Project at Melvern tests ‘Kansas Corps’ concept
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Originally published 01:10 p.m., April 17, 2008
Updated 01:10 p.m., April 17, 2008
About 80 college students will descend on Melvern on Saturday, planning to leave behind new hiking and biking trails in the area.
The pilot project will be a test of the “Kansas Corps” concept, which is intended to mobilize a pool of student volunteers to serve the state of Kansas. The student volunteers will work on building the trails alongside members of the community.
Organizers said that students from the culinary arts program at the Flint Hills Area Vocational-Technical College will prepare lunch for the workers at Melvern.
Other students scheduled to participate represent Kansas State University, University of Kansas, Fort Hays State University, Butler Community College, Pratt Community College and Allen County Community College.
Emporia State University will not be able to participate in this project, but its student body president has been “involved in the development of the proposal and instrumental in making this initiative a reality,” according to Chantelle Arnold of the Center for Civic Leadership at Fort Hays State University.
Curt Brungardt, one of the program’s developers and director of the Center, called the bike-and-hike trail-making a “landmark day.”
“We will foster rural economic gain, while building a community that is sustaining its own future,” Brungardt said. “This is the perfect union of community and college volunteers.”
Kansas Corps will serve as a clearinghouse to link community service projects with volunteers who can accomplish the goals of the project.
“The purpose of this new initiative is to create a network of these various college programs that, when needed, could be called on to serve the state,” a Kansas Corps proposal brochure said.
Kansas Corps also could work closely with the Kansas Department of Emergency Management when disaster strikes, or could work on fulfilling a social or community-development assistance need, the brochure said. Kansas Corps also would promote citizenship and civic engagement among the participants.
The concept grew from a grassroots effort among representatives of 10 Kansas colleges and universities. Schools that participated, in addition to ESU, were: Butler Community College, KSU at Salina, North Central Kansas Technical College, FHSU, Pratt Community College, Cowley College, Washburn University and Wichita State University.
The Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas Volunteer Commission, state and government agencies and non-profit and volunteer organizations have since joined the original group.
A number of other private groups — “Friends of the Trail,” Westar Electric Green Team, Kansas Trails Council and PRIDE organization — have joined in support of Kansas Corps.
More information about Kansas Corps may be had from Brungardt, (785) 628-5592 or cbrungar@fhsu.edu, or Mary Marston, executive director, Kansas Campus Compact, (785) 532-3696, or mmarston@k-state.edu.
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