President Stephen called the meeting to order and recognized guests, Libby Daniel, Evelyn Holden and Teresa Hyde from the Cool Springs Downtown district.

Will Gillis provided the invocation, leading a prayer for members and family on the sick list.

Stephen shared that Deanna (Robbie Talton’ss wife) is recovering well from surgery and managing her pain, with hopes to return home soon.

Lee Warren is now home but requires physical therapy to regain strength and mobility following hip replacement surgery.

Norwood Bryan is moving to Village Green, Room 214, after lunch today for those who wish to visit.

Richard Everett is expected to return home this weekend, though he remains very weak.

The club noted the passing of Quincy Scarborough and extended condolences to his family.

Danny Highsmith returned to the meeting and was removed from the prayer list as he is doing well.

 

President-Elect Jay summarized the recent board meeting held at Sushi House, thanking Felicia Smith for hosting.

Felicia Smith is soliciting more member help for Family Fun Day and is considering moving the date to the spring to avoid conflicts with summer vacations and hot weather. If you have input on that let Felicia know.

The board discussed members who are delinquent on dues; President Stephen will be sending out letters to those who need to pay before the club recharters next month.

Adam Phillips was officially voted in as a new member by the board.

 

Bob McAmis provided an update on the upcoming golf tournament scheduled for October 8th.

The tournament has already raised over $20,000 thanks to the Car Owners Association and Mark Fisher, with a projected profit of over $15,000.

Members are encouraged to volunteer, sponsor teams, buy hole signs, or donate $25 gift cards.

A short 15-minute golf committee meeting will be held next week at 12:30 PM.

 

The "Guess the Kiwanian" segment featured Tim Hogan, who joined the club in April 2025.

Tim grew up in Fayetteville, attended Pine Forest High School, and graduated from ECU.

He met his wife in his mother's kitchen while his brother was there eating crab legs.

His professional background includes working for Weathers Brothers Moving and Storage, sales, and currently flipping homes and bathroom renovations.

A unique connection was revealed: Tim's great-niece is President Stephen's oldest granddaughter.

 

Detective Joshua Breach and Lieutenant Brett Chandler presented on the Fayetteville Police Department's aviation unit.

Detective Breach has over seven years in aviation and 800 hours of flight time, recently moving to a tactical team for violent criminal apprehensions.

The program was started 10 years ago by Sergeant Christopher Cody and was one of the first in North Carolina.

The unit currently uses DJI products like the Mavic 3T (costing ~$7,000) but is moving toward American-made Skydio X10 drones, which cost approximately $20,000 each.

Breach explained the strict North Carolina laws regarding drone surveillance and the specific exemptions for law enforcement, such as missing person searches and imminent danger situations.

Drones are used for thermal imaging in missing person cases, 3D mapping of vehicle collisions, and proactive crime enforcement like catching car burglars.

The department is moving toward a Drone First Responders (DFR) program to station drones across the city for immediate response to calls.

Drones can be equipped with spotlights to distract suspects and thermal cameras that make it impossible for suspects to hide in woods or high-crime areas.

The presentation included videos of successful apprehensions, including a woman who assaulted an elderly resident and a group of teens breaking into cars.

Detective Breach noted he has personally been involved in 69 apprehensions using drone technology.

Criminals are also using drones to fly contraband into prisons, prompting the department to look into drone detection software.

 

We had 10 Kiwanians head out in the 98-degree heat to get cooled off in the Splash Pad Challenge to bankrupt John Malzone. Thanks to President Stephen, President-Elect Jay, Past Presidents Gary Cooper, Hal Broadfoot, Jason Poole, and Ad Winters along with Grace McGrath, Scott McInvalle, Shirish Devasthali, and Debbie Cooper. Another $1,000 to the Kiwanis Endowment at Cumberland Community Foundation.

Next week's program will be presented by Sandy Saunders and will focus on the YMCA.

 

I've just found out tennis player Steffi Graf had a sister named Polly. I'm not lying either.

My ex-wife was struck by lightning. She's now my current wife.

My wife got me a get better soon card. I'm not sick. She just thinks I can get better.

My friend couldn't afford to pay his water bill. So I sent him a get well soon card.

My friend keeps saying, “cheer up, man. It could be worse. You could be stuck underground in a hole full of water.” I know he means well.

 

And don’t miss the meeting next week for a Laws and Regulations for next week will be given by a surprise guest, not John Holmes (alleluia!).

Yours truly won the 50/50 raffle, taking home $64.

John Holmes

jholmestarheel@gmail.com 988-8040