Becky Fitzgerald

Blog

  • Kelley Boland of  Junction City strings salvaged beads on framed chicken wire.

    SUNsational CATCHERS: Meadowlark Parkinson's Program Member Creates Shimmering Beauties with Repurposed Items

    By Becky Fitzgerald on October 10, 2024

    Kelley Boland’s beaded designs are doing more than catching sunlight. They are catching much attention wherever they are displayed. Such was the case at August’s Empowered LIVE!, an annual event to empower persons living with Parkinson’s Disease to celebrate life and stay engaged. Boland, a newer member of the Young Onset group supported by Meadowlark Parkinson’s Program, was one of several VIPDs showing off their handiwork and hobbies at the LIVE! gathering, held prior to the Speedy PD Race for Parkinson’s Disease.

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  • HOGtoberfest 2024

    Year 11 for HOG Heaven: Annual Celebration Benefits Good Samaritan Fund

    By Becky Fitzgerald on October 3, 2024

    Oink! Now that the calendar has flipped to October, temperatures are cooling, but activities to benefit Meadowlark Foundation are heating up. It’s HOGTOBERFEST season, and here are a few squeal-worthy announcements!  No. 1 – The 11th annual HOGTOBERFEST, an awareness and fundraising event to benefit Meadowlark Foundation’s Good Samaritan Fund, is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25!  No. 2 – You asked for it, and you got it! Meadowlark’s Prairie Star Restaurant and Event Venue is once again this year’s celebration location! 

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  • High bidders for a Progressive Party on Poyntz will arrive at their first stop in a 1943 limousine, owned and driven by resident Wanda Fulks.

    Ready to Mingle: Upcoming Party Offers Paintings, Experiences, & More!

    By Becky Fitzgerald on May 16, 2024

    Do you have your tickets for Art Mingle? No?! There's no better time than right now to secure your spot at this artful fundraising event, set for May 31 at SNW Gallery and Union Hall, 328 Poyntz Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Art Mingle 2024: Poyntz of View, presented by Community First National Bank, promises to be a delightful evening in the HEART of downtown Manhattan. Your ticket includes savory and sweet food stations, libations, and lively music! This event benefits Meadowlark Memory Program.

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  • Grow Green Match Day: Final Numbers Announced

    By Becky Fitzgerald on May 9, 2024

    Thank you, Manhattan! At the conclusion of a reconciliation process following an annual 24 hours of giving sponsored by Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, event organizers proudly announced three eye-opening numbers. The 12th annual Grow Green Match Day on April 22 attracted 7149 gifts to 91 non-profit organizations totaling $1,773,601.69!

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  • Union Hall & SNW Gallery

    Poyntz of View: Art Mingle fundraiser moves to new location

    By Becky Fitzgerald on May 1, 2024

    Mark your calendars for Friday, May 31! Meadowlark Foundation’s art-related fundraiser is moving from Prairie Star Restaurant to a different venue with two new partnerships. Art Mingle: Poyntz of View, which benefits the Meadowlark Memory Program, begins at 6:30 p.m. at 328 Poyntz Ave. This location in the HEART of downtown Manhattan is home to SNW Gallery & Custom Frames and Union Hall, which are located inside the historic, 127-year-old Eames Building.

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  • "On the Sidelines," donated by residents Nelson & Marilyn Galle, is by Cheri Graham, Manhattan.

    Gifts from the HeART: Meadowlark's Art Collection Began & Continues with Donations

    By Becky Fitzgerald on February 15, 2024

    On Feb. 14 about 25 years ago, Meadowlark resident Marion Pelton, a retired professor of music at Kansas State University and longtime supporter of the arts, walked into the chief executive officer’s office with a rose and an envelope. According to then CEO Steve Shields, his first thought was that Pelton, a friend and mentor, was bringing him a Valentine’s Day remembrance, but when he opened the envelope, he found a signed check. “What is this for?” Shields asked.

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  • Residents Jo Fey, Vicky Auman, and Karen Matthews at Meadowlark Market

    Shopping for a Cause: High-Quality Donations, Hard-Working Volunteers Make Cents at Meadowlark Market

    By Becky Fitzgerald on December 20, 2023

    “This is Our Happy Place.” A custom-made, wooden sign crafted by Meadowlark resident Steve Hall hangs at Meadowlark Market, and the words seem to aptly describe the feelings of those associated with the monthly fundraiser. Happy donors, happy customers, and happy volunteers have helped to create another successful year in terms of awareness of and funds raised for Meadowlark Foundation’s Good Samaritan Fund.

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  • A stop in Cincinnatti, Ohio, included a visit to Krohn Conservatory

    Meadowlark Travelers: Holiday Getaway

    By Becky Fitzgerald on December 14, 2023

    The Meadowlark Travelers' holiday-themed getaway last week included one ark, two eye-catching light displays, three entrees at a private, catered dinner, and more decorated trees than we could count. Twenty-six residents and Passport members, as well as friends and family members joined Monte Spiller, Resident Services Leader, and Becky Fitzgerald, Development Director, on a six-day tour with meal, hotel, and/or attraction stops in six states: Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. 

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  • HOGtoberfest: Ten Years & Still Cookin'

    By Becky Fitzgerald on October 5, 2023

    Oink! Now that the calendar has flipped to October, temperatures are cooling, but activities to benefit Meadowlark Foundation are heating up. It’s HOGTOBERFEST season, and here are a few squeal-worthy announcements!  No. 1 – The 10th annual HOGTOBERFEST, an awareness and fundraising event to benefit Meadowlark Foundation’s Good Samaritan Fund, is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 27!  No. 2 – Meadowlark’s Prairie Star Restaurant and Event Venue is this year’s celebration location!  No. 3 – 10 days of food specials are planned to mark the event’s 10-year anniversary! 

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  • Linda Montgomery, Social Services Leader at Meadowlark, won the raffle prize featuring a Kate Spade bag with goodies inside!

    Art Appreciation: WONDERful event boosts Memory Program

    By Becky Fitzgerald on May 24, 2023

    After an absence in 2022, Art Mingle, the primary fundraiser for Meadowlark Memory Program, returned to Meadowlark Foundation’s opportunities calendar this spring. Prairie Star Restaurant and Event Venue was lively with the sounds of music, conversation, and laughter during a 5th event on April 28. Art Mingle: Wonder & Whimsy attracted about 140 guests and volunteers, several of whom had not seen the event venue and/or had not been to a prior Art Mingle.

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