From January through April 2022, Harbinger guided participants from 16 Kansas communities through a curriculum of weekly sessions focused on trail user and visitor research, economic impact and community benefits analysis, and how to communicate using data.
The community teams were part of the Trail Champions Cohort, a program of the Sunflower Foundation, a Kansas-based health care foundation that has been investing in trails for 17 years. The program provided participants with virtual and in-person learning opportunities, one-on-one coaching and networking with state agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Harbinger principal, Michele Archie, spoke at the culminating “Powered By Trails” event on April 27, at the Sunflower Foundation’s new Powerhouse Center, which opened this spring in an historic landmark that the foundation repurposed into a learning campus for nonprofits. She spoke about using data to move bodies, hearts and minds. See the recording here.