Peace Connections News

 SNEAK PEEK AT SEAK   We're gearing up for a whirlwind of fun with Summer Enrichment Activities for Kids (SEAK) - an action-packed 8-week program for kids to mingle, explore, and chow down on some tasty treats. Geared towards anyone aged 1-18 in Harvey County, this program dishes out free meals and fun activities four days a week. By serving up nutritious meals, breaking social barriers, and rallying community support, SEAK aims to sprinkle some positivity around! Teaming up with awesome community members like YOU lets Peace Connections shine a spotlight on our community's strengths. The African proverb, "I am because we are," perfectly sums up how SEAK can bring us closer, tap into our neighborhood resources, and share good times over a meal. Big thanks to YOU for being a key player in this exciting journey! See you this summer!

Creating Possible Futures Dreams, Goals, and Aspirations for Harvey County      Harvey County Circle of Hope is a relationship-based poverty-reduction program geared toward individuals working to escape poverty. While the main focus is financial management and goal setting, many conversations steer toward collective resources and information. This focus shifts the narrative away from individual blame or failure and toward a place where people from various backgrounds can work together to solve the systemic barriers that keep families in poverty. This higher-level view of poverty engages a wide audience and each person becomes part of the solution!      Participants recently completed a Possible Selves/Possible Trees activity, which involved tracing their roots to community resources and strengths, identifying trunks of support (beliefs and attitudes), and naming the fruits (dreams and goals) that come as they continue to nurture their tree (themselves and t...

Laurie Oswald Robinson's Lasting Impact Pictured above: Laurie Oswald Robinson with longtime friend and Board member, Gary Rediger.     Early on a Monday morning, April 8, Laurie Oswald Robinson was struck and killed by a car as she was walking on a rural road southeast of Newton, training for the Kansas Camino Walk. That evening police arrested Samara Maple, 23, of Hutchinson, on preliminary charges of failure to stop at the scene of a fatal accident.     Laurie, 64, was a key part of the work of Peace Connections and will be sorely missed. She worked at fund development under three different PC directors, wrote often for this newsletter and helped coordinate the annual Paul E. Oswald Memorial Golf Tournament, now in its eighth year, in her father’s name.     Kendra Davila, current PC director, says she loved how Laurie honored her relationship with her dad. “She involved her family in her work,” says Kendra, and “had a passion for both.” Anyone who met La...