K-State leadership studies award to be presented to Atina Hanna

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Source: Bob Shoop, 785-532-5533, rshoop@k-state.edu

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

K-STATE LEADERSHIP STUDIES AWARD TO BE PRESENTED TO ATINA HANNA

MANHATTAN -- Atina Hanna, founding director of the Flint Hills Breadbasket, is the 2007 recipient of the Michael C. Holen Outstanding Leadership Award presented by the leadership studies program at Kansas State University.

The award will be presented at the Leadership Studies and Programs Recognition Celebration at 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, in the K-State Student Union Ballroom. The award was established in 1999 to honor those who embody the leadership studies and programs mission of developing knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse world.

"Atina is a primary role model for many of us by her consistent blend of service to those most in need and compassionate challenge for the status quo," said Susan Scott, director of leadership studies and programs. "Her impact on the Manhattan community will be felt for many generations."

According to Hanna, "Community service is a two-way street. Of course, the community benefits from volunteer service, however the volunteer also gains a great deal. You learn about your community and its agencies as you develop your own leadership skills."

Hanna was born and raised in a small village in Samoa. She received her formal education in New Zealand, and later at the University of Hawaii where she earned a bachelor's degree in English literature. She met her husband, Gerald Hanna, a retired professor at K-State, while he was a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Samoa. They moved to Manhattan in 1972.

Hanna was the founding director of the Flint Hills Breadbasket and served in that capacity for seven years. The Flint Hills Breadbasket is a community food network founded in 1982. It continues to offer much needed food to the area's underprivileged through community donations and volunteer support.

Hanna is passionate in her fight against poverty, intolerance and injustice, and in her continued efforts on behalf of the welfare of children, Scott said. Hanna and her husband were co-presidents of the Lee School PTA. They were among the founding members of the local chapter of PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. She was a member of Manhattan's Social Services Board, a Sunday school teacher and a Brownie leader. She has been active in the League of Women Voters, the Rotary Club and the First Congregational Church.

The Sertoma Club and the Little Apple Chorus Club have recognized Hanna's outstanding service to the community. The Manhattan Rotary Club selected her as Rotarian of the Year, and she was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International.