************************************************************************

************************************************************************

 

 

************************************************************************

 

 

1.  Board Members: The Board of Directors voted Chase Dame in as a new board member for 2026-2027.  At this time, due to the unavailability of other club members, our board is at seven members but is still within requirements.  Welcome, Chase!

 

2. In Memory: To honor the memory of McBride Wilson and his recent passing, the board voted to contribute a wreath for his funeral and graveside service.

 

3. Next Year's Budget:  Future President Kristi Dame has started working on the Kiwanis budget for 2026-2027.  If you are a committee chairman, please contact her with your input.  Once the budget is completed, it may be difficult to get extra funding.

 

4.  Audit:  Willie Garza, Glen Rydl, and Gary Nelson will be meeting on Sept. 25, 2026, to review the financial books, in preparation for a new Kiwanis fiscal year.

 

5.  Dues are due: Rick Pickering has sent out or handed out invoices to each member.  These are invoices for the new fiscal year and need to be paid by Oct. 1, 2026.  If you are paying with 2 installments, the 1st installment is due by Oct. 1, 2026, and the second installment is due by April 1st.  We will be losing several members to either moves or life changes, and if you haven't heard already, Susie Hernandez and her family will be moving to Guatemala for an indefinite time.

 

6.  Disaster Backpacks:  Rick Pickering has collected $420 towards the $2000 for the disaster backpacks.  The hope is that we will be able to collect more, during the upcoming Trivia Run fundraiser, but if we are unable to come up with the full amount, there is discussion of helping one of the other Kiwanis Clubs that are working on this service project, as well.

 

7.  Trivia Run: The Trivia Run event is right around the corner and will happen on Sept. 26, 2026.  In order for our club to receive any money, we need to get people or businesses to sponsor the event.  The $200 sponsor fee will be used to assist several organizations in helping Veteran's.  So far, our club has not brought in any sponsors.  Please share the event, explain that it is a fun event, and will benefit the veterans.

 

8.  New meeting location: Kristi Dame is scheduled to meet with the Public Library this upcoming Wednesday, to find out if our club can use one of their rooms.  Until we get final answers, we will continue to meet at Grins Restaurant.

 

Cheryl Petre will never get tired of the Amera Cruise line, as she has used them for 3 different vacations! The cruise to Alaska was a fabulous trip, and the landscape was beyond words.  She and her husband took advantage of as many excursions as they could, and they were able to experience plane rides that only fit 6 people, raft trips with gorgeous hosts, and tiny motorboats.  During her travels, she saw a large variety of wildlife such as grizzly bears, moose, wild sheep, killer whales, humpback whales, and porpoises.  She also saw harbor seals, bald eagles, and puffin birds. Cheryl shared that she learned that there are approximately 460 bird species living in this area. Cheryl's favorite wild animal, though, was the Sea Otters.  She was so fascinated on how the baby otters were able to float around on their mother's stomach, while the mother otter floated on her back.  One of the things that fascinated her most was the size of the mother otter's feet compared to the pup's feet.  

 

Cheryl also shared that when they were floating on the raft, on their way to see the eagles, she was able to hear the icebergs cracking, and at one point, she and her husband witnessed a chunk of ice actually breaking and sliding into the water.  She explained that when that happened, it would push the dirt and gravel ahead of it, creating a slightly dirty patch of water.  This dirty patch is called the shoal or dirty zone.  She remarked that the icebergs were turquoise in color, and there was a lot of ice that was floating in the water. It was cold, and there was ice, but there were also patches of flowers and green plants.

 

Cheryl could not say enough about the scenery in Alaska, but the cruise ship was great, too!  It was a tiny ship, having 3 1/2 floors, and the food was fantastic!  She even shared a story about how two bottles of wine showed up in her room, during the cruise, and rather than wasting it, she gave them to her favorite steward to share with other stewards during their down time.

 

Next cruise, destination unknown, but maybe a few Kiwanians can tag along, as well!  Thank you, Cheryl, for a great program!