As we begin 2024, the RevitalizeYC board wants to take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments in 2023 and share with you some of our goals for the year to come.
Valentines Dinner:
In February 2023, RevitalizeYC hosted their first Valentine’s Dinner & Show. It was an interactive dinner theater consisting of music, comedy, and drama. The show was a murder mystery staged on a cruise, and was written by Roberta Wilkes. The actors were local to Yates Center, and they added a healthy dose of improv to the script throughout the night.
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting another Valentine’s Dinner & Show on February 17, 2024. Stay tuned to www.revitalizeyc.com and our Facebook page for more information on the show and to book your tickets. Details to be released soon!
Spring Cleanup:
Our annual Town Square Clean-up is a day of giving back to our community by helping clean up the historic town square! In preparation of Yates Center Days, groups work together to wash windows, blow off side-walks, and remove debris from cracks in sidewalks and building fronts. We were fortunate to have the local KAYS Club and local volunteers help.
Interested in helping this year? We will be there again this Spring -- April 27, 2024. We look forward to seeing you!
Grants:
Adore Your Door - PRIDE Grant
RevitalizeYC was awarded a Kansas PRIDE grant in the amount of $2,000! After waiting over a year for the paint shortage to work itself out, RevitalizeYC was able to move forward with this project.
RevitalizeYC launched this campaign in hopes to bring some much needed color, vibrancy, and care of personal property back into our community. The idea of painting the front door could ripple into cleaning up a yard, adding landscape, and freshening up the front porch was exactly what we witnessed.
This has been a fantastic project to see come alive in our community. As the "I Adored My Door" signs started popping up throughout the community, the excitement started to spread. This project helped us spark some community PRIDE and a little friendly competition.
We had 30 volunteers who registered to participate, painted their front door, and submitted before & after photos. Supplemental beautification work was completed to the exterior of their property too. The participants reported they replaced screen doors, power washed their sidewalks, porches, and homes. In addition, they painted window trim, freshened up landscaping, and changed out lawn furniture. These are visible signs throughout the community that our residents are working to clean up and take PRIDE in the way their home, property, and community look.
For the support of this project, we are grateful to the Kansas PRIDE Program through K-State Research and Extension and Superior Building Supply.
We do have some extra paint material available. With the blessing of the PRIDE Board of Directors, we plan to do another project this spring to continue our long term goal of community beautification. Stay tuned for more information.
SEED & HEAL Grants
RevitalizeYC worked with local businesses and organizations to secure funds to complete their projects. Throughout 2023, these projects have been completed; billboard placements, directional signs, facade improvements, and sidewalk repairs. A building renovation is still in progress. These improvements have been great for our community.
Mural Grants
If you’ve driven through the 54/75 intersection in Yates Center, you very likely noticed this mural at the Townsman Motel! This painting is one of two murals recently installed by RevitalizeYC with the work completed by artist Anastacia Drake. RevitalizeYC was awarded a Mural/Public Art Grant by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Creative Arts Industries Commission to executive this round of mural installations.
Kathe Hamman has been busy updating and installing art murals around the community of Yates Center too. With help of her former students and their family, they have been freshening the paint on some of their original murals - Delay Stadium and the Woodson County History Museum (SW Corner Town Square) . In addition, Kathe has painted several barn quilts to add a pop of color around town. These projects have been completed with the support of a Wal Mart grant.
You can learn more about these murals on the RevitalizeYC website; https://www.revitalizeyc.com/ycmurals.
Get Your Own Grant:
Do you have a grant idea or project? As a nonprofit, RevitalizeYC partners with local businesses and organizations to help secure grant funds for their projects. However, grants opportunities are announced and have a small window to apply, oftentimes less than 30 days. It is best to have a proposal already written and ready to be submitted. Grant writing workshops are offered by the Kansas State Research and Extension, checkout their website to sign up for a class.
Hay Fest:
Leading up to the highly anticipated commencement of HayFest 2023, a series of captivating events unfolded. Numerous residents from across the county enthusiastically took part in the annual Hay Bale Art Competition, showcasing their creativity and talent. Among the remarkable entries were Will-Hay Neslon, an Alien from out of this world, a remarkable Dairy Cow, Mike Wazoski, an awe-inspiring Pig, a majestic Owl, and the iconic duo Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner.
Moreover, Yates Center Elementary School organized an engaging coloring contest for students in grades K-6th. The winners of this contest were rewarded with a delightful personal pan pizza as a token of their achievement. Meanwhile, citizens eagerly scoured the county, diligently following the clues that would ultimately lead them to the concealed medallion. This year, the elusive medallion was ingeniously hidden at the New York Valley School.
Friday night, HayFest 2023 commenced with a delectable supper that embraced the spirit of generosity through voluntary contributions. The supper spread included mouthwatering chili, savory soups, and scrumptious desserts that tantalized the taste buds of attendees. Following this satisfying feast, an exhilarating game of BINGO took place at the renowned Light Hardware venue. This engaging activity brought immense joy to individuals from all walks of life, transcending generational boundaries and fostering a sense of unity among citizens of all age groups.
The start of the weekend brought a slight coolness to the Saturday morning, but this was not enough to dampen the excitement of the spectators who eagerly embraced the delightful atmosphere and engaging activities taking place on the square. The event catered to families, offering a range of enjoyable experiences. Inflatable structures, a corn pit, fall-themed crafts, laser tag, face painting, and pumpkin decorating stations were all available for everyone's amusement.
Adding to the festive ambiance, local and regional musicians took to the stage, captivating the crowd with their live performances as attendees explored the various vendor and craft booths. The day was filled with special attractions, including the popular Chicken Sh*t BINGO and our highly anticipated Barn Raising Competition, which entertained the audience throughout the day.
As the sun began its descent, the lively atmosphere continued into the evening. Karaoke Night commenced, inviting participants to showcase their singing talents, while a spine-chilling haunted house experience awaited the brave-hearted souls who dared to venture inside.
We are constantly expanding our event and are actively seeking enthusiastic individuals to become part of our committee and contribute fresh ideas. If you are acquainted with anyone who participates in craft fairs, we warmly welcome food and craft vendors to join us. To learn more or register, please visit our website at www.hayfestyc.com.
We owe the immense success of this remarkable two-day occasion entirely to the incredible individuals within our community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you Your support and participation were instrumental in creating such a remarkable event. We are immensely grateful and cannot thank you enough. We eagerly look forward to your presence once again on October 11th and 12th as we joyously come together to celebrate HayFest once more in 2024.
Goals 2023-2024:
Housing – This is an ongoing need for our Woodson County. People want to move here, but there is rarely anything available to purchase, rent, or rehab. With other organizations in the community, we are working to complete a Housing Assessment Tool (HAT) to gather information on our housing needs and inventory. This will allow our community to apply for housing grants. Help is needed with this project.
Continued Grant Seeking/Writing – We are always looking forward to the next project and how we can help Woodson County.
Tracking/Marketing of RevitalizeYC’s Achievements & Grants – When writing grants, it is important to have a portfolio to show what grants have been managed and their accomplishments. We are looking for someone to help create a page on our website to display our achievements, grants, and community reports.
Execute New Community Survey - Our last survey was beneficial in helping determine wants and needs in our community. New businesses were created, recreational activities were added, and restaurants have been established. The old survey was completed prior to 2020 and a lot has changed following COVID. We plan to have three different surveys to meet each person’s individual situation – high school aged student, current resident, and former resident/alumni. Once completed, these surveys will be available in both a digital and paper format.
Visitor’s Night:
RevitalizeYC held a Visitor’s Night in September looking for new members to join our active organization. It was a great night getting to meet citizens in our community interested in working to help it prosper and grow. They had a lot of ideas and suggestions which is great for forward progress.
Do you have a passion for Woodson County, have a special skill set, or would like to help but unsure how? As an organization, we are still seeking members to join our team or committees.
Get Involved
You can support RevitalizeYC by participating in local fundraisers, purchasing a t-shirt to show your hometown spirit at TradeWinds or Cornerstone Bakery, or by volunteering.
Memorial contributions, legacy gifts to honor a loved one, bequests, and gifts of stock, property or land are just a few more ways to offer support. In addition, you can donate by going online to www.revitalizeyc.com, and providing a one time gift or by participating in our monthly giving plan.
Here are several other ways to get involved.
Board Members:
Our team might be small, but we are mighty. All of these accomplishments are because of the time, effort, and dedication of these amazing people. If you see them on the streets, be sure to tell them thank you for all they have done to help our community.
If you're interested in joining our team, check out our Community Teams page and our Available Board Positions page. There's a simple online application - we are always looking for individuals who are passionate about Woodson County!
Thank you for your continued support!
Photo Credit: Kathe Hamman, Chari Bauman, Ashton Schemper Photography, & HayFest/Adore Your Door Participants