[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1538-E1539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE COMMUNITY OF BURNS, KANSAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY MORAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2006

  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
citizens of Burns, Kansas for continuing efforts to sustain and 
revitalize their community.
  With a population of approximately 450, the citizens of Burns and the 
surrounding area demonstrate pride in their community through action.
  Over the course of many years, steps have been taken to ensure that 
the future of Burns is a bright one.
  In October of 2002, ground was broken on a new community center. With 
assistance from the Kansas Department of Commerce Kan-Step Program, the 
building was completed in March of 2003. During that five-month period, 
crews of volunteers worked on the center on a daily basis. Cabinets and 
More, a local business, volunteered more than 300 hours of labor to 
build and install cabinets. A donation of $18,000 was made by the Burns 
school alumni for window blinds and furniture. Twenty tables and 200 
chairs were provided at cost--saving the community $7,000. The end 
result is a building that sports a wellness center, youth room, a place 
for seniors to quilt and a great kitchen. The center is constantly 
reserved for civic events and private gatherings. Carolyn Koehn, former 
city clerk and coordinator of the community center project, believes 
the facility demonstrates a collective willingness to enhance Burns' 
quality of life--today and for future generations. ``This project would 
have not succeeded without the culture of volunteerism and the 
acceptance of change and new ideas in the Burns community,'' Koehn 
said.
  More recently, residents banded together to transform the former post 
office into a new community library and city hall. Grant funding from 
USDA Rural Development covered $50,000 of the project expense. 
Impressively, more than $95,000 was raised by the Burns Public Library 
Board from private sources. Approximately half that amount came from 
local and area residents. The fundraising effort consisted of phone 
calls, an ice cream social by the Burns United Methodist Church and an 
800 letter fundraising campaign. The new city hall and library was 
completed in May of 2006. Barb Stuhlsatz, library board president, is 
excited by the additional opportunities that the new facility affords 
area residents. ``We now have a state-of-the-art library that provides 
reading programs, GED assistance and computer access to residents of 
Burns and the surrounding area,'' Stuhlsatz said.
  The Burns PRIDE committee is always searching for ways to promote the 
community. Sandy Heyman, a committee member, came up with a unique way 
to achieve this goal. She initiated the sale of two-foot tall concrete 
roosters to local businesses and residents. Upon sale, the roosters 
were then creatively decorated. In May of 2004, Burns hosted its first 
ever Rooster Parade. In all, more than 60 roosters have been sold, 
decorated and are on display. In recognition of the project's success, 
the local Lions Club has purchased a four-foot rooster that serves as a 
welcome

[[Page E1539]]

sign on the way into town. Sandy is proud of how the roosters have 
united her hometown. ``It is amazing how many people participated in 
the project,'' Heyman said. ``The roosters really brought people 
together.''

  Additional art can be found in the Prairie Arts store, an arts and 
crafts mall that attracts visitors from across the country. A local 
group of artists and craftsmen organized the business, which displays 
intricate wheat weavings, beautiful quilts, handcrafted wood items and 
much more. The arts and crafts mall is one of more than 20 businesses 
that call the Burns area home.
  Local residents developed a new memorial park, which includes a 
pavilion, picnic tables, walking path, horseshoe pit, basketball goal 
and restroom. In addition, volunteers installed new city street signs, 
made improvements to the local ball field and constructed a new gazebo.
  Since 1954, families in Burns have hosted international students in 
their homes over the Thanksgiving holiday. The program was initiated by 
Betty Grimwood and Bonnie Lohrentz, who thought it would be great if 
foreign students could experience rural, American culture. In 
recognition of how thoroughly the community embraced the idea, Burns 
received a Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of 
International Education in 1959. The award was presented by then Vice 
President Richard Nixon. Over the last 52 years, more than 60 local 
families have served as student hosts. In excess of 500 people 
representing 110 countries have visited Burns. Today, local resident 
Tom Grimwood carries on his mother's international legacy. Tom and his 
wife Nedy teach Spanish and Italian at American companies. They also 
welcome foreign students into their home every Thanksgiving. Tom is 
proud of the reputation that the program has developed over the years. 
``One of our students told us that Burns is the smallest town with the 
biggest diplomatic service in the world,'' Grimwood said.
  In her 21 years as a resident, Mayor Mary Glenn has witnessed first 
hand how her community pulls together in order to achieve a goal. ``All 
of our accomplishments are made possible because of a tremendous 
volunteer effort,'' Glenn said.
  Stuhlsatz knows that her hometown is special. ``The people of Burns 
are awesome,'' Stuhlsatz said. ``They are like a family and whether 
they still live here or not, they work together to keep Burns a place 
you want to come home to.''
  For rural communities to survive and prosper into the future, 
citizens must be willing to create their own opportunities for success. 
Ongoing efforts to revitalize Burns are an example of how hard work, 
vision and community support can create such opportunities. Citizens 
throughout Kansas are working together to enhance the quality of life 
in their communities. Burns is a success story that demonstrates how 
teamwork and creative thinking can make a positive difference in rural 
America.

                          ____________________