Rural Grocers Summit June 1, 2008 The summit will be held at the Kansas Sampler Foundation in Inman, Kan. Topics include confronting issues of business development, public health and community sustainability with rural grocery stores. More information
"Engagement occurs when collaborative partners - both on and off-campus stakeholders - work together to address a public need in a way that is both reciprocal and mutually beneficial. Through engagement, K-State endeavors to fulfill its historic land grant mission."
David E. Procter, Director of CECD
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Welcome to this special issue of K-State's Engagement E-News. In recognition of the one-year anniversary of the tornado that devastated Greensburg, Kansas, we wanted to share some of the work and thoughts of those K-Staters who have been helping rebuild Greensburg.
The windows were lined with little yellow slips of paper. Little yellow sheets that outlined the happenings for an entire community. Little yellow slips that were THE go-to resource. Let's hope it didn't get too humid, or the entire community calendar system would be completely ruined.
Bert Biles, the associate director of the National Institute for Land Management and Training, is working to remedy this problem for Greensburg, Kan., residents.
The next generation of wireless technology is here. For users, it functions exactly like WiFi — your computer will pick up a signal and connect to the Internet. But for rural Kansas residents, this technology is transformative.
In the past, rural residents relied on dial-up or satellite Internet connections. Neither of these is a good option — dial-up is extremely slow, and satellite is expensive. But Greensburg's new technology will change all that.
Last spring, Greensburg, Kan., was devastated by an F-5 tornado. About 90 percent of the town was completely destroyed; and many Greensburg residents were left with no material possessions. Many communities would simply re-build their town in the same manner as before, and as quickly as possible. But Greensburg residents decided it was time for a radical change. The community is choosing to go green. And K-State students are helping with the process.
When disaster strikes, a community is not only physically altered, but also mentally. Citizens may have a difficult time analyzing the shocking and instantaneous changes their communities face. But Charlie Griffin and a team of state-wide volunteers are working to counter these problems with positive change.
"We provide behavioral health support after a disaster," said Charlie Griffin, coordinator for the All-Hazards Behavioral Health Program. "We were on the ground May 6, 2007, two days after the disaster, and we've been there ever since."
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