Karla Fleming receives We Kan! award for helping sustain rural culture

Karla Fleming of Jewel County Justified was presented with a We Kan! award Thursday in a surprise presentation at the Sweden Creme in Mankato. Family and friends were present.

The presentation was made by Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The Inman-based non-profit has been choosing unsuspecting recipients since 1993 to show appreciation for dedicated work in helping preserve and sustain rural culture.

Fleming's award had the words "Changing the tide" engraved on a round plate made by Elk Falls Pottery. Penner said, "Since I met Karla in the 1990s, I could see that she was a difference maker. People like her can impact the energy and fortunes of a community-and she's done that."

With planning help from Karla's husband, Mark, and community development director Kyra Lampe, the surprise was pulled off at the Sweden Creme. Karla said she just thought everybody came to eat.

Fleming's was the final 2021 We Kan! Award. Other 2021 awards went to Marilyn Jones, Peabody; Grant Neuhold, Greensburg; Sharolyn Wagner, Bennington; and Ron Wilson, Manhattan.