Author: Fred Atchison

Ready for Good is a nonprofit program that provides skills, training and support for young people who have been in Foster Care and the Court System. Program Director Addison Shockley described the program and the challenge of working with young people who are at risk and may have behavior issues. Participants learn to refurnish and sell donated items at the store at 708 Connecticut Street and benefit from serious coaching. They learn teamwork and work place values in one on one mentoring sessions. Ready for Good relies on grants, product sales and donations for funding support and works closely with numerous community entities. The first youth hires were in February of 2023 and the store was open to the public the following April. It is not unusual for Youth to repeat the program. The web site also has an online shopping feature.

City of Lawrence Engineering Program Manager Andy Ensz spoke on plans for the new Municipal Services and Operations Campus (MSO). The project will create a new consolidated headquarters for departmental employees and also addresses storage and facility needs. Presently the city has a dozen separate facilities to carry out MSO functions and many of them are undersized, sit in the flood plain, and have significant maintenance problems. There are also neighborhood concerns as well as safety and security issues.

The new campus will accommodate such city operations as Central Maintenance, Streets and Traffic, Water, Storm Water and Waste Water, Solid Waste, Inspections, and Administration. Sustainability has been employed in the design and construction and the plan has been modified to address neighborhood concerns. The plan was approved in 2023 and the construction phase is set for 2024 through 2026. The new MSO Campus is expected to provide significant efficiencies of operation for the City of Lawrence.

Rachel Bell, Business Services and Customer Relations for the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA), previewed cashless tolling which is coming in July. The KTA conducts regular customer satisfaction surveys which have revealed strong interest in cashless tolling. Such a system eliminates toll booths and relies on technology that records K-Tag information or images of license plates and bills vehicles later through a KTA account. Drivers may register a credit card for toll payment. Conversion will be automatic for present K-Tag users and KTA will continue to work with the states with which they presently have reciprocal agreements. The reasons for the change include safety, convenience and efficiency. Keeping traffic moving is to everyones advantage and the timing for the change is good as 70 per cent of the KTA workforce will be retiring in the next couple years. Rachel indicated that the toll rate for the new system will be the lowest cashless toll in the nation. She also noted that Lawrence is home to one of three KTA Customer Service Centers. The KTA website has more information on how cashless tolling will work.

Meg Pearson, Director of Donor Engagement for United Way of Kaw Valley, reported on the work of the well known community organization. The recent merger of the United Way organizations of Greater Topeka and Douglas County, along with Jackson and Jefferson Counties, have created efficiencies of operation to better serve the people of North East Kansas. United Way of Kaw Valley is the primary funding and volunteer recruiter for local nonprofits. Meg stressed that funds raised in Douglas County stay in the county. The organization engages in a variety of support tasks, including planning, training, professional development and advocacy. Community impact grants are awarded to collaborating partner organizations to help achieve these goals. Meg also spoke of the work of the Roger Hill Volunteer Center that recruits and creates an individual volunteer skills profile to match with the needs of over 122 organizations. United Way of Kaw Valley also works with the national 211 emergency hotline for people in need of services.

Leticia Cole is Lawrence Central Rotary Club’s point person for recruiting young people to participate in the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program. Most Rotary Clubs participate in RYLA, which typically consists of a week long summer camp for students 14 years and older. Students learn a variety of leadership skills and the value of civic involvement. Rotary District 5710 sponsors RYLA on the Kansas University campus the first week in June. District Rotary Clubs select and cover the costs of student participants who learn leadership and communication skills, form new friendships and have fun. Community leaders are utilized as presenters and mentor figures, and students may engage in community service projects. Typically, our selected student will visit the club to report on their RYLA experience. Leticia states that her work with RYLA is very satisfying.