KRPA members, 
We have been working for the last few years to encourage our members to engage in the association’s advocacy efforts. In the next week, we have two opportunities for you to do so. We will be opposing HB 2390 and would like our members to send in written testimony opposing this bill. Please email it to Erika Devore, erika@krpa.org, by 12:00 pm on Monday. 

A second way to get involved is to come to Topeka for the hearing scheduled for March 21^st. If you are coming please let Erika know in advance. It would be nice to show the members of the committee we are strongly against this bill by having a good group of members.

Pathways to a Healthy Kansas is the largest community grant program ever
funded by BCBSKS. It provides community coalitions with the tools and
resources needed to remove barriers and engage their communities in ways
that enable healthy eating and tobacco-free, active living to become a way
of life. The grant funding for each community includes a coordination
grant of $100,000, with the opportunity to apply for non-competitive
implementation and achievement grants amounting to $400,000, for a total
of $500,000 per community. The funding period is from Aug. 1, 2017, to July
31, 2020.

More information, including dates for two informational webinars and frequently asked questions, is available at http://www.bcbsks.com/pathways/.

A Letter of Intent must be received by 4 p.m. Friday, March 31 to receive
the application packet.

KRPA Members check your email. Voting is currently open for the new Board Governance Structure. Voting ends on Friday, March 10th.

NRPA came out with a great post with 7 tips for an awesome award application. Kansas was proud to have 2 Gold Medal Award Finalist in 2016. Learn more here: http://www.nrpa.org/blog/2017/1/7-tips-for-an-awesome-award-application/?utm_source=facebook.

A federal judge in Texas blocked the Department of Labor’s new federal overtime rule, which would have doubled the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (FLSA’s) salary threshold for exemption from overtime pay and was scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1. For now, the overtime rule will not take effect as planned Dec. 1, but it could still be implemented later down the road. Employers may continue to follow the existing overtime regulations until a decision is reached. 

For more information, click here.

KRPA has released a new 5-year Strategic Plan. To view click here.

We have been given a great opportunity to send some of our members to a Kansas Leadership Center Training (KLC). If you have not been to a KLC training before, it focuses on leadership as an action not a position.

The lasting impact we hope to achieve is to have a motivated and well equipped membership with the ability to reposition their agency in the community focusing on their contribution to the health, economic vitality, conservation, and community connection.

There are a limited amount of scholarships for this training and we would like to send a diverse group. If you are interested, send in a short paragraph on why you want to go to this training. Paragraphs are due by Friday, November 18th. I will contact all of the people who are interested to make sure they know what they are committing to, answer questions and make sure they understand the goal for KRPA. Then we will make our final decision on who will be able to go to the training. This is a fairly large time commitment and a different learning experience that will help move our profession forward.

Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Erika Devore
erika@krpa.org

Click Here for more information and application timeline

BlueCHIP Applications are now available. 

Scenic cliffs, clear water and miles of trails for walking and biking...find your #HealthyAdventure at a State Park on Healthy Trails Adventure Day on this Saturday, October 1st! http://bit.ly/2b42iKZ #HealthyKSTrails #BCBSKS #KDWPT

Emails have been sent out with the 2017 Board of Directors Member. Voting deadline is September 30, 2016.