PROJECTS
The Hub
Fall 2012 - Present
Impact Areas: Live, Play, Grow
Nearly 7000 square feet of usable space (Well, we think so). A historic 1930 Emergency Public Works project funded by the Roosevelt Administration or affectionately known as "The old Soldier Gym" by local folk. Up until a year ago it was shrouded by trees and other vegetation lost in time and assumed a lost cause. We think it'd make the perfect place to cultivate community.
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The BookMobile
Summer 2014 - 2019
Impact Areas: Play, Grow
The adventure of books! Many a child has lost themselves on a cool rainy spring morn or sultry summer day between the pages of a great book. The tough thing about living in rural Kansas? For some youth it's the practical and consistant access to books during the summer when school is out. The idea? What if the books came to kids? A mobile library that visits the 4 small communities 1 a week for 12 weeks this summer. Complete with crafts, snacks & check-out times. Just add kids! Learn more here...
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The Soldier Community Fund
Fall 2021- Present
Impact Areas: Live, Work,
Play & Grow
What if folks wanted to help out by donating money or other valued assets towards a cause that benefited the community of Soldier? And what if that money could be used to seed other projects in and around Soldier, both big and small, as opportunities came available? A fund has now been established at with the Jackson County Community Foundation with seed money in honor of the Community CORE Foundation. The desire is that this local fund would provide a safe, simple and visible option for folks searching for giving opportunities in and around Soldier.
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The LunchBox
Summer 2014 - 2017
Impact Areas: Live, Grow
Sure, summer is amazing. I mean come on... swimming in the creek, camp, 4th of July and watermelon right? And yeah it's not always fun and games. There is mowing the yard, doing hay and +100 degree afternoons. But no school, no homework and no school lunch... Right? Maybe you hadn't realized it, but ever consider how during the year the local school's breakfast and lunch program provides some students with the 5 most balanced and consistant meals they'll consume that week. What happens in the summer when the lunchroom isn't serving? What if a big lunch "box" was available to students once a week during the summer at an accessible location that contained a generous amount of shelf stable food to help nutritionally supplement one of the most active seasons of a students life? Well, we'd call it The LunchBox.
The Fair Meet
April 2014 & 2015
Impact Areas: Play
Even for a rural area, Soldier, Ks boasts plenty of organizations and groups to belong to. The challenge many rural areas know: Enough unique volunteers to go around and time to plan. We're all busy people and with many people part of several organizations at a time it can get crazy when it comes to local events that require organization to work together. On top of that families can get stretched pretty thin. Folks get burned out and great activities fall by the wayside. What if we worked smarter instead of harder? Could we share some responsibilities? Would some new folks plug in? What is already planned and how can we work together? Mix in a chicken dinner, folks 9 months to 91 years old, a dry erase board, lots of healthy convo and you have yourself a great start to a great event.
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Community
Board
Fall 2013 - Present
Impact Areas: Live
Its ironic that in a small town where you know everyone and their vehicle you can still miss out on a lot. If there is no longer a town newspaper and everyone is running their own circles a guy can miss a soup supper or two, a city council meeting or a chance to help repurpose a piece of local history. Add on top of that a society that is more wired than ever but at times feels less connected than ever. Our simple solution for the moment? Well what if we just had a big ole' chalkboard hanging round town with events on it and available for anyone's announcement? Would that help? Well, we'll see!