Kiwanis Club 
Well, I had a week off and spent the days on a tree farm in northeast Texas. The mode of transportation in trees is a 'four-wheeler' to get around. I drive a 4-wheeler like I do with the riding mowers at our camp. After a few rides the rest of the group decides that I should buy one. The only thing I can think of is that they don't want me to destroy their 4-wheelers and if I am going to crash into a tree it should be my own 4-wheeler. More on this as time moves on.
PROGRAM: MARCH 23rd: LuAnne invited Cheri Martin from Truchoice and Kadie Seweryn from Young Life to talk about their respective programs with teenage girls and unwanted pregnancies. While both programs are different, they serve very similar populations. Cheri told the members that Truchoice offers advice to young men and women who have an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. Advice is offered to the couple or individual person so that they can make intelligent choices on the unborn child. This includes possible adoption, ultrasound services, post abortion counseling, and offer items to help with newborn babies. They are always in need of disposable diapers as an example. Kadie's Young Life is centered more with teenage girls in school that find themselves pregnant. The program offers advice on services and advice on the young girl's options. It is more of offering a "hand up" rather than a "hand out". This includes possible finding a job, available services in pregnancy, and letting the girl know that she is not alone in her pregnancy. Counseling with the girl and her parents is offered. Young Life has a camp for the girls and the young children which gives the young girls a chance to be kids again. It was a very educational and informative program that was well received.
PROGRAM: MARCH 30th: Jennifer will offer a program on quilting and its relationship to Kiwanis. For those that are not familiar with quilting populations it is a large group. Having been in the running community for years there are runners that have had a quilt made of the different tee shirts that they have from races they have ran. Having had an ex-wife that was into the quilting world it is quite an experience. There are two main forms of making a quilt. There is the 'old fashioned' method of stitching the patterns and designs by hand. Then with technology there are sewing machines that can do the intricate stitching in a quilt. If you want to see the world of quilting, you need to go to the Brown Convention Center in Houston on October 29th for the International Quilt Festival. The Festival has 55,000 people from 35 countries and display about 1,650 quilts. It is an awesome display of the quilts. There are many that defy description they are so beautiful. I must warn any men that want to visit. Quilters are probably 95% women. That means at the Convention Center ALL RESTROOMS are for the women. Men will have one down the hall in a far away location from the center of the building. For a smaller venue to visit the Brown Center also has on November 2 - 5 that is more manageable. New Braunfels had a nice area quilt festival, and I am not sure if it still is scheduled but a nice one to visit if it is open. This program should be very interesting and a good one to bring guest (potential member) to.
PROGRAM: APRIL 6th: President Kelli has the program and will go over some of the "rules and regulations" our club has practiced over the years for newer members and as a reminder for older members that may have forgotten them. There are a number of obvious items such as silencing cell phones during the meeting. Then there are those unwritten behavior rules such as arguing with someone at the meeting, or over the phone with your spouse. Singing in a different key than the rest of the members - or singing a different song since you didn't like the choice of the song leader. Doing toe touches and exercises after eating is discouraged. Some request that those with ugly knees do not wear shorts to the meeting. Belching is not a good thing to do loudly - quiet ones are okay and better than the alternative exit of the buildup of air in the stomach. It will be a good review of our club manners and all members need to attend this meeting. It should be an interesting program.
KIWANIS EVENTS OF INTEREST:
Kelli will bring a survey for members regarding the planting of a tree at the camp in honor of past members that contributed to the club. One in honor of Ted Breihan is a consideration. Think of the type of tree, where to plant it, and the type of inscription needed (stone or an iron plaque). What would be a good date to plant the tree? What details are needed for the ceremony and invited guests? This is a very worthwhile project and one that is a living testimonial for the contributions of past members.
Jennifer has offered to be a co-editor of the newsletter. She did an excellent newsletter last week and it will be a trade-off of the two of us backing each other up to continue the newsletter. If any other member has an interest in being part of writing the newsletter for the club, you are more than welcome to contribute to the task. Don't be bashful and now is the time to be creative and give writing a try.
Kelli has been doing an excellent job of promoting our club via Facebook posts and going out to Kissing Tree to recruit possible members and our club members need to step up our efforts to support her in this endeavor. Ask a friend to join you at a meeting and tell them about Kiwanis and how we serve the community. Getting new members to increase our membership is an all-club project and more effort is needed from all members.
Lon gave Rick some riding lessons on the riding mower last week. We can always use another excellent mower in the club. Primary lesson #1 was stay above the sandy river area at all costs. There are always tasks at the camp for members to help out with. Ask Lon if you want to volunteer out there on occasion.
MARCH 31st: The Chamber is sponsoring a "Coffee and Commerce" event at The Groove from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. The Groove is located at 2626 Hunter Road, Suite 101. This is an excellent opportunity to publicize our club and get a new business involved with community service that our club provides. The more we talk about our Kiwanis Club to the community at large the better off we are in recruiting new members. It is best to call the Chamber and reserve a place to attend.
APRIL 1st: The STEAM event is at the High School and our club will host a booth at the event. If you want to volunteer let Doug know and be a good ambassador for Kiwanis.
OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST:
APRIL 6th: The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a 'State of the City and SMCISD' at Embassy Suites from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. This at the same time as our meeting but if you have an interest in the status and direction of the city and our schools it would be good to attend.
APRIL 10th: For sports fans: The baseball game between the Texas State Bobcats and the Texas Longhorns is SOLD OUT. If you want to attend, you may have to try a scalper who has tickets.
NOTES AND QUOTES:
Did you know that your tired brain and the snooze alarm are two opposing forces but your bladder breaks the tie every time.
Charlie Brown is talking to Snoopy: "We only live once, Snoopy." Snoopy replies, "Wrong, Charlie Brown, we only die once, but we live every day."
Kindness doesn't cost a thing, yet it's the richest gift you can give.
When you're 20 years old you care what everyone thinks. When you're 40 years old you stop caring what everyone thinks. When you're 60 years old you realize no one was thinking of you in the first place.
May you live as long as you want and not want as long as you live.
Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life but it will surely add life to your years.
Driving Problems: I just failed my driving test. When the examiner asked me, "What sign would you expect to see down a narrow county road?" Apparently "fresh eggs for sale" wasn't the answer.
I said, "It's not about how many times you fall, it's about how many times you get back up". The cop told me, "That's not how field sobriety tests work."
A guy sits down at the bar and orders drink after drink. "Is everything okay, Pal?" the bartender asks. "My wife and I got into a fight, and she said she isn't talking to me for a month." Trying to put a positive spin on things, the bartender says, "Well, maybe that's kind of a good thing. You know. . . a little piece and quiet?" "Yeah, But today is the last day."
Owning a dog is perfect for people who never want to eat a whole sandwich by themselves again.
You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours.
SEE YOU ON THURSDAY AT GRIN'S FOR SOME GOOD CONVERSATION, GOOD FELLOWSHIP, GOOD FOOD, AND A GOOD PROGRAM. BRING A FUNNY STORY OR A JOKE TO MAKE A MEMBER SMILE OR LAUGH. BRING A GUEST TO LET THEM SEE AND EXPERIENCE WHAT A GREAT CLUB WE HAVE TO JOIN.