Trisha Purdon, director of the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP), was surprised with a We Kan! award December 10 at a meeting of the Independence United Women.
The presentation was made by Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Maren Lagaly coordinated the surprise plan locally. All thirty women at the meeting knew about the award except Purdon. The short presentation included a round plate with the engraved words “You are our Rural Champion” presented to Purdon. The artist of the awards is Stacy Barnes of Greensburg.
Penner said, "As director of ORP, Trisha impacts rural communities in a variety of ways, including the Rural Champions program. The program is designed to create a network of grassroots individuals who can resolve critical community needs, an issue identified in the Kansas Sampler Foundation's PowerUp & Go report. In addition to this model program, she and her staff administer grant programs, get on the road to see communities, and have developed other tools to support the sustainability of rural communities. She has championed this Kansas Department of Commerce program with foresight and endurance and her heart and soul. It is these intangibles that make her award worthy."
The Kansas Sampler Foundation, an Inman-based non-profit, has been choosing recipients every year since 1993 to show appreciation for dedicated work in helping preserve and sustain rural culture. KSF's We Kan! Network is made up of community leaders, doers, entrepreneurs, volunteers and rural advocates who desire to help rural communities be the best they can be at being themselves.
Purdon was the tenth and final recipient of the 2025 We Kan! awards. The other nine were Cheryl Adelhardt, Harper; Kylee Bergstrom, Seneca; Steve and Jane Fry, Elk Falls; Caryl Hale, Norton; Shelly Hansel, Harper County; Sarah Kessinger, Marysville; Nick Levendofsky, Courtland; Susan McKenzie, White City; and Laura and Kaydee Riggs-Johnson, Winfield.
To see a list of all previous We Kan! award winners go to kansassampler.org.
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