No New Member Fees pg.35
A time filled with the opportunity to give back
We Spread Cheer
Coloring Book pg. 8
Events Galore pg.20
A Publication of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International
ISSUE NO. 14
December 2020
KI-NOTES
G
Contents
From the Governor
reetings fellow Kiwanians of the Mighty T-O, As of the writing we are about 6 weeks into the new Kiwanis year. More clubs have been starting to meet and our rosters are getting cleaned up so we can do an effective evaluation of the health of our great district. Some clubs have been taking advantage of the no new membership fees from Kiwanis International and T-O. This ends 31 Dec 2020 and the new members must be on the club roster by then in order to save, anyone put on the club roster on or after 1 Jan 2021 will be charged the new member fee. I am not concerned about our numbers right now since some clubs are still cleaning up the books. I know we have faced a lot of challenges since last March and expect us to face more in the upcoming months. Your division Lt. Governor is authorized to have a full version of Zoom paid for by the district. Take advantage of Zoom to keep everyone in the club getting information. Take advantage of the inter-club opportunities presented by Zoom. Attending other clubs’ meetings and other division council meetings help stimulate ideas and also brings us closer together as a district. I really enjoy attending meetings across T-O just to hear the great things the clubs are doing in their communities as well as some other projects that reach out into other districts. We need to follow the examples set by our Key Clubs and CKI by embracing technology and using it to increase our ability to serve. By the time you read this, we will have had our first Texas Oklahoma District Governor’s Zoom Social. Don’t worry if you missed it, I plan to have one quarterly and will have them more frequently if the membership wants. The purpose of the social is to hear first hand from members about things that are working across our district and thing that don’t work. I want it to be an open exchange of ideas to help us grow stronger and a way to get to know each other. I don’t set an agenda for the meeting but will answer questions. This is about you, the member, and your experiences with Kiwanis. I will do short write-ups of our discussions to put out on the District Facebook and web site, as well as for the next Ki- Notes. I look forward to getting to know even more people across the district. Please feel free to send me Zoom invitations to club meetings, division council meetings, or other activities you want me to see. If you want me to speak to your club for a couple of minutes, let me know in the invitation and I will RSVP, otherwise, I will just pop into your meeting when I can to enjoy your company. Attending meetings gives me ideas, which is why I recommended earlier we use this opportunity to inter-club. I am proud of the Might T-O, I as many others believe we set the standard for service. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything. Thank you all for your service. Paul Heinz Governor Texas/Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International (405) 246-5972
3 Governor's Message 6 News 8 Coloring Book Contest 14 A Look at Clubs 30 District Content
#KidsNeedKiwanis
Text
https://www.facebook.com/texasoklahomakiwanis
Kiwanis International Coronavirus Guidelines
3010 W. Park Row Dr, Suite 100 Pantego, TX 76013
txokdist@swbell.net
"Kiwanis clubs meet to plan service projects and fundraisers, conduct club business and socialize. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most clubs have been able to continue those activities through virtual meetings. However, as more clubs resume in-person meetings, Kiwanis International has compiled guidelines for clubs and districts to help members continue serving safely with adequate health protocols: Follow all federal and local laws. The Kiwanis International Bylaws require clubs and districts to comply with laws of local jurisdictions in all areas of operation. This is especially important as it relates to health and safety laws, such as gathering sizes, social distancing and mask requirements. Coordinate with the meeting venue regarding social distancing requirements, mask requirements, food service, cleaning of surfaces, etc. Consider requiring all attendees to obtain a negative COVID-19 test before the meeting. This should be strongly considered for any gatherings of 50 or more people. Require all attendees at meetings to sign a waiver that states that anyone who believes they may have contracted COVID-19 at a Kiwanis event waives all related claims against any Kiwanis club, district or Kiwanis International. Any meeting of youth members (younger than 18 years) in the Kiwanis family will require a signature from a parent or legal guardian.A sample waiver is included here. Conduct temperature tests on all attendees before they enter the meeting area. Anyone who has a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above (or 38 degrees Celsius or above) should be excluded from the meeting. Ask all attendees to certify that they have not experienced any common COVID-19 symptoms in the last 72 hours.A list of common COVID-19 symptoms can be found here. Ask attendees to wear a mask when attending any indoor meeting. Starting November 1, 2020, the Kiwanis Insurance policy will no longer cover claims related to someone claiming they became infected with COVID-19 at a Kiwanis meeting or event. “The exclusion is becoming a standard clause in new and updated policies,” said David Kress, general counsel of Kiwanis International. “This was not a change made by Kiwanis International. It is a universal change by our insurance companies applying to all companies following insurance industry standards.” The updated Kiwanis insurance policy does not cover any losses from events that are canceled as a result of the coronavirus. For expenses to be reimbursed, a club would have had to buy a “special events” policy on its own. Kress said that many of those policies now exclude financial losses due to the coronavirus, as well. If you have any questions about the insurance policies that cover Kiwanis clubs, send them toriskmgmt@kiwanis.org." - https://www.kiwanis.org/news/newsitem/news/newsitem/guidelines-help-clubs-meet-safely-as-insurance-coverage-changes
texas oklahoma district
www.txokkiwanis.org
OUR STORY
817-640-7711
The first Kiwanis Club in what is now the Texas-Oklahoma District, was officially completed February 10, 1917, at Dallas, Texas, with a membership of 200. Due to the increasing number of clubs across the country members realized the need of setting up the District organization. In October 1918, the Dallas Club selected one of its members to serve as interim Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District until an organization conference could be arranged. The first meeting was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on February 10, 1919, the Texas-Oklahoma District was organized.
Bags for veterans The Kiwanis Club of Norman is gathering donations to create Christmas bags for Veterans.
FUN WITH SANTA The Cleburne Kiwanis Club is hosting its annual Breakfast With Santa along with Key Club. This year the event includes a Christmas Market. Once again the Camp Fire Boys and Girls have their Elf House gifts available for children to purchase. The event is scheduled for December 5 at Cleburne High School 8am-12pm.
Ring the Bell The Kiwanis Club of Pasadena, Texas volunteered to help ring for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive .
PARADE TIME The Kiwanis Club of Bartlesville will be hosting their Carols of Christmas Parade December 5th, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH The Kiwanis Club of Mansfield was able to host their first student of the month award s Since February. Uyen Nguyen and Hannah Brantley were both honored with the award.
Thanksgiving Project The Kiwanis Club of Norman completed their Thanksgiving Dinner Basket project that benefited over 50 local families.
Kiwanis SOnny Bright Duck Race T-O Governor, Paul Heinz filmed himself live at Turner Falls Park to promote the Kiwanis Sonny Bright Duck Race. He encouraged members to take advantage of the waived fee for new members for Kiwanis Clubs to grow.
Donations The Lakewood Kiwanis Club, Dallas donated packs of food to Mt. Auburn Peace Pantry. This food will be distributed to students and their families.
FILLlING GOODIE BAGS The Kiwanis Club of Cy-Fair Houston gathered for a service project at one of their lunch meetings. They filled uop several gift bags for children at their local hospital.
KIWANIS ONE DAY The Kiwanis Club of Kyle-Buda joins in on Kiwanis One Day to donate gently used books. They donated over 100 books to K-12 children.
OUR DISTRICT KIWANIS TEXAS-OKLAHOMA DISTRICT
Books & Buddies Through the Books & Buddies project the Plano Kiwanis Club donated over 150 books to Memorial Elementary for children grades 1-3.
What isSue are we on?
The district is done accepting designs for the third issue coloring book as of December 1st, 2020. The winners for the 4th issue will be announced in our next issue.
A new district project created by Marshall Kregel, TX OK Kiwanis District Marketing Chair 2019-2020.
WHose designs were used in the Previous issues?
Updates
Coloring Book Contest
What is going on with this project?
The first issue included designs from the following students: Isabella Ignacio, Desiree Bowman, Daniela Covarrubias, Christine Nguyen, Amy Ha, Katelyn Tran, Tiffany Dinh, Tiffany Doan, and Ben Lai. The Heroes Book (Issue 2) winners included Brandon Ramirez, Katelyn Tran, Tiffany Dinh, Isabella Nguyen, Tony Tran, Daniela Covarrubias, and Abigail Ren.
The Texas Oklahoma District began its coloring book adventure over this summer. The district successfully printed its first coloring book issue in August 2020. The first issue print was sold out within hours as it was presented for the first time during our district convention. Since then the district has ordered more copies and continues to sell them via the district's online store.
Issue #3 winners
Katherine Holt Britney Nguyen Abigail Ren Kennedi Montague Isabella Ignacio Christine Nguyen
What to know
The Texas Oklahoma District is looking for artists!
coloring book contest
What is going on?
Lily Huynh Zarik Tao AI DO Lily Thai Alexandria Nguyen Sierra Nguyen
The Texas Oklahoma District has come up with a fun project! The district is looking to create a series of coloring books to publish. These books will represent what Kiwanis is all about. The pages will be filled with designs of service projects, events, and goals that represent who we are. Who better to draw what we do than the people who do it? Thus, the district is in search of artists! Since we have so many projects and events, the district will assign a topic to each artist to depict. If you are interested in participating visit our google form: https://forms.gle/pEuqTDNLN38K31Ja7. 100 designs will be chosen, those artists will receive a $10 gift card.
When you fill out your entry form, a member from the district will contact you using the information you have provided. This will be to assign you your design topic. By entering the contest you agree to relinquish ownership rights of the design you submit, if it is chosen. We want to be completely transparent with artists. Because the design will be for TX-OK Kiwanis material, the district wants to be able to have control of the use of the image. Fear not, artists will still be given credit for their work in the coloring book. We recognize all the creativity and talents of all artists and simply wish to be as transparent as possible. Thank you for making Kiwanis so great!
COLORING BOOK CONTEST GUIDELINES
Sponsored by the Texas Oklahoma District of Kiwanis
Students are allowed to submit one design per topic assigned. Artwork must be an original piece, completed solely by the participant. Artwork must not include any copyrighted material. Otherwise, it will not be considered. Artwork must be related to the topic assigned to each individual. Digital artwork must be in JPEG, PNG, PDF, or AI format. Digital artwork file must include the student's first name, an underscore, and their last name. For example, a student with the name of John Smith must name their file John_Smith. Digital artwork should have high resolution. Artwork must be deemed appropriate for children at the age of 3 and up. Hand drawn artwork must be scanned and turned into one of the digital formats listed above OR mailed to the district office at 3010 W. Park Row Dr. Suite #100. Pantego, TX 76013. Artwork that is submitted via mail must include a note with the artist's first and last name as well as a returning address. Artwork submitted via mail should not be folded or rolled up. Any text must be a part of the design, coloring book sentences will be assigned by the committee. For example: If your design involves a child reading a book, you can put a title on the book using text. You cannot use text under that image to describe that the child is reading the book. Artists must keep in mind that these designs are for a coloring book, thus they must consider their use of space and lines when it comes to the later addition of sentences and page numbers.
Our Kiwanis district coloring books tell the stories of our club's favorite service or fund-raising projects. These publications have already proven to be popular and a successful service project by themselves. We have already distributed about 7,000 of the coloring books, a mix of English and Spanish, to children all over Texas and Oklahoma. One of the prime decisions behind creating this series of books was to get the Kiwanis name on dining tables of homes everywhere. Once parents take a look at the books, they will see the quality programs that Kiwanians are involved in, and remember our name in the future. We are looking for sponsors for future coloring books. Each sponsorship is 100.00 for a business-card sized ad on the back of the coloring book. Your ad will forever remain on the back of the particular issue of the book no matter how many times it goes to print. This means that your ad could be potentially seen by many thousands of people across the 2 states! Your ad will also be posted on the district website on our Sponsors page for 1 year as a special sponsor and partner of the Texas Oklahoma District. Your sponsorship helps us with the printing of the books and allows us to offer the books to clubs at only 70 cents a copy. This price won't change even if our printing costs go up a bit over the next few years. We are dedicated to providing a quality magazine at the best price we can. Each book provides enough space for 10 sponsors. If you submit a request to sponsor a book and the spots are filled, your ad can be placed on the next issue. Contact Marshall Kregel at mkregel@hotmail.com if you are interested in participating on the next book or future books.
The Texas Oklahoma Kiwanis District encourages students to be creative. Students who have entered will receive a link to a google folder that will contain photos, article links, and possible prompts, to help inspire ideas for their design. A Coloring Book Contest Committee has been formed to address student concerns, assign topics, and choose the 100 winning designs. Any discrepancies concerning a design's adherence to the guidelines must be approved by a committee member before submission to still be considered. We encourage students to include diversity, positivity, and unity in their designs. All winning designs will be formatted into a coloring book format. As students create their designs they must adhere to the following guidelines for their artwork to be considered.
Artwork entry
Guidelines
COLORING BOOK Sponsorship
Plano Kiwanis Books & Buddies service project was started to expressly meet a reading need of kids in the Meadows Elementary (PISD) area. We know that reading is a vital part of success in school. Our service project started with a donation to Meadows for bilingual books to help kids transition from one language to another. Learning both together. We have now partnered with the Salvation Army on 14th Street Plano in their Trunk or Treat Halloween event. Again with bilingual books for the families. The Salvation Army used their location for a walkthrough and over 220 people came through including parents. The event was a tremendous success with many other organizations participating. Kiwanis is a local, national and international organization over 100 years old dedicated to helping one child at a time. For more information about our local group and how you can be part of our mission see: facebook.com/kiwanisplano or website: planokiwanis.org. To contact email president@planokiwanis.org.
A Look at Clubs
Plano Kiwanis club Halloween 2020 SUBMITTED BY Jeanette Kelley
The pandemic may have caused a halt of normalcy, but it can never stop Kiwanians.
Prepped Supplies
Volunteers work to gather and prepare supplies
The ARC (Army Residence Community, located at 7400 Crestway Rd., San Antonio, Tx., 78239) Golden K Kiwanis Club has supported Chess Clubs at Rose Garden Elementary and Wilder Intermediate Schools in Shertz, Tx. Both schools have had approximately 25 students in their classes and have been very active for six years. Each year the ARC Golden K club provides an instructor each week and purchases T-shirts for each of the students and trophies for the tournament winners each semester. Due to the restrictions caused by Covid 19 the Chess clubs at both Rose Garden Elementary and Wilder Intermediate Schools had to be canceled for this school year. When the Golden K members learned of the numerous difficulties Covid 19 has created for the families, such as loss of jobs, difficulty shopping, and loss of financial support from several non-profit charitable organizations, they decided to shift the funds budgeted for the Chess clubs ($2000 to support the Food Program begun by the Communities-In-Schools Site Coordinator, Lee Ann Cloud. The Wilder Food program is now feeding 54 kids with backpacks that are filled every Wednesday and are sent home with the Children on Thursdays. The food is intended to be used over the weekend when the children do not have access to their free breakfasts/lunches while at school. Lee Ann hopes to add five more families to the program by the end of the year. Some of the Kiwanis donations were also used to send home Turkey dinners this year! The following photos show a portion of the Food Program and some of the generous volunteers that make the program possible:
San Antonio ARC Golden K Kiwanis Club Supporting students SUBMITTED BY Duane Solley
Bartlesville club held our 6th annual Holiday Wreath and More event in support of 32 local non-profits. With the uncertainty of Covid-19, we took the event online composed of 2 parts. 1) silent auction and 2) vote for the most favorite/popular item. Auction software (32auctions.com) was used to manage the silent auction and Squareup.com was used to conduct the voting component. These two components are mentioned elsewhere in the newsletter. Proceeds of the silent auction went directly to each participating non-profit organization (one wreath/item per organization). Votes (at $1/vote) went towards covering costs for the event as well as prizes for the most popular items. This year’s theme was Carols of Christmas to match the theme for this year’s Christmas parade. Items were on display at the local Hilton Garden Inn as well as in a local monthly magazine bMonthly (pp. 45-47). Wreath/Item sales raised $2,350 for local non-profits and the event gave away $750 in cash prizes to a few of these non-profits.
Kiwanis Club of denton, breakfast Being an advisor SUBMITTED BY Joe holland
I’ve got the best Kiwanis job ever. The Denton High Key Club has about 60 members. And while I haven’t been to the school for a meeting since March or so I still get to see “my” kids at our weekly Kiwanis meeting each Wednesday morning (6:30). They have helped us with our litter pick up and have worked their own trash pick up and have volunteered at Our Daily Bread soup kitchen and gave a sewing project making masks. They did the program at Kiwanis a few weeks ago. Our Key Club just celebrated 69 years and they are the best thing we do. We have 3 other Key Clubs one of which attends our meetings somewhat but the DHS Club owns my heart. We are hoping to attend DCON this year after missing because of COVID last year. We have been blessed with good leadership over the last few years. Please come to our meeting sometime. We’d love to have you.
Kiwanis Club of Bartlesville Holiday Wreath and More event SUBMITTED BY Konrad Brandemuhl
Click to view Magazine
Kiwanis Club of New Braunfels Events Galore SUBMITTED BY Courtney Taylor
The Kiwanis Club of New Braunfels knows how to stack its events. Do you have a place for our fundraiser? We’ll bring all of our sales items so that no fundraiser will be left behind. We can add a club booth too to advertise what Kiwanis is. In fact, let’s show them what we do by providing a hands-on service opportunity right there. This all started when the pandemic forced us to cancel our primary fundraiser for the Blue Santa/Green Santa program, which provides holiday gifts for less fortunate children in our community. For the last ten years, we have hosted a softball game between the police and sheriff’s departments. Ticket and food sales go to the gift program. Additional fundraising in the past has included fan t-shirt sales, a silent auction, and 50/50 raffles. With concerns about social distancing, we couldn’t ask the teams and families to gather this year, but we want to see the Blue Santa/Green Santa programs continue with as little interruption in funding as possible. One of our corporate recruits in 2019-2020 was Buck and Does Mercantile in San Antonio. Upon joining, before we had any idea how drawn out and impactful this virus would be, one of the owners committed to holding occasional fundraising days at the business, wherein our club would receive a percentage of all sales. Once the ballgame was officially canceled, we turned to this opportunity. We didn’t want to miss the chance to gain exposure for our club and its causes, so our plan for information tables began to develop. Toward the end of the summer, members in our satellite club created “We Support Law Enforcement” yard signs to fundraise for the gift programs. Since the Buck and Does sales would be raising funds for the same program, we didn’t think twice about bringing signs to sell that day. Our scholarship program is always on our minds too. Our flag program continues to provide small funds, but we embraced selling socks with We Help Too after the 2019 District Convention in Denton. The shipment of socks for our 2021 scholarships arrived just as community events in New Braunfels began shutting down. We Help Too didn’t revoke our order, but we worried that we weren’t going to be able to sell and return funds with the desired timeliness. Buck and Does stepped in again to sponsor this program, donating the funds we needed to pay for the socks we are continuing to sell months later and into the holiday season. We are grateful to be able to tell buyers that every dollar spent on these socks will go into our scholarship program. The final component of our big day at Buck and Does focused on our club, its membership, and mission to help children in every way possible. We spread out a smattering of flyers and pictures to show how we help the community. Lest anyone worry that we are only a check-writing club, we sewed fabric in advance to create trauma dolls for community members to stuff and sew shut at the store. These dolls will be distributed among law enforcement and other first responders working with children who need a way to show the trauma they’ve faced or a fabric friend to hold close as their journey continues. Our day at Buck and Does resulted in $50 in sign sales, an extra $100 donation for the Blue Santa/Green Santa program, and $255 raised for our scholarship program. Strangers took interest in our club, and we look forward to seeing these new acquaintances at our December satellite meeting. A few hardworking Key Clubbers showed up to help, and we completed 42 trauma dolls. Our proceeds from sales at the store have yet to be calculated, but already we know that this was a great Kiwanis day.
Members of the New Braunfels, TX Kiwanis Club (Division 5) rose to the occasion to help families in need during an extremely critical crisis. Last Friday Kiwanian Joe Byers learned that 50 families living in a very run-down trailer park were without water. Families had been without water for several days after the park's water well, the only source of water, failed. The owner of the park (slum lord) refused to have the well equipment repaired. Joe said that he walked the trailer park to get an idea of the magnitude of the situation. He stated that he has not anything that bad since he had last visited the slums of Mexico. Joe called yours truly and informed me of the situation knowing that I had contact with fellow Kiwanian Major Román Leal, the Commander of the Salvation Army in New Braunfels. I called Roman and informed him of the situation. He immediately said he would activate the Salvation Army and do what was necessary to get potable water to the families ASAP. Please note that this took place at 4 PM. Within minutes Ramon called me and said he had a pallet and a half of bottled water on-hand in his warehouse. He would have it delivered to the trailer park within hours to at least take care of the immediate crisis. Joe and his wife Shondell, also an NB Kiwanian, were on-hand at the trailer park to receive the water and distribute it to the families. Román called back an hour later stating that he had obtained an additional 6 pallets of water and it would deliver it the next morning, plus paper plates and plastic ware. Water was not available to wash dishes. Joe said he and Shondell would be at the trailer park to receive and distribute the water, etc. Several park family members assisted them in this endeavor. Now for the rest of the story. The park is located on the east side of Hwy 46. One can drive by it and not realize the park is there as it is shielded by a barrier of trees. The lady that owns the property is a very hard-hearted individual. She could care less, as demonstrated by her attitude and lack of concern for the residents of the park. Many of the residents/families are undocumented. The park is incredibly old with some of the residents living in dilapidated trailers for 25+ years. The trailers are not road worthy. This is to become a significant issue. Joe is the Executive Director of Community Development for the city of Bulverde, TX. He was able to conduct some research of the property and the owner and determine the property is not, nor has it ever been, zoned as a commercial lot alone approved as a trailer park. None of the trailers have ever been registered with DMV or any other government agency. The landlord was found to be in violation of multiple state, county, and local statutes. The residents do not believe they could go to the authorities because of the residency status of many of them. The landlord had them over a barrel. A couple of churches has stepped forward and helped with necessities as has the Children’s Centre for Los Niños. The Salvation Army is working with several landlords to relocate some of the families in which the SA would pay for a couple of months’ rents. Joe has since met with Bulverde police chief, the county sheriff, and Bulverde city officials to take action to correct the situation through whatever legal options are available. The landlord’s reaction was to send eviction notices to every park resident. They must vacate the property not later than 21 March 2021. Recall the problem with unregistered trailers? The state requires a permit for a trailer to be transported or towed on state/county roads. Unregistered trailers cannot obtain a permit. Additionally, most of the trailers are not roadworthy because of unsafe, rusty frames or are so dilapidated that they would fall apart if towed. These trailers are the only home most of the residents have ever known. Having related all of this, it was because of the New Braunfels, TX Kiwanis club that the issue was identified, and immediate action was taken. Trailer park residents are at least surviving until a more permanent solution is found.
Kiwanis Club of New Braunfels, TX Kiwanis Respond to a Crisis SUBMITTED BY Michael Clark
Builders Club, April Halferty, receives coats
McLoud Kiwanis Club Kiwanis Christmas Shopping SUBMITTED BY Kay Heinz
Kiwanis members Governor Paul Heinz (Texas/Oklahoma) and Kay Heinz, McLoud Club President, Nancy Tigrett (McLoud Kiwanis Club Secretary) and husband Wayne, Pastor Trish Harris of McLoud United Methodist Church and Wilma Seikel, member since 2000, shopped for the 35 students clothes for 2 hours, using the KOHL’s 30% discount for a KOHL’s card PLUS earning $15.00 of KOHL’s BUCKS for each $50 spent. Usually, over 13 McLoud Kiwanis club members and volunteers will take school children shopping before Christmas as one of the service projects, for coats, socks, and shoes each December. Because of the current pandemic and “distance learning” in the schools, 6 members of the McLoud Kiwanis Club shopped for Christmas coats, shoes and socks, for over 35 children, taking sizes and names from Alona Anderson (K-Kids director) and April Halferty (Builders Club). Kohl’s department store was having a 60-75% off coats sale on November 6th starting at 10:00 am. • With the KOHL’s BUCKS earned, of $585.00, McLoud Kiwanis Club member Dan Stogner and wife Vonita, purchased much-needed supplies for the HOPE HOUSE (for battered women and children). • A home of 7 teenagers was given over $1000 worth of coats and shoes, plus $255.00 in reward bucks: • a family with 2 boys, ages 3 and 7 received toys, shirts, and pants. This was the club’s annual shopping for children, made possible by the sale of poinsettias every year. This year, McLoud Kiwanis Club Project is “Assisting Foster families and children’s needs”. There are many more fosters and families in need this year. Let’s make a difference in our community; one family, one child, and for the children of the world, our future. If you live in McLoud, Oklahoma or surrounding areas, please drop off your donation or toy or new clothing to a local Kiwanis member OR contact Kay or Paul Heinz at 405-246-5971 OR PAUL@PAAK.US. All Donations will make it to the home of some child by Christmas.
Christmas shopping for kids, November 6, 2020!
Kiwanis Volunteers Kimberly and Corey Vanover
MCLOUD KIWANIS CLUB MEMBERS help serve FREE THANKSGIVING MEAL TO COMMUNITY AND HOMELESS. This ANNUAL EVENT is sponsored and prepared by CLARA BELLE’S CAFÉ, GRACE POINT CHURCH, McLOUD KIWANIS CLUB, and GRACE UNITED URBAN MINISTRIES ALLIANCE (a day center in OKC for the homeless). With the help of over 22 volunteers, café staff, and congregation, 41 turkeys were served or delivered to over 410 residents, 18 businesses (from McLoud, Harrah, Newalla, and Choctaw) including local Police and Fire Departments. Also served were 180 homeless at the GRACE UNITED URBAN MINISTRIES ALLIANCE day center parking lot on 3rd and Virginia, and deliveries made to the homeless camps and tent cities in OKC. Part of the 22 volunteers included McLoud Kiwanis Club members: T/O District Governor Paul Heinz, and wife, McLoud Club President Kay, Secretary Nancy Tigrett and husband McLoud Kiwanian Wayne Tigrett, and Kiwanis members Kimberly and Corey Vanover. Dinner was served from 10-3 for dine in, delivery, and pick up. This is an annual event sponsored by Clara Belle’s (owners Wayne and Donna Heins, who are also pastors of Grace Point Church), a family-owned and operated café, Clara Belle’s is a bistro-style restaurant, German flair to a scratch-made family. Donna Heins prepares all the food and is a great cook. Last year they were able to feed over 350 homeless. However, Donna and Wayne feed the homeless on a regular basis and can use donations such as clothes, daily needs, food, and funds. McLOUD KIWANIS makes a difference, bringing donations to organizations such as GRACE POINT CHURCH, and ALLIANCE URBAN MINISTRIES, MINISTRIAL ALLIANCE and local food pantries. Kiwanis Clubs should consider giving to local centers during the year, it will make a difference.
Governor Paul Heinz, T/O, Secretary Nancy Tigrett, Kay Heinz, McLoud Club President, and Wayne TIgrett
Delivery drivers
T/O District Gov. Heinz
McLoud Kiwanis Club FREE THANKSGIVING MEAL SUBMITTED BY Kay Heinz
Kiwanis Club of Edmond Firefighter of the year, 2020 SUBMITTED BY Courtney Harris
The Kiwanis Club of Edmond presented the S. Begley Award to Juan Lopez. This award is given in the memory of firefighter Steven Begley, it is presented to a member of the Edmond Fire Department who has been recognized as having demonstrated outstanding service, unselfish dedication, and personal sacrifice in the performance of their duties. Lopez has demonstrated such characteristics throughout his journey in the department as well as his personal life. Juan Lopez began his Edmond career in October of 2005. During his time there he has been promoted to the rank of Driver, has bettered himself with education, and been an active member of Local 2359. It is important to note Juan has undergone a time of personal tragedy and faced bumps along the way, but he always sought to persevere. Whilst pursuing his education he did not allow such events to inhibit his pursuance of education. He was even recognized by Oklahoma City Community College administrative staff as a student who has taken on a role as an informal leader. The Kiwanis Club of Edmond was more than honored to be presenting an award to such an outstanding individual.
Kiwanis Club of Arlington Happy Packs SUBMITTED BY EVelyn Herrera
The Kiwanis Club of Arlington reached out to their community to offer individuals the opportunity to receive a Happy Pack. These Happy Packs were designed for children from the ages of 5-18. Each pack contained goodies and books that corresponded to the age requested by individuals. These packs would include items ranging from snacks, books, games, to speakers. These were a hit as they were offered around Halloween time. The club was able to accomplish their goal: bring some joy to children who have been facing the hardships of the pandemic.
District Content
More content from the Texas Oklahoma Kiwanis District.
Sophomore of the year 2020 Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis
Name
High School
Kiwanis Club Sponsor
Ishaan Javali
Plano East Senior HS
Kiwanis Club of Plano
Lauren Forney
Taylor HS
CY-Fair KC
Makenzie Figarelli-Evcrctt
HM King HS
Kingsville KC
Tracy Qi
Little Cypress-Mauriceville HS
Kiwanis Club of Orange
Caroline Holtman
Wall HS
West Angelo San Angelo
Jake McGuire
Texas HS
Kiwanis Club of Texarkana
Mason Baker
Regents Academy
Nacogdoches KC
Sydney Fairless
Sayre HS
Sayre KC
Lauren Nicolas
Hirschi HS
University KC of Wichita Falls
Teegan Smith
Lindsay HS
Lindsay KC
Destiny Delgadillo
Harker Heights HS
Harker Heights
Neha Kamble
Liberal Arts and Science Academy
Kiwanis Club of Austin-NW
Morgan Hale King
Bartlesville HS
Kiwanis Club of Bartlesville
Julianna Dublin
Jacksonville HS
Kiwanis Club of Jacksonville TX
Madeleine Broussard
lmpact ECHS
Kiwanis Club of Baytown
Wyatt Hood
Classen Sci of Advanced Studies
Capitol Hill l-IS Kiwanis Club
Davis Green
Paris HS
Paris KC
Easton Mayo
Whitehouse HS
Tyler-Rose City KC
Bryan Rios-Chagolla
San Marcos HS
San Marcos KC
Shivani Sugunan
Deer Creek HS
Edmond KC
Know Where you Go: Utah Submitted by Courtney Taylor
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We all know a few trivia bits about Utah, such as that religious population is predominantly Mormon. But did you know that Utah joined the union as the 45th state in 1896? Were you aware that, by then, disagreements between the US government and the church had delayed Utah’s statehood for nearly half a century? Let’s learn a little more about the history and highlights of the state and city in which we hope to convene next summer. Some of the earliest Utah inhabitants were the Fremont people and the Anasazi. Later Native American groups included the Ute, Paite, Goshute, Shoshone, and Navajo tribes. The 1700s brought explorers and fur trappers from Europe. During the 1860s, the first transcontinental telegraph was completed in Salt Lake City, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit. This region is known for its skiing and the Sundance Film Festival, but our summer visit will highlight hiking and soaking in some sunshine by the Great Salt Lake. Regional sites include Four Corners, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Park. For those who enjoy touring college campuses, you can visit the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and Brigham Young University in Provo. If you love driving fast, make plans to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats on the western edge of the state. We will be convening in the capital, Salt Lake City. This city was founded in 1847 by settlers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the aforementioned Mormons). The Winter Olympics were held here in 2002. The LDS Temple in Salt Lake City is scheduled to be under construction until 2024, but if we’re lucky, the refurbished Olympic cauldron will be returned to Rice-Eccles Stadium on time for our visit. The 2021 Kiwanis International Convention – and the end of pandemic travel restrictions – may seem far off, but it’s never too early to start dreaming and budgeting for the next great Kiwanis adventure. Stay tuned for more information about Utah and the next gathering of global delegates.
Tis' the season to spread joy! One way the District and International is doing so is by waiving new membership fees. This is a wonderful opportunity for current members to share the joys of Kiwanis. We understand that the pandemic has made it difficult for clubs to function or follow through with their normal routines, but we do hope that this encourages members to continue to reach out to family and friends this season. Sometimes the best gift is the gift of sharing what you care about. During these upcoming holidays, consider giving the gift of membership. Be creative! Make a holiday card to send to members of your community, create a gift certificate that your loved one can redeem to join your club. Remember, this opportunity is only applicable until December 31st, 2020. Once we hit the new year, this offer is no longer available. Please visit our Facebook page for content promoting this opportunity. On our page, you can find posts that you can share on your club's Facebook or website.
Holiday Membership Drive Submitted by susan hennum
New membership fees waived Submitted by EVelyn Herrera
Holidays can be really busy and we all know that 2020 is not turning out to be a regular holiday for many. Many clubs are still only meeting on-line due to the Pandemic and most of us have had our service projects and fundraisers canceled this year. But one thing remains the same....Kids Still Need Kiwanis! We would like to encourage you to make an extra push to recruit new members during the month of December while the new member add fee is still waived. This offer ends Dec. 31. When we come out on the other side of this Pandemic kids will need Kiwanis more than ever. More families are using the food pantries, seeking assistance with rent and many individuals have lost their job during this time. Encourage your friends and members of your community to join you in the fight to save our families. Here are some fun projects you can do during the holidays where you can social distance. 1. Sponsor a Food Drive at a local school. Ask the classes to bring can goods for a local food pantry. Award a pizza party to the class that brings the highest number of can goods. 2. Hand out Kiwanis Coloring Books when the families come to pick up their food items at the local pantry or Salvation Army. 3. Adopt a school and donate something special to each teacher. This has been a rough year for teachers. If you have a K-Kids pick that school! 4. Host a special zoom Christmas Message and invite prospects. We will need many hands to serve in 2021. HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM YOUR TEXAS OKLAHOMA GROWTH TEAM
Many clubs sell things like socks, peanuts, and soup kits in our communities to fundraise for our service projects. With Covid-19, transitioning to online can be complicated and costly. Square (squareup.com) is known for making a small device that plugs into your phone turning it into a mobile credit card machine. They also make registers and terminals for larger operations. (Our club uses the register for our miniature golf operations.) With Covid-19, Square also developed an online component for their customers. It is a work in progress as it is missing some features from the non-online part. Some feature items are shared between non-online and online while other features are not shared (as of Nov. 2020). Advantages: Fairly simple to set up; no cost to set up Automatic deposit of proceeds Transaction fee automatically withdrawn Fees based on transaction: 3.5% + .30 per transaction No monthly fees; no PCI (security) fees Free website presence: ex: https://kiwanisbartlesvilleholidaywreathsandmore.square.site Disadvantages: Limited website customization Limited collection of customer information No forced min. transaction amount Our club used this online feature to vote for the most popular item in a recent event. 1 vote = $1. In this way, we can utilize common e-commerce practices to fundraise. While we used it as a voting system, your club can utilize it in a more traditional sense by listing wares you wish to fundraise for. Recommendations: each email address represents a new Square account/presence. Create a test email address to set up a square account to experiment with its features and functions. This will help when you need to operate in production. You only need to associate a bank account with your production account when you want to start processing payments. No bank account is needed for any test accounts. Also, create a QR Code (see above) for your Square Website so it is easier for customers to find the web address. (Most modern phone cameras can scan the QR Code and prompt you to go to the web site. If you purchased your phone after 2017, your camera will most likely recognize any QR Code.) The Square dashboard area is generally for the in-person part of Square operations. The Online button is how to create your online presence. You will set up your account, create wares to sell, run reports, etc. from the dashboard while using the Online section to manage the look and feel of the online side of your operation.
Fundraising during Covid-19 Submitted by Konrad Brandemuhl
With the uncertainty of Covid-19, traditional activities such as in-person auctions (and silent) are not usually possible. Fortunately, there is usually an online service model which can come to the rescue. There are around a dozen services that can handle an auction and span a wide range of costs and fees. (In 2021, look for a summary of auctions software at a website near you.) For our recent event, we selected a service/software 32auctions.com . To examine our past silent auction as an example, go to: https://www.32auctions.com/BVilleHolidayWreathsnMore or utilize the QR Code: Advantages: Free to set up and review/preview No cost for auction however a la carte for features and online payment (Self-select) option for in-person payment (avoid fees) Option to remove Banner Ads (remove: $40 / auction) Option to add more items than 20 (items 21-100: $30 / auction) Free online presence Disadvantages: Online payment via PayPal or Stripe Banner Ads Fees: pay online: 2.9% + $.40/ + PayPal fees of 2.9% + $.30/ (total 5.8% + $.70 / transaction) Limited branding No immediate payment online by the winner with credit card Recommendations: Remove Banner Ads ($40), for our customer base who might use a mobile phone to stay on top of auctions, the banner ads can be distracting and bait and switch the user into clicking to an ad site rather than the auction itself. Option for more than 20 items only if you have more than 20 items. Forego branding ($30) as it is too limited and not worth it. In our above example, we selected: More than 20 Items ($30) Remove Banner Ads ($40) Branding ($30) – to test and won’t select this option for future 1 image/item For online payers, the fees are around 5.8% + .70 / transaction, would request/encourage participants to pay at time of pickup (bring a check, etc.) or make additional arrangements for payment. (When going into production, use a $1 donation to validate the correct PayPal link.) In our silent auction, we had 32 items, paid $100 for a la carte features, raised $2,350 (gross): $1,550 paid by check – no fees; $800 paid online which resulted in $45.71 in credit card fees (5.71%), and received 10 in donations. Since setup is free, create a test auction site with a test email account to test features and functionality. Run a test auction with an item or two to see how it works. If you don’t activate any features, it will cost nothing to test: how the bidding process works, proxy bidding, sample invoices, etc. If you don’t make any online payments, there is absolutely no cost to test and try.
Fundraising with Auction Software Submitted by Konrad Brandemuhl
Month
Division
Club
October
13
Pittsburg
Royal Wertz
34
Mineola
Albert Hernandez
30
Mustang
Shellie Wolf
7
Lubbock
Rory Thomas
17
Elk City
Gary Ford
23
Waco Seniors
Vincent Anderson
8
Whitesboro
Chandler Burnett
November
14
Longview
Gerald Wallace
28
Pasandena
D.A. Buell
25
Tulsa
Burdette Blue
December
David Houston
All listed with sympathy and memory.
The Pasadena Kiwanis lost one of its longest serving members on Saturday Nov. 14th. He was also an unsung hero from WW2 serving in England prepping for the D-Day Normandy Invasion. Here is a video that Channel 2 in Houston did with him on the anniversary of the Normandy invasion in 2019.
D.A. Buell Submitted by CHuck knight
Click to be redirected to the article and video.
In Loving Memory
“Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.” ― Rossiter W. Raymond
H
Evelyn Herrera
From the Editor
oliday season is here! No matter what you celebrate this time of year I wish you the best of times! I have been so elated to see the positive responses we have received concerning KI Notes. I hope to continue to see such a positive response as well as more articles in the future. Remember, we are accepting more forms of content. If you would like to promote your event via KI Notes, you can do so. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me at txokkiwanis@gmail.com