The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" Vol. 2026 #27 4-8-26

VOLUME 2026   APRIL 8   NUMBER 27

President Kelly Karl welcomed the membership and guests, and Mike Fincham 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 nominated by faculty and staff at Manhattan High School. 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. Thad introduced Mary Brighton as the Optimist's Manhattan High School Student of the Month.

Mary introduced her parents, Heather and Michael Brighton. She has been on the MHS swim and dive team for four years and is team co-captain this year. They are currently in a preseason weight training program. She helped design mechandise for the swim team to sell to raise money for their team. She is also enjoying the role of “Swim Sister” to a younger member of the swim team. The swim team has taught her much about being a leader and how to make strong connections for a lifetime.

She is a member of the Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club in grades 10-12. She has been involved in presenting to middle school students on three occasions to talk about staying drug and alcohol free with SADD and educating students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol with engaging games and activities.

She is a member of the Key Club, Spanish Club, Red Cross Club, and the National Honor Society. She has taken five years of Spanish, starting in her 8th grade year. She took the AP Spanish exam and scored really well. During her sophmore year she was awarded the Spanish Global Seal of Biliteracy, by the State of Kansas. She uses her Spanish skills at the Flinthills Breadbasket where she has volenteered over 40 hours and learned to use her Spanish in the real world. In addition, the service hours will earn her an MHS Distuingished Service Award and special cord to wear at her graduation.

She attended the Kansas State University Health Career Exploration Camp in August of 2024.

She has logged 100 hours of volunteering at Ascension Via Christi hospital in Manhattan where she served in the Labor and Delivery unit for a work based learning class through MHS during her first semester of her senior year. She knew she wanted to go into health care, but was unsure of what she wanted to do in that field. She was able to explore different jobs there. She served in the pharmacy area and developed a real interest in pharmacy as a career. This fall she will attend the University of Kansas to attend pharmacy school. In addition, she job shadowed at Stormont Vail in Junction City, for 17 hours from June to August 2025.

Mary thanked the Optimist for selecting her and thanked her parents for their support. She is donating the $100 from Optimist to the Flinthills Breadbasket.

Heather Peterson introduced Susan Wendland, Youth and Resource Development Coordinator for THRIVE!. Susan grew up in Pretty Prairie, Kansas; her dad was a veterinarian and her mother was a nurse. Susan previously worked for the school district as an Assistant Principal at Lee Elementary and KSU College of Education Clinical Supervisor. She was an educator for 33 years. Susan and her husband have two children and three grandchildren. She enjoys spending lots of time with her grandchildren. Susan likes to spend her spare time with family and friends, gardening, and cooking. She joined THRIVE! in beginning of 2018 and believes in its mission as a long term fix for helping individuals improve their lives.

THRIVE! is a nonprofit organization housed at the First United Methodist Church, that helps mostly single moms who are struggling in poverty and want to make a change. They are not assisted with financial help, but are mentored and coached to find existing resources and to improve aspects of their lives which will help them improve both their life and their children's lives. Generally, their clients and their mentor's relationships are about 18 months long, though some are shorter and some are longer. Clients are taught how to set priorities, budget, and save for emergencies, however, most of these individuals have very little flexibility in their budgets. It is all about making progress, even baby steps, to meet goals. Three items , food, housing, and a vehicle to get to a work are high priorities. The idea is to get basic needs met, then training for a job that can better support them and their families.

Susan has started a teen group to help foster care students learn how to transition out of foster care successfully. Young teens near adult status can age out of foster care and lose foster care benefits, which are substantial, including health care and education expenses in college or trade school.

Volunteers meet with their clients twice a month, the first week is to to work on their skills and budgeting, plus how to advocate for themselves, parenting skills, cooking on a budget etc. The third week is team time and they work as a team to work on goals. They have about 50 participants and need additional mentors. Funding comes from the United Way and donations through Grow Green.

THRIVE! teaches clients to empower themselves, to have a voice through building relationships, making connections, being resourceful, and making a difference.

She closed by thanking the Optimist for having her speak.

Website: https://www.thriveflinthills.com/

Jim Franke announced the Spaghetti Dinner was a success. Two lists of the workers was on the tables (See worker lists below the birthday list). He gave a special thanks to Jim Blanton for leading the clean up. He also recognized Clyde Scott for selling $1,000 in tickets.

The Manhattan Optimist Fast Pitch Association members sold $4,364 in tickets and donations to the silent auction. Seventy-three members sold tickets and 43 members worked the event; 17 worked both days. Fourteen members baked desserts. Attendance was 630, a new record. $13,945 was raised. $1,700 in food was donated for the event: Don Bechtel coordinated with Barilla for sauce and pasta; Tom Hintz coordinated with Outdoor Bank for hamburger; and Keith Behnke coordinated with KSU Bakery Science for bread.

One hundred and ten pounds of pasta was cooked and served, 36.7 gallons of sauce was mixed and prepared, 75 pounds of salad were prepared, 140 loaves of bread baked, and 5 gallons of salad dressing were served. The silent auction had 106 items and raised $4,300, a new record.

Clyde Scott reported Brad H. is still at KU Med and doing well, but has several medical procedures ahead of him.  The Optimist wish Brad a speedy recovery!

Optimist Apparel is now available at Poppy Tees in Wamego; a new QR code will be available soon.

April 22nd is Grow Green Match Day; the Optimist have a goal of $15,000. The Optimist Board has designated the funds for the ongoing upkeep and improvement of Optimist Park. Donations will directly contribute to maintaining and enhancing this important community space, ensuring it remains safe, accessible and impactful for local youth and families for years to come.

Grow Green Letter from President Kelly Karl: https://manhattanoptimist.com/sites/default/files/grow_green_ltr_document_2026-04-09_150852.pdf

April 23 is the 3rd Quarter Optimist Zone meeting. Contact Bill Wisdom if you would like to attend.

May 6th, is a social event at the KSU Baseball game. Tailgate starts at 4:00 and the game starts at 6:00.

May 13th the IPS Class joint Interpersonal Skills Class Essay Contest winners will read their essays to the group.

Bill Snyder Half Marathon is Saturday May 23rd. Volunteers are needed to help guide the runners to stay on the course. The race organization donates to the organizations supplying volunteers, so it is an easy way for the Optimist to generate some funding. The half marathon starts at 7:00 am on K-177 near I70 and the 5k starts at 7:00 am at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and both races finish at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Report time is usually 6:30 am and the location will be available later, though recently it has been near the stadium.

October 24th is our 24th annual Chili Crawl.

Meeting adjourned with the Optimist Creed.

SAVE THE DATE: April 22nd is Grow Green Match Day.

APRIL 15 – MORNING MEETING: Program: Manhattan High School Robotics Team: Topic: “MHS Robotics”

APRIL 22 – NOON MEETING: Program: Joe Schartz, Manhattan High School Football Players/Coaches: Topic: “MHS Football – 2025 State Champions”

APRIL 29 – MORNING MEETING: Program: President Kelly Karl: Topic: “Membership Meeting”