TOPEKA, Kan.- Communities who partner with the Kansas Department of Commerce on a new recruitment project can receive a $5,000 grant to make direct contact with former residents and invite them to make Kansas their home again.
The project, called “Love, Kansas” is a national marketing campaign showcasing Kansas as an exceptional place to live, work, and raise a family.
“It’s simple: We need more humans in Kansas to keep up with the phenomenal economic growth our state is experiencing,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said in a news release. “The best way to do that is to first approach Kansans who left the state for economic opportunities elsewhere and invite them to build a life in a place they know and have connections to, whether in their hometown or elsewhere in the state.”
The $5,000 grant is available to the first 50 communities who partner on the project with the Department of Commerce. Nineteen pilot communities and seven universities already have joined the initiative and are planning events that are aligned with the campaign’s theme.
“The collaboration already on display between so many partners underscores the enthusiasm for this campaign,” Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe said. “There are so many amazing things happening in Kansas right now; Love, Kansas gives us the chance to let people throughout the country know about them.”
At a launch event at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Toland said the project will focus on the state’s abundant job opportunities, high quality of life, excellent education system and affordable communities.
Momentum for the campaign will start at local level through the community partnerships, but also target key markets across the U.S., through digital and social media platforms. Influencer and journalist engagement, as well as targeted in-person events both within and outside of Kansas, will play a crucial role in reaching potential “boomerangs:” people who grew up in Kansas but found economic opportunities outside the state.
“We aren’t just extending an invitation to those who once called Kansas home to come back – we’re also inviting families from around the country to build their lives in the Sunflower State,” Toland said.
