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Approximately 75 people gathered today to celebrate the grand opening of the Floyd and Franceline Parris Community Trail, located behind the Cass Regional Medical Center campus.

The ceremony began with a welcome from Gina Smith, vice president of the Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation board of directors, followed by an invocation led by Brad Ratliff, city administrator of the City of Harrisonville. The national anthem was sung by Serenity Rodgers, a 2021 graduate of Harrisonville High School, and special recognitions were given by Sonya McLelland, administrative director of the foundation. The program ended with a ribbon cutting conducted by the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce, after which guests were invited to the explore the trail and visit with area wellness-related businesses. Participating vendors included Harrisonville Parks & Recreation, the Harrisonville Community Center, A Balanced Mind, LLC, and Cass Regional Medical Center rehabilitation services.

The trail, which is a project of Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation, features two quarter-mile loops that wind through a natural setting. Benches are placed along the path for resting places, and a gazebo provides visual interest as well as additional seating and protection from the elements. The trail is paved in order to better accommodate visitors who use assistive devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. A small parking area is located at the trailhead, which can be accessed from where Healing Way ends on the northwest side of the Cass Regional campus.

The trail was built and will be maintained with donated funds. Franceline Parris, who was a member of the Cass Regional Auxiliary for nearly 25 years before her death in October 2017, named the foundation as a beneficiary of her trust. In January 2019, the foundation board voted to allot $150,000 of her gift to the trail project, and to name it in honor of Franceline and her husband, Floyd, who passed away in 1993.

“We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Parris and her husband for making the trail possible,” said Sonya McLelland, administrative director of Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation. “It’s a tremendous honor for us to be stewards of their life’s work, which has become a legacy that will benefit the community for years to come.”

The eight acres on which the trail is located were donated to the foundation by Cass Medical Center Improvement Corporation, and other major donors to the project include Cass Regional Medical Center ($100,000) and The Sunderland Foundation ($50,000).

“We were pleased to partner with the foundation on the community trail through our donation,” said Chris Lang, CEO of the medical center. “We feel that our investment in the project demonstrates our commitment to promoting wellness. The trail invites people to be active and enjoy nature, which can help address some of the physical and mental health challenges that have been identified in our community health needs assessments.”

More than $385,000 was donated for the trail, which was designed by C.L. Maurer of Landplan Engineering, Lawrence, Kansas, and built by Howco Utilities, LLC, Pleasant Hill, Missouri. The five benches along the path were donated by the family and friends of Becky Beeman, Country Club Bank, Fred V. Kidd, Jr., the family and friends of Jamie Schlotzhauer, and Drs. Viseslav and Marija Tonkovic-Capin.

Several individuals and businesses also contributed through fundraising events that were held in 2019, as well as through the purchase of engraved pavers for a commemorative brick plaza that is located at the trailhead.

For more information, please visit www.cassregional.org.

About Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation

Through the charitable support of its donors, the foundation administers programs that make lives better for Cass Regional’s patients, staff, and the greater community. Foundation projects that have made a positive impact include funding for medical equipment; funding for construction of the medical center’s Emergency Department, Chapel, and Healing Garden; scholarship programs, and assistance funds for Cass Regional’s patients and employees. The foundation also supports the maintenance of the Memorial Garden and the Healing Garden on the hospital campus.

The organization is led by a volunteer board of directors. Current board members are: Tracy Sloan, president; LeAnne Dickerson, immediate past president; Gina Smith, vice president; Larry Pfautsch, secretary; Ed Roberts, treasurer; Carole Arnold; Denise Ashby-Cohen; Butch Beeman; Janet Burlingame; Ethy Christman, Stacey Dahlman; T.R. Hoefle; Clayton Jones; Fred Kidd; Chris Kurzweil; Chris Lang; Linnette Pugh; Dr. Richard Price; Carol Welborn; and Toni Wiseman. Directors emeriti are Cricket Kroenke, Carol Looney, and Martha Sims.