Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be in Washington, D.C., this week to address a rural advocacy group and to receive an award from the Keystone Center for working across party lines.

Stand Up for Rural America will conduct its event today to raise awareness about the needs and opportunities of rural areas.

On Thursday, Sebelius, a Democrat, will receive the Spirit of Keystone award.

“Our feeling was the governor modeled a lot of what the vision and mission of the Keystone Center is,” said Christine Scanlon, a spokeswoman for the public policy, nonprofit center headquartered in Keystone, Colo., with an office in Washington.