What is the Kearney Enrichment Council?
by Kurt Hamilton
What is the Kearney Enrichment Council (KEC)? A question I hear almost daily in my position as the Executive Director of our 501(c)3 non-profit. Then I continue to speak about all the different programs and events we offer and get, “Oh wow! I have been to that before. I didn’t know that was the KEC.” We constantly work behind the scenes to bring all this programming without recognition. Did you know that more than 35,000 people attend events that the KEC organizes each year? Or that we have seventeen members of our staff that are paid, including three full-time positions? Or, my personal favorite, finding out that the Old Firehouse is run by the KEC.
I’m not looking for credit. What I crave instead is to inform more people about what we do. As we continue into our tenth year, there have been a lot of stimulating changes in Kearney. The splash pad project has been brought to fruition. Our senior programming has expanded its services to include exciting opportunities such as new exercise and social options. Youth camps tripled in size last year during a pandemic. We have even expanded our events to include the first-ever Christmas parade and annual Oktoberfest. Each of these programs takes time, talent, and donations to bring to life. Something that we always need more of.
My challenge for you as you read this is to imagine there was no KEC. What if we failed to reach our donation goals and could not survive? That would mean no Movies in the Park, Halloween Blast, or Christmas Parade. It would mean eliminating our local Farmer’s and Artisan Market, youth summer camps, and weekly senior programming. Our committees that talk monthly about downtown enhancements would dissolve. Would you even notice? You bet. Who would step up to support the community with these annual memory-creating events around the holidays?
And now, we need your support more than ever. This can be through donations, volunteering, or even finding a use for some extra items you have lying around the house. You can make a difference in your hometown. We offer a little bit of everything and are just waiting to see when you can start. Send me a message today at [email protected] to see how you can become Kearney’s next visionary.
When you choose Fulfillment House, you help provide meaningful work to adults with special needs.
Fulfillment House offers printing, packaging, warehousing, and shipping for personal and professional needs.
Name: Dasia
Age : 20
Dasia is one of our more recent hires at Fulfillment House. She has been part of our team for more than four months now. She enjoys all the tasks here and is always happy to jump in and help wherever needed.
Dasia is very active outside of work and has various interests. She enjoys playing video games and sketching on her iPad, especially anime. She is quite a talented artist! Dasia also loves animals and spends a lot of time with them. She helps take care of her many pets at home, including four dogs, four cats, four chickens, and two snakes. This is also her second year riding horses at Northland Therapeutic Riding Center, which she says is really fun!
Thanks for everything you do for Fulfillment House, Dasia!
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The Fulfillment House began in 2018 as a passion project for two local business owners as one of their sons with Down Syndrome was navigating the often-difficult transition to life after high school. They saw the potential to take an existing business need and transform it into an enriching employment opportunity for adults with special needs.