Recently by Alyssa Rainbolt

The two homeless shelters in Lawrence are joining forces to more adequately serve the city's homeless.

The Lawrence Community Shelter and the Lawrence Salvation Army are the only two emergency shelters in Lawrence. As they prepare for the holiday season, shelter officials are working together in hope of building a single, adequate facility in years to come.

"We believe working together, we can serve the community and homeless population more effectively than we are currently able to do," said Wesley Dahlberg, Salvation Army lieutenant. "No one can do this alone."

Community members assembled at 7 p.m. Tuesday to give a voice to the homeless in Lawrence. Among the leaders of the meeting were Dahlberg and Loring Henderson, LCS executive director. The main item on the agenda was discussion of the plan to make LCS the only shelter in Lawrence and re-directing the Salvation Army's efforts to transitional housing. Also in attendance was Jeanette Collier, EKCAN director, who noted the progress the city has made in raising homeless awareness.

"Four years ago, this community didn't recognize that there were homeless families," Collier said.

Margene Swarts, city liaison for the Community Commission on Homelessness, agrees. In 2006, the City of Lawrence sent outreach case workers into the community. This increased the appreciation for the number of homeless families, Swarts said.

"Most people think of homeless and they think of single males between 18 and 45 who are just homeless. They're hanging out," Swarts said. "We also have a component of families, either single-parent and sometimes two-parent families."

On Jan. 30 of this year, the CCH conducted a Homeless Point-In-Time Count, surveying all the homeless in Lawrence during a 24-hour period. The survey found 75 homeless families in Lawrence and 103 homeless children. The total count of individuals was 318. Increased awareness of homeless families has prompted the need for a more adequate shelter.

"We have two emergency shelters, neither one adequate to meet our need for
 emergency sheltering in this community," Swarts said.

The CCH defines emergency shelter as "a short-term (90-120 days) facility designed to assist people to move off the street in order to stabilize for movement to better housing options." Together, the Salvation Army and LCS provide sleeping accommodation for 85 people each night. Henderson, along with other community leaders, envisions a facility that will sleep more than 100 people in 15,000 square feet, which is twice the size of the current building. Plans are in the works for a capital campaign to fund the project.


"We get some city money and we get some federal money," Henderson said. "But 80 percent comes from the general public."

If all goes as planned, a capital campaign will pay for the building. Henderson said the shelter is in the process of looking for an empty lot or a building to renovate. Plans include separate facilities for single adults and families.

"We need to have a space for families," Henderson said. "We are an open shelter, which means people will be drunk. We can't have them mixed."

Representing homeless families at Tuesday's meeting was Stacy Raffner and her three children. Stacy described her difficulties raising a family in a shelter.

"The biggest aspect of homelessness for me is trying to keep a family structure in the structure of the shelter, which is nearly impossible," Raffner said. "You can be seen as uncompliant if the kids don't follow the same rules, and usually in homelessness the kids don't want to follow the same rules because they're in crisis."

Raffner is not the only one struggling with this problem. Swarts said that homeless families do not do well in homeless shelters because it's a "totally different culture."

"Emergency shelter is good and is necessary, but not everyone fits into that neat little package," Swarts said.


The Salvation Army hopes to narrow its focus to transitional housing, which is more appropriate for families. Transitional housing serves as a bridging program between the shelters and permanent housing. While it will serve fewer people, it will be more effective than giving people a meal and a place to sleep, Dahlberg said. The Salvation Army has applied for a grant to start the project, which will include a facility with eight family units and seven individual units. Dahlberg said that each tenant would have "intense case management" and someone checking in with them regularly to ensure progress. Dahlberg is waiting for the new shelter to be constructed to move ahead with the project.

"We feel like we work together hand in glove, and that's really what we want," Dahlberg said. "We want to provide the community with a seamless service to the homeless population."

It was 1984. Kansas defeated Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 8 tournament in Lawrence. The Cowboy players and cheerleaders assembled at the Mad Hatter, a bar downtown, and a junior letterman asked a sophomore cheerleader to dance.

Twenty-six years later, Cindy Self is still cheering for KU basketball coach Bill Self.

The coach's wife, though largely overlooked, is a strong component to her husband's career. Not only is she the mother of his two children, Lauren, 17, and Tyler, 14, but she's the mother of the family that Bill has created for his team in Lawrence.

"We just try to make them feel like they have a home away from home," Cindy said.

When Bill took his first head coaching job at Oral Roberts University in 1993, his players found a second family with Cindy and Bill.

"We were young, we had our kids," Cindy said. "But we felt like our players were our kids."

Right away, Cindy adopted the role of a mother figure to her husband's players that she still assumes to this day.

"They came over and played with our children, and really became part of the family," Cindy said. "So ever since then, we've entertained our players in our house as much as we can."

After seven years in Tulsa (the last three of which were spent at Tulsa University), the Self family packed up and headed north to the University of Illinois. Three years later, Kansas came calling. But at every stop along the way, Cindy was able to connect at a personal level with each of her husband's teams.

"I always think gosh, that's what we've been so lucky to have is just kids that stick with it and mature and grow," Cindy said. "And if they do, good things are going to happen."

It's no secret that good things have happened at Kansas. KU fans can see the team chemistry on the court and the passion of an esteemed coach on the sidelines, but what they don't see is the equally fervent support of Cindy between the games.

"She sometimes will come in the locker room after the game and give all the players hugs and tell us nice game as we leave," Tyrel Reed, sophomore guard, said. "She really makes each and every one of the players feel like they are part of the family."

Reed said that hugs, home-cooked meals and a surprise batch of cookies are common coming from Cindy. The Self family has the team over for dinner about once a month.
 
"Cindy does a great job of entertaining all of our guys on a regular basis," Bill said. He said she makes a regular appearance at practice, and described Cindy as a "non-agenda" person.

"She doesn't think of 'what's in it for me' when building relationships," Bill said.
 
Since the Self family arrived in Lawrence, she not only reached out to her husband's team, but to the community. Her dedication to the children in Lawrence stems back to her college days.

"I wanted to be a teacher and make a difference in children's lives," Cindy said.

Cindy taught elementary school after college, but when the family moved to Tulsa she quit teaching to raise her children. While she's not teaching anymore, Cindy still strives to make a difference.

"I've always done a lot of volunteering in the communities," Cindy said. "I'm passionate about helping kids."

Cindy is on the Gingerbread Festival Committee for Big Brothers Big Sisters, she has co-chaired with Bill the past three years on the United Way Pacesetters Campaign, she is co-president of the Spirit Booster Club at Free State High School, and she is on the board for the Lawrence School's Foundation. But she doesn't stop there.

In June 2006, Cindy and Bill noticed a void in the community.

"There weren't a lot of youth programs," Cindy said.  "A lot of things were missing to keep kids active."

Cindy and Bill established the Assists Foundation to help the youth of the community, and this year Cindy will chair the committee. While the foundation is still in its early stages, Cindy sees promising evidence for success. In June its first annual event, Bill's Basketball Boogie, raised $400,000 alone.

Even before Cindy's commitment to her husband's team and the community comes her family.
 
"My job is to hold down the fort," Cindy said. Lauren is a senior cheerleader at Lawrence Free State High School and Tyler is a sophomore on the basketball team. Although some may assume the Self family lives on the glamorous side of life, Cindy feels otherwise.

"We are just your everyday normal family," Self said. "I don't feel any different than when we started at our first job in Oklahoma."

It makes sense. Whether she's watching her son's basketball game, posting fliers for a community service event or giving hugs in the locker room, Cindy Self proves to be a down-to-earth, authentic personality across the board.

"I would describe her as a loving, genuine person," Reed said. "She always has words of encouragement for everyone and thinks of others before herself."
     
   
   
     
   
   

The Lawrence Municipal Airport may be adding to its already significant economic impact on the city.

If passed, a proposal to the City of Lawrence to construct new t-hangars, or aircraft garages, would draw hangar occupants from outside Douglas County. The Aviation Advisory Board created the proposal.

"This addition would attract economic dollars into the county," said Rick Bryant, Aviation Advisory Board chair. "People will come from all over northeast Kansas."

A waiting list for hangar space prompted the proposal, starting immediately after the construction of the existing t-hangars in 2003. The list is currently close to 40 individuals, 80 percent of whom live outside Douglas County.  The proposed plan includes the construction of two new buildings with 10 t-hangars each and five single units for twin-engine aircraft. This would more than double the amount of available space.

"We consistently have a 95-percent occupancy," Bryant said. "It's great to have a business where you're full on the first day and already starting a waiting list. We're booked solid."

A booked airport brings significant revenue to the city. A study by the Kansas Department of Transportation in 1990 showed that the airport stimulates $9 million to $10 million of revenue per year within Lawrence aside from the income accumulated from rental fees. The study will be completed again in late 2009 or early 2010, and the board predicts the numbers have increased to $15 million to $16 million per year.

"People will drive in from Johnson County, fill up their planes with gas from our airport, go into town and eat at restaurants or go shopping," Bryant said. "For KU home games, people will fly in and stay the night." Bryant said that KU basketball games will draw 10-15 business jets in one night, and the bigger the game, the busier the terminal. "It's those types of economic implications we look for to sustain our airport."

Chuck Kellerman, a consultant from the Airport Development Group in Denver, visited the board's Oct. 22 meeting with drawings and plans for the construction. The total cost is projected at $1.5 million. This figure is double the original projected cost, but the board is determined to move forward with the project with the high demand for hangar space in mind.

"If we build hangars, people will fill them, no doubt in my mind," said Bob Newton, board member.

In order to fund this project, the board hopes to utilize rental fee revenue from the existing hangars. This will require approval from the city commission.

"It makes sense," said Tom Rainbolt, board member and aircraft owner. Rainbolt said that the city will have to agree to take revenue from an already funded project to pay for a new one. He also said the Federal Aviation Administration says that the revenue must be reserved for airport use.

"It's good news," Rainbolt said. "We've just got to convince our city."

After a final visit from Kellerman in December with the finalized plans, the board will be ready to present the proposal to the city commission in January.

In a time of severe economic strain, food prices are soaring everywhere from the neighborhood market to the menu at your favorite restaurant. One place where prices aren't as high? Right here on campus.

U.S. Foodservice, the prime vendor for KU Dining Services, is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices and food inflation. While KU Dining Services may have increased its prices, students will find the increases on campus are far less noticeable than in the commercial market.

"This year we raised prices 2.5 to 3 percent," Director of KU Dining Services Nona Golledge said. "That's minimal compared to other places."

Students dining at The Market, The Underground or any of KU Dining Services' campus locations won't find increases as high as in, say, a restaurant. A five-year contract with U.S. Foodservice is protecting the University from soaring food prices for students.

Two main factors within its contract with U.S. Foodservice are keeping prices for KU Dining Services, and KU students, down. Committed Manufacturer Agreements saves KU Dining Services money on certain foods, which has helped control its spending when food prices increase. Also, U.S. Foodservice utilizes a gas surcharge within many of their contracts; KU Dining Services isn't one.

"If we get a big spike in gas prices, it can't impact us," Golledge said.

KU Dining Services is in the midst of creating a proposal for next year's residential dining center meal-plan prices. This involves extensive research and predictions for the economy's condition a year from now. Predicting can be difficult, Golledge said, but administrators rely on information from colleagues, analysts and graphs like the one pictured to prepare the best they can.

"It's been estimated that food prices are going to rise anywhere from 7 to 12 percent in the next five years," Golledge said. "A lot of things are just out of our control, obviously. Biofuels, flooding, all factor into why food prices are increasing. And the stock market isn't helping."

While the safety of a contract saved KU Dining Services this year, other campus food venues weren't so lucky. Chi Omega cook John Marshall is adjusting to higher prices from his vendor, Sysco.

"Sysco's prices went up 8 percent," Marshall said. "And it's all tied to fuel."

Marshall had to cut down on deliveries-per-week because of the recent $7.50 delivery charge Sysco implemented to cover fuel costs.

"We're spending twice as much on fuel per-week than a year ago," said John Douglas, Sysco Sales Representative. "It's a very tough market."

Sysco delivers food products to Greek housing, Naismith Hall and Hilltop Development. Douglas said flooding in Houston will only increase food inflation from its already high percentages. And he says it has mostly to do with fuel costs.

U.S. Foodservice Head of Transportation Rob Krakenberg agreed.

"The price of food has changed drastically over the last year," Krakenberg said. Homegrown foods such as wheat, corn and rice are increasing in price with gas prices.

"Our prices go up too," he said.

Because of the safety of its contract, KU Dining Services isn't experiencing the effect of today's economy, like most in the food industry. But this isn't stopping Golledge from preparing for continuing increases in the future.

"Everybody sees it when they eat at restaurants or purchase groceries," Golledge said. "We're not exempt from that."