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The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas Announces 2018 Rita J. Bicknell Women’s Health Fund grant recipients
The Rita J. Bicknell Women’s Health Fund once again supports women’s health initiatives in the southeast Kansas surrounding area. In 2007, the establishment of the Rita J. Bicknell Women’s Giving Circle was the philanthropic beginning for women helping women in Southeast Kansas. “To improve the health and well being of women by supporting education, increasing awareness, and sharing quality of life opportunities to benefit all women” is the mission of the Rita J. Bicknell (RJB) Women’s Health Fund. In 2012, the Circle of Friends giving circle grew out of the Women’s Giving Circle and today the RJB Women’s Health Fund is made up of the Women’s Giving Circle and the Circle of Friends. These giving circle memberships support area organizations through a granting process to promote their mission in southeast Kansas communities. Since its inception, the Rita J. Bicknell giving circles have generously given over $221,000 impacting women’s health in our community.
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas is pleased to be the host agency for the Rita J. Bicknell Women’s Health Fund, established in 2001. The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas is a public non-profit Foundation. Specifically, the Foundation serves the region helping individuals, businesses and municipalities fulfill their charitable giving goals in ways that benefit the common good and improve the quality of life. The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation and the Girard Area Community Foundation are affiliates. The Foundation inspires a passion for generosity in each community that we serve. The Foundation is an affiliate of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. If you would like to know more about the CFSEK or the Women’s Giving Circles, we invite you to visit the foundation website www.southeastkansas.org or call 620-231-8897.
The Rita J. Bicknell giving circles granted a total of $41,951 this year to worthy projects supporting women’s health throughout southeast Kansas area. The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas would like to congratulate the following 2018 grant recipients:
Women’s Giving Circle 2018 Grant Recipients
- Angels Among Us Inc.: Any and all financial Needs of cancer patients in the southeast Kansas area throughout their treatment process.
- Community Health Center of SEK, Inc.: Picture This…. Bringing State–of–the–Art Ultrasound into the Exam Room will purchase a portable diagnostic ultrasound system to be housed at the Cherokee County clinic but utilized at the Pittsburg facility as well.
- Labette Health Foundation: Emergency Room Gynecological Response Project will provide a gynecological cart to deal more rapidly and effectively with acute women’s health issues.
- Pittsburg State University School of Nursing: Super Tory, a Newborn High-Fidelity Simulator will offer students advanced neonatal patient simulation.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Four States: Family Resource Library will expand existing women’s and family resources at the Ronald McDonald House and add a resource library at the new Ronald McDonald Family Room.
- Special Olympics Kansas: Women’s Fitness Implementation will start a Fit Friends program between women with intellectual disabilities and friends or organizations within the community to be active and healthy together.
Circle of Friends 2018 Grant Recipients
- Crawford County Health Department: The Lactation Station, which is sponsored by the Southeast Kansas Regional Breastfeeding Coalition, will provide space for breastfeeding families to nurse or express breastmilk at public events in area communities.
- Southeast Kansas Special Education Interlocal 637: Healthy Relationships project will purchase two sets of the CIRCLES Intimacy and Relationships Curriculum for instructional use with students with autism and developmental delays at the middle and high school level.
- Women’s Resource Center SEK: Educational Curriculum Upgrades: Supporting Women’s Health and Emotional Education will upgrade the center’s parenting, parenting toddlers, and special circumstance curriculum.
The Women’s Health fund is proud to be able to contribute to the success of these organizations and projects in support of women and their health in the SEK region.