'Likes' will decide Evergy winners of up to $10K
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Ten organizations are hoping to win $10,000 and free help for a day for a service project. The 10 groups include seven non-profits in Kansas and three in Missouri. They are the finalists in an Evergy contest.
The energy company will give Spread Good Energy Hometown Grants to three of the ten. The deciding factor is which groups get the most "likes" on Facebook by 5 p.m. (CDT) on Mar. 25.
To vote for one of the finalists, you have to visit Evergy’s Facebook page and follow the Hometown Grant Facebook post instructions to vote. You can also follow the links in the descriptions below. We will find out the winners on Mar. 28.
10 finalists and their projects
- Pando Initiative, Wichita -- School revitalization project: Upgrading indoor and outdoor spaces at nine schools to provide improved resources for at-risk students. Click here to vote for Pando.
- Harvey Arts Connect and Downtown Wichita -- The power of community murals and art project: Enhancing downtown communities through public art murals in Wichita and Newton, Kansas. Click here to vote for the Harvey Arts Connect and Downtown Wichita project.
- K-State Rose Gardens, Manhattan -- Bringing life back to the rose garden project: Rejuvenation and repair of the K-State Rose Garden to help serve as a community and campus space for learning, reflection and celebrations. Click here to vote for the K-State Rose Gardens project.
- Operation Wildlife, Lawrence -- Helping wildlife with a new trail project: Creating a new trail at a wildlife rehabilitation and educational facility to keep users and wildlife safe. Click here to vote for the Operation Wildlife project.
- Boys and Girls Club of Topeka -- Building health and community with gym improvement project: A gymnasium facelift, including fresh paint, a large venue projector screen and overall physical design improvement to bring pride to the club for fun and fitness. Click here for the Boys and Girls Club of Topeka project.
- Safehome, Overland Park -- Extreme Safehome storage makeover project: Create and organize an inviting storage space for domestic violence survivors and their children to get essential items. Click here to vote for the Safehome project.
- Girl Scouts of NE KS and NW MO - Camp Tongawood, Tonganoxie -- Building strength with new climbing wall project: Improve the Girl Scouts' Camp Tongawood traverse climbing wall to help girls develop confidence and overcome challenges in a positive way. Click here to vote for the Girl Scouts project.
- Camp Valor, Kingsville, Missouri -- Saving the lives of homeless veterans project: Fighting 20 vet suicides a day by building tiny homes for homeless vets, Camp Valor Outdoors Veterans Village helps and saves vets from the street. Click here to vote for the Camp Valor project.
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, Missouri -- Monarch Plaza makeover project: Bring Monarch Plaza, the former site of Municipal Stadium, back to its glory while enhancing its educational and environmental features. Click here to vote for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum project.
- Noyes Home for Children, St. Joseph, Missouri -- Energizing the preschool playground project: Replace and upgrade aging playground equipment for preschool children living at the Noyes Home. Click here to vote for the Noyes Home for Children project.
More than 200 charities submitted community improvement projects for the Spread Good Energy Hometown Grant. Evergy selected the 10 finalists based on several criteria, including feasibility, the number of people and communities impacted, cost, and creativity.
The three winners will each get up to $10,000. The exact amount depends on the cost of the project they submitted.
They will also get a team of Evergy employee volunteers for a day to assist with the project. The one-day Evergy volunteer event must take place between April 18-May 1.