Tammy Walker Cancer Center
Tammy Walker Cancer Center is among the 17 recipients of this year's Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) Grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The Center received a $20,000 planning grant to fund training and technical assistance aimed at reducing chronic disease risks through evidence-based strategies targeting tobacco use, physical activity, and nutrition.
Cancer Outreach Coordinator Daniel Craig, who led the grant writing effort and will manage the Saline County CDRR grant, highlighted the importance of grant writing skills in the nonprofit sector. “Gaylynn Crosby, my internship supervisor at the American Cancer Society, insisted I learn to write grants and plan community events, which have been invaluable skills,” Craig said. He also emphasized the need for more grant writing training to secure additional state and national funding.
Recently, Tammy Walker Cancer Center served as the fiduciary agent for Live Well Saline County's four-year, $500,000 Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant initiative, which concluded on July 31. The initiative allocated $245,288 towards increasing access and safety at the Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank, including solar lighting, additional parking spaces, bike racks, and a connecting sidewalk to the Broadway business corridor and City Go Bus stops. Additional funds supported worksite wellness programs, a hospital garden, a relaxation area, and scholarships for Kansas Leadership Center training.
The one-year CDRR planning grant from KDHE will build on the work initiated through the Pathways grant. One of the new projects under development is a community website focused on physical activity and nutrition resources. “The Chronic Disease Risk Reduction grant will enable us to collaborate more effectively as a community,” Craig stated. “It provides opportunities to learn from other communities and share our successes, expanding the capacity of Saline County organizations to address chronic disease risk reduction and better align community goals.”