Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
UFM Community Learning Center on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 253
We share how UFM opens doors for everyone to learn and teach, from health and wellness to AI, cooking, DIY, and veteran support. We highlight a leadership lecture that turns ideas into action and preview expansion into neighboring Kansas counties.
• UFM’s mission as an open community learning hub
• New health and wellness classes including Pilates and glucose stability
• Practical AI with ChatGPT prompting and automation
• Cooking and DIY offerings like Korean cuisine, sushi, and electrical basics
• Returning favorites including DnD, youth tennis, and piano by ear
• Veteran wellness program with $200 scholarship eligibility
• How to find the catalog, podcast, and sign-up info at tryufm.org
• Lou Douglas Lecture with Dr Kay Monk Morgan on leadership as action
• 2026 expansion through K-State Extension to nearby counties
• Invitation to teach, volunteer, or submit class ideas
Tryufm.org. Visit the website to explore fall classes and sign up
Email infotryufm.org to propose a class for Spring 2026
Tune in to our podcast on 91.9 at noon on Fridays
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on News Radio KMAN. We are back. This is the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio KMAN. I'm Dave Lewis. Alaya C is joining us. And oh, I I'm sorry here. She's the executive director, and I'm looking at my sheet now. Dr. Alaya Mastrovich C. That's a lot of pronunciation.
SPEAKER_01:Hi, Dave. How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00:I am great and getting better. I mean, I got so many good things going on in my life, but this isn't about me. This is about you and UFM.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. So for those of you that don't know about UFM, it's a um educational enrichment program that served the Manhattan area and K State and all the surrounding communities for over 55 years. Um and uh we've been around since the 60s. Wow.
SPEAKER_00:I was on the board for a brief time and then I Oh, were you? Yeah, and then I had a conflict and where I had to get off of it. But uh it's something that I've just, you know, and and Linda and I became such great friends and still are. And uh gosh, just just a a neat organization. So you got a lot of things in the works, and always, you know, we talk about the the the classes and sometimes, you know, a little emphasis on the new classes that you have.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes. Well, UFM is a place where everybody can learn and everyone can teach. And we host over 200 community enrichment classes um for Manhattan and the surrounding communities a semester. Um, so this fall um we have a lot of uh fun and interesting um new classes. A lot of them are about health and wellness. Um we have Pilates for Hello there.
SPEAKER_00:Go ahead.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes, can you can you hear me?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it dropped out a little bit there. Oh, it did? Okay. You you're starting to talk about Pilates.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we have Pilates for Athletes, um, a massage workshop series that I hear is quite good. A massage workshop. Yes. It's I actually have a friend who took it and she said it was great.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so so this would be a nice Christmas gift.
SPEAKER_01:It yes, it would be. Um, absolutely.
unknown:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, that that is something that could could be taken and then used um in in in so many different ways to de-stress our family members and friends. Um we have um men's only Pilates, um, and then also even a prenatal Pilates as well. Um we also offer some classes for folks that may be um diabetic or um entering into having that uh diabetes um diagnosis. So we have a four-week glucose stability challenge that is a new class. Um have you ever used Chat GPT, Dave?
SPEAKER_00:You know, I've kind of tinkled with it, tinkered with it a little bit, but but but really not much. Stop making fun of me, Gwen. I tinkered with it a little bit. Well, um, misplaced consonants are a bad thing on a Monday.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I haven't had my second cup of coffee. So it's it's it's tough.
SPEAKER_00:But I really haven't played, I'm I'm intrigued by it and and somewhat intimidated. And I don't pick up things as quickly as I used to. So so you're doing some chat GPT stuff.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we have a class about chat GPT um prompting and business um automation uh as well. So there we do have some classes centered around AI for folks that want to learn more. Um, and I would say I would highly recommend it because, you know, I mean, AI is something that is now in our present, not just our future. So um kind of being more familiar with that is is always helpful. Um, we also have some some wonderful cooking classes, Korean cooking. Um we have a uh a uh rolled sushi making class. Um and then also uh electrical basics with the Rayburn family who owns a local uh um a local business here.
SPEAKER_00:Hmm. Is that that that is a new one? I haven't heard of that in the past, but that that that can be so handy in today's DIY world.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes. So we we definitely um we have there's just so many new classes, and then we have some returning classes that we we love, um, such as our Dungeons and Dragons class, our youth tennis that we offer um every every semester, um, how to play piano by ear, uh, and then our veteran wellness class that is offered um through um uh UFM and uh uh the VA of Eastern Kansas. So any veteran that's enrolled in the VA of Eastern Kansas can take that veteran wellness class and then get a$200 scholarship for any UFM class, with the exception of anything related to alcohol or tobacco.
SPEAKER_00:Interesting. Dr. Elias C is our guest here with the UFM Learning Center, the Community Learning Center. And we've been talking about some of the new things. And you can find all the information about all the classes online, and you also have the catalog that's printed and available on a number of locations.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. So you can find um our catalog throughout town at local coffee shops and businesses. Um, we have a wonderful podcast as well that you can tune into. Um and uh and then also you can visit tryufm.org uh to be able to look at those fall classes and uh and sign up.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Sounds good. Tryufm.org. Simple. One of the things that uh that you do at UFM, and you have the Lou Douglas Lecture Series, and you've already had it for this year. Who was your speaker?
SPEAKER_01:So our speaker this year was Dr. Kay Monk Morgan, the CEO and president of the Kansas Leadership Center. Um I had the pleasure of having dinner with her before the lecture. Um, and and this lecture actually honors uh Dr. Lou Douglas, who was a political science professor, and uh did uh just groundbreaking work in areas of civic civic engagement and really passed on a legacy um to his students um at Kansas State University. So she came and gave a really dynamic once again.
SPEAKER_00:Um yeah, when it says your internet connection is unstable. I uh we'll we'll work on that. Dr. C, are you there? Yes, I'm here. Yeah, we lost you there, and you were starting to talk just about the the series there. And introducing uh talking a little bit about your speaker.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, hold on just one moment, please. Let's see if I can um make the signal stronger.
SPEAKER_00:Tell you what I'm gonna do is I'm going to take me off video so you can't see me, and maybe that will help uh a little bit with some bandwidth issues. Anyway. Dr. Elias Say, executive director with UFM Learning Center, the community learning center, which is uh uh right across from campus at Thurston and Manhattan Avenue. They do so many wonderful things in the community and uh do such a great outreach and educational capacities. And uh are you back?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I am. Okay, yes, I am hopefully this'll this will work better. So yes, I was I was talking about um the Lou Douglas lecture and Dr. K Monk Morgan. Um, and she came and talked about how um leadership is an activity, not a position. And anyone can lead at any time, um, regardless of the position they hold. Um, and anyone can practice leadership. So it was a really exciting evening. We had over a hundred people in attendance and Forum Hall uh at Kansas State University in the Union. And we actually partnered with K-State Extension to offer this during their pre-conference this year. So we had community members, extension professionals, faculty staff. Um, it was a wonderful evening.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, excellent. Well, that's something you've had um a lot of terrific speakers over the past um gosh, how many years you've been doing that? 30 some?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes. It's been it's been at least three decades.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, it's been a long time. So good. So, well, let's talk a little bit about uh let's look forward here a little bit. 2026. That seems strange to talk about 2026.
SPEAKER_01:It does. It really does. I can't believe that 2026 is upon us. Well, um, we have some exciting news as a local nonprofit. Um, we are actually expanding our community enrichment and personal development can uh classes to other uh neighboring counties in Kansas. Um we have partnered with um K-State Extension and are working with local counties um like Pot, Geary, Marshall, Shawnee, and others to be able to find local business owners and community members to teach classes and also um to come and learn from uh local knowledge and local people to support community engaged education.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. New classes in specific for 2026?
SPEAKER_01:Well, right now um we we are seeing that there are a lot of great themes that there are people that um just like in Manhattan and Riley County, want to be able to um have things to stay active if they're older adults. Um they want recreational opportunities and they want um they want to be able to expand their hobbies and really feel connection in their community and purpose. So that's what we're purposed to do is is find the gap, find what people want to learn and teach, and then bring that to those neighboring counties. So we're in the process of doing that right now.
SPEAKER_00:If you were to have a wish list of classes that you would like to add to the repertoire that you have at UFM, and this could be like a request for individuals like, hey, I'd like to teach something, what would that be?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think that right now, um, what we're what we're doing already having you know over 200 classes um that are related to many different project areas. Um, so it can be anything from you know youth development to plant science to uh recreation and fitness. I mean, the the list goes on and on and really aligns with K-State academic units. Um, so what I would ask and call the community to do is look at these different community enrichment and personal development buckets in our catalog, whether it's communication and expressive arts, family and consumer science, or even um, you know, cultural studies and find what you want to teach and what you want to learn about, and then reach out to us because there's really something for everyone.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. And to reach out to you, what's the process?
SPEAKER_01:Um, you would reach out to us at infotryufm.org. Um, you can also submit a class idea on our website, and that goes directly to us, and we would reach out to you uh for the spring 2026 semester.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. We talked about a lot of things. We've covered a lot of stuff. What haven't we covered that you'd like to touch base on?
SPEAKER_01:Um, you know, I just uh thank you for giving us the time to be able to share about this um wonderful um community enrichment opportunity. And I want to encourage everybody to get involved. And one way to do that is to volunteer at UFM, teach a class, or uh take a class. So I hope to see lots of new community members um this fall and spring because there's there's always opportunities to get involved through UFM.
SPEAKER_00:All right. Try UFM.org is the website, Dr. Elias C. Always a delight to have you on. Thank you for joining us today.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks, Dave.
SPEAKER_00:Good luck with all the rest of uh the the year and next year too. Goodness. I'm I'm I I feel like that chat GPT thing is calling my name.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like it is.
SPEAKER_00:All right. Sounds great. Thank you for joining us. And uh we'll uh visit with you probably sometime next spring and maybe talk about gardens and stuff as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that would be that would be great. And always feel free to um to tune in um to our podcast. Um we we love to have um folks tune in at any time at 90 91.9. Um it airs on noon on Fridays.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Sounds great. All right, Dr. C, thank you very much, and uh best wishes to you and everybody at UFM.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks, Dave. Have a good day.