By DAWNE LEIKER

dleiker@dailynews.net

Balloons, streamers and the smell of chicken casserole greeted international students and community members as they gathered to celebrate birthday traditions around the world. Bright smiles spread all across the room as new friends made a connection.

Community Connections, an outreach of the Center for Life Experiences, is one of many programs Ann Leiker has been instrumental in creating and overseeing.

CFLE was born through a gift by Jean Stouffer, Fort Hays State University dean of women and adviser to foreign students, who died in 1978. The gift to the First Presbyterian Church specified it be used to serve needs of the Hays community, not the advancement of the church.

Leiker was hired as CFLE director Feb. 14, 2001.

Charged with ministering to the body, mind and spirit of the community, Leiker set out to determine how best to meet those needs.

With undergraduate degrees in social work and education and a master's degree in history, Leiker worked in the business office and as a social worker for St. Anthony's Hospital and as administrator of St. John's Assisted Health Care Center earlier in her career.

"When I became a social worker and networked in this community, I realized how rich we are in resources," she said.

CFLE has evolved through the years, as new community needs have been identified. Its Healing Hearts program originated at St. Anthony's Hospital to serve the needs of people coping with the loss of a child and continues under the umbrella of the CFLE.

Loss is at the heart of many social ills, Leiker said.

Mike Stevens, La Crosse, has been a member of Healing after Loss since April 2007, after his wife died. Salina Hospice referred him to the organization.

"They have been a lifesaver," he said.

"We have come to understand how much people in our culture are dealing with loss. It underlies so many problems ... loss of employment, loss of home, families moving away. It just helps to talk to other people that are dealing with the same thing."

Other active programs of the CFLE include Survivors of Suicide, Family Night Out -- a partnership with Hays Head Start, and NAMI -- a partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Illness and Community Connections.

Additionally, CFLE partners with many other agencies such as hospice and the area agency on aging. It also provides resources for grassroots organizations.

Funding for Leiker's position and overhead costs are provided by First Presbyterian Church of Hays. Other funding comes from grants and local foundations.

In addition to Leiker, CFLE employs an assistant, Emily Jeffers, and a cook, Cassie Thiede. Many of the CFLE programs revolve around enjoying a meal together.

According to Leiker, CFLE programs offer the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with an informal support group outside one's family or work relationships, and have a good conversation.

"You see the sadness in someone's eyes when they come in. But by the end of the evening, they're re-energized. They're refreshed and smiling. The sparkle's back in their eyes, and they're ready to go out and deal with whatever happens.

"The approach we take here is strength-based. We help people find their inner strength to help them cope," Leiker said.

She said many community agencies, such as hospitals, mental health centers and social service agencies, grew and developed from the 1960s to the 1980s. Now with economic pressures on these agencies, more of their duties must be performed by grassroots organizations, such as CFLE.

"I believe the pendulum is swinging back," she said, "Hospitals need to be there for critical times. Grassroots needs to be done in the community ... and its actually a role of the churches."

Community Connections, the largest of the CFLE programs, evolved from a grant received by the Alzheimer's Association to provide a respite program for Alzheimer patients.

The association contacted CFLE to provide a community support group for the program and through networking and writing grant proposals, a monthly program focusing on the fine arts was born to "help people with cognitive challenges get out of isolation, to socialize, to keep their creative and cognitive skills alive and growing," Leiker said.

The program developed a strong community base through the course of three years, and when the grant period ended, the program developed into "Time Out for Life," an organization designed not only for Alzheimer patients, but also for "older people who wanted to stay sharp and creative," Leiker said.

In developing creative activities for the monthly sessions, Leiker found that many artistic resources were provided by FHSU international students. During a meeting with Edward Hammond, FHSU president, he pointed out the increase in international students attending FHSU and their needs for housing resources. He suggested CFLE could best serve the students' needs by providing a link between the community and the students.

New Year's Day 2007, Cindy Elliot, FHSU assistant provost for strategic partnerships, and Leiker discussed the link.

"Here we have a group of people that are isolated. They love international kids. A lot of them are retired. ... And here are the international kids ... they're isolated from family and friends. ... Why not bring them together," Leiker said.

She came about her desire to link the university and Hays community "genetically," Leiker said.

She is the daughter of the late FHSU President John W. Gustad, who in the early 1970s envisioned an Oktoberfest celebration geared toward bringing the community and university together to "understand and learn from one another," she said.

Community Connections continues to grow, providing intergenerational and intercultural fun and learning for a broad group of participants.

Stevens got acquainted with Community Connections through Healing after Loss and said it has been "a springboard in my life to better things. It's sent my life in a different direction."

Through the community reaching out to international students "relationships are formed," Leiker said, "Some of our families will invite students over for pizza, celebrate their birthdays. ... The kids cook Chinese meals for them. Then there are relationships formed out in the community, and that's what we want.

"Just to see two strangers coming together walking out smiling having a bond. ... That's part of our humanity."

Leiker finds her job a joy and a source of daily discovery.

"I truly love what I do. And I love the people I encounter," she said. "Everyday, that's what keeps me going. I wonder what treasure God will reveal to me."