Community Success Stories
Highland
25
YEARS with PRIDE
Twenty-five years ago a
group of enthusiastic citizens, who wanted to make Highland a better
place to live, organized PRIDE. Highland PRIDE tackled projects to
improve the look of the community like: all-town clean-up, sweeping the
streets, building and planting flower boxes, and community recycling.
PRIDE also invested in cultural activities. They put together a dinner
theatre to make money, gave out Welcome Packets to newcomers, and
started the first Memorial Day Service in the county. These projects
were so well received the town wanted them to continue every year. Most
of them are still being done.
This is how PRIDE has continually progressed throughout 25 years. When
there is a need for something to be done, important events to be
honored or celebrated, or when a fund raising project needs to be held
to buy items to make our town more enjoyable, that’s when PRIDE
comes in and does it. Children growing up in Highland don’t know
a town without PRIDE. If Highland needs something, ask PRIDE. PRIDE is
expected to do it whatever is necessary. Highland is cleaner, more
attractive, has yearly celebrations that grown-up kids come back to
celebrate, and has a working organization to accomplish needed goals.
Necessity sparked the beginning of the following projects: a food
pantry, meals on wheels in the country and neighboring towns, free
delivery of groceries to elderly and handicapped, Generations Learning
Together (an after school program for children), 
scraping and painting the AME Church
(a historical building), care of Degginger Park, a crisis hot line,
elderly and low-income housing, and a new community building.
Other projects that PRIDE started and has continued include:
recognition and appreciation for people who serve the community, such
as: dinners for EMT and firemen, dinner and certificates to food pantry
volunteers at a Thanksgiving Service, framed business awards, care
packages for our troops from Doniphan County in Iraq, and Make a
Difference Days to help our businesses.
Many PRIDE projects were organized for socialization and entertainment
to make our town more enjoyable and give memorable experiences. These
include: Fourth of July parade, program, ice cream social, and
fireworks; quilt shows; block parties (to welcome college students);
Prairie Trails at the Native American heritage Museum; Lewis and Clark
Commemoration, Sesquicentennial Celebration (four days); Halloween
parties at the nursing home; Candlelight, cookies, and music at
Christmas at the museum; art exhibits monthly in hardware store window;
decoration contests, and Christmas poster contest.
PRIDE projects organized to raise funds for community improvement
include: benefit dinners, dinner theatres, selling of afghans and
pillows (featuring places in Highland), post cards, mugs, cook books,
calendars, food sales, garage sales, and Irvin Hall ornaments. Money
raised was used to purchase banners and Christmas decorations for
streets, flags, playground equipment, a community welcome sign,
planters, trash receptacles, and an annual scholarship for a Doniphan
West High School senior planning to attend Highland College.
Highland PRIDE has won a "Bar of Excellence" for Community of
Excellence every year from 1999 thru 2009. This builds on awards
Highland received before they offered bars, back to 1990. Of all the
many projects we are involved in, the largest ones are the food pantry,
the community building, and the pulling together of the whole town for
the Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2008. These and all the smaller
ones make our town a better place to live.
To learn more about Highland, CLICK
HERE to view their PRIDE Sponsored Community Website!
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