About Us - Rise Up - Central Kansas

Rise Up is a task force under the Central Kansas Partnership, click here to learn more.

In early 2018, as a part of the Circles of Central Kansas movement and with a beginning awareness of the far-reaching effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Amy Boxberger, Central Kansas Community Corrections Director, and Shelly Schneider, began attending the Building Resilient Hutchinson meetings at the recommendation of Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz, Director of ESSDACK Learning Centers.

The Barton County Health Department ignited interest in growing a resilient community by hosting an ACES Boot Camp for approximately 100 people in August 2018. From there, a steering committee that included Boxberger, Schneider and Jamie Baldwin, Laura Horsfall, Julie Kramp, Quenla McGilber, Brandy Wondra and Marissa Woodmansee, began to meet weekly. The group committed to healing, hope and understanding by having all voices at the table. The steering committee wasn’t just a group of academics discussing the need for a resilient community – in addition to public health, mental health, adult and juvenile corrections representatives, membership included those that overcame poverty, addiction and mental health issues. To that end, members now include members from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, The Center for Counseling and Consultation, the City of Great Bend, ESSDAK, the Oxford House, the USD 428, the and more people with lived experiences. Having these voices at the table, the committee declares it time to #RiseUp and create a durable network for individuals, families, schools, business, health care and peer groups.

Our efforts started two years ago when the Barton County Health Department learned of the Kaiser Permanente’s study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/about.html ), how ACEs effect the brain and how trauma and resilience effect a community.

Barton County’s Robert Wood Johnson’s County Rankings and Roadmaps (https://www.khi.org/policy/article/CHR2019 ) indicate we experience a high number of children living in poverty, more children with single parent households, and more signs of poverty than other areas of the State of Kansas. We see mental health issues, illicit drug use and crime. The depth of generational poverty is only getting worse. We are determined to reach the hurt, broken and isolated community members of our community. And we see people committed to revitalizing these lives.

Our group represents policy makers, people with lived experiences, business owners, school personnel and more. We are ready to build resilience. We have, ready to assist you, ACES trainers. Our presentations center on raising awareness of ACEs, their impacts and strategies to build individual and community resilience. Training is free and can be tailored to personal, business and community needs.

Our message is being heard. The RiseUp team has experienced positive interactions with our community, but we have a long way to go. From pop-up meetings to planned coffees to community events, we will #JustKeepTalking and create an environment where we can #RiseUp.