Rural Missouri - March 2022 - 11

The Corder Fire Protection District was one of three in
West Central's service territory that received funds from
the foundation in 2020. In Corder, $5,000 was put toward
construction of a new vehicle bay at the Dover fire station.
For the volunteer department, which is tasked with protecting
a 67-square-mile area on a tax-based budget, the
Round Up funds were a big boost to their efficiency.
" It was a two-bay station with three trucks, and we
made it into a three-bay station to make it a little easier
to get in and out of, " says Fire Chief David Rasa. " The one
you needed was always in the middle, so it's a lot easier to
get that third vehicle out. "
In the growing city of Odessa, $2,500 in 2020 funds
helped Partners for Odessa Parks and Recreation add
shade and foul ball protection to bleachers at the Dyer
Park baseball field in 2020. Another $2,500 helped add
two new basketball courts in Chestnut Memorial Park on
the city's burgeoning east side in 2019.
" That was a new offering for a large section of Odessa, "
says Cinda Dowell, secretary and past president for the
nonprofit group. " It's a growing side of town with a lot of
kids who wouldn't have access to the other parks because
they are so far away. "
One funded project makes a hot day at the fair a little
easier on the beleaguered young farmer. Just ask the FFA
and 4-H students who bring their animals to the Johnson
County Livestock Committee's show barn, and who -
thanks to a fenced walkway between the pens and the ring
- no longer must chase a distracted lamb too far to put
them back on course. Other examples of Round Up's reach
within West Central country don't always take the form of
new construction but make an equal impact on the lives
of kids who participate in the Concordia High School and
Santa Fe FFA's Backsnack programs.
In the spirit of keeping kids healthy, Kaisee Lovercamp,
physical education teacher at Lafayette County C-1 High
School, found a unique application for Operation Round
Up funds in April 2021. Smart heart rate monitors personalized
to each student help track steps and heart rate
during class activities. The data helps ensure the department
is doing what is best and safe for the students, while
also helping kids learn about how different activities affect
their max heart rate. An iPad app gamifies the data as students
hit different heart rate levels, which Kaisee says has
increased participation and engagement in the classroom.
" COVID put up so many barriers for kids and we're
trying to increase physical activity, " Kaisee adds. " It's an
opportunity for the kids to see how they're doing preCOVID
and post-COVID. Without that true data, it's hard
for them to make that connection. "
As the Round Up program prepares to enter its fifth
year, support for the program continues to grow, according
to West Central Administrative Assistant and Benefits
Administrator Kim Lewis, who serves as the administrative
assistant to the foundation's board.
" The board was hoping for at least 50% participation,
and we've remained steady at about 66%, " Kim says.
" That's just what being part of the co-op family is all
about: giving back to your community. "
For more information on West Central Electric's Round Up
Foundation, visit www.westcentralelectric.coop.
photo courtesy West Central Electric Cooperative
From top: Round Up Foundation President Dennis Knipmeyer joins
Assistant Chief Scott Bergsieker and Fire Chief David Rasa at Corder
Fire Protection District's Dover station where funds helped build a
third vehicle bay. Partners for Odessa Parks and Recreation Secretary
Cinda Dowell, board President Ernie Cockrum, Foundation board
members Donna Matthews and Sally Davidson, and Partners board
members Mike Tholen and Dana Duncan visit one of the first projects
funded through Round Up in 2019: a new basketball court at the city's
Chestnut Memorial Park. West Central Electric's Heather Hoflander
gives a classroom electrical safety demo at Warrensburg Middle School,
one of 17 school districts in the co-op's service territory.
MARCH 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 11
http://www.westcentralelectric.coop http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - March 2022
