Cheney, Kansas- population 2,094 sits in the far western section of Sedgwick County. It is positioned two miles south of Highway 54 and to most, it is viewed as a small thriving community. Few people have probably ever taken the 383rd St Exit into Cheney unless searching for a popular destination, like a high school sporting event, Lubbers Chevrolet or Ford, or visiting the Sedgwick County Fair. But if you were to take that narrow county blacktop two miles south, you would find a quiet community full of pride and volunteers. And these volunteers are making things happen in this wonderful community.

Community Service Day

About ten years ago the City of Cheney and Cheney schools partnered together to help make Cheney a better community. Each spring junior high and high school students participate in Community Service Day. This day has been beneficial in helping the City complete large projects that would otherwise not be possible without the help of several volunteers. The day also gives the students a sense of community pride as they can be proud of accomplishing these tasks.

Students have helped complete several projects over the years, such as painting house numbers on curbs, painting fire hydrants, scraping and painting historical buildings at Souders Museum, completing projects at the Sedgwick County Fairgrounds and Cheney State Park, painting at the Senior Center, and doing yard work at churches and private homes. Each year the students pick trash up along the roadways leading into town and they also paint a 3,200 ft long pipe fence around the City's 18 hole golf course.

In 2012, students helped city staff landscape a large area around a new concrete “Cheney” sign located on Highway 54. The project included planting trees, shrubs, laying a large area of weed barrier, and spreading five dump truck loads of cedar mulch.

This past year, Cheney High School art students created an underwater scene and painted the mural on the 1950’s concrete block pool house. City staff contacted art teacher Shawny Montgomery early in the school year to see about completing the mural. High school art students put together a sketch of an underwater scene which included a sunken boat, seahorses, shark, and a snorkeling Cheney Cardinal. Artists graced the concession stand area on the south side of the bathhouse with the presence of a giant purple octopus holding snacks.  Although the project took longer to complete than just the normal four hours on Community Service Day, students were glad to volunteer extra time to make sure the mural was completed. The mural has not only brought character to the pool, but has given the students something to be proud of and community members something to enjoy.

Street Signs

Cheney High School students were also instrumental on helping create new street signs for the west side of town. The original signs were 40-year old painted metal signs that were becoming hard to read. In March 2012, the City asked high school teacher Todd Hague if high school students would be interested in helping create 67 replacement street signs. Hague stated, “It’s a cool thing, I think, for us to do something we can take some ownership in. We were also able to save the city some money by making them ourselves. ” After researching MUTCD specs, details for the signs were finalized, and aluminum sign blanks were ordered. Cheney High School students then used a laser engraver to cut out the letters for each street name. They then placed the cut vinyl letters on the blank aluminum signs. (The laser engraver is also used by students to create license plates, which are sold by the Cardinal Booster Club.) The street sign project was then finished by Nic Molyneux, who erected each new sign on a bracket for his Eagle Scout project.

Make A Difference Day

Since beginning in 1993, Make A Difference Day has held a basket auction and served hamburgers and hotdogs, Art’s and Mary’s chips, and cookies as a way to make a difference in the community. A free will donation for the supper is given to the Cheney Emergency Fund, which helps Cheney families and individuals in need.  Baskets are donated by local businesses and individuals and then auctioned off to the highest bidder. Over the past 20 years, the event has raised money to build a kitchen and bathroom, install an air conditioner, purchase new tables and chairs, and install a sound system at the Farm Bureau Building on the Sedgwick County Fairgrounds. Money has stayed local by purchasing a new digital sign on Main Street, helping the Cheney High School Student Council purchase presents for those in need, and helping the library with their construction project.  But funds have also reached out beyond Cheney and gone towards Hurricane Disaster Relief, the Wichita Salvation Army, and the Red Cross.

In 2007 the committee took it upon themselves to revamp Budd Park, located ½ block off of Main Street. Over four years, the event raised $19,218.88 from their event alone. They solicited over $10,000 in donations from local businesses and individuals. They also raised money by selling 88 engraved bricks and creating a “Kids in the Kitchen” cookbook of favorite recipes submitted by kids and grandparents in the community. Throughout their efforts and donations, Make A Difference was able to raise $34,766.45, which was enough money to purchase new playground equipment, including a new teeter totter, handicap swing, pour a concrete sidewalk around the perimeter, and lay the engraved bricks. The City of Cheney was able to help complete the project by applying for and being awarded the KDHE Waste Tire Mulch Grant, which paid for 50% of the $25,477 worth of rubber mulch. In total, the City was able to receive over $60,000 in park improvements for less than $13,000. The project was successful because of the donations and generosity of citizens and businesses and would not have otherwise been completed.

Golf Course Improvements

The City of Cheney takes pride in their municipal 18-hole golf course, Cherry Oaks, and it is evident that their citizens share the same pride. In 2005, the City took over the management of the course and construction on the back nine of Cherry Oaks began. Since then, volunteers have donated time and money to complete vital projects on the course.

In 2013, concrete was poured and 12 new driving range mats found at new home at Cherry Oaks. The entire project was funded through local sponsorships. The project was completed just in time for Kansas high school golfers to use during the 3A Regional Golf and 4A State Golf Championship Tournament.

A local committee, Friends of Cherry Oaks, holds an annual golf tournament which helps fund golf course improvements. Since 2005, over $150,000 has been raised through the golf tournament and has provided funds to plant over 200 trees, build a pavilion, make clubhouse improvements, continue landscaping around tee boxes, and concrete cart paths on the Back Nine. Not only have donations funded the concrete cart paths, but volunteers have helped lay the many feet of concrete. Committee member John Mies noted “There’s no way we could do these kinds of improvements without private input into the course. What makes this happen is the generosity of the community.” Other private donations total over $30,000 in improvements and have been used for bridges, a scoreboard, concrete wall, and landscaping. All improvements have been completed with not only donated funds, but also donated time and labor from volunteers dedicated to making Cherry Oaks a destination golf course.

Veteran’s Memorial

Six brick walls create a semi-circle behind the Howitzer Cannon in Veteran’s Park along Main Street in Cheney. On those walls, more than 400 names of Cheney area Veterans are engraved in granite. Flagpoles with the various branches of the US military fly in the background. American Legion Post 295 proposed constructing a memorial in June 2011 and estimated that it would take approximately three years to raise the $30,000. In just 18 months from the birth of the idea, through hard work and determination, the memorial was completed and dedicated on Veteran’s Day November 10, 2012. Legion members received over $18,000 in personal donations and raised additional money through poker runs and a soup supper. Post 295 Commander Jim Meyer stated, “I get to see a community that has been recognizing their veterans more and more every year. But this elevates it to the point where we show our appreciation to our past veterans that have been through the great wars. It also gives hope to our future veterans and community of what our country is all about, and that’s freedom to choose whatever we want to do as Americans. I just can’t say enough about the Cheney community.”

Aluminum Can Fun

After a new swimming pool was voted ‘no’ by locals, Cheney High School student Trevor Frank had an idea in 2002. If everyone joined together to recycle their aluminum cans, the money could go towards funding a new swimming pool. Since that idea, almost $18,000 has been raised through recycled aluminum. In 2011, the City of Cheney decided a new pool would not be feasible and asked Frank if the money could be used in another way to improve the pool, so a spiral water slide was purchased. Although recycling amounts have decreased due to curbside recycling, aluminum continues to be cashed in and stashed away for new ideas at the municipal swimming pool. The new pool slide is a constant reminder of how something so small, such as a pop can, can lead to greater improvements.

Among the Others

There are many additional groups and individuals around Cheney that have their own niche in helping give back.  Cheney’s local ESA Chapter- Eta Theta runs the ballgame concession stand to raise funds which are then distributed to local, state and national charities. Each year Eta Theta gives to St. Jude’s and Heartspring, but in Cheney they help purchase toys for those on the Angel tree and provide funds to the Emergency Fund to purchase food for their Easter meal distribution. Eta Theta also sponsors a Red Cross Blood Drive. The numerous church members and youth groups cannot be overlooked for their volunteer efforts either, as they have completed hours of work at Souders Historical Museum, projects at the Senior Center, and countless other acts of kindness.

Cheney is proud to say it has not only seen a steady growth in population over the past few years, but it has seen an increase of projects being completed through the help of volunteers. Volunteers often come in all shapes and sizes, but in Cheney they come in large quantities.

(Photos and Quotes were provided by Times Sentinel Newspaper in Cheney, KS)