Connecting Students to Community Update

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Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Update

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What’s

Inside

Director Report

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Let’s Connect

INSPIRING VOLUNTEERS AND EFFECTIVELY CONNECTING THEM WITH THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY

VOLUNTEER BULLETIN

JULY/ AUGUST 2020

@flinthillsvolunteercenter

@flinthillsvc

COVID-19 may have slowed down daily life, but for many of our volunteers they

are as active as ever. With safety precautions in place, volunteers have continued

to deliver the Friendship Meals each weekday in Manhattan, served families each

week in Junction City, and loaded cars with food from Harvesters each month. As

restrictions have lifted, our staff has been visiting volunteer locations to take

temperatures, meet our volunteers, and serve alongside them. We are also

happy to have started a few new opportunities including Caring Callers and a

weekly RSVP afternoon with Golden Prairie Honey Farms.

Volunteers at home have also been helping us meet the community need for face

masks. As of June 23rd, volunteers have made 1,262 masks which have been do-

nated to 17 agencies, and over 100 community members. We are grateful for our

volunteers for sharing their time and talent– this was no small feat! We are still

collecting masks to help us prepare for the next round of requests.

Our Cookie Brigade volunteers continued to bake treats for our frontline workers

in Manhattan. In May and June, we have given 1,830 baked goods to healthcare

workers, the Riley County Health Department, the Manhattan Fire Department,

Pawnee Crisis Stabilization Center, and Emergency Medical Services.

We look forward to continuing to meet the challenges of volunteering during

COVID-19 and are excited by the energy displayed by our volunteers. Our next

newsletter will be a return to our news about volunteer opportunities, events,

and office updates.

-Karen Paulus, Program Services Coordinator

From the Director:

Greetings Volunteers,

It is so nice to be back in the office! I’m so proud of the volunteer work you are all doing. Many

are helping us with projects to do from home. Many continue to deliver the Friendship Meals,

assist with Harvesters and the Bloodmobile. Our amazing volunteers have made 1,262 face

masks that were donated to 17 area non-profit organizations, volunteers, and community

members!

Our Suicide Prevention Task Force is meeting via Zoom. They will soon be delivering awareness cards to local

venues as a resource for prevention. We will have online trainings available. Please let us know if you would be

interested in watching these informative online videos.

It was a sad day to learn that Amanda and Stephanie will be leaving us. Amanda has done a great job as our

Volunteer Outreach Coordinator and we wish her all the best with her new job at the Department of Children and

Families. Stephanie also did a great job of managing our youth program, now known as the CSC program

(Connecting Students to Communities). We wish her all the best in her new job with City Year in Columbus, Ohio.

While I’m sad to see both of them leave, I’m excited to follow all the new adventures coming their way!

A message from Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service:

"We are all outraged at the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Tragedies such

as these demonstrate the need for action to address the racial inequities that undeniably exist in our nation. The

national service community stands with those demanding justice in communities across the country.

AmeriCorps and Senior Corps are founded on a belief that all people deserve to be treated equally, with dignity

and respect. Our work builds bridges, breaks down barriers, and brings communities together in ways that

challenge perspectives and increase understanding. Racism, discrimination, and hate run counter to our core

values.

Now is a time to listen to voices that need to be heard and ask ourselves what we will do to create a more just

society.  

We must all do better. CNCS is committed to growing our focus on how we can play a more active role in

supporting communities of color. In the end, while words are important, it is our actions that will define us as

individuals, as a community, and as a society."

The Flint Hills Volunteer Center stands on our principles of treating people equally, and with dignity and respect.

We believe that we must work together to show love and compassion to one another.

I urge you to continue to put your health and safety first. Please wear a face mask when out in public. So many

events and activities have been cancelled and I think we all want to get back to normalcy.

Have a great summer!

Lori

Just a Little Note...

Lori Bishop

Executive Director

VOLUNTEER BULLETIN PAGE 2

JULY/ AUGUST 2020 PAGE 3

As we move through 2020, we have seen a lot of ups and downs along the way. Our way of living has been

altered into something we never imagined, and we have had to find a new “normal.” As we enter the second

half of 2020, I wanted to announce that I will be leaving the Flint Hills Volunteer Center as the Volunteer

Outreach Coordinator on July 10. I will miss all of you! Thank you for the opportunity you have given me to be

a part of your volunteer journey. You have made my work so much easier because I know I can count on you!

We have an amazing team of volunteers who are always ready to give a helping hand.

You have made such a big impact in my life that I have a better appreciation for volunteerism. I have grown

and come to understand what a big impact volunteers make in our community. People like you are the

reason we do what we do—YOU are the reason we are successful!

I have accepted a position with the Department for Children and Families as I move closer to my career goals.

While I will be leaving my role as Volunteer Coordinator, I will be moving into the position of a volunteer. I

will continue to serve as a volunteer member on the Suicide Prevention Task Force and providing baked

goods for the Cookie Brigade along with anything else that comes along. Thanks again for everything!

- Amanda Yenzer, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator

In the past two years, I have had countless opportunities to engage with and learn about the Manhattan

community. I began as a student intern at the Flint Hills Volunteer Center with the goal to learn all the ins and

outs of nonprofits and wound up finding a new passion for service which I will continue to carry with me.

During my time as a volunteer coordinator, I have tutored children, cleaned parks, collected school supplies,

made community meals, lead student workshops, built literal bridges, and connected with a wonderful group

of volunteers who have taught me a ton about service, passion, community, and dedication.

Working with the youth volunteers here in Manhattan has inspired me to continue to serve with students. I

am headed to Columbus, Ohio to work as an AmeriCorps member in the City Year program. I will be working

to provide support to students in high-need schools during the 2020-21 school year. I hope to apply all I have

learned while working here to help encourage students to engage with their communities and positively

impact the world around them.

I want to thank all our volunteers, community partners, and everyone at the volunteer center who has

supported and encouraged me over these two years. I have been provided a space to grow and learn with a

great group of people and I truly appreciate that. I will always fondly remember my time here.

- Stephanie McGivern, Student Services Coordinator

Farewell Amanda & Stephanie...

FLINT HILLS VOLUNTEER CENTER 2601 Anderson Avenue Ste 200

Manhattan, KS 66502

Phone: 785-776-7787

Fax: 785-776-8653

Please help us raise $30,000 to support over 1,000 volunteers. Your support is appreciated!

**Gift in Honor/Memory of a loved-one (to support on-going projects)

General contribution (recruiting/placing individuals in positions that impact the community)

Contribution to new Initiatives: Suicide Prevention, Elder Justice, Opioid Abuse

My gift to the Flint Hills Volunteer Center is enclosed:

___$50 ___$100 ___$200 ___$500 Other amount $___________

Name _______________________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________________

City, State, & Zip _____________________________________________________________________________

Phone ______________________ Email (if applicable) ______________________________________________

**In Honor/Memory of: ______________________________________________________________________

Make check payable to Flint Hills Volunteer Center and return to:

2601 Anderson Avenue Suite 200 Manhattan, KS 66502

Corporation for National and Community Service, Kansas Volunteer Commission, YES! Fund, Konza United Way, Kansas State Pi Beta Phi,

Riley County Council on Aging, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation