Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Manhattan Kiwanis Club on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 262
We highlight how Manhattan Kiwanis turns pancakes, paint, and planning into visible community impact, from the Blue Mont Hill overlook to scholarships and a revived kids’ parade. Victor Steiner and Kent Foster share details on fundraising, accessibility, and inviting new members to carry the work forward.
• 74-year pancake feed at Pottorf Hall, December 13, 7–1
• Funds maintenance for the hillside letters and the accessible overlook
• Scholarships, including Senior Honors recognition and drawing
• Harold Bailey 4-H scholarship and K-family scholarship
• Key Club and Circle K support across high school and college
• Plan to revive a patriotic kids’ parade for 2026
• Proposed picnic shelter delayed due to higher costs
• Collaboration with Solar Kiwanis to share manpower
• Membership drive to bring in younger volunteers
13th for the for the pancake feed of Pottorf Hall. And I'll have membership applications available that day.
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMTF Community Hour, as heard on News Radio KMAN. We are back at segment number three of the GMTF Community Hour here on News Radio KMAN. The Manhattan Kiwanas Club has been um part of this community. I remember, Kent, um it was what three, four years ago. You had your 100th anniversary.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, maybe maybe five years ago. Five years. Not that long ago.
SPEAKER_02:We were out of prairie wood. I had the opportunity to MC that event. That's exactly right. Yeah. And I got to learn a lot about uh the Kiwanis organization in its uh own right. One of my uh best friends is uh um I guess president or governor governor of you know the Nebraska and Iowa uh district. And and so uh, you know, we've talked about a number of different things and helped, you know, worked with him on a number of different things. And so you guys, um, of course, you are probably best known as an organization and for what you have done with the Manhattan Hill, the lettering staging of that.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Before we get talking about this, I probably ought to introduce you. It's kind of important to know our listeners to know. Yeah, uh Victor Steiner is over in the corner. Victor, I know you've been here before. Thanks for being a part of the show again today. How you been? Doing very well.
SPEAKER_01:So kind of enjoying this lovely winter weather we're having this morning and just festival boy. You're the only one I've talked to that's has. I kind of like a little snow.
SPEAKER_02:Uh-huh. Okay. Okay. So so tell me about your uh participation in Kawanas. What's your background there?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I've been a member since uh tw you know 2007. Um, I've got, you know, all the leadership in the local level. We've kind of gone through it. I've been the governor of the Kansas district for Kianas in 22-23. So we just are uh getting to be a smaller club, so it's kind of all hands-on decks on most projects.
SPEAKER_02:Because I remember you and I had some some talks there about the you know, when you had your 100th anniversary celebration as a club here. Right.
SPEAKER_01:And we've enjoyed it a lot, and we've done a lot of projects, you know, over the years that we're kind of interested or in enjoying.
SPEAKER_02:Uh what feeds your desire to be a member of the Kiwanas Club?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I just like to help, you know, serve the community in some way, to get back to the community that I live in. I enjoy working, you know, at the hill on the letters you'd mentioned. Uh we work with a farmhouse organization and just enjoy working with the college age, you know, groups and whatnot. So it's just fun to do.
SPEAKER_02:What'd you do for a living?
SPEAKER_01:I'm in the plumbing and heating business. So Bob's plumbing is where I still work there. So you're you're not retired. I'm not retired, so I might look like I should be able to do that. What are you waiting for?
SPEAKER_02:Well, Bob's have been, I mean, you guys have been around for a long time, and you know, I've been a part of some family things too. Right. And uh, you know, we just have um had a you know, gosh, you've been around forever, and it's neat that and that's one of the things I think it's cool when you have a a company, yeah, a business that gets involved in an organization like Kwantis. It becomes an extra added bonus for you and and and your people to to be a part of these things. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Well, we're on the third generation now, and so we'll have to get that younger group involved. But they, you know, with the kids and everything, that's you know, they're they're plenty busy at that time.
SPEAKER_02:So Kent Foster is the other dude that's joining us here. And uh Kent, uh let's let's talk about the same questions here. You've been in Kwanis for for quite a while, and you've had a hand with pen and paper in a lot of things.
SPEAKER_00:Right. We have. I have uh been in since like I think about 1984. So that's quite a few years. Really?
SPEAKER_02:That's forty-some years of 41 years of my remedial math.
SPEAKER_00:I think I've done about every project that we have in the club, except I've not been secretary or treasurer.
SPEAKER_02:So uh Are you holding out for that?
SPEAKER_00:No, I'm not. I'm not sure.
SPEAKER_02:Are you looking for financial incentive for them to draft you into that? Or is there a particular reason why you don't want them to hire you?
SPEAKER_00:I know that's uh Secretary Treasurer probably does the biggest share of the work in the club.
SPEAKER_02:So well, and and and you're an architect.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And um you have had a key role in the designing of that deck that now oversees uh the Manhattan lettering on the hill.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that was our 100th year anniversary project that we wanted to do. And being an architect, I always knew the value of handicap accessibility, you know, around uh to various places. And so we wanted to do something up on the hill, and we decided to do an overlook, but we made it handicap accessible. So we uh and it's just people are just up there all the time. I drive by and look up, and there's people up there, or we uh whitewash the letters a couple of times a year, and the Sunday that we're there, uh a Sunday, and there's people just coming in and out and in and out, you know, up there to you know, overlook, you know, whether it's bad weather or good weather. It's just always traffic moving up there, which I'm amazed at.
SPEAKER_02:So do you do you do you like to walk up and down the letters, you know, when you're whitewashing them?
SPEAKER_00:You know, we used to do that years ago, but now we employ the um uh farmhouse. The farmhouse boys boys, and they're younger and they have lots of energy and better shoes.
SPEAKER_02:They don't have the wisdom that you have gained just yet, right? Well, and and the Kawanis Club has um obviously, you know, the gained a reputation because of that work there, and that's probably the most notable work that you do is you know, you have this gift of maintenance and now the the overlay.
SPEAKER_00:We're trying to get the city to let us put Kowanis up on that water tower, but how's that working? Not very well.
SPEAKER_02:Does it uh is there a color clash there?
SPEAKER_00:No, the water tower is a light blue, and our colors are blue, so dark blue. Seems to make sense for me. I know it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:We've got an apple up there, a big giant koanis in the ball. Well, okay.
SPEAKER_02:So what you need to do then is you need to make every year the mayor an honorary member.
unknown:There you go.
SPEAKER_00:All right.
SPEAKER_02:Hey, let's talk about some things. Uh and and this is uh gosh, 74 years now. You have your annual pancake feed. And Victor, this is uh, you know, this is a long time thing. This is one of the things that helps raise money for the work that you do there. Um not just for, you know, that overlook, the maintenance of the sign, but you've got a lot of other projects that the Manhattan Quantas Club is involved in.
SPEAKER_01:No, this is by far biggest fundraiser of the year. Um, I mean, it helps with the sign, it helps with a lot of our scholarships that we may get to later. Uh, we have three or four different scholarships that uh we make do. And so yeah, it all goes into that. We also have a you know, Circle K and a key club, which are high school and college age groups in the Quantus family that we this helps support them and their activities and and whatnot.
SPEAKER_02:You got your hands full.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, we do.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Well, let's talk a bit about some of the specifics of the pancake feed. When, where?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well, it's a pot or fall. It's December 13th, uh, from seven to one. Uh it's a ten dollar don or donation. Uh we have uh sausage and eggs that you have to purchase extra, or if you want extra, you do that. Um there's gonna be a small silent auction this year. Uh some of the sponsors were kind enough to just go ahead and give us some sponsor, you know, for silent auction items. So there'll be a small auction and we're looking forward to seeing everyone out there. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Potter Fall has been the host of that probably forever, hasn't it? Well, it seems like it for a lot of years.
SPEAKER_00:We used to do it down in the community building.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, that's right, down there for that humble.
SPEAKER_00:Everything upstairs and set it up and then carry everything up. And the older you get, that's tougher and tougher, isn't it, Kent? Yeah, it was. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Well, okay, so we um want to make sure that folks know about that December 13th. We'll we'll get that uh noted here. Let's talk a bit about something else that uh, you know, the the Kwantis organization, Kent, is very, very, let's say patriotic. And 2026 is a big year for the United States of America. And uh so let's talk a bit about what the local Kiwanians are doing to celebrate uh the first time.
SPEAKER_00:Our past members uh suggested this item to us. And so years ago, I don't know if you might remember, we used to have a a pet and hobby parade, and we'd invite all the elementary kids to decor up their bicycles and tricycles and wagons and bring their dogs, and and we just parade down points.
SPEAKER_02:And did you ever do that as a kid?
SPEAKER_00:No, I did not.
SPEAKER_02:See, I I never saw one, but I remember uh talking about it at your hundredth anniversary that that used to have these things, and it was quite a spectacle.
SPEAKER_00:So it was, and so you know, it changed over the years, it got smaller and smaller, and we ended up terminating it in about 19 or 2004, I think, somewhere in there. Anyway, so we thought for the 250th anniversary, why not we at least reintroduce that for maybe a one-time year and uh make it a uh you know USA theme, you know, America theme, red, white, and blue, or some sort of patriotic theme, and kids can decorate up their their uh wagons or tricycles or pets, and we'll parade around point around the city park so we won't get out in the traffic or anything. But we thought that might be a nice celebration and get the kids excited about that since it's the uh 250th April. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Are you gonna are you gonna have a float?
SPEAKER_00:You're gonna well we haven't talked about all the details yet, so I'm not sure what we'll do.
SPEAKER_02:Victor, you'll be there.
SPEAKER_01:I'll be there. You'll be there. Uh I mean, we used to hand out little awards and ribbons, and that's probably more where I'll tend to be. Is that the, you know, just giving little prizes for the kids or people who show up and enter. Always a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00:It used to be an all-day affair. They had it at the community building, and it was all day, you know, they gave out awards, and so it was a big deal back in the day.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Uh, Victor, earlier we had talked about, you know, some of the uh things that you have done in terms of scholarships. And you have uh a seniors on your recognition. Right. And obviously what you do. And let's let's talk a bit about those scholarships and and how a youngster may apply and some of the aspects that are important to the Kawantas in order to for some of these uh uh applicants to win.
SPEAKER_01:Well, the senior honors is uh at Manhattan High School, uh we just give recognition to any student that has a 3.5 grade point average or higher. I know. And so you know, not that just you know, it's a very good path or academics. Um this year we've got some extra money in our scholarship, so we're just gonna maybe uh just have a drawing. So whoever shows up at that uh is eligible to receive a scholarship that day. Uh we have our normal scholarships. Um, like I said, we have a 4-H scholarship, which is a Harold Bailey scholarship for the 4-H, and they pick out an applicant, you know, the 4-H local 4-H people do that, send it to us, and we read the case. Yeah, he was great person, great quantian. So and then we have our other scholarship, which is just a uh K family scholarship. Uh, here again, if you're a high school student in the area and has, you know, joined the key club uh and turn your application in, uh, you're eligible. You can do it in your college. I mean, we like academics, but we also like um they need to be involved in community service. We kind of look at that as part of our criteria also. How much of these scholarships? What's the value? Well, uh a thousand dollars, most of them. That's a that's a nice chunk. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Goes a long way for some of these. Right. Is there a place where um online that you have kids that can apply or at least get more information on that? Well, I'm not Mr.
SPEAKER_01:Technical here. Uh can't you know?
SPEAKER_00:I think we do. We have an application that we've uh fill out on. I think they do put it on our on our website website. Um and I forget, it usually comes due like April 1st or right in that period of time so kids have time to you know get it submitted and and apply it, or then it's product sent out to the college or whatever they're going. So so um but yeah, we'll have a a uh an application that they fill out, and it's pretty simple application. They just need to you know take the effort to fill it out. Yeah, and we'll do the same thing. The one that we're gonna have a drawing for at the senior honors, they'll have to fill out the application and submit it and and then it'll get processed.
SPEAKER_02:So and and I'm going down my notes here. You have your senior honors recognition, and then we talk about scholarship. Are those two different things?
SPEAKER_00:They are okay. The senior honors, like Victor said, we're just recognizing the graduating seniors with a 3.5 or better. And we wanted to do something a little bit more than just simply give them a certificate. So that's where we came up with this idea of maybe we'll have a uh drawing for a scholarship. So because normally our scholarships go to a student that some has some affiliation with the Koanist Club, you know, a granddaughter or or relative of some sort, or is in the key club or the circle K or some relationship. But the senior honors, all those that attend that, now they've actually now have a relationship with the Koanist Club because we've invited them. So that's why we thought, let's offer them a scholarship or at least through a drawing, sort of.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. You got any projects in the works in the near future? Well, uh, I guess you're an architect, you could never give that up.
SPEAKER_00:No, never get that.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm right about that, aren't I, Victor? That's right. That's right.
SPEAKER_00:We do have a project. We just had to put it on hold for a while. We'd like to do a picnic shelter up on the Blue Mont Hill area. There's an open area where there's a couple of picnic tables. We really would like to do that. We have some funds set aside, but the estimate that we got was quite a bit more than what we have funded right now.
SPEAKER_02:So we're gonna kind of build up that fund and those building costs have kind of gone up a little bit, haven't they? Yeah. If it wasn't for those plumbers. Yeah, that's right. That's right. The picnic shelter. Yeah. That's right. That's right. Well, you guys, um, you know, there's we've got a number of civic organizations, and they're all wonderful. They all have their specific purpose in town and their goals, and and and it's great camaraderie. But, you know, the I uh we do know that you know the civic organizations, whether it's Optimus, Rotary, um, Lions, they all seem to have, like us, aging members.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And, you know, membership is always open. You don't have to have an AARP card in order to qualify. But you're always looking for new members, aren't you, Victor?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes, 100% so. Uh like I say, it's a struggle, uh, but we'll, you know, just have to invite people, or we, you know, if anybody's listening, they can reach out to us.
SPEAKER_02:And and when you have something as special to the community as you do the Manhattan overlook and the lettering, the signs there on Blue Mod Hill. That is really a neat incentive for people to get involved and say, hey, I'm part of something special in this community.
SPEAKER_00:So And we have we have been uh uh combining some of our projects with the uh Solar Koanus Club. They're a noon meeting organization. So, you know, they both mean we all need manpower, so we kind of combined some of those efforts.
SPEAKER_02:So okay, fellas, happy holidays. Well, thanks. Thank you. Thanks for having me. 13th for the uh for the pancake feed of Podorf Hall. And I'll have membership applications available that day. They want to check out. Good to know. Good to know. That's how you play it. That's right. Victor Steiner and Ken Foster with the Manhattan Kiwanas Club having a fun conversation about their efforts here, and we certainly appreciate the work that they do. Okay, so we're gonna get our community updates coming up here in just a little bit here on News Radio KMAN with the GMCF Community Hour. You can always find out more about what's happening on the foundation in the foundation's world by joining us on our website at mcfks.org.