Local not-for-profit focused on supporting people in living their best lives
A few Meadowlark residents have approached Becky Fitzgerald, Development Director, in recent weeks, asking if the Foundation still is accepting donations toward Meadowlark's trail project. Their follow-up question has been: If I donate, will my gift be matched? The answer to both questions is YES!
Hip! Hip! HOORAY!! The 10th annual Grow Green Match Day, hosted last Friday by Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, was Meadowlark Foundation’s best ever in terms of the amount of funds raised. According to the Leaderboard at growgreenmanhattan.com, 79 friends of Meadowlark contributed $66,295! In addition, $2,200 prompted by Match Day and our effort to enhance our Nursing Scholarship Program was sent directly to Meadowlark Foundation.
The fortune-teller who sat in a quiet corner of the Manhattan Room couldn’t have said it better. Inviting attendees to trade a ticket for words of wisdom and a gaze into her crystal ball, resident Sue Hunt channeled her inner prognosticator during last Friday’s Paving the Way Carnival. What did she predict? Happy trails for everyone!
Grow Green Match Day on Friday, April 22, is an incredible opportunity to make a positive impact in our community in general, and among our Meadowlark family, specifically. Just ask Julie Fowler, Jessica Pagan, and Auja Saunders.These three Meadowlark employees were recently awarded nursing scholarships thanks to the generosity of Meadowlark’s Grow Green donors in 2021. This annual day of giving to benefit local not-for-profit organizations is sponsored by Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.
Prompted by a pledge of matching/challenge funds, Meadowlark Foundation announces the “Paving the Way” campaign. Jan Fink Call and Jeff Call, and Dan Fink, have pledged to match, dollar for dollar, up to $40,000 in memory of the late Rev. H. Wayne Fink, to pave a portion of the loop trail which circles Meadowlark’s campus.
The words “grow” and “green” are perfectly suited for Earth Day, which is next Thursday, April 22, so it’s fitting that the 9th annual Grow Green Match Day was purposely planned to coincide with a day designed to increase environmental awareness. On Match Day, “green” donations made through the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation to participating non-profit agencies will “grow” with a 50 percent match.
Residents and others who follow Meadowlark on Facebook may have seen the image above, and at least one resident approached Becky Fitzgerald, Development Director, with questions about this effort. Here’s a recap of that conversation and a bit more information. Has Meadowlark launched a new fundraising campaign? No, but thank you! While Meadowlark Foundation appreciates an effort to recognize senior care employees in Manhattan, no one currently associated with Meadowlark proposed this Appreciation Fund.
Prior to opening the renovated Prairie Star to residents on Feb. 8, Meadowlark’s leadership team couldn’t help but notice the blank canvas of the neutral-painted walls. Everyone agreed that the new spaces would benefit from the color and interest that works of art lend to our environments. Jayme Minton and Becky Fitzgerald, staff liaisons to Meadowlark’s resident Art Committee, accepted the task of decking the walls, and they started with paintings already in Meadowlark’s art collection.
Despite Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day 2021, Meadowlark residents and employees have the hope of a healthier spring as the six-week Meadowlark Clean Air campaign comes to a successful conclusion. As of Tuesday, Feb. 2, nearly 60 friends near and far had contributed toward the purchase of Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP) technology, which has been proven to safely and effectively mitigate viruses, bacteria, mold, and insects, both in the air and on surfaces.
The statistics are startling. About 42 percent of COVID-19 related deaths across the nation have occurred in long-term care facilities. While Meadowlark and other Riley County retirement communities haven’t been hit has hard as other Kansas facilities, our organization has not been immune to this novel coronavirus. This is why two local foundations have teamed up to help provide a safe and proven weapon for Meadowlark’s continued fight against this invisible enemy and other microbial threats.