Dear Chamber Supporters,
Happy Good Friday! Today marks the commencement of the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. A dreadful day that depicts the perfect sacrifice―and a necessary one. The Ottawa Ministerial Alliance allowed the public to meet at Legacy Square for a Good Friday service just moments ago (picture here). This event has taken place in the grassy area off 1st and Walnut for several years now and is always so well done; thanks to all who come together to make this available!
Walking with Jesus at Camp Chippewa
With Easter around the corner, one of our newer Chamber members, Camp Chippewa, used this time to invite the public out to their grounds off Idaho Rd. for a free event. In coordination with a local group of volunteer actors and actresses, they organized a walking tour called “Walking with Jesus.” This event took place over the course of last weekend, Makayla and I walked through the outdoor program on Friday―enduring the chilly north wind (pictures here). This entailed following the ministry of Jesus, starting at the well where He meets the Samaritan woman and ending with His death and resurrection. It was fun to witness elementary-aged youth and seniors alike working together to reenact different scenes from the Gospels. Several generations come together to share their time and talent. This past winter, they performed a similar experience that revolved around the story of the birth of Christ around the holidays. Following their Facebook page here will allow you to stay in the loop on all things going on at Camp Chippewa, this program is just one of many activities that will take place in 2024.
Breeding Excellence in Ottawa KS
As closed out National Ag Week, I was able to take part in Harris Angus’ 6th Annual Production Sale. Harris Angus joined the Chamber at the end of 2023 and if you’re unfamiliar, Billy and Shelby Harris are our local black Angus ranchers. Back in 2016, they started this journey of breeding top-of-the-line cattle that eventually head to auction. Their first sale six years ago started with only a couple dozen bovines. This year, forty-three were up for grabs, all finding new homes that day―averaging around 5k a piece. Buyers came from states away to participate in the auction. Those who didn’t make the trip joined in by bidding online in real-time. Buyers from Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma to name a few states that were lucky enough to win a Harris Angus that was bred and raised here in Ottawa Kansas. Billy shared that this auction has only grown from year to year, with this past Saturday being their biggest yet (pictures here).
I personally know very little about breeding cattle, let alone what to look for at an auction. But even though I knew I wasn’t coming home with a bull/heifer (or at least I sure hoped I wasn’t; I'm not sure Makayla would like a 1,000+ pound pet), it was good fun watching it all play out! When you arrive, you get treated like family―plenty of Midwest hospitality and good food. It might be my lack of experience around cattle auctions, as they may all feel like this, but I was thoroughly impressed by the event’s cleanliness, kindness, and efficiency. From the moment I walked in the door, the Harris family and all those in attendance made me feel right at home―incredibly kind folks! I’m glad they choose to live and work here in our community. I look forward to learning more about Harris Angus and our other local farmers and ranchers in the near future.
Walmart Empowering Local Nonprofits
This week I learned about some awesome opportunities for local organizations in our area through a program based out of our Walmart Distribution Center. Walmart’s “Spark Good” program is designed to allow community organizations of all kinds to receive funding and support for the good they are doing in our community. The main entities that can receive the most benefit from this program include:
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501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
- NCES schools (including public, private, and post-secondary education institutions).
- Government entities (state, county, and city agencies).
Though it doesn’t completely exclude other nonprofit types (c4, c6, c19), it does not currently offer all the same opportunities (example here).
One fantastic benefit of this program is the local grants they provide. Spark Good Local Grants range from $250 to $5000 and are designed to address the unique needs of the community organization’s program. Through our proximity to our local distribution center, we get a local team that reviews all grant submissions that come through. There are no guidelines for specific projects that are allowed; it is quite open-ended regarding what they support. The critical piece is that the organization applying falls under the previously mentioned guidelines. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Deadlines for submissions are as follows: Quarter 1: Mar. 1 – Apr. 15, Quarter 2: May 1 – Jul. 15, Quarter 3: Aug. 1 – Oct. 15, Quarter 4: Nov. 1 – Dec. 31.
To get started, the group applying must create a Spark Good account and be verified by Walmart’s third-party verification partner, Deed (you can see more information and access account creation here). On this page, you will also find how to receive support during the setup phase and beyond―this includes a help desk and regular webinars to learn more about the program's process. I know our Walmart is excited to find ways to connect with our community, and this is one really impactful way to make a difference. I’m confident this program can do an immense amount of good in Ottawa and Franklin County.
Spotting Scams - Ottawa's First Combatting Fraud Seminar
Earlier this week you would have received a correspondence from our office about a scam email that was getting sent out to Chamber members from a fraudulent source. The gist of the message was a proposal to sell contact information from our business community in conjunction with the Chamber. Not only were we not working with this group, but selling member info is not something our office dabbles in (However, we do offer benefits to members like mailing labels that contain addresses or help contacting a specific individual―for free). Our office was even reached out to in regard to purchasing this “info” from ourselves―funny enough. Though we are not a fan of groups getting solicited by scammers, this experience is a perfect example of the need to have an event locally that took place last night, the “Combatting Fraud Seminar”.
Put together by Kansas State Bank, this free event allowed spectators to hear from a panel of fraud experts, including Mark Johnson of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, John Eichkorn of the Kansas Insurance Department, and former Attorney General Derek Schmidt (picture here from the event). KSB sees a need for this kind of education through its own experiences with clients, as its staff sees some level of fraud occur daily. This isn’t special to Ottawa and Franklin County, as worldwide, there are 30 billion dollars (billion with a B) lost from credit/debit card fraud alone on an annual basis. Because of the frequency and the possible detriment that this topic can cause, this presentation has been recorded and will be available to watch back if you unfortunately missed the conversation.
Over two hours of content was shared throughout the evening, so there was much to absorb. Without getting into the weeds, I want to share some of the overarching themes as well as some of the practical tips shared during the evening. Here are some of my big takeaways:
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The more we can change the stigma about talking about fraud, the more people it can help. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, or maybe is too good to be true, say something. That conversation can happen to a family member, a friend, or maybe even law enforcement. Often times, it takes someone to speak up to break up different fraud tactics.
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Don’t be too proud to get help. It is easy to sweep a situation under the rug and push away the instance where you’ve felt duped. The only way to get you out of the hole is to stop digging and reach out for support. Whether you’ve been tricked into sharing info, sending money, or investing unwisely through insecure means, coming clean and getting support is the only way to end the scam. That can often be hard to do when our own pride gets in the way.
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These scammers prey on the vulnerable. Americans over 65 years old own more wealth in this time period than any other group in humankind's history. Though there are exceptions to this rule, our more senior generations statistically have more wealth than other demographics, and scammers know this. Older individuals are more likely to be targeted based on their potential wealth. As a result, as a community, we need to be vigilant towards our neighbors, parents/grandparents, those in our church congregations, etc., who are at risk. This risk only goes up when the person in question is a widow/widower.
Here are some practical tips:
- If an individual or group presents a deal, whether a financial opportunity or other, and it feels too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true!
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Payment devices (point of sale) can be tampered with. Big box chain stores or chain gas stations are more likely to experience this. Because of this possibility, tap-enabled credit/debit cards are currently safer than inserting the card.
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When pumping gas, using pumps with diesel options on the pump has a higher chance of being tampered with than those without. On this same note, it is also more likely to have pumps tampered with on the outside rather than the inside pumps (in the case where there are three or more pumps in a line). If the tamper sticker on a gas pump looks disturbed, report this immediately (picture here).
- There will never be an instance where anyone should need to be paid in gift cards; this is a good sign that someone is attempting to scam you, even if you believe they are someone you know well.
- Scanning random QR codes is risky. With so much financial information stored on your phone, it could be stolen by scanning an unknown QR code.
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Your bankers and tellers might ask you strange questions from time to time, but this is not an attempt to invade your privacy! They are trained to pay attention to fraud indicators and these questions are to be diligent. Examples of these instances can be pulling out large amounts of cash or wiring large sums to outside accounts.
I personally didn’t know much of this info before last night, or at least didn’t know to what extent it was happening. Fraud can happen to anyone, and often times the individual doesn’t even know it’s taking place until afterward―being diligent is essential! A huge thank you to Kansas State Bank and all the partners who came together to make this informational evening possible. Communication is often the best way to protect one another, whether it’s fraud or any other challenges that may come our way. This community conversation is an excellent way for this to get started!
Chamber Coffee for CASA of the Fourth Judicial District
As I look back at the Coffees/Ribbon Cuttings that have taken place so far in 2024, I’ve noticed that we’ve now had five different groups that affect the youth in our community in their own distinctive way. Back in January, we were at the Faith Lutheran Church learning about their preschool. February we had a Coffee for Big Brothers and Big Sisters here in Franklin County. And just this month, we got to cut a ribbon for the Kansas Children’s Service League and got to check out the improvements that have taken place at ECKAN’s Head Start location here in town. This morning, we were able to learn about another incredibly important youth-focused organization, CASA of the Fourth Judicial District. This took place through Jamie Needham, Director of CASA, who oversees four counties (Franklin, Coffey, Osage, and Anderson) and is located in the Franklin County Courthouse on the 2nd floor. Though we would not all fit in her office, we were able to meet in the old courtroom this morning just in time to kick off Child Abuse Prevention Month (pictures here).
The Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program works within the realm of child welfare and legal advocacy as a critical component of the juvenile court system. Its mission revolves around advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children who find themselves entangled in the complexities of the foster care system. With only one paid staff in a four-county region, CASA operates through a network of dedicated volunteers. These individuals commit themselves to representing the voice of the child throughout the legal proceedings. By emphasizing individual attention, CASA volunteers typically handle a limited number of cases at any given time. This is to create a bond with the children they advocate for, gaining insights into their unique needs, fears, and aspirations―ultimately enabling them to communicate with the court effectively. Oftentimes, this impact is seen beyond the courtroom as a volunteer serves as a consistent and caring mentor, advocate, and ally for children navigating the turbulent waters of foster care; CASA volunteers play a pivotal role in fostering stability, resilience, and hope in their lives. Jamie gets to be the glue that holds it all together! Having just completed her first year as Director, Jamie has been able to grow CASA’s footprint and continues to find more ways to get new people involved.
Jamie shared a few ways to impact CASA and the kids they work with. This includes volunteering as a CASA, which entails a pretty extensive 30 hours’ worth of training before interactions with any cases. Along with training, when working a case, this takes personal connection with the foster child in question, sometimes even including travel to and from other communities. This can often disqualify some people as the commitment to participate is not doable, but for nine local superheroes, it is possible. These nine volunteers are able to impact 17 different student’s lives during their most vulnerable times. Hundreds of more cases still need to be picked up because of a lack of volunteers, so if this is something that interests you, get ahold of Jamie ASAP! Otherwise, there are other ways to get involved. This includes helping put together "cuddle kits" that include a pillowcase, blanket, stuffed animal, and flashlight given to kids once intervened (the pillowcase acts as an extra carrying device). Another way is through corporate giving. A neat way to get involved is with a program called Denim Days, where a business can pool money together to have a day in April when employees all wear jeans (more info here). Lastly, they currently have openings on their board―another way to serve by sharing your time and experience. Thank you Jamie for working with a portion of our community that might need it the most! It cannot be an easy job, but you still step up and empower others to make a difference. We’re glad to have CASA in our community.
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I hope that you get to spend time with others this holiday as the Lenten season comes to a close. Makayla’s side gathered last week, which entailed an indoor egg hunt for the kiddos―rather than outside because of the chilly weather. With fewer hiding places, this didn’t last nearly as long as the outdoor alternative, quickly moving on to the next activity. There are always lots of laughs regardless of what games or crafts are being done when we're altogether. This weekend, my side of the family will gather in Harrisonville, Missouri, for some much-needed time together. It’s hard to have a bad weekend when honey-baked ham is on the menu! If you’re staying in the area, there are plenty of Easter festivities this weekend―check out our events and promotions newsletter from yesterday to view them (click here to view). Again, I wish you a happy Easter.
See you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000