing gaps in the county safety net system, as well as bright spots and strengths.
The documentaries will focus on social determinants of health, mental health, substance abuse, and equitable access to healthy food.
The Community Health Center in Cowley County was awarded $15,000 to provide software support to nonprofit service organizations to help them track client needs and use of their services.
Community organizations such as Eagle Nest Inc. and Angels in the Attic will utilize the software to collaborate and show impact. The Community Health Center will work with these nonprofits to expand use to other safety net organizations in the county.
RISE Cowley is a coalition of like-minded organizations dedicated to making Cowley County a healthier place to live, work, and play. You can find them online at risecowley.org.
“RISE partners are implementing new solutions and strategies. Cowley residents can be excited about these grants and the activities of these organizations combating health inequities and thinking outside of the box to meet community needs,” Lindsay Wilke, RISE Cowley Grant Coordinator, said.