Volume LXXIX               Number 14           January 26, 2024  

 

President-Elect Jim was pinch-hitting for President Al Friday to a very respectable sized crowd. We had a large contingent of visitors from the Cape Fear Kiwanis Club.  Their Annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser will be held March 1^st and 2^nd.  It was good to see Past President, Past Lt. Governor, Past Governor, Past International Trustee, Gary “Coop” Cooper in the house.  Sheesh, what a has-been.  Coop, sporting a new knee, was accompanied by Woman and had the temerity to draw his own name out of the 50/50 coffee can! AWWWWWWW!  The Coopers are now ensconced in their fancy new digs in Pinehurst and would love to have visitors the week of the US Open in June.  No need to call, just show up with your overnight bag.

 

Jerry Teele was our only birthday this week on January 20.  Jerry, if you are reading this, know that you are missed by your Kiwanis friends and we pray for you every single week! God speed, old friend.

 

Awards Night will be Friday, February 23 at Highland Country Club beginning at 6:30 PM. You should have received an Eventbrite email invitation on Friday.  Please check your email and respond to let us know if you are coming.  Recall this event is free to members and a guest, but if you say you are coming and no-show you are charged for the dinner.  If you did not get an invitation, let me know by return email and I will follow up.

 

George Hendricks and John Malzone hosted the first Kiwanis Social last Thursday at Haymount House of Taps.  George said 30 Kiwanians and their guests attended. Everybody said the food was really good.  No mention of the beer.  Stay tuned for details of the February social and plan to attend and bring a prospective member.

 

Garry Two R’s announced that the virtual Reverse Raffle will be held Friday, March 15.  Get your ticket from Garry to support one of our biggest fundraising events and have a 1 in 300 chance of winning big bucks!  Tickets are only $100.

 

Coop introduced the CEO of the Boys and Girls Home, Mark Murphy, who was speaking to us on the first anniversary of his new role.  The Boys and Girls Home has been in existence for 70 years and Kiwanis has sponsored a cottage at the campus at Lake Waccamaw since it was founded.  Mark indicated that the mission of home is to keep siblings together.  Mark reported that 80% of children who are removed from their home are separated in foster care from their siblings.  At the Boys and Girls Home 62% of sibling groups are kept together in the same cottage.  The current census of the home is 80 children with 7 intact sibling groups.  Almost all the children of the home come from households where parental rights were terminated due to abuse and neglect associated with the scourge of drug addiction. Mark reported the annual budget is approximately $12 million per year and revenue sources include federal, state funding and charitable contributions from individuals and organizations like Kiwanis, Lions, Optimist Clubs and others.  At the conclusion of the meeting, President-Elect Jim presented Mark with a check for $2,000 from the club. Thanks for a great program, Coop, and your continued support of this great organization.

 

Don’t miss this week’s program.  Tom Johnson will introduce, Dr. Hershey Bell, Founding Dean of the new Methodist University Medical School.  Folks, this new school has the potential to be a game-changer for the economy and medical delivery for the Fayetteville area and beyond.

 

The Superbowl match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs is set for Sunday, February 11.  Reminds me of the year I went to the Superbowl. The game was a sellout, as usual, but I sat next to a man with an empty seat next to him.

I lean over and ask him how there is an empty seat. He told me that he bought the tickets several months ago for him and his wife, but the wife unfortunately passed. I give my condolences, and I ask him why none of his family members took the ticket. He responded that they are all at the funeral.

 

John Holmes

jholmestarheel@gmail.com