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KIWANIS KEY
Volume LXXX Number 15 February 7, 2025
Upcoming Kiwanis Activities
AWARDS NIGHT…scheduled for Friday evening, February 21st at Segra Stadium (2nd floor). The event begins at 6 PM. All members of Kiwanis of Fayetteville and their spouses are invited to attend. This is a dress-up event: Men, coats and ties; women, dressy attire. There is no cost for Awards Night, since it is covered in your dues. You DO NEED to sign up if you plan to attend (and we hope you will attend). If you sign up and do not attend, you will be charged for the meals. Sign up sheets have been passed around at our Friday meetings. Should you have a question, reach out to President-elect Stephen Wheeler, who is the chair for Awards Night. This has always been a very nice evening, so I hope you and your spouse/guest will plan to attend. Since it will be at Segra Stadium, we will have to deal with downtown parking. I have been told that there is no charge to park downtown (including the parking garage adjacent to the stadium) after 5 PM. I will check to make sure this is correct and if it is not, I’ll advise in next week’s Kiwanis Key.
INTERCLUB VISIT…Interclub Chair, Richard Everett, reports that our next Interclub will be at the Spring Lake Kiwanis Club this coming Wednesday. Those wishing to attend should be at our Kiwanis Club by 11:30 AM and the attendees will carpool out to Spring Lake. Please let Richard Everett know if you want to attend. We need at least four members to make it an official visit.
REVERSE RAFFLE…our 32nd annual Reverse Raffle takes place on Friday, March 14, beginning at 6 PM. Tickets for the raffle are $100 each and we only sell a total of 300 tickets. Garry (2 R’s) Winebarger is again the chair for the Raffle, and he would like to get all of the tickets sold as soon as possible, so if you have tickets to sell, please sell them promptly; if you need a ticket to buy, just be in touch with Garry. The raffle will be a virtual event again this year. Those wishing to watch on the Internet can do so. Instructions on how to watch will be forthcoming before the raffle. This is the largest fund raiser of the year for our club, so we need to make sure we sell all the tickets. All proceeds go to our various children’s programs in the club. Thanks go out to Garry and his committee for their good work on this worthwhile project.
YOUTH BASEBALL…will be beginning soon. President Jim Schaffer and Kim Thomas tell us we need to sell some more signs for the baseball fields. If you know of a potential sponsor and need more information, see or call Jim or Kim for assistance.
CONGRATULATONS go out this week to one of our most faithful workers, GRACE McGRATH! Grace was recognized as a LEGACY AWARD winner at the Fayetteville Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner last week. Grace can be found at our club as you walk in the front door most Friday’s selling raffle tickets. Grace, we are most proud and happy about your receiving the LEGACY AWARD. Thank you for your service to our club and to our community. The award is well deserved!
Also, congratulations to these Kiwanians who celebrated birthdays last week: MICHELLE SKINNER (2-5); KEVIN BUNN (2-4); MAX RUPPE (2-7); GEORGE HOLDEN (2-8). Happy Birthday to all these outstanding Kiwanians!
FRIDAY MEETING…Our meeting began with President Jim ringing the bell at 1:15. After reciting the Kiwanis Statement, we were led in the singing of “My Country Tis of Thee” and the Pledge of Allegiance to our nation’s flag by KIRBY WHITE (called “the Half-Time Entertainer by President Jim!)
Jay Gothard led us in a very thoughtful prayer and the meeting was underway.
PRAYER LIST…includes Debbie Best’s sister, Kara Brittain; Cheryl Gleason’s daughter, Amy Moses; Kalli Ziegler’s son-in-law, Ben; Kalli’s brother, Jim; Kalli’s brother, Paul; Dick Lewis; Cathy Schaffer; Robbie Talton’s wife, Deanna; Bobby Bleecker; Barbara Porter’s daughter-in-law, Nicole; and Russ Jones. Please keep all of these in your thoughts and prayers.
GUEST…Carrie Elzie, a professor at the MU/CFVMC Medical School. Glad to have Carrie join us! If you have a potential member, bring them to a Friday meeting and introduce them to the club.
“DID YOU KNOW”…this relatively new part at our Friday meetings featured Cheryl Gleason. Cheryl gave us an update on the number of people who have been reaching out to our Kiwanis of Fayetteville website (165 followers thus far) and the dates for our next two Kiwanis Socials for March and April. Cheryl is looking for sponsors for the Socials for March and April, so if you’re interested, reach out to her. Cheryl also had some other tidbits of information for us during her presentation. Great job, Cheryl! And thank you for being an outstanding Kiwanian!
Our program was brought by Kiwanian Camilio Estremadoiro. Camililo introduced Mary McCoy, whose work almost dovetails with what we as Kiwanians do—working with children. Mary is quite familiar with our Kiwanis Club, since her late father, Bobby McCoy, was a legendary member of our club! If you did not know Bobby McCoy, you missed knowing a great Kiwanian and an outstanding member and contributor to our community. Back to Mary and her work. She works to shepherd kids and families in our community through the “Connect Care Project.” Essentially, she connects people with various resources in the Fayetteville area. People that she assists with include the homeless, those who need housing for families with children and those who need medical care. In addition, she works to assist those dealing with child abuse and neglect. Mary told us that our community ranks high in North Carolina in these issues. Another interesting service she works to provide is to celebrate foster children who graduate from high school. She also assists some with getting jobs and/or getting into the military. Interesting program. Thanks, Camilio for bringing this interesting and important program!
And some foolishness…
“Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful (and very sexy) 25 year-old blonde. She knocks everyone’s socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm, as she hangs on to Bob’s arm and listens intently to his every word.
His buddies at the club are all aghast. At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, ‘Bob, how’d you get the trophy girlfriend?’
Bob replies, ‘Girlfriend? She’s not my girlfriend…she’s my wife!’
They’re knocked over but continue to ask. ‘So, how’d you persuade her to marry you?’
‘I lied about my age,’ Bob replies.
‘What, did you tell her you were only 50?’
Bob smiles and said, ‘No, I told her I was 90!’”
That does it for this week. Remember, you must eat somewhere on Friday, so why not join us at Kiwanis. If you have not been for some time, please know we miss you and welcome you back! Hope to see you next Friday!
Danny Highsmith 910-978-3947
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