40 community service project

40.​ ​Community​ ​Service​ ​Project All​ ​the​ ​data​ ​shows​ ​that​ ​a​ ​town​ ​the​ ​size​ ​of​ ​Iola​ ​should​ ​not​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​support​ ​a​ ​daily​ ​newspaper.

1. We​ ​are​ ​small:​ ​5,700​ ​population.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​Allen​ ​County,​ ​in​ ​fact,​ ​musters​ ​only​ ​12,714.

2. We​ ​are​ ​poor:​ ​Per​ ​capita​ ​income​ ​is​ ​$20,678​ ​and​ ​an​ ​18​ ​percent​ ​poverty​ ​rate,​ ​and 3. We​ ​have​ ​a​ ​high​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​obesity,​ ​drug​ ​and​ ​tobacco​ ​use.

Knowing​ ​that​ ​a​ ​newspaper​ ​is​ ​only​ ​as​ ​healthy​ ​as​ ​its​ ​community,​ ​it’s​ ​been​ ​a​ ​guiding​ ​principle​ ​of the​ ​Register​ ​to​ ​put​ ​its​ ​community​ ​first​ ​by​ ​supporting​ ​its​ ​schools,​ ​city​ ​and​ ​county​ ​governments and​ ​the​ ​organizations​ ​that​ ​are​ ​dedicated​ ​to​ ​improving​ ​the​ ​civic​ ​and​ ​cultural​ ​health.

While​ ​it​ ​wasn’t​ ​intentional,​ ​this​ ​year​ ​the​ ​Register​ ​put​ ​a​ ​great​ ​deal​ ​of​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​our​ ​community’s health,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​broadest​ ​sense,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​efforts​ ​to​ ​land​ ​a​ ​new​ ​grocery​ ​store;​ ​develop amenities​ ​such​ ​as​ ​walking​ ​and​ ​biking​ ​trails,​ ​alert​ ​readers​ ​about​ ​the​ ​dangers​ ​of​ ​opioids​ ​and​ ​the benefits​ ​of​ ​immunizations,​ ​advocate​ ​for​ ​the​ ​expansion​ ​of​ ​Medicaid,​ ​beg​ ​city​ ​officials​ ​to reconsider​ ​their​ ​utility​ ​shut-off​ ​rule,​ ​promote​ ​a​ ​new​ ​technical​ ​center​ ​for​ ​high​ ​school​ ​students,​ ​and combat​ ​poverty.

All​ ​of​ ​these​ ​efforts​ ​played​ ​in​ ​Allen​ ​County’s​ ​successful​ ​application​ ​to​ ​become​ ​one​ ​of​ ​11​ ​U.S. communities​ ​named​ ​as​ ​a​ ​“Culture​ ​of​ ​Health”​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Robert​ ​Wood​ ​Johnson​ ​Foundation,​ ​the country’s​ ​largest​ ​private​ ​foundation.​ ​More​ ​than​ ​200​ ​communities​ ​applied​ ​for​ ​the​ ​prestigious grant​ ​that​ ​opens​ ​the​ ​door​ ​to​ ​myriad​ ​funding​ ​networks​ ​and​ ​opportunities.

While​ ​we​ ​didn’t​ ​know​ ​if​ ​we​ ​had​ ​anything​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​this​ ​esteemed​ ​recognition,​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​six words​ ​confirmed​ ​our​ ​role.

On​ ​page​ ​3​ ​of​ ​the​ ​report​ ​detailing​ ​our​ ​area’s​ ​strengths​ ​the​ ​judges​ ​wrote:​ ​“Your​ ​important relationship​ ​with​ ​The​ ​Iola​ ​Register.”

To​ ​have​ ​outsiders​ ​—​ ​many​ ​from​ ​big​ ​cities​ ​—​ ​recognize​ ​the​ ​impact​ ​we​ ​have​ ​on​ ​our​ ​community has​ ​been​ ​reaffirming​ ​for​ ​us.​ ​No,​ ​the​ ​profits​ ​(ha!)​ ​aren’t​ ​as​ ​good,​ ​but​ ​our​ ​mission​ ​remains​ ​the same​ ​—​ ​to​ ​build​ ​community.

Susan​ ​Lynn, Editor​ ​&​ ​Publisher The​ ​Iola​ ​Register