Kiwanis Club of Historic St. Augustine

Newsletter – 9 April 2009

President’s Message:

Yours truly was asked to serve as the club’s contact with our International Foundation. As most of you know, our club got a $5,000 matching grant from the Florida Foundation, and we want to see if we can’t get the same amount or more from the International Foundation. As part of the means to increase the funds coming into the International Foundation, they sponsor the Skip-A-Meal program every year. We have not joined in with this in the past, and I like to hear what the club thinks about it.

Coming Events: [Advise the editor of events of interest at 797-4332]

25 April 2009: Uptown Saturday Night, check out the local galleries uptown on the last Saturday of each month, and taste their food and wine.

1, 2, & 3 May 2009: The annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival. Sign-up for working there and we are hoping to get our Key Clubs involved too.

1 May 2009: First Friday Art Walk, check out the local galleries downtown and taste their food and wine.

7 May 2009: Our annual Geography Bee will be held at Sebastian M.S. and will start at 7:00pm. (That’s for non-members since we will need to be there at least one half hour early. Bob will have sign-up sheets soon.

12 May 2009: The Division Council meeting will be held in Jacksonville. More details as they are provided.

30 May 2009: Children’s Triathlon is being held to benefit the Children’s Museum, which is in its infancy. Skeeter’s committee is leading our charge on this, and he indicates that in order for us to help we must fill out background paperwork in advance. Check with Skeeter for more details. A form that they require has been forwarded to our webmaster, Jerry Saia, and he should have it posted soon.

Guests: Mark Shelley had a prospective member, Ken Maas, from SAHS, who is also the sponsor of the Hi-Q Team.

Programs: (Check the website for your speaker assignment date.)

LAST WEEK: We had our monthly Board of Director’s meeting, of which more later.

THIS WEEK: This is our monthly Human and Spiritual Values meeting as well as our Student of the Month. This month’s student is from St. Girard campus. As was announced last week, as speaker we have Donna Henderkson and Karen McNeal from The Detention Center. Skeeter also indicated that his committee would donate some money to their efforts at the Detention Center.

NEXT WEEK: Mark Shelley has the program.

50/50 DRAWING WINNERS: The big winner last week was Art Runk, Jr. Mix those tickets real good, and make sure mine is on top.

NEWS OF NOTE:

As noted above, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is coming up the first three days of the May. We have agreed to help sell beer and even if we didn’t they need help to get a few things set up. The fearless leader of the pack on this one is our own Paul Linser. He really needs our help the day before the event to help set up displays, etc., and then he likewise needs our help to dismantle the said displays, etc, on the day after the event. Please give Paul your help and volunteer when asked.

Skeeter is directing, from our end, the project of the Flagler College group that is preparing care packages for soldiers. Bring personal care items and he will get them to the school so that the students can put them in the care packages. (I’m sure he going to do that, unless he is filling his larder with shave cream and toothpaste.) I believe that Webmaster Jerry has put a list items that they need on our website.

The Board of Directors met with a quorum present. In news of note:

(1) We sponsor two Key Clubs at this time and are working to get the third one back in approved status. Bartram Trail is doing well. Creekside is new at present is struggling. A new sponsor has been found for the club at St. Joe’s, and we hope that that club will be back active once again. In previous years they always were very strong. (2) The Treasurer reported that we were solvent with $9K+ in the bank. (3) Lou Nester reported that the Highway Cleanup Detail was moving along smoothly and that he would have more details when he was notified by the DOT. Art Runk has his truck cleaned up so he can look good as he drives around supervising.

Quotes You Can Use (or Not):
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.” —James Madison

“Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness.” —Samuel Adams

“There is no vice... so contemptible; he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual...” —Thomas Jefferson

There is an old maxim that if one repeats a lie often and loud enough, it will eventually be perceived as the truth. Adolf Hitler defined that dictum in his 1925 autobiography Mein Kampf, writing that a big lie must be so “colossal” that the public would be confident that no national leaders “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.”

“The best way to keep America safe is not to threaten terrorists with nuclear weapons—it’s to keep nuclear weapons and nuclear materials away from terrorists.” —Barack Obama [Keeping nuclear weapons away from terrorists—brilliant! Why didn’t we think of that? With intellectual gifts such as these, Obama should seriously consider running for President. ]

Regarding nuclear deterrence, we consulted Jane’s Terrorist Termination Handbook and found that detonation of a nuke in close proximity to any jihadi actually does deter that terrorist from any further acts of violence.

“Love your neighbor as yourself and your country more than yourself.” —Thomas Jefferson