The 14th annual Grow Green Match Day on Wednesday, April 22, is an amazing opportunity for the Manhattan community as well as Meadowlark Hills Foundation. On that day, donations made through the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation to participating non-profit agencies will receive a 50% match!

Meadowlark Hills Foundation is joining 102 other local organizations in urging our donors to participate. Gifts to Meadowlark Foundation will support scholarships for current Meadowlark employees who would like to further their education to become licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.

As in the past, donations to GMCF-affiliated non-profits may occur in person, online, or by mailing a check, and this year, there’s again a fourth option. Give in person at Meadowlark! Meadowlark Foundation is pleased to announce that a Grow Green Match Day donation station will be operated from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, at Prairie Star Restaurant. Two GMCF employees are expected to be available to accept donations by check, cash, or credit card. Donation forms and space to complete one’s form will be provided.

GMCF Trustees who live at Meadowlark – Tom Fryer, Jo Lyle, and Linda Weis Olson – have enthusiastically agreed to welcome donors at our Match Day event, and Prairie Star plans to join the fun by offering several “green” breakfast or lunch specials. (Lunch items are available until 4 p.m.) Grow Green Tea, a play on a Long Island Iced Tea cocktail, is next week’s cocktail special.

Now in its eighth year, Meadowlark’s scholarship program rewards the initiative of talented current employees, while, in the future, providing Meadowlark’s licensed care households with highly trained staff in what appears to be a perpetual nurses shortage. Employees who receive a scholarship agree to work at Meadowlark for at least two years following graduation.

Donations made on April 22 will be made available to organizations for immediate needs, while the 50% match will go into endowed funds. Combined donations up to a total of $15,000 will be matched at 50%, giving a maximum of $7,500 in matching funds to any one organization. Here’s how you may help us attract and retain nurses:

1. Give in person from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the donation station at Prairie Star Restaurant. Donations by cash, check, or credit card will be accepted. Residents, Passport members, board members, employees, and family members, are especially invited to donate at Prairie Star. While at Prairie Star, donors are invited to register to win a Grow Green-themed prize. One prize will be awarded per hour.
2. Give in person from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the atrium at Colony Square, 555 Poyntz Ave. Donations by cash, check, or credit card will be accepted. Each hour, one donor name from this in-person event will be drawn to win $100 for the participating nonprofit organization of his or her choice. 
3. To give online, visit www.growgreenmanhattan.com from 12 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. 
4. Skip the mail! Meadowlark residents and Passport members may submit donations and donation forms to be delivered by Meadowlark Foundation to GMCF. If you would like to participate but cannot visit the donation station at Prairie Star, please leave your check and donation form at the Hospitality Desk by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22.
5. Donate by donor-advised fund, grain, or by stock. For details, contact Marla or Sally at the GMCF office by calling (785) 587-8995.
6. Write a check to Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, or simply, GMCF.
   • If Meadowlark Foundation is the only beneficiary of your gift, you may write “Grow Green-Meadowlark” on the memo line.
   • Complete a giving form, available at the Hospitality Desk, to indicate the beneficiary/beneficiaries of your gift. (Meadowlark Hills Foundation is listed alphabetically on the form.) Even if giving to more than one organization, write only one check for the total amount. The form you submit will indicate to GMCF how you’d like your gift divided.
   • No matter when a check is written, date it 4/22/2026 and mail it and the giving form several days prior to 4/22/2026 to account for current mail delays. Checks must be received on or before April 22 to be eligible for 2026 matching funds. Donations received after this date will still be given to the designated non-profits, but they will not be eligible for matching funds. Mail the check and giving form to GMCF, P.O. Box 1127, Manhattan, KS, 66505-1127.

Although gifts of any amount are truly welcome, individual contributions ranging from $25 to $1,000 per organization will receive a local match at $.50 per $1, so a $1,000 gift can receive a $500 local match! Gifts may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed under applicable law; donors receive a receipt from GMCF. Married couples may give only one gift, jointly, to organizations.

Thank you for considering this opportunity! If you have questions, please contact Becky Fitzgerald, Development Director, at (785) 323-3843.