The JC Breakfast Optimist Club’s “Celebration of Optimism” held Wednesday, Jan. 19 at the Hampton Inn included recognition of Windy Hancock, the current McKinney-Veto Coordinator for USD 475 with the JC Breakfast Optimist Club’s “Making A Difference For Youth Award”; a “Getting To Know Our Optimist Club Members” presentation by Marcia Fiorentino, Freshman Success Academy Principal at Junction City High School and a conversation with Red and Gloria Dunham, long time Optimist Club members.
Windy Hancock worked at Junction City High School before becoming the McKinney-Veto Coordinator for Geary County Schools (a program to assist homeless and disadvantaged children). Dana Wiegand, coordinator of the Optimist’s Recognition Committee, stated that Windy has sacrificed her personal time to cloth students through the JCHS Blue Door program, fed students through events like “Turkey Tutoring” and “Egg Excellence” and tutored any student who needed academic support.
“She also sent students home with snack bags of granola bars, popcorn, mac and cheese, oatmeal fruit and other goodies, which helped feed our most at risk students,” she said.
Wiegand said Hancock gave out stockings to students during December.
Marcie Fiorentino, a new member of the JC Breakfast Optimist Club, came to Junction City as an administrative leader at JCHS. She said her life changed when she became a camp counselor for middle school students.
“I loved working with those kids” she stated.
During her teacher internship, Fiorentino was told by one of her college professors that she had the skills to be a school leader or administrator. She is now the Freshman Success Academy Principal at Junction City High School. Her parents lived in Wakefield, Kansas, which drew her interest to this area.
Red and Gloria Dunham have been involved with the local Optimist Club for more than 50 years. Each of them has seen many changes.
“We used to sell Christmas Trees and fireworks and had Burger and Bean and Pancake Feeds, which we no longer do. We had about 40 members when we did those fundraisers,” Red Dunham said.
Red Dunham also told club members that the Optimist Club organized a Soap Box Derby competition and sent Dana Wolf to the national competition in Akron, Ohio. (That car is still located in the archives of the Geary County Historical Society Museum).
Gloria Dunham was a member of the Opti-Mrs. Club, which was organized in 1975 and separate from the men’s club.
“We prepared meals for Optimist Club socials in the summer and around Christmas time and assisted with fundraisers” Gloria shared. The women later joined the men’s club and supported the activities as a single unit.
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