McPHERSON — The McPherson County Community Foundation (MCCF) is introducing a new initiative to further the development of McPherson County. Mastermind McPherson County is a three-year program set on creating a process to review and act on county needs. This is a collaborative program seeking involvement from many different sectors in all McPherson County communities. This includes involvement from school districts.
The first component of the initiative is a community survey that is now open for responses as of Feb. 21, 2023. Each community in McPherson County has different needs and this survey will help MCCF and partnering organizations prioritize future projects that meet those needs. The survey closing date has been updated to March 27.
Conducting the survey yearly will allow the program to adapt as needs are satisfied.
“Our hope is that this initiative will help more clearly identify what our communities value, what they need, and what challenges we have in common.” Betsy Davis, Director of Community Services said, “I’m excited to see what kind of learning, support, and collaboration will come out of this initiative to really strengthen our communities and help them thrive into the future.”
Another benefit will be to provide common information on each of the communities in McPherson County.
A similar survey performed in central Missouri showed that community input on the usage of community funds can be incredibly helpful to their overall effectiveness.
The second component is to hold a leaders summit every year. This summit will be one of the few opportunities for all the organizations in the county to be in the same room. The breakdown of the survey results and initial discussions of solutions will be the main interest of the meeting. These discussions can lead to organizational collaboration and provide solutions for each community’s needs.
The third component will be the time for action. Organizations will submit project plans along with what funding will be required. Approval of funding will come after being reviewed by a committee and voted on by the MCCF Board of Directors. Pending funding projects tied to Mastermind McPherson will begin the following year.
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