Massacre site, fair board to receive Heartland Concern for Community grants

Press release
Sep 30
2 min read

John R. Chapin's 1867 wood engraving is the most well-known drawing of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre. The state historic site, located about 3 miles east and 1.5 miles north of the Kansas Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 69 intersection at Trading Post. Once fairly well maintained, the site is in need of restoration. (Kansas State Historical Society) — ***John R. Chapin's 1867 wood engraving is the most well-known drawing of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre***. The state historic site, located about 3 miles east and 1.5 miles north of the Kansas Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 69 intersection at Trading Post. Once fairly well maintained, the site is in need of restoration. (Kansas State Historical Society)

By Doug Graham, communications specialist

Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Inc.

GIRARD – The Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors has selected six projects throughout the co-op’s service area for funding through the Concern for Community grant program. A total of $30,000 will be awarded.

“We look forward to working with some outstanding partners to put these funds to work for the good of Heartland members and their communities,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO.

This year, six applications out of 68 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board.

Projects selected are as follows:

Kansas State Historical Society – $5,000 for restoration work at the Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site, including electricity and water infrastructure upgrades and interactive interpretive signage.
Linn County Fair Association – $5,000 to install an intercom system across the fairgrounds to improve communication and safety for visitors during the county fair and other events.
Moran Youth Recreation – $5,000 to help build a 9-hole disc golf course and install permanent cornhole boards at the Moran City Park.
Beacon Food Pantry (Fort Scott) – $5,000 for critical lighting system upgrades to improve safety and visibility for volunteers and families served.
Cherokee County 4-H Council – $5,000 to replace original 1991 windows in the 4-H Building, improving energy efficiency for this important community hub.
Walnut Community Service Organization – $5,000 for upgrades to Walnut Softball Fields, including infield improvements, dugout repairs, batting cage enclosure, and restroom accessibility upgrades.

As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland's Board of Directors decided to use unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.

The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas. Capital improvement projects are those that involve investment in structures or equipment that will last for many years.

Applications were accepted from June 1–July 31 and selected by the Heartland Board of Directors at their September 22 meeting. Heartland plans to reopen applications in summer 2026 for the next round of funding.