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Sunflower Foundation Announces New Funding Opportunity

February 3, 2010

Topeka: The Topeka-based Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans has announced a statewide grant opportunity through the release of three requests for proposals (RFPs). These RFPs call for projects that add or expand services in health care safety net settings, that build the organizational capacity of health-related nonprofit organizations, or that build community or school-based walking or multi-use trails to promote increased physical activity. 

Complete details on these RFPs and directions for the new online application process can be found on the foundation’s Web site, www.sunflowerfoundation.org, or are available by calling the foundation at 785-232-3000 (local) or 866-232-3020 (toll free).

Potential applicants are encouraged to participate in one of several RFP briefings to be held by telephone conference calls beginning February 8, 2010. These briefings will be specific to each of the three RFPs and will address funding criteria and the new online application process. Information regarding the conference call schedule and instructions for participating are available on the foundation’s Web site or by calling the foundation office.

The Sunflower Foundation was created in 2000. The mission of the foundation is to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans, which it supports through a program of grants, awards and related activities.
 

Organizing Communities for Change is the Emphasis for Next Advocacy in Health Speaker

December 16, 2009

TOPEKA, Kan. – Rudy Lopez, Director of Politics at the Center for Community Change, is the second speaker in the Sunflower Foundation’s 2009-2010 Advocacy in Health Speaker Series. His message focuses on the place where passion and politics come together – at the grassroots level. 

The key, he says, is to engage people who are affected by the changes they want to see happen. “It’s really about helping people in communities win for themselves instead of trying to win for them,” he said.

Lopez will speak at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka. The speech is free and open to the public. A reception to meet the speaker will follow.

“Many groups – organizations, nonprofits, social service agencies – tend to do the work themselves rather than helping those they serve do the work,” explained Lopez, whose own organization helps build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially those of color, to change their communities and public policies.

Programs that consistently rely on the “hand out instead of hand up” model of building community can result in unhealthy consequences, he said. “People become more dependent and less empowered and are without the tools to make the kind of changes that improve their lives.”

Lopez encourages organizations to extend themselves to the communities they serve and not have people come to them. At the lecture in Topeka, he plans to stress the importance of understanding how to empower people living within communities to influence change.

Lopez has served as national field director of Wellstone Action, where he trained thousands of people throughout the country to manage campaigns and run for public office. He also has served as national field director for U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, was a community organizer and has worked on dozens of partisan campaigns at the local, state and federal level.

Lopez is the second speaker in the Sunflower Foundation’s 2009-2010 Advocacy in Health Speakers Series. It is the Sunflower Foundation’s second year to feature nationally known speakers as part of its advocacy initiative, which is designed to provide public policy education and training for nonprofit leaders.

The Lopez speech and reception are free and open to the public. However, seating is limited so advance reservations are required by calling (785) 232-3000 or visiting www.sunflowerfoundation.org.

 

Sunflower Foundation Announces 2010 Advocacy Fellows

November 5, 2009

TOPEKA – The 2010 class of Advocacy Fellows for the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans has been announced. This year’s class of 15 nonprofit leaders from across the state will learn how to become effective public policy advocates for their organizations and the people they serve. 

The Advocacy Fellowship class is part of the foundation’s non-partisan advocacy initiative, which is designed to provide education and training opportunities for nonprofit leaders. The goal is to bring the perspective of the nonprofit world to public policy.

“We are proud to build on the success of our inaugural class with this second year of outstanding Fellows,” said Billie Hall, President and CEO of the Sunflower Foundation, which launched the advocacy program in 2008. “We are pleased with the diversity of individuals and organizations that are represented and look forward to another year of exceptional involvement from the group.”

The fellowship program includes six sessions over the course of a year, including one visit to Washington, D.C. Topics include how to develop advocacy strategies, build coalitions and grassroots efforts, navigate the political process and work with the media.

“Bringing together nonprofit leaders with a wide range of experiences and interests really brings a new voice to policy discussions – on a local, state and national level,” Hall said. “These Fellows, as well as the class before them, are committed to learning, engaging and building a network across the state that can address health care issues facing us now and in the future.”

Leaders selected for the 2010 Advocacy Fellowship class are:

GARDEN CITY

Ric Dalke, Executive Director
Area Mental Health Center

HAYS

Janette Meis, State Director
Kansas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

IOLA

David Toland, Executive Director
Thrive Allen County

KANSAS CITY, KS

Katherine Kelly, Executive Director
Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture

Roberta Lindbeck, Executive Director
Cross-Lines Community Outreach, Inc.

LAWRENCE

Brutrinia Arellano, Post-Graduate Fellow
Medical/Legal Partnership
University of Kansas School of Law

Dee Ann DeRoin, MD, MPH, Family Practitioner
Community Health & Wellness

LIBERAL

Arturo Ponce, Director
United Methodist Mexican-American Ministries
HIV/AIDS Education & Outreach
Liberal Clinic & Care Center

PITTSBURG

Monica Murnan, Executive Director
Family Resource Center, Inc.

TOPEKA

Corrie Edwards, Executive Director
Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Inc.

Craig Kaberline, Executive Director
Kansas Area Agencies on Aging Association

Doug Vance, Executive Director
Kansas Recreation and Park Association

WAMEGO

Deb Kiker, Clinic Administrator
Community Health Ministry

WICHITA

Annette Graham, Executive Director
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging
Sedgwick County Department on Aging

Anne Nelson, Associate Executive Director
Central Plains Regional Health Care Foundation

In conjunction with the fellowship program, the Sunflower Foundation also will be sponsoring its Advocacy in Health Speaker Series, which brings four national leaders to the state for public forums. All forums are free and open to the public.

This year’s first speaker in the series is Marcia Avner, nationally recognized author and nonprofit advocacy expert. She will speak at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.

The Sunflower Foundation is a charitable organization with a mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans. The foundation’s funding priorities are health care access, healthy behaviors and prevention, capacity building and advocacy. More information is available at www.sunflowerfoundation.org.


 

Fellows Graduate From Inaugural Health Advocacy Program

September 17, 2009

TOPEKA - The Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans announces the graduation of its first class of Advocacy Fellows. The 15 members of the program finished a year of intensive training earlier this month with congratulations from Governor Mark Parkinson and a reminder that the advocacy they will do not only leverages the political power of their nonprofit organizations, but will serve those who often don’t have a voice in the public policy debate. 

“This class is an exceptional group and we know individually and collectively they will be making a difference for Kansans for many years to come,” said Billie Hall, President and CEO for the Sunflower Foundation, which launched the program last year.

The Advocacy Fellowship is designed to equip nonprofit leaders with the understanding, experience and expertise needed to become effective public policy advocates for their organizations and the people they serve.

As part of the year-long program, participants attended six sessions, including one visit to Washington, D.C. Sessions covered key areas essential to developing skills and expertise in advocacy and nonprofit lobbying. Training session topics included how to develop advocacy strategies, build coalitions and grassroots efforts, navigate the political process and work with the media.

Leaders who successfully completed the Advocacy Fellowship are:

EMPORIA
• Vicki Worrell, Executive Director, KAHPERD (Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance)

GARDEN CITY
• Stephanie Waggoner, CEO, United Methodist Mexican-America Ministries

KANSAS CITY
• John G. Carney, Vice President, Aging and End of Life, Center for Practical Bioethics
• Kara Lineweber, Director of Policy Advocacy-Research, El Centro, Inc.
• Michael Mayberry, Executive Director, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
• Phelps Murdock, President and CEO, Bridging the Gap

LAWRENCE
• Mitzi E. McFatrich, Executive Director, Kansas Advocates for Better Care
• Elizabeth E. Weeks Leonard, Associate Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law

PITTSBURG
• Krista Postai, Executive Director, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas

SHARON SPRINGS
• Chrysanne Grund, Project Director, Greeley County Health Services

TOPEKA
• Rick Cagan, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Kansas Chapter
• Shannon Cotsoradis, Executive Vice President and COO, Kansas Action for Children
• Cathy Harding, Executive Director, Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved

WICHITA
• Rosa Molina, Executive Director, Medical Service Bureau
• Brian Walker, Executive Director, Kansas Food Bank

The Sunflower Foundation is a health philanthropy with a mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans. The foundation’s funding priorities are health care access, healthy behaviors and prevention, capacity building and advocacy.

The 2010 Fellowship class will be announced in October. For more information about the Advocacy Fellowship, visit www.sunflowerfoundation.org.
 

Sunflower Foundation Names Board Officers

July 1, 2009

TOPEKA – The Board of Trustees of the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans has announced the election of new board officers. The officers will serve one year terms, beginning July 1, 2009.

Elected to chair the board was Chris Ruder, Lenexa. Ruder is vice president, patient care services, at the University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City. He was initially appointed to the foundation board in 2005.

Mia Korbelik, Dodge City, was elected to serve as secretary. She is development director for United Methodist Mexican American Ministries, Garden City, and involved in managing a family farming operation. Korbelik was appointed to the foundation board in 2007.

Kraig Gross, Hays, was elected as treasurer. He will also chair the board’s finance committee. Gross is controller for Kansas Natural Gas, Inc., Hays. He was appointed to the foundation board in 2006.

The Sunflower Foundation is governed by nine trustees who represent diverse backgrounds and regions of the state. Eight trustees are appointed through a process overseen by the Kansas Attorney General. One trustee is appointed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas.

The Sunflower Foundation was established in 2000. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans, which it supports through a program of grants, awards and related activities.
 

Sunflower Foundation Announces New Board Members

May 26, 2009

TOPEKA – The Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans announces three new members of its board of trustees appointed by Kansas Attorney General Steve Six and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS). Eight members of the foundation’s nine-member board are appointed through a process overseen by the Kansas Attorney General. One trustee is appointed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas. Trustees are limited to serving three three-year terms.

Appointed by Attorney General Six are Kraig Gross, Hays, reappointed to his second three-year term, and Reggie Robinson, Lawrence, appointed to his first three-year term.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas appointed Howard Shuler, Topeka, for his first three-year term. The three new trustees will begin their terms in June.

Kraig Gross serves as controller for Kansas Natural Gas, Inc., Hays. He was appointed to his first term on the Sunflower Foundation board in 2006. He currently is treasurer of the board and also chairs the finance committee.

Reginald (Reggie) Robinson serves as president & CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, Topeka. Robinson replaces Harry Craig, Topeka, who was among the first Sunflower Foundation trustees appointed by then-Attorney General Carla Stovall in 2000.

Howard Shuler is retired Superintendent of Schools for Auburn-Washburn USD 437, a position he had for 19 years. Shuler replaces Tom Miller, Topeka, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, who has served as the BCBSKS appointment to the Sunflower Foundation board since it was created in 2000.

The Attorney General also made three appointments to the Sunflower Foundation’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The CAC nominates candidates for the foundation’s board and acts in an advisory role to the foundation.

The three CAC appointments were Robert Thomen, Chanute, reappointed to a third term; Doug Sheern, Abilene, reappointed for a second term; and Barbara Carswell, Lawrence, appointed for a first term.

The mission of the Sunflower Foundation is to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans, which it supports through a program of grants, awards and related activities.
 

Sunflower Foundation Offers Unique Grants in Response to Current Economic Challenges

May 4, 2009

TOPEKA - The Topeka-based Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans has announced a unique statewide grant opportunity through the release of a new request for proposals (RFP), titled Finding Solutions in Challenging Times. Grants will offer short-term support to help nonprofit health and human services organizations meet emerging needs related to the current economic downturn. Funding preference will be given to organizations with missions to provide services for low income, uninsured populations and those with special needs. The RFP offers three application deadline options: June 1, July 28 or September 22, 2009. 

Complete details on this RFP and application documents can be found on the foundation’s Web site, www.sunflowerfoundation.org, or are available by calling the foundation at 785-232-3000 (local) or 866-232-3020 (toll free).

Potential applicants are encouraged to participate in one of the telephone briefings to discuss the RFP, which will be held May 12, 13, 14, & 15, 2009. Information regarding the briefing schedule and instructions for participating are available in the RFP documents posted on the foundation’s Web site. The foundation welcomes questions about the application process or guidelines.

The Sunflower Foundation was created in 2000. The mission of the foundation is to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of Kansans, which it supports through a program of grants, awards and related activities.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar
October 28, 2010
Final application deadline for the foundation's three current Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Plan to participate in TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL BRIEFINGS to discuss the RFPs and the new Online Application process. Watch this website for the briefing schedules as they are announced. read more >
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