KIWANIS KEY
Volume LXXX             Number 16                  February 14, 2025
 
Friday Meeting
President Jim was “Johnny on the Spot” ringing the bell at 1:15 PM.  After Jim’s welcome, we all recited the Kiwanis defining statement after which Kirby “The Wedding Singer” led us in My Country Tis of thee and the Pledge of Allegiance to our Nation! Debbie Best offered a wonderful invocation and we were off and running.
 
PRAYER LIST included: Cheryl Gleason’s daughter, Amy Moses; Debbie Best’s sister, Kara Brittain; Kalli Zeigler’s son-in-law, Ben; Kalli’s brother, Jim; Kalli’s brother, Paul; Dick Lewis; Cathy Schaffer; Tom Keith’s wife, Anne; Robbie Talton’s wife, Deanna; Bobby Bleecker; Barbara Porter’s daughter-in-law, Nicole; Bob Ervin (undergoing cancer treatment) and Garry Winebarger (on the loss of his sister). Please keep all of these in your thoughts and prayers.
 
GUESTS: Lindsay Smith and daughter, Mary Smith, from the Hope Mills Kiwanis Club; Mary McIntosh, a guest of Shirish Devasthali, who was not at the meeting today, but Bruce Brown did a terrific job of introducing Mary. As always, it is great to have guests at our club.
 
PROGRAM: Cheryl Gleason introduced Ms. Nore Brantley for Hal Broadfoot, who was out chasing birds! Ms. Brantley is FTCC Employer Workforce Coordinator. She did a wonderful job describing how FTCC assists students by finding jobs in the community. Part of her duties involve finding short term Internships with local employers and matching students up with potential employers with Apprenticeships. Every time I hear a speaker from FTCC, I am amazed at the number of programs they offer in a multitude of professions/occupations. Ms. Brantley touched today on the Building Construction Technology program and healthcare training that is offered to students. The college has a very good working relationship with Goodyear and other industries in the area. As she said as she was concluding her remarks…FTCC is a ONE STOP SHOP! Good program!
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES go out to: Ferd Irizary (2-11); Kalli Ziegler (2-13) and President-elect Stephen Wheeler (today, 2-14). Stephen had to endure the club singing Happy Birthday and somehow, he made it through the song! Happy Birthday to all who celebrated this past week!
 
Committee Reports
Our BORED MEETING was held last night at Sammio’s. President-elect Stephen reported that a number of items were discussed, not the least of which was our past due dues problem. If your dues are past due, be sure to catch them up this week, since President-elect Stephen promised to have the past due members mentioned in next week's Kiwanis Key! On a lighter note, Wheeler announced that the Committee of the Month is READING IS FUN committee. Congratulations to all members of the committee for jobs well done reading to youngsters in area elementary schools!
 
AWARDS NIGHT: Will be held next Friday evening at Segra Stadium, beginning at 6 PM.  President-elect Stephen is heading the Awards Night Committee and promises it will be a delightful evening. A couple of items relating to Awards Night…
  1. The event will be on the second floor of the stadium. When you enter as if you were going to a baseball game, you’ll need to take a door to the right that will lead you to an elevator. The elevator will take you to where you need to be.
  2. I have been advised that all parking in downtown Fayetteville is FREE after 5 PM! This is not only for on-street parking, but also for parking in the garage adjacent to Segra Stadium. A reminder, there is not an elevator in the parking garage, so bear that in mind if you have an issue with stairs or walking. Also, a reminder there will be NO LUNCH MEETING at the Kiwanis Center next Friday! Look forward to seeing you and your spouse/guest at Awards Night at Segra Stadium!
CAROLINA’S DISTRICT MID WINTER KIWANIS meeting was held last weekend at Myrtle Beach. We were represented at that meeting by Past President Al Aycock and President-elect Stephen Wheeler. Al reported that the meeting was worthwhile, in that they came away with ideas to make Kiwanis of Fayetteville a better club.
 
KIWANIS SOCIAL: Our next social is slated for Thursday, February 27th at Logan’s Roadhouse, beginning at 5:30 PM. This will be a great time to introduce a prospective NEW MEMBER to the club. Our club has been fortunate to welcome several new members in the past few months. Hopefully, you will make sure you introduce yourself to these new members and sit with them at the meetings when you get a chance. New Members for the past several months include JAMIE AMMONS, CAMILO ESTREMEDAIRO, TRICIA MORENO and THOMAS NEVILLE.
 
INTERCLUB RELATIONS: Richard Everett reported that our most recent Interclub visit was last week to the Spring Lake Kiwanis Club. Next Interclub visit will be on February 26 at Keith Hills Country Club in Buies Creek, NC. I believe Richard indicated that the Lillington club meets at Keith Hills. If you’re interested in attending, give Richard a call. We need at least 4 members to attend in order for it to count with Kiwanis International.
 
REVERSE RAFFLE: will take place on March 14th. Garry Winebarger advises we sell only 300 tickets and we need to get them sold. At this writing I have 2 tickets left to sell. If you want one or both, just give me a call. Again this year the raffle will be a virtual event that can be viewed on the Internet.
 
YOUTH BASEBALL…upcoming very soon! Opening day is going to be Saturday, April 5th at 9 AM. We need more sign sponsors! If you know of a business that might want to be a sponsor by purchasing a sign, reach out to President Jim or Kim Thomas. Our Youth Baseball program reaches more than 400 youngsters a year. What a worthwhile endeavor!
 
GREAT NEWS! A new TKI Club has been established at Methodist University! Kiwanian George Hendricks reported there is a lot of interest on campus for the TKI Club.
 
The new segment at our Friday meetings called DID YOU KNOW needs more Kiwanians to present a 3-5 minute segment about a past Kiwanis member, a public service announcement, some bio info about yourself. Interested? See President Jim.
Finally…
10 AWESOME THINGS MONEY CANNOT BUY
  1. Trust
  2. Morals
  3. Respect
  4. Character
  5. Love
  6. Common Sense
  7. Patience
  8. Manners
  9. Integrity
  10. Class
That does it for this week. See you next Friday evening with your spouse/guest at Awards Night. Remember, we’re meeting at Segra Stadium at 6 PM and there will NOT be a lunch meeting at the Kiwanis Center.
Have a terrific week!
Danny Highsmith  910-978-3947
Dannyhighsmith42@outlook.com