TUSCOLA KIWANIS CLUB NEWSLETTER

JUNE 2009

2009 Events

June 10, Wednesday (New Date) Board Meeting – Noon at Tuscany’s June 25-28, Thur-Sun Kiwanis Int’l Convention – Nashville, TN July 1, Wednesday Board Meeting – Noon at Tuscany’s August 5, Wednesday Board Meeting – Noon at Tuscany’s August 6-9, Thur-Sun I-I District Convention – Lincolnshire IL September 18th & 19th, Fri & Sat Peanut Sales Days

Planning Ahead – 2010

April 9th, Fish Fry Supper Forty Martyrs Hall – time TBD

------Upcoming Meetings & Program Assignments

June 1 John Davis June 8 Clarice Hausman June 15 Paul Jones June 22 Darcey Helmick June 29 Kim Higgins July 6 Katona Hall July 13 Tim Hoel July 20 Candy Hudson July 27 Judy Landeck August 3 Ken Landeck August 10 Betty Leonard August 17 Jerry Leonard

1 of 15 August 24 Beth Linstead August 31 Jaci Manzella

The program assignments have been scheduled out through the summer. If your date conflicts with vacation or summer plans, please let Janet Butler know as soon as possible. We will swap your date with another member for a date that works for you.

------Don’t Forget to Give Wayne your June Volunteer Hours by the end of the month! Click here to enter hours online

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Henry Ford said: “Think you can or think you can’t; either way you will be right.” Kiwanis has succeeded for nine decades because Kiwanians have always thought they can – and we have been right! We can build better communities and better lives through voluntary service. We can change the world one child and one community at a time.

From Inspirational Moments for Kiwanis Occasions ------Meeting of May 4, 2009

There was a total attendance of 31 members and one guest, our program speaker, Dr. Mike Gensler.

An envelope was passed to support the Kiwanis Relay For Life team with donations to the American Cancer Society. Janet Butler will process the donations for the team.

Ed Wachala passed around a sign-up sheet for an inter-club meeting with the Decatur Noon Club on Tuesday, May 19th.

An envelope was passed again for members that wanted to make an individual donation for the North Ward Backpack program.

Webmaster David Butler has created an online form to submit your volunteer hours each month. When you report ongoing hours, you do not have to report them again unless they change. The form also allows you to report one-time volunteer hours. The windows from the website and instructions on how to enter the information are found at the end of this newsletter. If you have questions, contact David at [email protected].

2 of 15 Members were reminded that the K-Kids picnic is Tuesday, 5/12 with a rain date of Thursday, 5/14. Wayne Ward will bring the wood for the fire. Members should bring their hot dog sticks. Those members that can help should be at Ervin Park about 2:30PM.

Member were reminded that the election of the 2009/2010 officers and two new board members will be held next week at our May 11th meeting.

Our program chairperson, Debbie Graber introduced our guest, Dr. Mike Gensler. In December 2008, Mike graduated from Logan University in St. Louis with a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) Degree. His undergraduate work was completed at Parkland and Eastern Illinois University. Mike is now practicing at the Tuscola Pain & Wellness Center with Dr. Bill Hemmer.

Mike’s topic for today was “Fitness – What You Can Do At Home.” With very little equipment and cost, a person can do a regular fitness program at home. Mike recommends that the fitness program you do at home should be done three times a week for 30-60 minutes. Simple equipment can include stretch bands, stability balls and dumbbells. Stretch bands come with and without handles; some can be attached to a doorway.

Mike provided a handout with some basic exercises. He got us all up and moving! For members who could not make this meeting, and would like a copy of Mike’s exercise handout, contact Janet Butler.

3 of 15 ------The 99 Cent Telegram

A woman and her husband inherit the family ranch in Texas. Now they are good folks but not too educated. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they need to purchase a bull so that they can breed their own stock. Upon leaving to check out a good prospect, the man tells his wife: "Now, when I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home."

The man arrives at the seller's ranch, inspects the bull, and decides to buy it. After paying him the $599 asking price, he drives to the nearest town to send his wife a telegram to tell her the news. He walks into the telegraph office, and says: "I want to send a telegram to my wife telling her that I've bought a bull for our ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home." The telegraph operator explains that he'll be glad to help and adds, "It's just 99 cents a word."

Well, after paying for the bull, the husband only had $1 left, meaning he'll only be able to send his wife a one-word message. After thinking for a few minutes, he nods, and says: "I want you to send her the word...'comfortable'." The telegraph operator shakes his head. "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her the word, 'comfortable'?"

The man explains, "My wife is not a good reader. The word's a big one. She'll read it slowly...out loud... ("com-for-da-bul")." ------Meeting of May 11, 2009

There was a total attendance of 33 members and 1 guest, Shannon Smith, our program speaker.

Members were advised that if they wanted to make an individual donation for the North Ward Backpack program, this was their last chance to give their donations to Candy Hudson. So far the individual donations were $405.00.

Janet Butler reported that $372.00 has been raised from member contributions for Kiwanis International’s Skip-A-Meal program. All funds raised go to help children. The Board voted to “round up” the amount and approved a check to be sent in the amount of $400.00.

Members were reminded that K-Kids picnic is tomorrow, Tuesday, 5/12. The weather forecast indicates that it will be a beautiful day so the rain date of Thursday, 5/14 should not be needed. Volunteers should be at Ervin Park about 2:30PM with hot dog sticks.

4 of 15 President Janet Butler presided over the election of the 2009/2010 officers and two Board member positions 2009/2012. There were no nominations from the floor at our April 27th meeting. Therefore the nominees, as recommended by the nominating committee consisting of Chairperson Dave Dobson, Carol Burwash and David Butler, were unopposed. Janet called for a voice vote. By unanimous vote, all nominees were elected. Those members officially take their positions on October 1st of this year. The installation of the members, by incoming Lt. Governor Rene Corcoran from Decatur Golden K, will be held at our September 28th meeting.

2009/2010 Officers

Kevin Nolan Mike Damler Jaci Manzella President President Elect Vice President

Wayne Ward Candy Hudson Secretary Treasurer

New Board Members will be:

Steve Niemann Sherrie Hoel Term expires 2012 Term expires 2012

5 of 15 Remaining Board Members will be:

Janet Butler David Butler Janet Cox Past President Webmaster Term expires 2010

Don Miller Dan Russell Gary Weber Term expires 2011 Term expires 2010 Term expires 2011

Janet Butler thanked all the members for their effort and time that made this year’s Fish Fry Supper a success!!! The net amount, including donations, is currently $972.75.

The Tuscola 4th of July Parade will be on Saturday, July 4th this year. It will leave Ervin Park at 10:00AM with parade line-up starting at 9:00AM. There is a new feature of the parade. Children are being asked to decorate their bikes and be in the parade.

So what is our part? The Chamber is asking us to do 2 things: 1. Have an entry in the parade. Patty Russell has already volunteered to help make our entry an International Themed float. She will bring the costumes and hats that were used for the sesquicentennial parade. So we will need Jeannine and Beth’s help to get some K-Kids to participate with us. We also need a member to provide a trailer and vehicle. 2. The Chamber would like to put the children with the decorated bikes immediately behind our entry. Some of us would walk along and behind the children, kind of keeping an eye on them. We would like to have some Key Clubbers participate with us as well so we need to get Janet Cox, Clarice and Darcey Helmick involved. Janet asked if anyone saw a problem with the requests. No concerns or problems were raised so the club will move forward to fulfill these two requests.

A request from Provena Social Service has come our way. Jerry and Ralph Barnes (512 N Maple; 217-832-8350) in Villa Grove need a wheel chair ramp. They would provide all of the materials. If anyone is interested in helping out, contact Janet Butler for details.

6 of 15 The information for the I-I District’s annual convention is on the I-I District website at (www.il- kiwanis.org). The dates are Thursday, August 6th through Sunday, August 9th in Lincolnshire, Illinois. It’s about a 3½ hour drive in the North Chicago suburbs. It’s being held at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort; a hotel rate of $99 has been negotiated for the convention. The rooms at this rate are limited and a reservations must be made no later than July 18th. Registration for the convention can be made by mail; the deadline is July 15th. There is online registration at the district website; deadline is July 22nd. There is no fee to attend the convention; the conventions costs have been spread over and added to the meal costs. For those members without internet access, I have brought a few copies of the convention information and registration form. See me after the meeting if you are thinking about attending the convention.

Jeannine Fortney introduced our guest speaker, Shannon Smith. Shannon is a 4th grade teacher at North Ward School. She began by thanking the Kiwanis members for all they do in the Tuscola schools and the community. Shannon’s topic is the TurningPoint Student Response System that she and other teachers use at school. Shannon brought a computer and key pads so she could demonstrate the equipment/software and so members could participate. The system was provided to North Ward because Shannon had written and submitted a grant request. The approximate cost of the system is $1,600.00. So what’s TurningPoint Student Response System about?

A Student Response System (SRS) is a software (TurningPoint and PowerPoint) and wireless hardware (ResponseCard keypads and receiver) system that allows teachers to present questions and allows students to submit a response respond by using a ResponseCard keypad (called a “clicker”).

For example, when the teacher presents an interactive polling slide via a PowerPoint presentation, the participant presses the number or letter on the “clicker” keypad that corresponds to the answer of their choice. The answer is immediately sent either an infrared or radio signal to the wireless receiver attached to the computer running the PowerPoint presentation. TurningPoint software running with PowerPoint records and/or displays the response per the teacher's preference.

Shannon demonstrated the system with a “Simple Machines” presentation. Members were given “clickers” to answer the questions. The screen would display which “clickers” had answered but not what answer the person had selected. Then Shannon could display how the group answered. This allows the teacher to know whether to move on or to spend more time on a topic. This provides a “safe” environment for students to give an answer and for all students to participate.

After a session, the teacher can print reports by different criteria, such as student, answer groupings, etc. The system is not used every day for teaching at North Ward so it is “special” to students who really enjoying learning with this tool. 7 of 15 ------K-Kids Spring Picnic 5-12-09

Thanks Kiwanians for a great event; the kids had a ball!!!!!

Great group!!!! Here they come!!!!!

Mmmmm….hot dogs Working Kiwanians and guest, Jan Allison

Mmmmmmm…marshmallows After the work is done, Kiwanians prepare to eat. Many more wonderful pictures on the website…check them out!! 8 of 15 ------Kiwanis Scholarship Winners From Honors Night at TCHS 5-14-09

Mariah Brookins – Key Club Member Courtney Day – Key Club Member

Michael Ovca Kelsey Phipps – Key Club Member

Photos Courtesy of Douglas Cottle - ©2009 Douglas Cottle

Previously the club has presented two $500 scholarships. This year we presented four $750 scholarships…doubling the number of scholarships and raising the amount. The club had five members donate their election judge pay to fund the third scholarship. The fourth scholarship, funded specifically for a deserving Key Club member, was donated by Tim & Sherrie Hoel in memory of long time Kiwanians, Mabel Hoel, a teacher herself for many years, & her husband Gale Hoel.

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9 of 15 Meeting of May 18, 2009

There was a total attendance of 35members and 1 guest – newborn daughter of Jonda & Jason Maus, Lucy.

Lucy Maus – Congratulations Jonda, Jason and Jack!!!

Kathryn McCumber, Carl Quinn and Jim Wood were welcomed back. Jonda & Jason Maus returned, and brought 2-week old daughter, Lucy.

Janet Butler announced that the four $750.00 Tuscola Kiwanis scholarships were awarded on Honors Night May 14th at TCHS to: Mariah Brookins, Courtney Day, Michael Ovca and Kelsey Phipps.

Darrell Helm updated members regarding Relay For Life. For any team members who have donations that are not processed and turned in, team members can give the donations to Darrell to turn in on Bank Night, June 8th. The organizers would like all donations turned in by June 8th on Bank Night; however donations will be accepted up to the June 13th event. The event is June 13th from 6:00PM to June 14th 6:00AM at East Prairie Middle School. Darrell also asked members to volunteer to bring cookies to the event to be sold to raise additional donations. Darrell advised that the team is being asked to provide an item for the silent auction. Elaine Bryant, Jeannine Fortney and Patty Russell volunteered to put together a basket based on a Fourth of July theme.

Members were reminded that there is no meeting next week, May 25th. Board members were reminded that the June Board Meeting is June 10th.

Program chairperson, Sherrie Hoel, introduced her program, “Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show. She had selected several clips from his shows to be shown. Sherrie was assisted by David Butler who ran the computer for the program and Janet Butler who provided history narration.

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Johnny was born in Corning Iowa on October 25th 1925. He was not the original host of “The Tonight Show.” That was Steve Allen in 1954 working under the title of “Tonight.” Jack Parr took over in 1957 to March 1962. The producers wanted Johnny to be the host but he was still under contract hosting the game show “Who Do You Trust?” So for 6 months the show ran with guest hosts. When his contract expired, Johnny took over the show on October 1st 1962 introduced by Groucho Marx. He started in Studio 6-B in Rockefeller Center and ended at the NBC Studios in Burbank California.

Johnny had guests, developed characters, welcomed animals and did some stunts. Clips that were shown included a talking bird, baby orangutans, Carnac The Magnificent, Aunt Blabby, Ed Ames, Jay Silverheels, Don Rickles and more. Johnny’s last show was May 22nd 1992. Though David Letterman had done a lot of guest hosting before Johnny’s retirement, the producers made a surprise selection of Jay Leno to replace Johnny.

Johnny won 6 Emmy awards. When he retired from the show, he rarely made public appearances. He died from a heart attach at the age of 79 on January 23rd 2005. After 30 years, 4,000 shows and 25,000 guests, Johnny Carson had become a legend in television history.

------A Few Pros and Cons of Living in a Flood Plain

Pro - Fishing from a couch right in your living room. Con - Your couch doesn't float.

Pro - The trip to the river just got shorter. Con - Now you can't get away from it.

Pro - Driving boats through the neighbors' yards - cool. Con – Neighbors angry from you pushing waves into their homes- not cool

Pro - Great time to wash your house's siding. Con - Ring around the house.

Pro - You can finally reach those dead branches. Con – Can’t find the chain saw

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11 of 15 Highlights of May 2009 Board Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order on Wednesday, May 6th by President Janet Butler, with the following members present: David Butler, Janet Butler, Janet Cox, Clarice Hausman, Candy Hudson, Don Miller, Kevin Nolan, Dan Russell, Patty Russell, Wayne Ward and Gary Weber.

The following items of business were discussed:

1. Minutes of April 2009 Board Meeting – A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as submitted. Minutes approved.

2. April 2009 Monthly Report –The monthly report lists128 hours of fund raising and 710 hours of service by club members. Meeting attendance for the month was 66%. A motion was made and seconded to approve the previous month’s minutes. Report approved.

3. Treasurer’s Report – Candy Hudson provided copies of the report for Board review. The bank balance as of 5/6/09 was $79,614.48. A motion was made and seconded to approve the previous month’s minutes. Report approved.

4. Requests for Reimbursements – Clarice Hausman has registered for the Kiwanis International Convention in Nashville. A motion was made to reimburse her the $195.00 registration fee. The motion was seconded and approved.

5. Skip-A-Meal – Members donated $372.00 to the Kiwanis International Program. A motion was made to “round up” the amount to $400.00. The motion was seconded and approved.

6. Tuscola Swim Team – Wayne had checked with Jo Mosely to make sure the Tuscola Torpedo’s Swim Team was going to be active this year and was Jo still the treasurer. The answer to both questions was “yes.” A motion was made to issue a check for the budgeted $400.00. The motion was seconded and approved.

7. July 4th Activities – David Butler reported that the Chamber of Commerce will be holding the annual July 4th activities. There will be a parade which the club will enter a float and hopefully have come Key Clubbers and K-Kids participating with us. If was discussed about preparing a walking banner that could be carried which indicated all of the Kiwanis club groups. There will be kids with decorated bicycles which the Chamber hopes to have between the Kiwanis float and the Key Club members. There will be an area in the park set up for young children’s activities that will required some volunteer adult supervision. Possibly some Kiwanis members can help with this activity, too.

8. 2009/2009 Award Submissions – Janet Butler reported that she submitted the necessary information for the Website and Newsletter awards. The other award applications are due later this year.

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9. I-I District Convention – The District Convention will be held in Lincolnshire, Illinois at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort on August 6th – 8th. Registration forms and online registration are now available at the district’s website. The online registration’s deadline is July 22nd.

10. Forty Martyrs Hall Donation – There is no record of having donated the $75.00 to Forty Martyrs for the Pancake Breakfast in February. A motion was made to submit the $75.00 if it has indeed not been paid. The motion was seconded and approved. The $75.00 donation for the Fish Fry Supper has been paid.

(Full text available on club website) ------

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New items on the website include: meeting program photos, scholarship winners and K-Kids picnic.

Please provide any information, pictures, updates and corrections for the newsletter and/or website to: [email protected] or [email protected] .

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