Author: #LoveMHK Team

Hype members celebrated the end of a successful year with a Hooray Thursday event hosted at Meadowlark Hills. This informal opportunity was a chance for young professionals to make connections, enjoy a beverage of their choice, and embrace the holiday spirit by wearing festive holiday attire.

BHS Construction, a Founding Investor of Hype, graciously provided appetizers for the group to enjoy and Lucia Novelly, Marketing Coordinator at BHS Construction, provided a brief speech about her organization and why they support young professionals in the Manhattan community. “As a founding investor of HYPE, BHS understands how important it is that current and emerging leaders in Manhattan have an opportunity to be able to get together, share ideas, and learn from one another. This will help to build relationships that will extend far beyond the workplace” said Novelly.  

The highlight of the evening was the generous giveaway by BHS Construction, who provided tickets to a Kansas State University basketball game. Kendahl Goetzmann emerged as the lucky winner of the raffle prize, adding an extra layer of excitement to the festivities.

Looking ahead, Hype is gearing up for a robust start to the 2024 year, with programs set to commence in the second week of January. Prospective attendees are encouraged to visit the events tab on the Hype website for details on upcoming programs.

In collaboration with the Young Trustees of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, Hype co-hosted a Non-Profit Happy Hour on April 22 at Colbert Hills. The heart behind this event is creating a meaningful time for various non-profits to share about their organization, the impacts on our community and detailing ways for young professionals to get involved. There is simply no argument against the importance of the philanthropic sector to the Manhattan community and every community, for the enrichment of community member’s lives while enhancing quality of life. For our April Non-Profit Happy Hour, we invited Girls on the Run and Big Brothers Big Sisters to share about their organizations with our young professionals. Hear what our wonderful speakers had to say: 

 “The future is Girls On the Run! We are so much more than running, we believe that every girl deserves a place to connect, grow and shine. Girls On the Run provides girls in 3rd- 8th grade with a fun, experienced-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. Girls and volunteer coaches have been craving the social and emotional connections now more than ever, focusing on emotion identification, conflict resolution and friendship development. We have so many ways for people to become involved in the organization through volunteering as a coach, participating in a 5K celebration or even hosting GOTR for adult lessons as a team building activity in their place of work. The Hype Non-Profit Happy Hour provided a great opportunity to share our mission and events with an engaged and excited group of young professionals. Events such as these are an important piece of our organizational growth, as we want our coaches and supporters to reflect the community we serve and give girls an opportunity to see success in many different ways. We are grateful that our Manhattan community embraces our mission to inspire the girls of today to be the strong female leaders of tomorrow.” 

• Candice McIntosh, Executive Director at Girls on the Run 

“Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters serving Riley County was honored to be a part of the first Non-Profit Happy Hour! We are thankful to have had the opportunity to share our program with the young leaders in our community. Big Brothers Big Sisters works to provide a professionally managed one-to-one mentorship for our local youth that have high potential but are facing an adverse situation. Throughout the pandemic our children have suffered the most. Becoming a mentor in this trying time can truly make a difference in a child’s life. It is so valuable to be able to connect with the HYPE and Young Trustees members and share our vision and mission. We are always recruiting our amazing community members to be Bigs. The volunteers in our program have a chance to change the face of our community, one child at a time. Connecting with Hype members is truly a blessing for our organization.” 

• Michelle Sink, Area Director of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters

We look forward to the next Non-Profit Happy Hour at Colbert Hills on June 3 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. to hear from other incredible organizations, such as these. Thank you for the amazing information shared by Girls on the Run and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Our young leaders are excited to become more and more involved to care for our community members and better our community.

Philanthropy? Sounds like something you put on your resume back in 2011 to get into college (or something you wrote on your resume to cover up the fact that your community service was court ordered… MIPs, we’ve all been there!  But what does that word mean for a young professional?

It doesn’t all have to be stabbing empty bags of fast food on the side of the road in an orange jumpsuit or letting screaming toddlers paint your face with sharpies in 1,000 degree heat. Seeking volunteer opportunities in your town as an adult gives you the chance to really support organizations that matter to you on YOUR schedule. Maybe you want to help take shelter dogs up to Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community for a therapy visit that benefits both our elderly residents and animals that need affection and interactions to help them adjust to their new adopted families. Or maybe you are looking to participate in a car wash or join an area cleanup day hosted by the LoveMHK Team.  Maybe you want to join a board and give back to your community through service to an important non-profit in our area.

Manhattan Young Professionals resoundingly stated that they wanted MORE opportunities for civic engagement and volunteerism when reaching out to the Chamber to help grow the YP program.  So, no matter how you envision your involvement, it is guaranteed that other Hype members have that same vision for themselves and will be there with you. Send us your ideas. Shout out on a facebook group to see if anyone else wants to join you in your quest to give back.  Because when it comes to showing love for Manhattan, this group is definitely hyped!

When the Hype Steering Committee first polled the membership about what type of events they wanted to see in their Young Professionals organization, we couldn’t believe the demand for programming that encouraged civic and service-minded engagement with the community. Young professionals really LOVE Manhattan! And they really want to show it by helping organizations that matter.

The #LoveMHK team was born of this outcry for more opportunities for philanthropy, civic opportunities and activities that celebrate what makes Manhattan such a wonderful place to work and live. The team has put together events to help young professionals give back, through planned area clean-ups and trips to the animal shelter. We are also helping guide our members to leadership opportunities in the community with a Board Member 101 Training Session next fall. Our members can also show their love for Manhattan by attending “A Trip to the Beach” next month to get involved with the local art scene.

Our team plans to help every Hype member celebrate their city with updates about volunteer opportunities as well as fun events that promote community engagement with local businesses and outdoor attractions, whether it’s gathering to walk the vendor strip at a Third Thursday on Poyntz or a trip to Wildwood for some ziplining. We want to keep everyone loving MHK!