The Pando Initiative

06/24/2026

The best partnerships have the power to strengthen more than one organization. They strengthen the work, the story, and the community around it. When we work together, everyone benefits, and the impact reaches even further.

We’re grateful to Malibu Creative for capturing our story and sharing how their partnership has helped us tell it more clearly and meaningfully.

Thank you, Malibu Creative, for being part of The Pando Way!

06/16/2026

Did you know?
During the 2025–26 school year, 4,140+ Pando volunteers gave 15,400+ hours to support students, schools, and our community.
Every hour matters. Every volunteer matters. Every connection matters.
That’s The Pando Way in action.

PandoKids + Pando NextGen:
140 volunteers | 3,000 hours

Reality U:
4,000+ volunteers | 12,400+ hours

Have you volunteered with Pando before? Drop a 🙋 in the comments, share your favorite Pando volunteer moment, or tag someone who should join us for the 2026–27 school year.

06/05/2026

As we continue celebrating the incredible moments from this year’s STAR Awards, we want to recognize one of the special honors presented during the event: the Guiding STAR Mentor Award.

This year’s award was presented to East Heights UMC for their incredible commitment to students at Jefferson Elementary. For more than a decade, volunteers from East Heights have continued to show up with consistency, care, and heart. They help make sure students have food through the weekend, create space for connection through group activities, and offer the kind of steady presence that makes a lasting impact.

Their partnership is a powerful example of what it means to walk alongside students and help create the strong connections they need to succeed in school, at home, and in life.

Congratulations to East Heights United Methodist Church, our 2026 Guiding STAR Mentor Award recipient!

06/04/2026

We are so grateful for the generosity of Empty Bowls Wichita and their incredible support of students and families. 💚
This $15,000 gift helps The Pando Initiative continue addressing youth hunger and supporting basic needs through our school site programs. It also strengthens efforts to make food more accessible for all, including our community fridge and pantry initiatives that help meet needs with dignity and care.
Thank you to everyone who supports Empty Bowls Wichita and helps make gifts like this possible. This is .

$15,000 for youth in our community. 💚 🍜

We’re proud to share $15,000 with The Pando Initiative to help address youth hunger and feed the future right here in Wichita.

It’s - every year they empower 50,000 Kansas students through their school site programs and commitment to supporting basic student and family needs.

Pictured L to R: Tom Wilcox, Sandra Sanchez, Niki Childers, Kenya McConico & Gary Meitler representing The Pando Initiative and Shawn Chastain, Sonia Greteman & Brenda Lichman representing Empty Bowls Wichita.

Learn more about how your support makes a difference at emptybowlswichita.org and be sure to check out the incredible work Pando is doing at pandoinitiative.org

05/28/2026

Check it out! 💚

Headed to the 2026 USA|Kansas Uniting Leaders Conference? Make sure you swing by the Reality U booth! Thank you Hutton for inviting us to share a booth.

Come say hello, meet the team, and take the Reality U Challenge. A fun, interactive experience that puts your real-world decision-making skills to the test. Think you can balance life, career, finances, and the unexpected? There’s only one way to find out!

And don’t miss our very own Dr. Patrick Sehl presenting "Reality U: A Hands-On Path to Career and Life Readiness" Thursday morning at 8:00 AM in Room Cherry 202B! Be sure to grab a seat early and join the conversation.

Stop by the booth.

Take the challenge.

Connect with the Reality U team.

We can’t wait to see you there!

05/20/2026

92 Pando NextGen Seniors.
4 high schools.
Years of hard work, growth, and determination.

We’re celebrating the graduating seniors of Wichita High School North USD 259, Wichita West High, Wichita Southeast High School, and Derby High School as they officially close one chapter and step into the next.

Our Pando NextGen team has had the privilege of walking alongside these students through class planning, college and career preparation, scholarship applications, big decisions, tough moments, exciting wins, and everything in between.

To our seniors: we are incredibly proud of you and honored to have been part of your journey. Your story is just getting started, and we cannot wait to see where life takes you next. 💚

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

05/14/2026

⭐ To round out our 2026 STAR Student celebrations, it’s time to recognize our Wichita Public Schools High School STAR Students! 💚⭐

This year, we’ve had the honor of celebrating 60 incredible STAR Students from 30 Pando schools. Each one has inspired us through their leadership, perseverance, kindness, growth, and the positive impact they make in their schools and communities every single day.

Through Pando NextGen, these students are preparing for life after high school, building confidence, and creating bright futures for themselves and those around them.

🏫 Wichita High School North USD 259
Sponsored by US Logo, Inc.
STAR Students: Ayeleen & Scarlett

🏫 Wichita Southeast High School
Sponsored by Phil & Judy Frick
STAR Students: Naryiah & Kei’Arie

🏫 Wichita West High
Sponsored by ReeceNichols South Central Kansas
STAR Students: Brianna & Abraham

05/13/2026

⭐ Next up… the Wichita Public Schools Middle School STAR Students! 💚⭐

These students are showing what it means to lead by example through resilience, kindness, determination, leadership, and the positive impact they make in their schools every day.

🏫 Curtis Middle School
Sponsored by Douglass Investment Group
STAR Students: Riley & Shyanne

🏫 Hamilton Middle School
Sponsored by The Joint Chiropractic
STAR Students: Raymond & Thomas

🏫 John Marshall Middle School/ Familias De La Escuela Marshall Middle School
Sponsored by The Joint Chiropractic
STAR Students: Eva & Nicole

🏫 Pleasant Valley Middle School - USD 259
Sponsored by The Joint Chiropractic
STAR Students: Grecia & Elijah

🏫 Truesdell Middle School
Sponsored by The Joint Chiropractic
STAR Students: JayVen & Robyn

05/13/2026

⭐ We told you there were too many amazing Wichita Public Schools elementary STAR Students for just one post… so here’s Group 2! 💚⭐

These students are being recognized for the impact they make every single day through perseverance, encouragement, leadership, growth, and the positive energy they bring to their schools and classrooms.

A huge thank you to our Wichita Public Schools District Sponsor, Kansas Surgery and Recovery, for helping us celebrate students across Wichita Public Schools!

🏫 Jefferson Elementary School
Sponsored by Karl & Pam Hesse
STAR Students: Husna & Allie

🏫 Lawrence Elementary
Sponsored by Lipsey Consulting GROUP
STAR Students: Aide & Eliria

🏫 Stanley Elementary School
Sponsored by Shaun & Shelley Gillen
STAR Students: Daphnee & Alena

🏫 Washington Elementary School
Sponsored by Seth McConico
STAR Students: Ranae & Addison

🏫 White Elementary School
Sponsored by Lipsey Consulting GROUP
STAR Student: Domi'Air

🏫 Rea Woodman Elementary School
Sponsored by Audacyy
STAR Students: Raul & Dantez