What is the Kearney Enrichment Council (KEC)? A question I hear almost daily in my position as the Executive Director of our 501(c)3 non-profit. Then I continue to speak about all the different programs and events we offer and get, “Oh wow! I have been to that before. I didn’t know that was the KEC.” We constantly work behind the scenes to bring all this programming without recognition. Did you know that more than 35,000 people attend events that the KEC organizes each year? Or that we have seventeen members of our staff that are paid, including three full-time positions? Or, my personal favorite, finding out that the Old Firehouse is run by the KEC. As we continue into our tenth year, there have been a lot of stimulating changes in Kearney. The splash pad project has been brought to fruition. Our senior programming has expanded its services to include exciting opportunities such as new exercise and social options. Youth camps tripled in size last year during a pandemic. We have even expanded our events to include the first-ever Christmas parade and annual Oktoberfest. Each of these programs takes time, talent, and donations to bring to life. Something that we always need more of.
