1.  Club taxes: Willie has filed the 990 N taxes for both the Foundation and Club's reporting period.

 

 

2.  Upcoming new member:  The board has voted and approved this Thursday's upcoming member induction of Adriana Lozada.  We are looking forward to welcoming her into our club!

 

3.  District news: In building new clubs and increasing membership, the opportunities for more service activities to kids.  The district board has approved the "Kiwanis Advocacy "allowing clubs to declare membership drives as a service activity.

 

 

4.  Scholarships:  Vanessa Westbrook updated the club on revisions that have been made to the scholarship application process. 

     a.  Seniors from the San Marcos High School will be solely considered for the Kiwanis scholarships.  Next year, other schools may be considered as recipients.

     b. Applicants will now be required to provide 1-3 reference letters to accompany the application.

     c.  Students from the High School have full access to the online application, as of Feb. 1, 2026.

     d.  There will be a Kiwanis hosted ice cream social, sometime during the week before Spring Break to meet with interested Seniors to further scholarship awareness.

     e.  The scholarship committee will review all applications on Mar. 31, 2026, and recipients will be awarded their scholarships on May 7, 2026 during the high school's award ceremony.  That will be at 5:30 pm. 

 

5.  Prospective Eagle Scout project:  Lon Shell is currently working with another scout that has shown an interest in achieving his Eagle Scout award, with improvements to McBride Wilson Kiwanis Camp.

 

John shared the importance of sports and other extra-curricular activities for kids of all ages, as it gives them a sense of importance, direction, and leadership ethics.  he shared the many successes that his sports teams have experiences, and how many of his athletes have gone on to be signed on with many prestigious universities!  

 

John Walsh loved playing sports, and when asked to be a coach, he jumped on the opportunity.  He valued the social aspects and took pride in watching the growth of his kids, as well as parents and other adults.  

 

To "Rattler Up" is to "Cowboy Up"!  John uses this slogan to teach his athletes, the tools to Success!  He went on to explain what the tools to success are:

     1.  Accountability and Communication:  John explains that all athletes must stay is communication with his coach, and to be on time, every time.

     2.  Failure Inadversity:  Athletes and parents must accept that they will fail from time to time, and that it is to be used as a learning tool.  Parents must learn to allow their kids to fail.

     3.  Investment:  The athlete must accept both the emotional and physical investment they are making when committing to their sport.  There will be hard times, but they must work through it.  This is where time management comes into play, as well.

     4.  Leader Acknowledgement:  The athlete must find ways to show leadership skills, not only in the sport, but in other aspects of life.  Often times, he must explain to parents that they have to learn to back off sometimes.

 

John Walsh and his passion for student involvement was truly shown today, through his presentation!  Thank you for the programs.