Peace Connections News

  Another Successful Golf Tournament  If the late Paul Oswald or Laurie Oswald Robinson ever had reason to be proud of  Peace Connections , it would have been this past June. That was when the non-profit's 9th annual golf tournament scored a ‘hole-in-one' for their poverty-reduction work, with ten dedicated golf teams gathering at Hesston Golf Course. Collectively, they raised over $9,500 in gifts, which helps families build more positive futures through mentoring, life skills training, and community engagement.   Oswald grew up in poverty and at the age of 12 went to work on other farms to help his own family eat. That’s why Circle of Hope and its model of bettering families by giving them a hand up, rather than a handout, was so dear to his heart. This year’s sponsors honored Laurie and her legacy through this tournament, where nearly half the players were women, a place that Laurie strived to be inclusive and would have joyously celebrated!

  Love Never Ends, and Neither Does Laundry  As Laundry Love approaches its third year in our community, the need is still there, and so is the love. Reacting to those needs led us to open up another session earlier in the afternoon, in partnership with Prairie View, for folks who were unable to handle the sometimes hectic pace of the regular evening program, the first Thursday of each month.   We see the laundromat as a place where strangers become friends, people are known by name, hope is hustled, and the worth of every human being is acknowledged and celebrated. We do this through love, dignity, and detergent. Steve, a regular attendant, stated “Laundry Love has been a life changer for me. I’m so glad you guys offer this every month.” "I am so blessed to know that I can always keep my grandbabies in clean clothes." -Mariah  There have also been increased partnerships and outreach opportunities as local organizations are seeking us out, to highlight, recruit,...

  Another Fun Summer with SEAK Fueled by chicken and rice, pork burritos, and a variety of sandwiches, we had another fun summer at SEAK (Summer Enrichment Activities for Kids), where we served over 2,600 meals at two different locations, Immanuel Baptist Church and the New Creation Fellowship Church playground. Preceding each meal was a different “enrichment” activity, which this year included meeting critters like snakes and goats, having hula hoop and bubble gum blowing contests, making ice cream, participating in a drum circle and frolicking with balloon animals. Every Wednesday, as is our tradition, is “Water Wednesday,” we pull out the hoses and get wet in one way or another, capped off by the when the Fire Department brings out their pump truck and soaks everyone with the fire hose. Volunteers contributed over 300 hours this summer to help make this program a success. Designed as a no-barrier program for anyone ages 1-18, we know we are living into our mission when over 60% ...

  28th Cohort of Getting Ahead Graduates! Pictured from left to right: Matthew Gordy, Director Kendra Davila, Crystal Sollenberger, Sarah Bridger, Beth King, Class Facilitator Trianna Cowden, Jeff Browning, Valencia Hernandez, Levi Southern, Benjamin Brown, and Amber Southern. Graduates not pictured: Tammy Southern and MaryEllen Southern.   On August 5th, Harvey County Circle of Hope celebrated the graduation of eleven hard-working students from the Getting Ahead financial management and goal-setting class. This class was proof once again of how impactful this process can be on self-respect and personal determination. This group of people have been faithfully gathering on Tuesday evenings to explore their finances, causes of poverty, developing goals, and building hope for their futures. Now matched with their Volunteer Allies, they are moving on to their next steps: college classes, fitness journeys, home ownership and fiscal stability. These matches will persist for the...

  Volunteer Follows Her Passion By Julia Largent Kuttler  I moved to Newton with my husband at the end of December 2020. At that point we knew a few people in town, but not many. One day, I found the  Peace Connections  Facebook page and gave it a follow. I eventually worked up the nerve to submit a volunteer application and quickly met with Jennifer Rose, the director at the time, and began my involvement with this great group of folks who are passionate about building community. Since I love planning events, the natural fit was to add me to the Events Committee - on which I still serve.  As a professor at McPherson College, I have the summers off, so I also began volunteering to help serve the meals for SEAK (Summer Enrichment Activities for Kids), and I’ve been a part of that program since 2022. This year, I was encouraged to step up my responsibility with SEAK, and I applied to serve as the AmeriCorps Coordinator for the 2025 program year, a position which c...