By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
If you ever see a child fighting cancer, your life will be changed forever. That was the message from Barton County Commissioner Duane Reif during Tuesday's meeting. Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation turns 30 years old on Saturday, Sept. 14. Reif's children, Shane and Sarah, were just 8 and 11 years old at the time, respectively, when they created Kans for Katie after their cousin was diagnosed with a tumor.
"They understood that cancer treatment was very expensive," Duane said. "They quietly came up with a plan on their own on what they could do to help out. They had collected aluminum cans for spending money in the past and asked if it would be okay to collect cans to help defer medical expenses that Katie's family would have."
The Reifs scoured area neighborhoods for cans and asked friends and community members for their cans. Within a week, more than 1,000 pounds of cans had been dropped off in the Reif driveway. It was just part of Katie's happy ending. Just 10 months old at the time of her diagnosis, Katie is now 30, married, and the mother of her own 10-month-old.
Kans for Katie became Kans for Kids in 1996. Duane and Deb Reif co-directed the non-profit until their retirement in 2020. Christi Herber took over as executive director on Sept. 1, 2020. Kans for Kids brings in donations from a variety of sources to help families in Barton and six surrounding counties. In Duane's final year with the organization, can recycling alone brought in $17,000.
Tuesday morning, the Barton County Commission also heard from Christy Huslig, mother of Dade Cannon, who lost a nine-year battle with leukemia in 2018 at the age of 14. Reif made the motion to pass Proclamation 2024-15.
"September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month," he said, "and we will remember the eight children of Kans for Kids who lost their lives: Kristin, Garrett, Adam, Dade, Nova, Gael, Jade, and James."
Thirty-seven Kans for Kids Cancer Warriors have won their battles against the disease. Kans for Kids has an endowment through the Golden Belt Community Foundation to continue its support of area families, and portions of funds raised go directly to the Becky Nicholson Scholarship, the Jan Aylward Memorial Scholarship, and the Dade Cannon Memorial Scholarship, which supports siblings of cancer warriors.
Cans may be dropped off at a variety of locations in the area to help support Kans for Kids. Cash donations may also be made at Kans for Kids, 169 S. Main Street or P.O. Box 178, Hoisington, KS 67544.