We are very fortunate to have this trust established by William B. and Athlyn C. Pritchett and managed by Gold Trust Company in Pittsburg, Kansas. The mission statement of the Trust is "to improve the quality of life in Pittsburg and Crawford County, Kansas by strengthening children, youth and families and by supporting projects that serve these populations." The first grants were distributed in 1995.
2003
| A $10,000 Pritchett Grant has been awarded
toward construction of a Community Park. The award was given
March 18,
2004 at the Gold Bank, Pittsburg, Kansas. The money will be a
great
start to creating a park for the children of Franklin and the entire
community. Justin Stone graciously accepted the award for all the
children
of Franklin. He received a resounding applause after his
acceptance speech. We would all like to thank Justin for
accepting the award. |
 Joe Cukjati, Craig Stokes, Justin Stone, Phyllis Bitner accepting 2003 award from Pritchett Foundation |
2004
| Acceptance Speech -
March 17, 2005 The residents of Franklin are very moved by receipt of this grant. We feel that that we are working to improve the quality of life by strengthening children, youth and families as the Pritchett’s intended. The Franklin Community Park will have a lasting impact on the entire population. The park has been the location of many community gatherings as it was previously a school then a community hall. Building the park will ensure that this area remains a place for families to gather to strengthen their ties with family and friends. |
 Phyllis (Liposek) Bitner, Margaret (Cumbarsano) Kennedy, Veda (Vilet) Maxwell, Norine (Nepote) Laird accepting 2004 award from Pritchett Foundation |
2005
| A $15,000 Challenge Grant was presented to
Franklin Community Council, Inc. toward work on the community
park. We are once again so honored that Gold Bank has shown
the trust in our organization to grant us this very generous
donation. We accept their challenge and will continue
to work diligently by inspiring a high level of volunteerism within the
community to see the project through. It is a very worthy
asset to the community and we are committed to accomplishing the
task. While our work efforts are of the very highest standard it would not be possible to see this park become a reality without the continued support of Gold Bank and the Pritchett Foundation. We feel this park in the center of the community is a beacon to anyone who drives through the still desolate area. As the flowers bloom, children play in the park and families gather under the shelter it is a constant reminder of the true spirit of the residents. We genuinely thank Gold Bank and the Pritchett Foundation for the inspiring gift! Acceptance Speech I tried to think of the appropriate words and ways to say "thank you" for this exceptional gift. No matter what I wrote it didn't seem to be adequate. It is still heart wrenching to drive through the community of Franklin but one of the bright spots is coming to the center of town and there is a beacon of hoping shining for everyone. This community park. Without funding from the Gold Bank and the Pritchett Foundation that would not have been possible. Almost daily the park is already in use and we can all be proud of our accomplishments. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. |
 Ray Hamblin, Chairman, Planning and Land Use Committee, FCCI Tad Dunham, Gold Bank President Craig Stokes, Chairman, FCCI Ken Webb, Gold Bank Trust Officer 2005 |
| Home |
Park Construction |
E-mail:
memrylane@yahoo.com |