Two recent high school graduates, Thaddeus Donley and Noah Goss, have been selected as this year’s recipients of the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award in the 2023-2024 Rural Voices Youth Contest. The award is named in honor of John R. Cyr, who served as the Executive Director for the North Central Regional Planning Commission for 22 years. Thaddeus Donley graduated from Donley Ranch Schoolhouse in rural Ellsworth County. Noah Goss is a graduate of Ellsworth High School. Both students submitted winning entries in this year’s contest.

The NCRPC has sponsored the contest since 2006 and has awarded over $30,000 to graduates from the region. High school seniors from the 12-county NCRPC service area were asked to share their perspectives on the contest theme, “Rural Kansas…Success Through Innovation,” by submitting either an essay or video reflecting this theme.

Thad Donley

Noah Goss

“We were pleased to honor this year’s recipients of the John R. Cyr Rural Voices Award,” said NCRPC Executive Director John Shea. “It is inspiring to hear what participants say about the region and rural Kansas each year – and this year was no exception.”

Donley plans to attend Kansas State University, majoring in Animal Science and Industry. Additionally, he will continue to work towards obtaining a private pilot’s license. His entry discussed his real estate investing and lawn mowing businesses.

“The theme was important to me because it made me realize my own story of success through innovation in rural Kansas,” Donley said.

Goss will attend Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois, to pursue an associate degree in Agriculture while being a livestock judging team member.

“Living in rural Kansas has played a significant role in shaping me into the person I am today, and I would not trade living in a small community for anything,” Goss said. “By seeing innovation within my community and other communities in North Central Kansas, it is inspiring to see the effort put into preserving small towns and their ways of life.”

Details for the next Rural Voices Youth Contest will be announced in the Fall and entries will be due February 1, 2025.

View this year’s winning entries.

This article appeared in the Quarter 2 2024 NCRPC Newsletter.

Washington County Resident One of Several to Complete Remote Work Certification Program

Remote work presents both opportunities and challenges for individuals and organizations. NCRPC received a grant that, over the past year, has helped in developing the skills required to work remotely effectively.

The NetWorked for Change Community Solutions Grant aimed to enhance the ability of individuals to earn a higher level of income and businesses to utilize remote work as one solution to workforce issues. The project established a network for remote workers in the region by providing education to 20 individuals through the Utah State University Remote Online Initiative. A partnership with K-State Research and Extension and the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development leveraged other support materials to enhance capacity to support remote work in the future and build parts of the project that could carry on after the end of the grant.

Washington County resident Annie Yungeberg completed the remote work certification program made possible through a NetWorked for Change Community Solutions Grant this past year. (Courtesy Photo)

The grant offered scholarships for month-long online classes that offered certification as a remote work professional or remote work leader.

One of the scholarship recipients was Annie Yungeberg, a resident of Washington, Kansas, who balances her busy life with a family of four with her professional life, which includes work in a physical location and remote work. Annie and her husband both took the course.

“I signed up for the remote work training as free education seemed like a no-brainer. The future is getting more digital and remote every day. While we are very happy with our current jobs, it never hurts to be a bit more prepared for an unpredictable future,” Yungeberg said.

Annie has been working part-time remotely for 10 years. She found some new things in the course and some were a review.

“It was beneficial, especially with networking and trying out different online tools and platforms,” Yungeberg said.

Annie is a full-time preschool teacher in Washington County. She also works one day per week with an afterschool program called Infinity for students in grades 7-12. In addition, she works about two hours per day with her remote job.

“Initially, working remote was a way to have a part-time income without having to leave my house. Now, I work hours that fit better with my schedule but still manage to bring in a part-time income,” Yungeberg said. “Remote work is an exciting world, and I was encouraged by the fact that the Community Solutions grant opened that world to more people.”

Deb Ohlde, NCRPC Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives, administered the grant project on behalf of the North Central Regional Planning Commission. She has worked in a remote hybrid environment for many years.

“Remote work allows individuals and families to live in our rural area, maintaining a job that they love while being actively involved in our communities,” Ohlde said. “Sometimes it’s the only way a spouse can find work in their field or that fits the schedules of busy families who may farm or ranch. For others, working from home allows them to be most productive and creative due to a quiet home office and flexibility that allow them to work during their peak hours of productivity.”

While the scholarship opportunity has ended, K-State Research and Extension continues to host Remote Work Wednesdays. These webinars are on the first Wednesday of each month at noon. Telecommunications, business leaders, or other experts address key aspects of working remotely or in a hybrid context each month.

View past webinar recordings or learn more.

 For more about Annie’s story, check out the Now That’s Rural profile released by K-State Research and Extension.

This article appeared in the Quarter 2 2024 NCRPC Newsletter.

Do you know an individual who has made outstanding contributions to their community or citizens of the region? We invite you to nominate them for the biennial NCRPC Lifetime Public Service Award. This award was established in 2022 to recognize exceptional contributions by an individual or organization to the well-being of North Central Kansas over an extended period of time. John Cyr was the recipient of the first award in 2022.

The presentation of the Lifetime Public Service Award will be made at the NCRPC’s biennial banquet later this Fall.

For any questions about the award, please contact NCRPC Executive Director John Shea by calling 785-738-2218 or emailing executivedirector@ncrpc.org.

Learn more or make a nomination.

This article appeared in the Quarter 2 2024 NCRPC Newsletter.