The City of Shawnee, Kansas, Parks and Recreation Department was humbled to be selected as one of 15 grantees through an NRPA grant opportunity in 2022. It was such a gift to be able to spend the last two years creating, growing and implementing the Community Wellness Hub model for the Shawnee and Kansas City Metro area. Over the last two years, we have been able to connect resources, organizations and food to hundreds of our neighbors, in areas identified by community health assessments of our partner organizations as neighborhoods that could benefit from health and wellness support. What a privilege to serve!

Community Wellness Hubs have already been well-defined by NRPA here, so I don’t think I need to write about that in this post. However, I thought this would be a great opportunity to peel back the curtain and give others some insight into what has made ours operate best: Building a coalition.

We ♥ Community-Based Partners

For us, this may very well be the most important factor in any of the success our Community Wellness Hub has had. Stepping out of our parks and recreation box and partnering with community organizations; inviting in and working alongside experts and thought-leaders around health and wellness.

It’s important to note that these are relational versus transactional partnerships; it’s not just “Well, this is what Shawnee Parks & Recreation wants to do, so give us money, things, staff, etc. so we can do our thing!” Instead, some of our best ideas and efforts have come from, and are led by, our community-based partners. This is especially true in the wellness areas we have no business trying to be subject-matter experts in, like dental screenings or nutrition education. We trust and build with our partners to meet mutually established goals.  

I am often asked, “How did you get (and continue to get) partners?” One of our strategies is to intentionally seek out the “doers” in organizations, typically through referrals to us. We sit down over coffee or on a Zoom call and find ways to work together. These are people who don’t just want to meet about good ideas, but actually get out there and get their hands messy serving the public! The other strategy that made a big impact was practicing the “knowing a guy who knew a guy” principle; basically, finding other conveners who would invite potential partners to talk and dream and grow through multiplication! 

Sometimes, these conversations result in someone showing up for a handful of opportunities – great, we are so glad they could be there and serve! At the same time, we also found individuals and organizations who were able to do so much more. They would invest a great deal of their time, talent and resources into what we were doing. They’d literally be out there serving and sweating alongside us at mobile food deliveries or teaching classes. They would give from financial resources or bring their own personal equipment. On the night before we held a mobile wellness event, the majority of us went without power, and yet, we still showed up to serve those in need. That's a different level of commitment, for sure.

We found a way to partner with any organization we could that fit within our defined mission, vision and values. This openness has led to all kinds of great conversations and potential for the future.

So, what does the future hold for the Shawnee Community Wellness Hub? 

Our goals do not change just because the “grant period” ends! Alongside our partners, we are focused on helping our residents say they are “Healthier Because We Live Here” in Shawnee, Kansas.  

We will continue to operate our monthly Mobile Wellness Hub events during the summer gaps in school; these events are beautiful portraits of the “barn-raising” mentality of healthy community partnerships coming together. At these, we share free food through a mobile food bank, make referrals, get screenings and support, have fun with enrichment and physical play equipment, and truly build the neighborhoods up.  

We also will be implementing our Equity Action Plan, which has a focus on providing targeted low- to no-cost resources, events and classes for our rapidly growing senior and Hispanic and Latino populations. We are extremely excited to plow new ground in these efforts. 

Finally, we will also look for additional grants, sponsors, etc., to help fund bigger efforts. To keep up with what’s going on, please visit our website or follow us on Facebook where we post what’s happening! 

You also can view the video below to learn more about the work happening in Shawnee: