Sunflower Foundation

Kelli Mark, Sunflower’s director of Healthy Communities, was out and about recently participating in the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative (KHFI) Advisory Board meeting in Leon, after which she joined the 2026 Kansas Rural Grocery Tour, organized by the K-State Extension - Rural Grocery Initiative (RGI).

Kelli and fellow advisory board members joined other key stakeholders on a tour that included stops at Bluestem Mercantile in Leon, Batson's Drug Store and Family Market in Howard, and Salt Creek Market, part of The Salt Creek Farm in Eureka. At each stop, store owners shared stories about their store’s history and their experiences as rural grocers, as well as insights into how their stores contribute to community vitality and improve food access.

Kelli and Elizabeth Burger, Sunflower’s senior vice president of programs and strategy, are members of the advisory board for KHFI, a healthy food financing initiative that supports healthy food retail projects in low-resource and underserved areas of Kansas.

RGI, part of K-State Extension, strives to sustain locally owned rural grocery stores by serving as the lead food access organization for KHFI. RGI conducts program outreach, provides technical assistance, and reviews the eligibility of potential KHFI projects.

Check out some of the photos from the tour, and learn more about KHFI and RGI:
https://kansashealthyfood.org/
https://www.ruralgrocery.org/

Kansas Public Radio's Community Spotlight program recently featured NAVO, a nonprofit arts organization in Overland Park with a mission to enrich communities in the Midwest through the power of the arts.

Founded by conductor/violist Shah Sadikov and violinist Véronique Mathieu, NAVO is dedicated to inspiring underserved communities and working in partnership with local charities.

KPR visited with Mathieu, the organization's artistic director. Listen to their conversation: https://kansaspublicradio.org/community-spotlight/2026-08-01/kpr-community-spotlight-navo

Sunflower Foundation is a proud supporter of KPR’s Community Spotlight program, which each month highlights the work of a community nonprofit organization in the KPR listening area.

Learn more about NAVO: https://www.navoarts.com/
Learn more about KRP's Community Spotlight program: https://kansaspublicradio.org/community-spotlight

KPR Community Spotlight: NAVO Founded by conductor/violist Shah Sadikov and violinist Véronique Mathieu, NAVO is a non-profit arts organization whose primary mission is to foster artistic excellence. Our goal is to enrich the lives of communities in the Midwest through the power of the arts.

It was invigorating to see all the young people on our campus earlier this week at DCCCA’s Kansas Youth Leadership Workshop, which offered middle and high school students from around the region the opportunity to expand their leadership skills, identify prevention-related concerns in their schools and communities, and begin working on action plans to address those issues.

Students listened to a lively and engaging presentation from John Calvert, a national keynote speaker and former school resource officer who is passionate about school safety. His message focused on the importance of building positive relationships.

The day’s activities also included a screening of the documentary 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒: 𝐴𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑉𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐷𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑙𝑐𝑜ℎ𝑜𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑔𝑒, which delves into teen decision-making and practical solutions for keeping teens safe in a changing world.

During the month of September, DCCCA offered three free regional youth leadership workshops, including at sites in Wichita and Garden City. Wednesday’s workshop at the Sunflower Nonprofit Center in Topeka attracted students from Topeka and the northeast Kansas region.

We appreciate DCCCA bringing this very important event to our campus!

We are so glad Kelli Mark, director of Healthy Communities here at Sunflower Foundation, was able to join the fine folks with the Kansas Horse Council, Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, and Kansas Trails Inc., on Tuesday as participants in the Sunflower Stretch, Kansas’s segment of the American Discovery Trail 250 relay.

The ADT250 is marking the nation’s 250th birthday with a coast-to-coast, non-motorized relay where participants are carrying a baton containing a copy of the Declaration of Independence from one side of the country to the other.

The Sunflower Stretch, which started in western Kansas at Coolidge on Sept. 15 and will cross the Kansas/Missouri state line at Leawood on Thursday, came through Council Grove on Tuesday morning. Participants started in Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park and traveled 11 miles down the trail to Bushong, enjoying the scenic Kansas prairie along the way.

While many participants made the short trek on horseback, Kelli rode in a high-wheel wagon pulled by a team of Percherons!

Learn more about the ADT250 and the Sunflower Stretch at: https://kstrails.org/events/sunflower-stretch/

Kansas Public Radio's Community Spotlight program recently featured RCIL (Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc.), a nonprofit in Osage City committed to providing services to individuals with disabilities, their families and their communities.

RCIL, which serves the communities of Osage City, Emporia, Iola, El Dorado and Topeka, strives to empower persons with disabilities to control their lives and live independently.

KPR visited with Deone Wilson, executive director of RCIL. Listen to their conversation: https://kansaspublicradio.org/community-spotlight/2026-07-01/kpr-community-spotlight-resource-center-for-independent-living-inc

Sunflower Foundation is a proud supporter of KPR’s Community Spotlight program, which each month highlights the work of a community nonprofit organization in the KPR listening area.

Learn more about RCIL: https://rcilinc.org/
Learn more about KRP's Community Spotlight program: https://kansaspublicradio.org/community-spotlight

KPR Community Spotlight: Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. (RCIL) is committed to working with individuals, families, and communities to promote independent living and individual choice to persons with disabilities.

The American Discovery Trail Society is marking the nation’s 250th birthday with a coast-to-coast, non-motorized relay where participants are carrying a copy of the Declaration of Independence from one side of the country to the other.

The American Discovery Trail 250 Relay will cover 6,800 miles, from Point Reyes, Calif., to the Atlantic Ocean, including the 571-mile “Sunflower Stretch” across Kansas that will take place later this month.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly recently signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 15-24 the American Discovery Trail 250 Relay in Kansas. The proclamation invites runners, cyclists, hikers, equestrians, and wheelchair users of every age to join the relay and carry the baton along the route, which winds along the historic Santa Fe Trail corridor and through the Flint Hills.

Kansas Trails Inc. (KTI), the state’s first trail advocacy nonprofit, helped bring the ADT250 Relay to Kansas. On Sept. 15, the relay will start at Coolidge near the Kansas-Colorado state line and will continue across the state until it reaches Leawood on Sept. 24 and crosses the state line into Missouri. Along the way, it will pass through Garden City, Dodge City, Larned, Ellinwood, McPherson, Council Grove, Lawrence, and Olathe.

According to the governor’s proclamation, the event “offers our state an opportunity to celebrate our shared history, our hospitality, and our love of the outdoors, and to stand together with communities across the nation in honor of America's 250th birthday.”

Some of Kansas’ most enthusiastic trail champions, including Sunflower Foundation’s own Elizabeth Burger and Kelli Mark, attended the signing ceremony. Others in attendance included: Bob O'Brien, Ginger Heere, and Rick Heere of the O'Brien family Bicycle Club; Justine Staten of the Kansas Horse Council; ADT Society Vice President Harold Draper; Jeff Bender of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks; and Myron Leinwetter and Mike Scanlon of KTI.

Learn more about the ADT250 and the Sunflower Stretch at: https://kstrails.org/events/sunflower-stretch/

With members of the Governor’s Council on Wellness and food and nutrition advocates from across Kansas in attendance, Governor Laura Kelly recently proclaimed September as “Hunger Action Month” in Kansas at a signing ceremony in her office at the Kansas State Capitol.

“Hunger Action Month” highlights the importance of ensuring all Kansans have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food while also raising awareness of food insecurity around the state.

"Hunger Action Month reminds us that improving nutrition and reducing hunger requires all of us working together," Jeff Usher, chair of the Governor's Council on Wellness, said in a press release announcing the proclamation. "By strengthening partnerships and supporting organizations that connect Kansans with healthy food, we can build healthier communities and improve quality of life across our state."

Members of the Governor’s Council on Wellness, including Sunflower Foundation’s own Carlie Houchen, attended the ceremony. Representatives from Hunger Free Kansas, Kansas Food Action Network, Kansas Appleseed, and the state’s three regional food banks – Kansas Food Bank, Harvesters - The Community Food Network, and Second Harvest Community Food Bank – also attended.

Read the full press release: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/2132

Dr. Susan Harvey, co-author of a recently published peer-reviewed article that highlights the innovative work of health clinics participating in Sunflower Foundation's Kansas Food is Medicine Initiative (KFIMI), recently had an opportunity to speak about the article and lessons learned from her work with the clinics during a fireside chat at the National Association of Community Health Centers 2026 CHI – Community Health Conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

The article, “Lessons from the Fields of Kansas: Food is Medicine Implementation in a Predominantly Rural State,” details the implementation approaches used, challenges faced, and problem-solving strategies developed by each of the KFIMI clinics. Dr. Harvey is an associate professor in the KU Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences at The University of Kansas and a member of Sunflower’s KFIMI Evaluation and Advisory Team.

The fireside chat served as a celebration of the release of 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, a new special issue of 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with Meharry Medical College. The KFIMI article was featured in the issue.

During the discussion, Dr. Harvey spoke about the growing role of Food is Medicine and some of the unique challenges rural health clinics face when implementing the approach.

Dr. Harvey's fellow co-authors include: Marianna Wetherill, professor of health promotion sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Kristina Bridges, assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Sunflower Foundation staff members Elizabeth Burger (senior vice president of programs and strategy) and Carlie Houchen (director of Health Systems).

Read the full article: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/994071/pdf