Dear Chamber Supporters,
The saying, “good things come in threes” was true for the Chamber this week, as we have had a gamut of Chamber networking events. It started with a Chamber Coffee on Tuesday morning, a Chamber After Hours on Tuesday evening, and a Chamber Ribbon Cutting this morning. All of these make for quite the trifecta of Chamber gatherings! Stay tuned to our Thursday newsletters, as this kind of programming is only picking up over the next few months. There’s so much to celebrate in our community; these are always great outlets to gather to support each host.
SparkWheel Ignites Hope in Ottawa
Our Chamber Coffee to kickoff the week was hosted by Sparkwheel, formerly Communities in Schools (pictures here). Locally, they are a beacon of hope for students in the USD290 school district, serving those most at risk with an array of support. This looks like supporting student’s physical needs: providing snacks, hygiene products, and school supplies. It also looks like helping them emotionally: as a confidante, goal setter, and general point of contact. They are able to do this work through several partnerships, none bigger than Ottawa’s school district. This allows them to be inside their buildings and meet the kids where they are. This work is not hyperlocal to Ottawa; SparkWheel is represented in sixty school districts throughout Kansas and surrounding states. Within these sixty districts, 30,000 students have gone through this program, and a shocking 92% of those students were on free/reduced lunch.
Our local coordinators include Valerie Shaw and Stefani Britton, who are hosted in the Ottawa middle and high school respectively. These two shared their successes over the 23/24 school year as they are ramping up for another great year of supporting our youth. This last school year, 111 kids came under the SparkWheel umbrella at OMS and OHS. The needs of these students vary, which is why the coaching that Valerie and Stefani do is never cookie-cutter. Each student brings their own experiences, challenges, and personalities to the table. One challenge these coaches see too often across the board is students facing hunger. Valerie shared that she averaged handing out 1,200 snacks monthly to hungry kiddos, often coming in without breakfast that morning. SparkWheel believes that meeting these students’ physical needs directly correlates to their academic and personal success. At the beginning of each school year, students who go through this program set goals with their coach. Stefani shared that 80% of those students in Ottawa accomplished the goals that were planned out at the beginning of last school year. They also saw 100% of SparkWheel seniors graduate! These are massive victories for these students, and whether they have someone at home cheering for them or not, they know they have an advocate at their school who is proud of their accomplishments.
We were also joined by Leslie Harmon, Post-Secondary Success Coach at SparkWheel. Leslie shared that her new role was built to take the momentum that these students have and extend it past graduation. Their organization realized that, postgraduation, these students were equally as vulnerable as they were while enrolled in high school. To combat that, Leslie impacts hundreds of young adults 18-25 who exist in SparkWheel’s network. Though they might not be kids on paper, they often lack a sense of belonging and vision. This role comes alongside them and nurtures these young minds as they further move into being self-dependent. Whether Sparkwheel students are moving through the sixth grade or in their mid-twenties, they’ve got them covered!
Five Years of Flavor and Fun
Our second event of the week took place at PrimeTime Grille and Fusion Alley, celebrating milestones and new offerings (pictures here). Five years ago, this establishment became a reality at 2204 S Princeton Circle Drive, opening just months before a national shutdown of restaurants during the pandemic. This was obviously not in the local investor’s game plan when opening this entertainment and eatery location. The result of overcoming what seemed like an unsurmountable challenge at the time was they learned to adapt, be flexible, and find new ways to better connect customers with their product right out of the gate. Like many others in their industry, they had no other option in order to survive. In those five years, we’ve seen this group not just survive but thrive! This can be seen in tremendous growth, regularly starting new programs and offerings to improve customer experience.
Some of these additions have occurred for over a year, like their regular Wednesday night trivia in the dining area. For each Wednesday evening that doesn’t have trivia, you can now enjoy BINGO with real prizes on offer. Both of these games are free to the public and I can testify that both are absolutely worth your trip, great fun at an unbeatable cost! Another opportunity the investor group saw in Ottawa was a lack of mini golf, so they took it upon themselves to open up an 18-hole cosmic mini golf located back in the arcade section of the building (picture here). As a connoisseur of putt-putt, Makayla and I will be golfing here real soon.
You’ll also find new buffet options when it comes to their menu and regular specials. On the weekends, you can partake in their brunch buffet from 10-2pm (pictures here). You can join in on Taco Tuesday from 4-8pm for the Mexican buffet. They also regularly host a salad bar (with a buffet option) at other times throughout the week. On Tuesday, they showcased their new lineup of menu offerings: pizza! Chamber members shared some samples from their assortment of different pizzas that are now on their regular menu.
This venture is a real testament to what can be accomplished when local leaders come together. All of PrimeTime Grille and Fusion Alley’s ownership is found right here in our community. I love to see their ingenuity, as this location could just be a restaurant and bowling alley, but they continue to find ways to elevate the customer experience. These folks make it a point to deliver good, clean, family fun to our community!
Scaling New Heights
Today and yesterday make up days one and two of this year’s Leadership Franklin County class. Class participants could be seen climbing the infamous Power Pole at Prairie Star Ranch yesterday morning (pictures here). Following team building, the class utilized PrimeTime Grille’s party rooms for the remainder of the day (pictures here). Today marks the first real traditional class, the session's theme is “Serving the Underserved.” This includes delivering meals on wheels and hearing from a panel of leaders in our local nonprofit arena.
After lunch yesterday, I had the chance to speak to the class and do an activity with them. This group has incredible potential to do good in our community―many are already doing so in their profession. I’m excited to see how the next nine months energize and inspire them even further.
A Sweet Expansion: Daylight Donuts Grows
Daylight Donuts has cut the ribbon at their new location at 112 East 17th (pictures here)! This is just five hundred some feet away from their previous location across the street and triple the square footage that they had before. Charity McCain has owned Daylight in town for four years this month―having moved to this new building for just a couple of weeks now (pictures here). Though they didn’t open their doors until earlier this month, Charity has been working towards this move for nearly two years. It took significant patience, hard work, and endurance, but they are now in their new home. Charity is an entrepreneur through and through and motivates her team relentlessly through her uplifting nature. As we talked this morning, she regularly deflects praise and pushes it back on her team. But it’s those leadership qualities that have allowed her business to have so much success. I look forward to seeing this business blossom in this new space; none more excited than its owner, who has designed this building to fit their growth.
Don’t be confused by the name; Daylight Donuts is much more than just a donut shop. They are also sought out for their tasty breakfast burritos and biscuits & gravy―especially since this move. Charity shared that they have been selling double the number of burritos, moving through thirty dozen eggs each morning. They have also seen biscuits & gravy sales triple, possibly due to their expanded seating area. Along with these savory options, you can always bank on some homemade donuts prepared right here at the corner of 17th and Main. Their donuts are made completely from scratch, including the icing. This homemade touch allows them to insert that much more love into each tasty pastry. Stop by to check out their lobby or move through their fancy new drive-through some morning soon!
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We hope everyone is excited for the 19th Annual Ladies Night Out on September 27th. If you are interested in a limited-edition shirt for this year’s event, know that there are only nine days left to preorder yours (all the details here). This year’s theme is Kansas’ state flower, the sunflower! We hope to see participants enjoying themselves downtown in their yellow shirts. Whether or not you plan on attending the event, we invite you to join in with this Ottawa swag.
This weekend, Makayla and I are planning on attending two fun events: Ottawa Airport Funday tomorrow morning/early afternoon and Bo’s Hog Wild BBQ Brewfest tomorrow evening. Both will be great times and support some great organizations. Check out the links to learn how to join in! See you soon,
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
