From early childhood education to recycling services to employing adults with developmental disabilities, Sunflower Diversified Services has clients of all ages, said Cody Harris, director of planned giving and community support. Harris was the speaker Thursday when Sunflower Diversified hosted the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Coffee at its Westside Market, located at 5523 10th St.
Sunflower is a non-profit agency serving infants, toddlers and adults with developmental disabilities and delays.
Westside Market has a lot of cool stuff, including art and useful items made by the people Sunflower serves. These include custom mats and hat racks as well as fun objects made on a 3D printer. There are also unusual items from vendors, such as soap made with hemp, coffee and chocolate-covered coffee beans.
“There’s all kind of cool things,” Harris said.
There is an angel tree for anyone who wants to take a name and provide gifts for Sunflower clients who won’t necessarily have Christmas otherwise.
“You can make an individual’s day, and it’s just the coolest thing to see their faces when they open their presents. It’s not about things and stuff all the time; it’s just showing them that somebody cares about them – and that means a lot to them.”
Harris also talked about the drawing Sunflower will have for a 2025 Chevy Trax Activ. The color is cacti green. Tickets are $25 each or five for $100. Only 3,000 tickets will be sold. The car will be given away on April 3, 2025, at Sunflower Diversified’s Annual Pancake Feed at the Prince of Peace Parish Center. To order tickets or for more information go to sunflowerdiv.com and click on the link or stop by Westside Market.
Great Bend’s UPS Store is also located inside the Westside Market.
Another Sunflower service is the recycling center. “We just got a new baler thanks to a KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment) grant,” Harris said.
People can bring their recycling to the service door at 5605 10th St. and Sunflower clients who work there will take care of sorting it. Everyone makes at least minimum wage so it’s a community service that also creates employment opportunities. The market has a list of the items the center will or will not accept.
Harris noted that the recycling center does not get funding from the city or the county.
Other services offered by Sunflower Diversified include the Early Education Center, Incredible Years Preschool and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a service designed for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Announcements
• New Chamber members are Charles Smith with Avast Ye Java coffee trailer and Jan Johnson with ReDirect Interiors, 1008 Roosevelt.
• Vicki Richardson with the Kansas Children’s Service League said the breast-feeding coalition has purchased a nursing tent that is available for use at events. This provides a private area for moms to breast feed an infant or change a diaper.
• Saturday, Nov. 23, is “find a turkey” day in the Explore Great Bend shopping promotions. Abby’s Carpet & Floor Best Buy at 1500 U.S. 281 is one participating business where people can find the turkey in the store and get a discount. Abby’s will also have an event there from 2-4 p.m. Saturday with face painting, goodies, and trucks from the Great Bend Fire Department. Firefighters will be there selling tickets to their Dec. 7 Holiday Extravaganza. Abby’s has also just launched its fourth annual food drive if anyone wants to drop off donations.
• Tickets to the GBFD Holiday Extravaganza can also be found on the Great Bend Fire/EMS Facebook page. The event starts at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Great Bend Events Center. Tickets are $40 for the Christmas-themed event that includes a barbecue dinner, beverages and entertainment by the Colorado Keys Dueling Pianos.
• There will be no chamber coffee next Thursday, which is Thanksgiving. The next coffee will be at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, at Barton Community College in the Technical Building.
