The Weekly Bulletin

Monday, December 2, 2019

 

Attendee:    club members present  13

 

Call to order: President, Mary Dewey at   12:05   pm

 

Invocation: Ric

             

Pledge: Jack Cruise

 

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

 

none

 

Welcome any new or returning members

 

none

 

Birthdays and Anniversaries

 

 

Anniversaries: Jerry Sullivan 47, Jack Cruise, 56

 

Mystery Person:

 

Ken Oster gave to Carl

 

Sign In or Pay the Pig:

 

Carl for Adam’s help at Tree Lot;  Ken O for Chord Busters show.

Chuck Pease passed away week ago last Thursday.

 

 

President Announcements

 

• Zone 2 Holiday Ugly Sweater party will be held next Tuesday, December 10 from 6 to 9 pm at the Surise Optimist Cubhouse. The cost will be $12.00 for two meats and the rest is potluck. We will be playing BINGO, drawing and silent auctions and music/dancing. Please let me know ASAP if you coming.

 

• I would really like to thank everyone who worked this weekend at the Christmas Tree Lot. Especially the ones who worked on opening day we were busy all day long. I also like to Thank everyone who came and helped serving Thanksgiving Dinner at Ronald McDonad’s House. Scott for making the bread and help keep us organization in their kitchen, Cyilla, Ken, Carl Kelly’s and Evan , and Kelly for setting the table and putting the food out on the counter, and Steve, Jerry, Carl, Kelly, Scott, Cryilla and Ken for bring the food for the families.

 

• Food Bank: Jim Murphy, Carl Scott, and Larry Fick – packaged cereal

 

• Koeze/ Restaurant Certificates– Steve Winter the last order is due  December 3.
• Holiday Luncheon: Larry Fick is collecting for the Holiday Luncheon.  We are having fried chicken, herb-roasted pork loin, white cheddar macaroni, garden salad, apple Waldorf salad, and rolls.  We need to know who would like cake, cupcakes or pies for dessert.  The cost is  $11.00 per person.

 

Announcements from the Floor:

 

Tree Lot had a really busy first weekend.  Total weekend sales were $41K+ Maybe half the trees are gone.  Almost all the big ones gone.

 

Ken Oster announced Chord Busters show – Dec 7th – evening at Missouri Theatre.

 

 

 

Today’s Speaker:    

Jane Williams & Pat McMurry, Love INC

 

Our History

 

Love INC of Columbia is one of about 150 affiliates of a national organization founded in 1977 by a bi-vocational pastor/social worker in Holland, Michigan. The organization grew rapidly and was adopted as World Vision’s domestic program in the early 1990’s. Love INC USA is now an independent network of affiliates, coordinated through a virtual office with around 10 employees and a national board made up of business and church leaders, the majority of whom have operated affiliates themselves. Each affiliate is independent with a local 501(c)3 and board of directors.

Columbia’s affiliate was founded by Jane Williams and Pat McMurry and local community and church leaders. We opened our doors in April 2008. In 2005 Columbia received over 500 evacuees from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Co-founder Jane Williams, The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri Food Bank Director, Peggy Kirkpatrick, and Director of Boone County Health and Human Services, Steve Hollis called and coordinated a group of over 50 churches to triage and place these evacuees. This included finding clothing, housing, and furniture.

Jane, a licensed clinical social worker, longtime community and church leader, was the primary force behind this effort. She became aware of the Love INC model several years earlier but had little success promoting it before the concept was demonstrated with the Katrina relief effort. The mobilization opened the eyes of many to the possibilities provided by a coordinated network of churches with a single point of entry and coordinated efforts. Co-founder Pat McMurry had worked since the early 90’s coordinating pastors, encouraging their relationships across denominations, and organizing large multi-church events. Buoyed by the success of the Hurricane Katrina efforts, Pat and Jane worked from 2006 to 2008 to promote, recruit, raise funds, and launch Columbia’s Love INC affiliate. The organization has enjoyed steady and robust growth every year since. We became a United Way funded partner in 2012 and have received the support of several local foundations. Love INC currently coordinates over 80 churches and networks with over 70 local agencies.

Having spent decades in social services, co-founder Jane Williams was unwilling to continue traditional church benevolence practices of merely handing out resources. She was an early pioneer in what is now accepted as a best practice among benevolence providers, that offering relief – where development was needed – only works to create dependency. That has formed Love INC of Columbia’s operating philosophy. All of our programs reflect this ideology – help, on the road to sustainability.

Website: www.columbialovein.org

——————-

 

 

The local Love Inc organization has served over 10K families.  Their approach is to connect helpers and helpees whatever the need.  They are a clearing house for calls for assistance.  They received over 80 calls when their phone number first went active

 

They run the Love Seat, a thrift store which is located right across the Business Loop from our clubhouse where donated items including clothes, furniture, kitchen ware etc. are sold for re-use.  (editors note – I shop their regularly)

Their philosophy is to give a hand-up, not a handout.

 

They provide help in crises situation with rent, bills, utilities, budget coaching, employment coaching, affordable housing coaching, help with barriers to success, low credit score and creating plans with goals and overcoming barriers.

 

They have an Information library – see website.  It provides information on where to look for help.

 

They receive 80 calls a week and work to identify unmet needs in Columbia.  There are  multiple calls with the same problem.

 

They provide personal coaching utilizing a cadre of volunteers.

 

They run an extra mile program which runs for 16 weeks and is also run by volunteers.  They have a coach training program and have 80 active coaches who meet with clients to address relational. material, informational, and spiritual needs.

 

They hav a PayDay Loan relief program which provides $1000 interest free loan for a 1 yr.  Clients must enter the coaching program as part of qualifying for the program.

 

They have 3 houses which can be be made available to clients for 4-6 months rent free.  The original house was donated by a church.  The others were also donated.

 

They run the Over The Edge fund raiser which provides the opportunity for fund raisers to repel off of the Tiger Hotel.  They involve various well known personages from the community.

 

They will soon opening Love Coffee and Bakery which will be located next door to the Love Seat – hopefully in January. This is supported by a separate non profit.  It is primarily intended to employ those with development disabilities.

 

All in all a very uplifting presentation.

 

 

 

UPCOMING SPEAKER

 

• 12/9/19 Ron Schmidt from City of Columbia CARE program
• 12/16/19 Holiday luncheon at the Clubhouse
• 1/6/20 Carol Montie from Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association
• 1/13/20 Carla Lewis from CRIB program at Douglass High School
• 1/20/20 Bonnie Yantzi and Phil Williams from Fun City Youth Academy
• 1/27/20 JoNette Weaver from Meals on Wheels
• 2/3/20 Tim Haller from Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
• 2/10/20 Lawrence Simonson from PedNet (Pedestrain and Pedaling Network)
• 2/24/20 Gay Litteken from Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center
• 3/2/20 Lottie Creasy from CPS Motor Lab at Rock Bridge Elementary School
• 3/9/20 Cheryl Howard from Nora Stewart Early Learning Center
• 3/16/20 Peter Stipleman, Superintendent for the Columbia Public School
• 3/23/20 Charles Koening from CPS Stem Program
• 4/27/20 Bruce Yong from CMSE-Giving Gardens

 

Adjourn with the Creed:  12:43 p.m.

 

Optimistically Yours,

 

Mary Dewey, President

 

Prepared by Scott Stager