The Weekly Bulletin

Monday, July 8,  2019

 

 

Call to order: President Dewey at 12 noon

Invocation:  Pat Brown

Pledge:  Steve Klein

 

Attendance: 15

 

 

Introduction of Guests and New and Old Members (who have been gone)

 

Marie Klein – Steve’s wife

 

Welcome any new or returning members

 

None

 

 

Birthdays and Anniversaries

 

Larry Fick – tomorrow July 8th

 

 

Mystery Person

 

Mary gave mystery person award to Steve Winters for his great garden party.

 

Sign In or Pay the Pig

 

Carl paid for no badge (hiding somewhere in his house)

 

 

President Announcements

 

• District Optimist Meeting Aug 9-11

  District meeting will be here in Columbia at the Executive Center. There will be at 4 p.m. (Saturday I believe) demonstration of Soap Box Derby.  Club need to know attendees by July 17th.  Carl and the Food Bank are coordinating a food drive – peanut butter – 16 oz jars to go to Buddy Pack program.  Carl noted that 7500 buddy packs per week are provided for region they serve.  We are asking district clubs to donate as much as possible.
       

• Food Bank:

  Jim Murphy – processed Cheerios breaking down 375 lb crates into individual servings.

 

• Socials:

  Summer Games and BBQ – Thursday, July 11, 2019 at the clubhouse at 6:00 pm. Looking for club members to help out with this event.  Larry Fick is now collecting money for the event, $10/adult.  Kids eat free. If you are interested in attending the event please contact Larry Fick to purchase tickets.  bbq pork steak, creamed corn, baked beans, ice cream, mac & cheese for kids.  If anyone has yard games bring them – yard has been freshly mowed.  46 signed up.

  After the fact comment – the gathering was Awesome.  Great Pork Steaks and other food as well as good fellowship.  If you have been missing these Quarterly gatherings, you are encouraged to attend in the future.

 

• Show Me State Games:

  Jake Jolley (Games this year are Sunday, July 21st and 28th). Could use one more on morning of the 28th.

• Respect for Law BBQ:

  Will take place on Saturday, August 31 at a Cosmo Park shelter more detail to come. Will be a bbq. Need help looking for donations from Columbia Business, including food. More details forthcoming.

• Board Meeting next Thursday July 18th at 6 pm at the clubhouse

  The are a number of funding requests in the queue.

 

Announcements from the Floor:

 

Soap box derby cars left for Akron last Friday and arrived safely.  Drivers leave end of this week arriving Sunday.  They will be there for a full week.

 

NDR gave us a deal on a bunch of 4” PVC pipe used to line race track at the Sedalia events since the race is no longer going to be held in Sedalia.  Pipe is stashed on a trailer on north side of back shed at clubhouse.

 

Upcoming events and activities

 

• 8/1/19 Tour of the New Ag Park next to ARC at 5:15 pm.
• 8/9 -10/19 4th quarter Missouri East Conference at Holiday Inn Executive Center

 

 

Today’s Speaker

 

 

Kim Dude from the Children’s Grove visited with us today about their organization, including its origins and objectives.

 

The best description of their origin is on their website.  Here is what it says:

 

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How do qualities of character such as kindness, friendliness, respect and compassion connect to a fun-filled dedication of trees?
The answer and back-story begin in a time of crisis. Like most communities and individuals across the country, Columbians shared the grief of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.   A small group of Columbians became determined to turn grief into action. Their quest received immediate backing from Mayor McDavid, Christine Corcoran, president of Putting Kids First, and Tara Collier, coordinator of Columbia Public Schools’ home-school coordinators. The group of concerned citizens, co-chaired by Anne Deaton and Suzanne McDavid, envisioned a grove of trees that would symbolize a commitment by the entire community to promote children’s mental, emotional and physical health, happiness and safety. The grove would be a place of beauty and peacefulness, a place for joyful activity and commemoration, and a place to celebrate the love of family and friends — and always acts of kindness.

From there, the passion for promoting acts of kindness took flight and, like a butterfly, moved quickly in different directions.

Mike Snyder, Columbia’s park development superintendent, identified a potential site at Stephens Lake Park. Mike and parks planner Matt Boehner soon developed a landscape plan that was approved by the Putting Kids First Coalition and later by the Columbia City Council. Karen Chandler, superintendent of recreation and community programs, and her staff later ensured extensive program and publicity support for the recreational activities associated with the dedication ceremony. Then through the generous donations of concerned citizens, mental health service provider agencies, local banks, businesses and the Missouri Mental Health Foundation, the funds were quickly raised to purchase more than 40 Yellow Butterfly Magnolia and crab apple trees, the signature trees of the Children’s Grove.

 

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From the original creation of the Children’s Grove of trees in Steven’s Lake park their efforts were directed to creating a culture of kindness through the community.   They are an organization of all volunteers with funding coming from donations from throughout the community including COMO Gives.

 

They have created Kindness Libraries at schools and daycare centers throughout Boone County.  Five storybooks were chosen to appropriately present goodwill, gentleness and compassion.  In 2018 140 Kindness Libraries were presented to the Moving Ahead Program at Columbia Housing Authority, Boys and Girls Town of Great Circle, and Columbia Parents as Teachers.  A donation of $55 is enough to pay for one library.

 

Additional activities discussed include:

 

• Buddy bench in playgrounds – provide chance for kids to gather friends.
• Kindness trees – $500 – planted in someones honor. Have had them planted at schools or other locations.  They are butterfly magnolias.  There are some on MU campus.
• Random act of kindness bracelet. Pass forward as random act of kindness observed.
• Kindness ambassadors at some schools.
• Kindness week – end April, first part of May – Lots of activities promoting kindness throughout the community.  Special event at Reichman Pavilion at Steven’s Lake Park.
• Nicest place in Misssouri award from Reader’s Digest. They are now in competition for the nicest place in America designation.  Selection is by popular vote.  Voting is currently ongoing and runs through July 21st.  Everyone can vote once daily at https://www.rd.com/nicestplaces/the-nicest-place-in-missouri-columbia/
• Butterfly murals – One was spotted in Springfield Mo and sparked a desire to get one in Columbia. One is coming to downtown Columbia in Alley A.  People can have pictures taken in front of the mural.  Unveiling will be on  August 24th.

 

 

For an extensive look at The Children’s Grove see their website and Facebook page:

 

Website:  www.childrensgrove.com/

 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TheChildrensGrove/

 

 

 

UPCOMING SPEAKERS

 

• 7/22/19   Sarah Varvaro from Ten Outreach Program
• 7/29/19 Soap Box Derby winners
• 8/05/19 Ellen Drummond from Junior Achievement Program
• 8/12/19 Nanette Ward from Human Trafficking
• 8/19/19 Ron Rowe from Youth Community Coalition
• 8/26/19 Karen Grindler from Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center
• 9/09/19 Carrie Gartner the Executive Director of The Loop CID

 

 

Adjourn with the Creed:

 

Optimistically Yours,

Mary Dewey, President