Community Grants Report

Community Grants Report
June 2020

Ellsworth County Senior Center Inc., Emergency Lights

Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Fund, $349, Awarded 4/7/2020

Project Summary: This grant would pay to replace 5 emergency lights
for traditional incandescent bulbs to LED.

Use of Funds: We hired Briscoe Electric to take down the old Exit lights
and put up new LED Exit lights. This was accomplished the first week in
April. We need to wait for the Safer at Home order to change before we
could meet as a board to meet and do businesses

Impact & Results: This project allows us to safe money and provide brighter lighting for our seniors. We are not
replacing bulbs monthly and the LED lights is a cleaner, brighter light for older eyes.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Altar Guild, Philips OnSite AED Request

Kansas Health Foundation Fund, Dane G. Hansen
Community Grant Fund, $2,000, Awarded 10/1/2019

Project Summary: The St. Paul’s Lutheran Church-Altar Guild plans to
purchase two Philips OnSite automated external defibrillator (AED)
devices with these grant funds, which would be installed in the church
and in the nearby Sunday School/Fellowship Hall.

Use of Funds: The grant funds were used to purchase two new Philips
Onsite AED units with storage cabinets and response kits for our rural church and fellowship hall approximately 7
miles northwest of the city of Ellsworth.

Impact & Results: Cardiac patients have a four minute window from the time of cardiac arrest until brain cells
begin to die. These defibrillators will allow members of our congregation to begin life-saving treatment immediately
to someone in need, while waiting on the arrival of emergency medical services from Ellsworth to respond to the
scene. Studies on immediate defibrillation have shown up to 60% greater survival rate for subjects who received
immediate treatment one year after cardiac arrest. Cindy Janssen, a retired emergency department nurse from
Salina Regional Health Center, provided training to church members on the location and proper use of the new
AED devices.

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Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center, Converting Fluorescent Lighting System to LED

Smoky Hills Community Fund, $7,620, Awarded 4/7/2020

Project Summary: In order to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and improve the long-term viability
and sustainability, the Ellsworth Childcare and Learning Center would like to convert all their current fluorescent
lights to LED lighting

Use of Funds: All existing fluorescent tubes were removed and replaced with LED and fixtures were rewired to
power LED.

Impact & Results: The building’s previous lighting was made up of 508 fluorescent tubes. The fixtures were
converted to an LED system and all existing fluorescent tubes were removed and replaced by LED tubes. With
completion of the project we have experienced several positive results. The teacher and support staff have noted
a brighter environment in the building and Samantha noted that she can see so much better in the kitchen now.
She reported that “my kitchen is so much brighter”. Jami, a teacher in the infant classroom noted “our classroom is
so much more welcoming with brighter lighting”! The children have also noted the improvement in the lighting and
have made positive remarks about the lights. LED light is a more natural light that produces a full color spectrum
of light resembling sunlight. The old fluorescent lights produced artificial light with only red, blue and green colors
from the light spectrum. The LED lights are safer as they are made of plastic and aluminum where the fluorescent
lights were made of glass and filled with mercury which is a hazardous. The LED lights are expected to cut the
annual electricity bill in half. This should result in a $3000 to $4000 savings each year and will assist our efforts to
seek reductions in monthly expenses and hold our tuition costs at competitive levels.

USD 327, AEDs EJSHS

Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Fund, $5,397, Awarded 4/7/2020

Project Summary: At Ellsworth Junior Senior High School, we currently only have one AED for the entire campus
that is housed in the weight room in the gym. It has been recommended to us that we obtain 3 more AEDs to
provide better campus coverage.

Use of Funds: The grant funds were spent on three AED’s, adult/pediatric pads, and cabinets with alarms.

Impact & Results: The AED cabinets will be hung and units placed in them in the designated locations by
maintenance staff. We will have all freshmen entering this school year and all district staff take the Hands Only CPR
and Stop the Bleed courses in the fall, at which time they will be given a tour of the campus and shown where all of
the new AED’s are housed. Again, thank you for the opportunity to provide safety to our community!

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