The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" Vol. 2026 #21 2-25-26
SPECIAL NOTE: the March 18th morning meeting will be held at the Riley County Police Department, 1001 S Seth Child Rd, and breakfast will be catered there.
VOLUME 2026 FEBRUARY 25 NUMBER 21
President Kelly Karl welcomed the membership and guests, and Bill Wisdom presented a reflection. The flag salute followed.
Thad Hall outlined the Optimist's Manhattan High School Student of the Month Program. The program recognizes Manhattan High School seniors who make a difference in their community through volunteerism and leadership of activities that have a positive impact on the MHS or Manhattan community. The goal of the program is to inspire and encourage youth to get involved in their community in an effort to benefit others. We recognize six Students of the Month throughout the year. Applicants submit a résumé and are judged by a committee of Optimists. Recipients receive $100 to donate to the organization of their choice and are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship as the overall yearly winner.
At school, she serves as the co-president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). The club focuses on educating middle schoolers and high school freshmen about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the importance of safe driving. One of our main activities is conducting seatbelt checks. They arrive early at school to observe whether students are wearing their seatbelts as they drive onto campus.
She is also part of the Interpersonal Skills class (IPS). In this course, students are nominated for the opportunity to work closely with classmates who have disabilities or are in special education programs. IPS has been her favorite high school class. It has taught her so much about friendship, empathy, and the importance of treating others with kindness and dignity.
Throughout high school, she has been involved in various forms of volunteer work, including managing the MHS girls basketball team, helping with concessions at the local middle school sporting events, and calling BINGO at Meadowlark, where she now works as a CNA. She chose to become a CNA because her mom is a nurse and she grew up surrounded by compassionate care and she always felt called to help others.
She plans to attend Kansas State University and major in psychology on the premed track. For a long time, she wanted to become a veterinarian, but eventually realized working with animals wasn't the right path for her. What she did know, however, was that she wanted to help people. After a lot of reflection, she decided she wanted to become an OBGYN. Her hope is to graduate from Kansas State and then attend KU Medical School. She was recently accepted into the Kansas State Honors Program, and plans to choose an honors project that will not only help her grow as a future physician but also strengthen her medical school application.
Mailah donated the $100 award from the Optimist to the IPS class.
She closed by thanking her parents for always supporting her dreams and encouraging her every step of the way. She also thanked the Manhattan Optimist club for selecting her for this award.
Heather Peterson introduced Melissa Colby, Program Director, Girls on the Run. Melissa has overseen all programming for the past seven years. With more than 20 years of experience in youth nonprofit programming, she has focused her career on mentoring, prevention, and social-emotional initiatives that support kids. Melissa is driven by a deep passion for youth development and is committed to helping kids navigate today's challenges by building their confidence and resilience so they can reach their full potential. Her topic was the “Girls on the Run Program.”
There are three programs where they deliver program skills. The first is Girls on the Run, a traditional program for girls grades 3 to 5. The second is a middle school program for girls grades 6 to 8, titled Heart and Sole, and the third program is a summer camp program which is a one week half day camp for girls 3rd through 5th grade and gives them a taste of what Girls on the Run is all about.
Girls on the Run Flint Hills was established in 2014 and serves a 10-county area: Clay, Cloud, Geary, Pottawatomie, Riley, Jackson, Lyon, Osage, Shawnee, and Wabaunsee counties. Their programs follow the school year and are divided by semesters, fall, September to December, and spring, March to May. Last fall they had 283 girls registered and this spring, across the 10 counties, they will be in seven different school districts, and they are anticipating 300 girls attending. It is an after-school program comprised of small groups of girls led by their volunteer coaches. The majority of coaches are educators at the school. They meet twice a week on set days. At the end of the season, they host a celebratory 5K run. The girls train throughout the semester for the 5K (3.1 miles) run. This season's 5K will be in downtown Manhattan on May 2nd. Teams from all over the 10-county area come to this race. It's a lot of fun and everyone is welcome to come observe or run, walk, skip, hop, etc.
They host a one week summer camp in different locations throughout the Manhattan-Ogden area and in other counties as well that draws about 50 girls.
Girls on the Run is important because in 2023, 35% of girls in grades 5 and 6 reported feeling sad or depressed at least four days a week. Also, over half of 5th and 6th grade girls say drama and fighting makes them dislike school. By age nine, 3rd grade, 42% of girls report their confidence begins to dramatically drop. Their physical activity also tends to drop about this age. Girls are also more likely not to play sports and are more likely to drop out of sports.
Inspiring confidence is at the heart of what they do. Through running activities, girls increase their activity and gain a sense of accomplishment. They also strengthen meaningful connections through their welcome and small teams format. Their activities are designed to foster friendships and a sense of belonging. Girls also learn to understand and accept their emotions while they are learning practical regulation tools. They learn the connection between physical activity and emotional wellbeing. In addition, it has been shown how one positive adult can impact a young girl's life.
They are always looking for volunteers to help with the program and events; you do not have to be a woman, and you do not have to be a runner. There are lots of volunteer opportunities for everyone. You can help by hosting a fundraiser or donating to Girls on the Run as well as sponsoring a girl who cannot afford it or needs proper running shoes.
https://www.gotrflinthills.org/
GUESTS: Our speaker, Melissa Colby, Program Director, Girls on the Run, David Adams, Director of Riley County Emergency Services, and Mailah Dillard, Optimist's Manhattan High School Student of the Month, and her mother Rachel and her stepdad, D.
President Kelly Karl noted the passing of Cliff Spaeth. He was an Optimist member, joining in June of 1994, and recently resigned in December of 2025. He was the past president from 2008-2009. Additional information is available online: https://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Clifford-W-Spaeth?obId=47264370
Jim Franke announced signups were on the table for the Spaghetti Dinner Saturday, March 28th. This is a major fundraiser and needs all of us to help out. Also, desserts are needed, and a signup sheet was available for that contribution. Silent auction items are also needed, and finally, a few bread bakers are needed to help bake bread at KSU.
https://manhattanoptimist.com/sites/default/files/sd2026poster2_spag_din_2026.pdf
Bruce Bidwell announced the Lawn Mower Clinic, that Optimist sponsor in conjunction with Kansas State Extension, will be at Pottorf Hall at CICO Park on March 10th. Help is needed setting up, and instructors are needed in some clinic areas.
https://manhattanoptimist.com/file/2026lawnmowerclinicdocument2026-03-02111855jpg
Jerry Banaka updated the group on the social at the Museum of Art and Light. Twenty-four members and guests attended the event. An excellent exhibit about Black History Month was located on the third floor. Jerry recommentd everyone take advantage of that as the impact of the exhibit will stay with you for a long time. The first floor provided an amazing experience that you just have to be there to experience. Everyone had a good time at this first social of the year and the committee is working on other socials for the cominng months.
On March 2nd Gary Lloyd and Brad Claussen will speak on the GMCF Radio Hour about Optimist activities and our award last year for Civic Nonprofit of the Year.
March 18th will be an onsite Breakfast meeting at the Riley County Police Law Enforcement Center. Breakfast will be catered on siteand there will be a tour of the facility.
March 20th and 21st Special Olympics Basketball event, there are signup sheets on tables. Opportunities to volunteer as scorekeepers and many other opportunities go to www.givepulse.com/event/723136 to sign up as well, if you do sign up, please let Bill Wisdom know.
April 22nd is Grow Green Match Day. The Optimist Board will designate a project for the donated funds.
October 24th is our 24th annual Chili Crawl.
May 15th the IPS Class joint Interpersonal Skills Class Essay Contest winners will read their essays to the group.
Clyde announced the Methodist men were having a chili dinner fundraiser at the Methodist church downtown on Thursday 2-26-26 from 5:15-7:30.
Meeting adjourned with the Optimist Creed.
SAVE THE DATE: Annual Spaghetti Dinner March 28th
MARCH 4 - MORNING MEETING: Program: Youth of the Month Presentations: “Bluemont & Lee Elementary”
MARCH 11 – NOON MEETING: Program: Student of the Month and Beth Klug, Executive Director, Shepherds Crossing: Topic: “SOM Presentation” / “Shepherds Crossing”
MARCH 18 – MORNING MEETING: Program: Riley County Police Department Remote Meeting including Breakfast: Topic: “Riley County Police Operations & Facility Tour”
MARCH 25 – NOON MEETING: Program: Ariana Swann, Artist & KSU Grad Student – Teaches Animation & Digital Art: Topic: “Does Art Die? – Installation Art”
