Sunflower Foundation

Our Kansas Fights Addiction team – Director Krista Machado and Assistant Director Alyssa Nava – are in Denver this week for the first-ever National Opioid Settlement Conference, an event bringing together policymakers, researchers, providers, funders and people with lived experience all focused on ensuring the most equitable, transparent and effective use of opioid settlement funds.

On Friday, Krista and Alyssa will be joining Amy Dolinky of the Michigan Association of Counties to lead the conference’s workshop on how the use of competitive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to distribute opioid settlement funds builds transparency and accountability.

Krista and Alyssa serve as the administrative team for the KFA grant program, which since 2023 has used competitive RFPs to award nearly $25 million in opioid settlement funds in support of substance use disorder services across Kansas. KFA has already allocated an additional $9 million in 2026 for a pair of RFPs, one focused on expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and another aimed at increasing access to peer recovery support services (PRSS).

Krista, Alyssa and Amy will be looking to educate workshop participants on practical steps for understanding and navigating a competitive RFP process that reflects community priorities, prevent conflicts of interest, and supports measurable impact across substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery.

Expanding access to public trails is integral to elevating health and wellness in communities across Kansas, which is why we are thrilled to hear about another successful “Golf Cart Caravan” along the Prairie Spirit Trail in Anderson County.

While motorized vehicles typically are not allowed on the trail, each year the Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail provide a special opportunity for senior residents and those with limited mobility to enjoy the beauty of the trail from the passenger seat of a golf cart.

This year’s caravan, which was held June 10, drove from Garnett Elementary School north to North Lake Park and back, providing its passengers with a chance to see wildflowers along the route and enjoy the view from the Pottawatomie Creek Bridge.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the many health benefits of the outdoors, and the folks in Anderson County are doing their part by making the Prairie Spirit Trail accessible to all!

Click below to enjoy some pictures of Wednesday's event provided by Susan Wettstein, president of the Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail, and click the link to check out an article about the “Golf Cart Caravan” in “Connections,” the monthly newsletter of the Anderson County Hospital Residential Living Center in Garnett: https://tinyurl.com/deus4ufs

We were excited to join some of Kansas' most dedicated trail enthusiasts, who came together on Saturday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Prairie Spirit Trail.

Hosted by the Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail the City of Garnett, Kansas and the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, the event was a celebration of the shared vision and volunteer spirit that helped create the 53-mile rail-trail that over the years has connected communities, improved the quality of life throughout the region and made a lasting impact on trail development across Kansas.

What a perfect way to spend !