We had a resounding response to our hurricane relief project which concluded last week.  Our hope was to fill an entire tractor-trailer load of supplies of food and other life essentials for the victims of Hurricane Helene.  We allocated a 5-day period to collect the goods.  By the end of the second day we had filled the trailer, closed the doors and sent the supplies to the mountains. At the end of our second day around 6:00 PM, President-Elect Stephen Wheeler reports that a trailer pulled up with 6 pallets of work gloves all the way from Missouri.  What a great response from the public and from the volunteers from our club, the Key Club and Methodist University fraternities.  Kudos to President Jim on his first big project success, President-Elect Stephen and Mike Pleasant among many others.

 

We had a beautiful day for another successful Kiwanis Golf Tournament.  Golf Chairman, Jay Gothard, moved the date to a Saturday for the first time and we had a very good response. Thanks, Jay, for another successful fundraiser for our club!

 

We had the best crowd we have had in a long time with all tables full.  Let’s keep it up!  Hal Broadfoot showed up on the occasion of his birthday fresh off his semi-annual haircut and shave.  Happy birthday Hal, and congratulations to his Program Committee for being named Committee of the Month for September. Guests on Friday included Matthew Smith at M.M Smith Moving and Storage who provided the trailer for our hurricane relief collection.  Tom Neville was sworn in as a new member and Cheryl Gleason brought Jenny Ratstetter with Bragg Mutual Credit Union.

President Jim announced that each week a Kiwanian may have 5 minutes to recognize a current or former Kiwanian, or to tell us about themselves. John Malzone kicked this off with a tribute to the late Bill Hurley, a great Kiwanian and former mayor who is credited with the transformation of our downtown to the lovely, safe and vibrant center city that you see today. If you want to participate in this tribute, contact Jim. 

 

Fall is the time we get cranked up with our Terrific Kids and Reading is Fun campaigns.  Stay tuned for details upcoming.

 

Jim “The Hammer” Ammons hosted the October board meeting at Scrub Oaks restaurant. Will Gillis is so excited to be serving on the board, he showed up an hour early!

 

Due to early voting the next three weeks we will be meeting at Hay St. Methodist Church beginning this coming Friday.  City parking is behind the church and free parking is available a few doors down at First Baptist Church on Old St.

 

Next week, Shirish Devasthali will introduce the new area commander for The Salvation Army, Aaron Goldfarb.

 

The lovely Victoria Huggins, former Miss Fayetteville and Miss North Carolina, came to tell us about the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, October 26 beginning at Segra Stadium.  Victoria first appeared at our club at the tender age of 8 as one of our Talent Show winners. This year the walk hopes to raise $122,000 which will go to research for a cure.  If Alzheimer's continues unchecked, it is predicted to bankrupt both Medicare and Medicaid.  Victoria now reports that there are three separate FDA-approved drug protocols used to treat this dreaded disease.

 

Well, here we are at the end of October and the season for witches, zombies, monsters, warlocks and trolls…. and that’s just the politicians.  By the way, it’s almost Halloween, too.

 

See you next week.

 

John F. Holmes          988-8040