On September 26, 2003, Mani Shimada passed away suddenly from bacterial meningitis. Mani was in his junior year at Wellsprings. His passion and creativity were continually encouraged. Mani was growing as a person and his heart was opening up.

To celebrate his loving spirit and love of music, a "ManiFest" concert was organized by the Mani Shimada Memorial Fund and first took place in 2004 at the WOW Hall in Eugene. Subsequently, a ManiFest concert was staged each year through 2007. Many people since then have asked about it, and we hope to revive ManiFest in the near future.

An account of ManiFest IV written by Andrew Eames, then a Wellsprings senior, appears in the Autumn 2007 newsletter.