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By Patrice Stewart Kiwanis Kourier editor Twenty-one years ago, when Susan McDougal was a new member of the Kiwanis Club of Huntsville, she was assigned to serve on its Spelling Bee Committee. She learned a lot about spelling bees that year, considering that she had never participated in one herself, and her son was only 7 then. The next year, she found herself in charge of the Madison County Spelling Bee, which was one of her club’s an- nual projects. “I witnessed the best and brightest students in the county competing. It gave me and my club a lot of joy to watch these kids,” McDougal said. New decade, new duties As a new decade gets under way in 2020, McDougal is president-elect of the Kiwanis Club of Huntsville and heading up not only the county spell- ing bee but the Alabama state bee, now under the sponsorship of the Alabama Kiwanis Foundation. In recent years, the spelling compe- titions McDougal headed as a service project began getting a lot of media at- tention. Erin Howard, a student at Mountain Gap Elementary School in Huntsville, won the Alabama Spelling Bee — and she continued to win for a total of four years, going to the Wash- ington, D.C., area to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee four times. Last spring at the national com- petition, Erin became one of the By Patrice Stewart Kiwanis Kourier editor Kiwanis Governor Bob Brown is try- ing something different from the stan- dard midwinter meeting of the past. He has announced three regional Midwinter Training Meetings in Febru- ary, aiming for three times the atten- dance and three times the education and fun at far less cost per participant. The governor gives some details and explains his reasoning in his column beginning on Page 2 of this Kourier. Kiwanians can choose one of these three dates and locations: n Feb. 8, Cullman (Divisions 1, 2, 3, 6, 7) n Feb. 22, Montgomery (Divisions 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11) n Feb. 29, Monroeville (12, 13, 14) The sites were selected to put Kiwa- nians within easy driving distance of homes. If the meeting assigned to your division is not convenient, you can se- lect a different location and date. Each Head to the beach! The 2020 Kiwanis District Convention will be at Gulf Shores Aug. 14-16 Winter 2020 Published by Alabama Kiwanis Foundation 19 pages Kourier ALABAMA DISTRICT From reading to spelling, the Kiwanis Club of Huntsville has led the way in service projects. 2018-19 President Marc Byers welcomed spelling champ Erin Howard to the District Convention for the announcement that the Alabama Ki- wanis Foundation will sponsor the Ala- bama Spelling Bee, with Huntsville President-elect Susan McDougal, right, heading the effort. Locally, the Hunts- ville club is providing members as read- ing coaches at McDonnell Elementary. (See stories, Pages 1 and 5.) Cullman, Montgomery or Monroeville Pick the location most convenient to you, and attend a February regional meeting Kiwanis takes on state spelling bee (See SPELLING, Page 8) (See REGIONAL, Page 3)

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By Patrice StewartKiwanis Kourier editor

Twenty-one years ago, when SusanMcDougal was a new member of theKiwanis Club of Huntsville, she wasassigned to serve on its Spelling BeeCommittee.

She learned a lot about spelling beesthat year, considering that she hadnever participated in one herself, andher son was only 7 then.

The next year, she found herself incharge of the Madison County SpellingBee, which was one of her club’s an-nual projects.

“I witnessed the best and brighteststudents in the county competing. Itgave me and my club a lot of joy towatch these kids,” McDougal said.

New decade, new dutiesAs a new decade gets under way in

2020, McDougal is president-elect ofthe Kiwanis Club of Huntsville andheading up not only the county spell-ing bee but the Alabama state bee, nowunder the sponsorship of the AlabamaKiwanis Foundation.

In recent years, the spelling compe-titions McDougal headed as a serviceproject began getting a lot of media at-

tention. Erin Howard, a student atMountain Gap Elementary School inHuntsville, won the Alabama SpellingBee — and she continued to win for atotal of four years, going to the Wash-

ington, D.C., area to compete in theScripps National Spelling Bee fourtimes. Last spring at the national com-petition, Erin became one of the

By Patrice StewartKiwanis Kourier editor

Kiwanis Governor Bob Brown is try-ing something different from the stan-dard midwinter meeting of the past.

He has announced three regionalMidwinter Training Meetings in Febru-ary, aiming for three times the atten-dance and three times the education

and fun at far less cost per participant.The governor gives some details and

explains his reasoning in his columnbeginning on Page 2 of this Kourier.

Kiwanians can choose one of thesethree dates and locations:n Feb. 8, Cullman

(Divisions 1, 2, 3, 6, 7)n Feb. 22, Montgomery

(Divisions 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11)n Feb. 29, Monroeville (12, 13, 14)The sites were selected to put Kiwa-

nians within easy driving distance ofhomes. If the meeting assigned to yourdivision is not convenient, you can se-lect a different location and date. Each

Head to the beach! The 2020 Kiwanis District Convention will be at Gulf Shores Aug. 14-16

Winter 2020 Published by Alabama Kiwanis Foundation 19 pages

KourierALABAMA DISTRICT

From reading to spelling, the KiwanisClub of Huntsville has led the way inservice projects. 2018-19 President MarcByers welcomed spelling champ ErinHoward to the District Convention forthe announcement that the Alabama Ki-wanis Foundation will sponsor the Ala-bama Spelling Bee, with HuntsvillePresident-elect Susan McDougal, right,heading the effort. Locally, the Hunts-ville club is providing members as read-ing coaches at McDonnell Elementary.(See stories, Pages 1 and 5.)

Cullman, Montgomery or MonroevillePick the location most convenient to you, and attend a February regional meeting

Kiwanis takes on state spelling bee

(See SPELLING, Page 8)

n n n n n n n

n n n n n n n n

n n n n(See REGIONAL, Page 3)

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None of us is as smart as all of us.— Ken Blanchard

Leadership expert and author ofover 60 books, including his monumen-tal bestseller, “The One Minute Man-ager,” Ken Blanchard is a man of rare

insight into whatmakes organiza-tions successful.His concepts aresimple, but incred-ibly compelling.

For example,the quote abovesuccinctly deliversthe unequivocaltruth that each andevery one of uscan achieve morewhen we involveothers. We shareknowledge witheach other, we in-spire each other,and let's face it,working together

is just more fun and more fulfilling thanworking alone.

When we work together toward acommon goal, we draw strength fromone another.

This simple truth certainly applies toKiwanis. In fact, Kiwanis Internationalhas determined that one of the keycontributors to club strength is consis-tent participation in district gatherings.Why? Because when we get togetherwith other clubs, we share ideas, suc-cesses, failures and plans. In otherwords, we learn from each other.

In February, the Alabama Districthas the opportunity to significantly en-hance our strength and, subsequently,

our chances for success.You are probably already aware of

the fact that we are taking a differentapproach to our 2020 Midwinter Train-ing Meeting. We are trying a formatthat other Kiwanis Districts have em-ployed with great success (another ex-ample of the benefits of gathering andexchanging ideas!).

Less travel, less costWe have heard from many of you

that our traditional Midwinter Confer-ence was too far for some clubs totravel, and had gotten too expensivefor many of our members.

So this year, we are addressing bothtravel distance and cost by holdingthree meetings in different parts of thestate (north, central, and south), andslashing the cost to just $25 per at-tendee, including lunch.

By making these sessions easier toget to and more affordable, we hopethat we will get a significant increase inparticipation, which will translate intoan increase in district communication,camaraderie and capability.

The District Board has put togetheran agenda that will help strengthen

Register for the Kiwanis International Convention June 17-20, 2020, in Indianapolis, Indiana

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 2

Alabama Kiwanis KourierPublished by Alabama District Kiwanis FoundationAddress news, photos and other correspondence to:

Patrice W. Stewart, [email protected] • 256-303-1668Design and technical assistance by Steve Stewart

Governor: Bob Brown, Hoover-Metro ([email protected])Governor-elect: Mark Kellerman, Fairhope and Eastern Shore

([email protected])Vice Governor: Scott Sims, Homewood-Mountain Brook, [email protected] Governor: Ben Taylor, Montgomery ([email protected])District Secretary: Tammy Driskill, Gadsden ([email protected])District Office: P.O. Box 8505, Gadsden, AL 35902, 205-945-1334

alabama.kiwanis.org

3 regional meetings will help usgain strength through numbers

(See GOVERNOR, Page 3)

From theGovernor

By BobBrown

Alabama District Governor Bob Brown attended a midyear governors’ meet-ing in Dallas in January. At left, Brown (center) is with Michigan District Gov-ernor Sarah Kew and Georgia District Governor Andy Pipkin, who have thesame international trustee counselor — Cathy Szymanski — as Alabama. Atright, Brown meets with Southeast Area Director Rhonda Vrell of North Car-olina and Kiwanis International President Daniel Vigneron of Luxembourg.

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Email news and photos of club projects to the Kiwanis Kourier, [email protected]

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 3

South areaDivisions12,13,14

Saturday, Feb. 29First United Methodist Church

324 Pineville RoadMonroeville, AL 36460

Central areaDivisions

4,5,8,9,10,11Saturday, Feb. 22Alabama Cattlemen’s Assn.

201 S. Bainbridge St.Montgomery, AL 36104

North areaDivisions1,2,3,6,7

Saturday, Feb. 8St. John’s Church

512 Second Ave. SECullman, AL 35055

2020 Midwintertrainingmeetings

All meetings 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Total cost per attendee $25.

every club that participates:n Updates on all critical elements of

our district, including membership, fi-nancial status, our Service LeadershipPrograms, our Alabama Kiwanis Foun-dation, and critical programs like KeyLeader.n A workshop on Club Strengthen-

ing, which will provide specific tools tomeasure and increase the potency andviability of your local club.n A workshop that will provide all

the contacts and steps you will need toknow in order to set up your own localReading Is Fundamental program sothat you can continue to make a posi-tive impact on childhood literacy inyour community.n Training for current club presi-

dents and presidents-elect.n Training for club secretaries and

treasurers.n The launch of a new district initia-

tive (“MAY I Ask a Question?”) de-signed to simultaneously increaseKiwanis relevance to your local com-munity and help drive member recruit-ment.n Lastly, the smaller group setting

will allow for enhanced communica-tion between local clubs and the Dis-trict Board, and between various clubs.

Due to our efforts to conduct thesemeetings at the lowest possible cost,we are not incurring the cost of offer-ing online registration as we have inthe past. Your club president and secre-tary have received a sign-up sheet tolist all attendees from your club. Makesure your name is on it!Strength in numbers

We all know the old adage that thereis strength in numbers. Well, thegreater the number of participants inour Midwinter Training Meetings, the

greater the strength we will achieve.The more brainpower we gather to-gether, the more problems we solveand the more progress we make.

The great American inventorAlexander Graham Bell (if you can't re-call his most significant invention, giveme a phone call and I'll refresh yourmemory) summed up the potentialpower of our upcoming meetingswhen he said, "Great discoveries andachievements invariably involve thecooperation of many minds."

Please make your plans to be a partof our 2020 Midwinter Training Meet-ings. Come share your knowledge andpartake of the bountiful knowledge ofyour fellow Kiwanians.

To paraphrase the great Ken Blan-chard, "None of us is as smart … or asenergetic, or as committed, or as pas-sionate, or as intelligent, or as muchFUN … as all of us."

See you there!

Governor(From Page 2)

‘Meet the Governors’The Inverness Kiwanis Club hosted a "Meet the Gover-

nors" lunch meeting Nov. 7, with both Alabama District Cir-cle K Governor Zarien Morris (right) and Alabama KiwanisGovernor Bob Brown (left) speaking. Afterward, PresidentPeter Northcott (front) moderated a dialogue and exchangeof ideas on service and fundraising projects.

meeting will have the same program and almost the samespeakers and trainers.

Locations are listed on this page. The meetings will beheld from 9 to 3 p.m. and include district updates.

Officer training for club presidents will be led by PastLt. Governor Mike Winstead, while Past Governor ColeanBlack will teach secretaries and treasurers.

A workshop on Club Strengthening will be taught byRhonda Vrell, Southeast area director for Kiwanis Interna-tional, and Pam Fleming, past Kiwanis InternationalTrustee and Alabama District Governor.

Cathy Gafford, executive director of Jean Dean Read-ing Is Fundamental, will lead a session on “ImplementingYour Own RIF Program” for clubs interested in continu-ing a reading program after JDRIF ends in September.

Clubs are being asked to sign up their members plan-ning to attend a regional meeting on forms sent to theirpresidents and then mail those forms in with checks forthe total amount (head count times $25) to District Secre-tary Tammy Driskill, P.O. Box 8505, Gadsden, AL 35902.(See Page 9.)

Regional meetings(From Page 1)

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Deadline for the next edition of the online Kiwanis Kourier is April 1, 2020

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 4

Governor’stravels

Kiwanis Governor BobBrown hit the road after offi-cially taking office Oct. 1,joining clubs around the statefor meetings and serviceprojects. From left to right,top row to bottom row, he isshown with many Kiwanisclub members and lieutenantgovernors: Chelsea, Tusca-loosa, Wetumpka (new club),Capital City Montgomery,Cullman, Helena, Vulcan,Dadeville, Anniston and Ox-ford, Alexander City with Tal-lassee, Auburn and Dade-ville, and Gardendale.

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Go to a Midwinter Training Meeting close to home on a Saturday in February

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 5

By Mike RoddyDivision 1 Lieutenant GovernorPast President, Kiwanis Club of Huntsville

The Kiwanis Club of Huntsville hasalways been a big supporter of the JeanDean Reading is Fundamental pro-gram. With the RIF program closing in2020, the club was searching for a wayto continue working with children toencourage them to read and to enhancetheir reading skills.

Bryan Bennett, a retired Air ForceColonel and member of the KiwanisClub of Huntsville, started workingwith the Huntsville City School Systemto see what the club could do to helpwith their reading program for under-performing children.

Many ESL studentsTeachers from McDonnell Elemen-

tary School were invited to speak atour club and related their huge needfor help with the reading programs intheir school.

McDonnell Elementary is a Title Ischool with 80 percent of the studentbody identified as English as a secondlanguage (ESL). Most of their studentsare performing at reading levels one ormore below their grade levels.

Under the leadership of 2018-19Huntsville Kiwanis president Marc By-ers, a group met last summer withHuntsville City School representativesto discuss how we could help at Mc-Donnell Elementary.

Twenty-four Kiwanians from the Ki-

wanis Club of Huntsville are currentlyserving as reading coaches for studentsat the school. They conduct two 30-minute back-to-back sessions with stu-dents from grades K-5 on Tuesdaysand Thursdays.

Teachers identified students whoneeded help with reading followingthe reading assessment conducted atthe beginning of the school year.Coaches are provided a list of tasksthat need to be accomplished with eachstudent during each session. Kiwaniscoaches record the student’s progressat the end of each session.

Video made Oct. 15The first hands-on session with the

students was held Oct. 15, 2019. Hunts-ville City Schools Educational TV at-

tended this session and provided thefollowing video clip to all local TV sta-tions to encourage other civic organiza-tions to determine what they could doto strengthen the local school system.

The video includes Bryan Bennett,Kiwanis program chairman; LavondaGrant, curriculum specialist at McDon-nell Elementary; Kiwanis coaches suchas President-elect Susan McDougal;and several students. You can view thevideo here: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/video/nojs/view/197940818/4132662 (watch it soon, asit may not be available later).

When you view the video, you willbe impressed by the children — well-behaved, eager to learn, and having agreat time interacting with Kiwanians.

Twenty-four Huntsville Kiwanians are serv-ing as twice-weekly reading coaches for McDon-nell Elementary students (at left and below).Above, the club also provided funds to get a ro-botics team started; pictured are Kiwanis PastPresidents Bryan Bennett and Marc Byers; AmyBergerson, McDonnell robotics program lead;and Laura Worshim, school principal.

Huntsville Kiwanis Club starts readingprogram and other initiatives at school

(See READING, Page 12)

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Celebrate 30 years of Jean Dean Reading Is Fundamental at a March 7 luncheon in Montgomery

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 6

Past Alabama Kiwanis District GovernorStephen D. “Steve” Cragon of Birmingham diedDec. 14, 2019, after complications from recentsurgery. He was 90.

The family received friends beginning at 10a.m. Dec. 19 in the parlor at Vestavia Hills UnitedMethodist Church. A memorial service followedat 11 a.m. in the sanctuary.

Cragon was born July 28, 1929, in Atlanta,Georgia, to Henry and Anne Cragon. He gradu-ated from Peabody Demonstration School inNashville and enrolled as part of the first NROTCclass at Vanderbilt University. He was a memberof Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was manager ofthe Vanderbilt men’s basketball team.

Following graduation and his commission, he servedthree years active duty in the Navy on the carrier Midwayand an additional 25 years in the Naval Reserve, rising tothe rank of captain.

He met Mary Josephine Cox while home on leave inBirmingham, and they married in October 1952. After leav-ing the Navy, he went to work for Southern Bell TelephoneCompany.

Cragon raised his family of three children while workingin several cities in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia andAlabama. He retired with BellSouth Services in Birminghamin 1991 after more than 38 years service.

He was an active member at Vestavia Hills United

Methodist Church, where he served in manychurch capacities over the years.

He dedicated much of his retirement to Kiwa-nis, including serving as district governor. Hehad also served as Alabama Kiwanis district sec-retary and in many club roles in the Vestavia sKiwanis Club. Most recently he was a member ofthe Hoover Metro Kiwanis Club and actively at-tended state conventions.

A board member emeritus of the Alabama Ki-wanis Foundation, he also helped with fundingfor the Kiwanis International Foundation and itsworldwide projects such as eliminating IodineDeficiency Disorder and Maternal-NeonatalTetanus.

Cragon was a big supporter of the Alabama KiwanisFoundation’s signature project, Jean Dean Reading Is Fun-damental program.

Cragon enjoyed golf, puzzles, travel with FriendshipForce and family, and rooting for his Commodores. Cragontruly never met a stranger and loved spending time withhis family and friends.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Jo Cragon;daughter Carol Sims (Tom); son Stephen Cragon Jr. (Laura);six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter,Anne Mason Kouns; and sister Judy Cragon Reeves.

Steve Cragon

Past Governor Steve Cragon dies

in Montgomery

The March 7 “Open Books — OpenMinds” celebration is being planned byRuss and Carol Grimes as a tribute to 30years of the Jean Dean Reading Is Funda-mental program.

Russ Grimes is an Alabama KiwanisFoundation board member and RIF com-mittee chair.

A limited number of tickets are left, soreserve yours quickly. The event chairshad an early deadline to guarantee anumber to the catering team at the RSAActivity Center in Montgomery. EmailRIF Executive Director Cathy Gafford [email protected] to check on tick-ets, or call her at 334-750-9974.

For 30 years, Gafford has operated thissignature project for the Foundation, andit has drawn international recognition. Be-fore the program ends in September 2020,she and JDRIF supporters want to thankKiwanis clubs and members who havehelped buy books and have read thosebooks in Head Starts and other locations,as well as team captains, site coordinatorsand volunteers who have put labels in

books and prepared them for shipment.The luncheon will run from 11:30 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m. on the first Saturday inMarch at 201 Dexter Ave. Tickets for Ki-wanians are $40; the deadline to pay isJan. 25 by sending a check to JDRIF at1105 Fitzpatrick Ave., Opelika, AL 36801,or through celebrate.jeandeanrif.org.

Gafford emailed letters to her Kiwanisclub contacts, thanking them for “yourcaring and dedication to giving childrenthe tools to prepare them for school andbeyond.” She announced that at each ofthe three regional Midwinter TrainingMeetings in February in Cullman, Mont-gomery and Monroeville, she will put ona 45-minute workshop on how clubs cancontinue their own reading programs.

She also said the A-O Emblem Clubwill put on its final Breakfast for Booksbenefiting Jean Dean RIF on Feb. 1 from 7to 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church inOpelika. Tickets are $5 for pancakes andsausage with milk, juice or coffee; getthem in advance from her or EmblemClub members, or at the door.

Luncheon to celebrate Jean Dean RIF’s 30 yearsTickets are limited!

March 7, 2020in Montgomery

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Have Kiwanis questions? Call Alabama District Secretary Tammy Driskill at 205-945-1334

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 7

By Pam SchislerAlabama Key Leader Coordinator

Key Leader 2019 is just around thecorner.

The Alabama District Key Leaderweekend will be held April24-26. This program willtake place at Camp ASCCAon Lake Martin in Jackson’sGap, Alabama.

Key Leader is a wonder-ful servant leadership pro-gram for students from 8thto 12th grades. Students whoattend this fun-filled week-end stay in separate maleand female cabins withchaperones.

This life-changing eventfocuses on five core princi-ples: integrity, growth, re-spect, community and excellence.

Those attending learn leadershipskills that will help them change theway they view their schools and com-

munities. They participate in a week-end of community workshops andteam-building activities. There is alsoplenty of outdoor fun on the low ropescourse.

By the end of the KeyLeader program, studentswill have made new friendsfrom all over the state ofAlabama.

We have challenged eachKiwanis club in Alabama tosponsor at least two stu-dents from your area.

Key Leader is not just forKey Club members. It is forany student wanting to de-velop leadership skills andconfidence. It can be for afamily member, niece ornephew, grandson or grand-

daughter.Let's not forget that these students

are our future.Key Leader would not be possible

without your support and generosity.We appreciate the continued support ofthe Alabama District Key Club and theAlabama Kiwanis Foundation for theirgenerous scholarships.

These scholarships provide manystudents with the opportunity to at-tend.

For more information, visitwww.key-leader.org or contact PamSchisler, [email protected], orone of the Key Leader student liaisons:Blake Busby, [email protected],or Elizabeth Schisler, [email protected].

Pam Schisler

Key Leader detailsDate: April 24-26, 2020Location: Camp ASCCA in Jack-

son’s Gap AlabamaWho can attend: Open to all

8th-12th gradersFees: Key Club members, $175;

non-Key Club members, $200Registration: Opening soon

Your club needs to sponsor at least 2students to go to Key Leader weekend

Hello everyone, and happy 2020!I am humbled to read about the great service

projects of your district. The impact many willfeel because of your projects is impressive.

Alabama District Governor Bob Brown is lead-ing by example and letting actions speak louderthan words. That is also Kiwanis InternationalPresident Daniel Vigneron’s motto for the year.

Remember that Governor Bob’s No. 1 priorityin January will be signing your clubs up for thethree Midwinter Training meetings.

We would love to have you volunteer for thenew-club opening event in southern Alabamaduring the week of March 9. There are manyways you can volunteer — perhaps by makingcalls to set up appointments for the team, or post-ing on social media.

Please contact Governor Bob to discuss howyou can help start a club. There is a lot we canlearn from these events, and the more hands to

serve, the more we learn from one another.This year’s Kiwanis International Convention

will be held June 17-20 in Indianapolis, Indiana.There are many new packages being offered thisyear; check out the information athttps://www.kiwanis.org/convention/2020.

Kiwanis is serious business with a playfulspirit. So that's exactly what this convention willbe — a union of grown-up commitment andchildlike exuberance. Come to Indianapolis forleadership education with a playful twist.

Airline Captain “Sully” Sullenberger is justone of the extraordinary speakers in Indianapolis.

I appreciate each and every one of you andwhat you represent. I am so proud to be servingthe Alabama District. If there is anything I can dofor you, let me know. Email [email protected] Szymanski of Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, is

the Kiwanis International trustee who serves as coun-selor to the Alabama District for 2019-20..

KI TrusteeCounselor

By CathySzymanski

Attend Midwinter Training; help start clubs

Get ready for Kiwanis Pancake Days!Look up dates for nearby fundraisers and see how many you can attend!

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Head to the beach! The 2020 Kiwanis District Convention will be at Gulf Shores Aug. 14-16

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 8

national “octo champions” during herfinal year of eligibility.

The national bee is usually held rightafter Memorial Day at the Gaylord Na-tional Resort & Convention Center inNational Harbor, Maryland. In 2019,the 92nd Scripps National Spelling Beefinals were on May 30, televised onESPN. The 562 contestants spelled untilthey were wrong; the winners wereeight co-champions, including Erin,who lasted through 20 rounds.

McDougal’s responsibilities have in-creased through the years, as she be-came the most experienced person atthe state bee and was put in charge.

Responsibilities grewThe Birmingham Post-Herald spon-

sored the state spelling bee for years,but that newspaper went out of busi-ness in 2005. McDougal, as the countycoordinator with the longest involve-ment, was asked to help find a sponsor.

“I jumped fast, because I didn’twant to let these kids down,” McDou-gal recalled. At the time, she was em-ployed by a travel agency with officesaround the state. She proposed thatthey sponsor the state bee, and theyagreed, with her handling the details.

Last spring, about the time of thestate bee, she went out on her own as atravel agent. It was time to look for asponsor again.

While watching Erin spell difficultwords on national television andcheering her on, McDougal was con-cerned about the future of the programshe had nurtured for two decades. Firstthe newspaper sponsorship had ended,and now sponsorships by other busi-nesses were ending.

She began talking to Alabama Kiwa-nis Foundation 2018-19 President Ern-est Hulsey of Huntsville about spon-soring the state bee.

“I knew it needed to go to a groupthat cared about kids,” McDougal said.She presented the idea at an early sum-mer meeting of the Alabama KiwanisFoundation board in Montgomery andwas told afterward that they wanted totake on the role of sponsor, with herhelp. Jean Dean Reading Is Fundamen-tal is in its 30th and final year as thefoundation’s signature project.

The formal announcement wasmade by Hulsey at the Alabama Kiwa-nis District Convention in Huntsvillelast August, with McDougal and hernational champion speller present.

“Everybody has really jumped in tohelp spread the word,” said McDougal,who oversees the Alabama SpellingBee from her office in Huntsville.

During the fall, she has been work-ing with county coordinators and tak-ing applications. The fee to enter thestate bee was $165 from May 1 to Oct.15, and then it increased to $240 untilthe Dec. 20 deadline. That fee goes di-rectly to Scripps, which provides allthe materials for the state bee.

“Everybody needs to encouragetheir schools to register,” said McDou-gal. “For some schools, that’s a lot ofmoney, but they can approach civic or-ganizations or have PTA bake sales.”Follow the Alabama Spelling Bee Face-book page to learn more.

For the winning student at state, thesponsor of the bee provides flights andaccommodations for the nationalevent, outside Washington, D.C. Mc-Dougal would like to add a cash prize.

3 judges and 1 pronouncerAs county coordinator, her duties in-

clude encouraging teachers and stu-dents to enter the spelling bee. She gotother Kiwanians to help with sitesetup, plus some to answer questionsfor students, teachers and parents.

Every county spelling bee needsthree judges, one pronouncer, an ap-peals person and a record keeper, Mc-Dougal said. Normally, the currentpresident of Huntsville Kiwanis servesas a judge, plus another Kiwanis mem-ber who has experience as a judge.

McDougal noted that the Madison

County bee brings in more studentsthan the state bee.

Through the eighth grade“We use the county bee as a time to

sell our Kiwanis Club of Huntsvillepancake tickets,” she said. The site ro-tates each year in order to highlightvarious schools; this year the countybee will be held at the Academy forAcademics and Arts. Some counties seta minimum age; students cannot com-pete after finishing the eighth grade.

That’s why champ Erin Howard isnot eligible to enter the MadisonCounty spelling bee again this year.She won the county bee and the statebee four times and went to nationalsfour years, finishing as a co-championlast year. She now attends GrissomHigh School and plays in the band.

A student must compete in the Ala-bama State Bee to get to the ScrippsNational Spelling Bee, said McDougal,who has arranged many trips for spell-ers and parents but has never been towatch nationals herself.

Schools enroll online to hold spell-ing bees, and national sponsor Scrippssends them electronic materials such asaccess to study guides, spelling listsand pronouncers’ guides. “They arepretty autonomous until they havecompleted their school’s bee,” McDou-gal said. “Scripps sends me materialsfor district bees and the state bee.”

Some counties may hold districtspelling bees (Jefferson, Mobile-Bald-win, and Etowah do), and homeschoolers form a district, too.

Kiwanis clubs that sponsor theircounty bees are Kiwanis Club of Mont-gomery, Kiwanis Club of Tuscaloosa,and Kiwanis Club of Dadeville in Tal-lapoosa County, as well as KiwanisClub of Huntsville for Madison County.

Other Kiwanis clubs can help, saidMcDougal, by sponsoring county beesand helping with students’ entry feesand travel. She said these counties cur-rently don’t have competitions affili-ated with the state bee: Barber, Bullock,Clay, Conecuh, Coosa, Crenshaw,Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Lawrence,Marengo, Marion, Perry, Pike, Ran-dolph and Sumter.

“Kiwanians can start talking it upfor next year,” McDougal said, sincethe deadline to register for the 2020competition was in December.

Spelling(From Page 1)

First Kiwanis beeMarch 21 at UAB

The first Alabama Spelling Beeto be sponsored by the AlabamaKiwanis Foundation is scheduled forSaturday, March 21, in Birming-ham, according to Susan McDou-gal.

The executive director of theAlabama Kiwanis Foundation’s new-est project wants to involve KeyClub and Circle K members at thestate bee, which will be held in ahall provided by the University ofAlabama at Birmingham.

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Email news and photos of club projects to the Kiwanis Kourier, [email protected]

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 9

2020 Midwinter Training MeetingsChoose a Saturday: Feb. 8, Feb. 22 or Feb. 29.

All meetings 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Total cost per attendee $25 (includes lunch).

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Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 10

Kiwanians around the state stayed busy during theChristmas season, from ringing bells for the SalvationArmy to helping with Angel Tree gifts. Other projects in-cluded an ornament featuring Pell City High, part of afundraiser series for Pell City Kiwanis Club. The Christ-mas parade sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Gadsdenfeatured the first-prize float, top right, and Kiwanis Gov-ernor Bob Brown driving wife Mary Lynn in a 1970 Mus-tang convertible, center right, compliments of Lt. Gov.

Jerry Ware. Clubs decorating trees for Children’s Hospitalincluded Homewood-Mountain Brook, center left, with atoy theme, and Hoover-Metro, center, with a Nutcrackertheme. In Gardendale, Kiwanians handed out candy fromtheir booth along the parade route, bottom left. And KeyClubbers got into the spirit with a caroling fundraiserplanned by Lt. Governor Blake Busby; 25 participantsfrom five area Key Clubs raised more than $425 for Chil-dren’s Hospital.

Ho,ho,ho!

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Clubs, plan now to send two area students to Key Leader weekend April 24-26, 2020

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 11

These Alabama District Circle K members spent a fallweekend on the shore of Perdido Bay for the annual Ala-bama Leadership Academy. They shared ideas, partici-pated in leadership activities, made new friends and

renewed old acquaintances through the weekend. Thecollege students and Alabama District Circle K Adminis-trator Peck Fox left energized, inspired and ready for ser-vice.

Circle K Leadership Academy

Fall board meetingThe 2019-20 officers and board members for Alabama Dis-

trict Circle K met last fall to plan their year. Shown withthem are Alabama Circle K Administrator Peck Fox (left) andKiwanis Children’s Fund board member and Past AlabamaDistrict Governor Armand St. Raymond (right). AlabamaCircle K’ers Tana Early and Racheal Fairley are now servingas trustees on the Circle K International board.

Retiring Old GloryMembers of the Birmingham-Southern College Cir-

cle K chapter follow the official steps for a “flag retire-ment ceremony” for flags that will no longer to beflown.

102nd AnnualKiwanis District

ConventionGulf Shores,

AlabamaGulf State Park

August 14-16, 2020Bring the family!

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Register for the Kiwanis International Convention June 17-20, 2020, in Indianapolis, Indiana

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 12

Kiwanians will be eating cake andsinging “Happy Birthday” a lot in thenext year or two, as another round ofAlabama District clubs turn 100.

According to Kiwanis Internationalrecords, five clubs will celebrate 100thanniversaries in 2020. KI lists the fol-lowing clubs and organizationaldates: Bessemer, April 7; Decatur,April 8; Opelika, May 6; Anniston,July 12; and Dothan, Sept. 23.

Then in 2021, more 100-year cele-brations will be held. KI lists theseclubs as having been organized in1921: Tuscaloosa, April 9; Cullman,April 18; Eufaula, Sept. 23.

The Kiwanis Club of Birminghamturned 100 in 2017, with others in-cluding Gadsden, Huntsville andMontgomery following in 2019.

Not all clubs have the same datesin their records as KI does. The Kiwa-nis Club of Decatur’s records indicateit was organized Feb. 26, 1920, andchartered July 8, 1920.

What do you do when the recordsdiffer? The Decatur club plans to cele-brate in all three months: February,April and July.

After all, there’s no limit to howmuch birthday cake you can eat!

More clubs to turn 100 in 2020

An installation ceremony for 2019-20 K-Kids at Gulf Shores ElementarySchool was held Oct. 22, with mem-bers receiving certificates. K-Kids offi-cers taking part in the program are,from left: Vice President Jack Nelson;President Brody Shiver; TreasurerJoey McAleer; Secretary PresleyBarker; and Sergeant at Arms LennoxRay. Advisers attending the installa-tion ceremony are, from left, LindsayTaylor, faculty adviser; KristieWheeles, parent volunteer; StaciRobinson, faculty adviser; TaylorMeans, a past Kiwanis lieutenantgovernor and Gulf Shores KiwanisClub member; Mary Hoerlein, K-KidsAlabama Kiwanis District adminis-trator; Stacy Bathrick, Gulf ShoresKiwanis Club adviser; Luke Rober-son, Gulf Shores Kiwanis Club presi-dent; and Ashley Weekley, facultyadviser. K-Kids is a student-led ser-vice club for students in elementaryschools. K-Kids was developed byand is modeled after Kiwanis Interna-tional, a global network of men andwomen devoted to serving the chil-dren of the world. The K-Kids pro-gram helps develop leadershipthrough service to the school andcommunity. For information on start-ing a club, contact K-Kids Adminis-trator Mary Hoerlein by [email protected].

K-Kidsinstallationceremony

In addition to serving as readingcoaches, club members have helped Mc-Donnell Elementary in other ways as theyrecognized needs.

For example, the club arranged to pur-chase more than 700 age-appropriatebooks for classroom libraries from theJean Dean RIF program. These bookswere presented to the school Oct. 15.

Also, teachers at McDonnell wanted tostart a robotics club, but no funding wasavailable to purchase supplies. The Kiwa-nis Club of Huntsville provided funds sothe school could purchase two roboticskits to allow the school to start a team.

Reading(From Page 5)

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Celebrate 30 years of Jean Dean Reading Is Fundamental at a March 7 luncheon in Montgomery

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 13

By Glenda SelmanDistrict Aktion Club Administrator

The Alabama Aktion Club NorthernConference was held Oct. 19 at CampMcDowell, sponsored by the JasperAktion Club with some financial sup-port from the Kiwanis Club of Jasper.

More than 110 registered from Ak-tion clubs in Huntsville, Florence, Gads-den, Exceptional Birmingham, Moodyand Jasper.This year’s themes were“Aktion Club — hero at heart” and“My superpower is helping others.”

Participants were encouraged to wearsomething from their favorite superhero,from a scarf or hat to a full costume.

When they registered, each personwas given a number and directed totheir table. Each table included mem-bers from different clubs, so they wereable to share ideas and enjoy commu-nicating with everyone.

Many members have made friendsthat they see only once a year at theconference, so they were able to enjoytheir friendships.

The day began with Alabama Kiwa-nis Vice Governor Scott Sims talking

about how Aktion Club and Kiwanismembers work together, and how Ak-tion clubs help their communities.

Then each table had a Kiwanian orfaculty adviser moderate a table work-shop. Those at each table decided ontheir group’s name, and each personstated their superpower and how ithelps their Aktion Club. After thoseitems were noted on a list, a personfrom each table shared the informationwith everyone.

Then there was a special visit fromthe fire department. The fire chief dis-cussed how to be safe in your houseand how to deal with any fire event.Aktion members were able to ask ques-tions about safety and then given atour of a fire truck. They were able toget close to the fire truck and interactwith the firemen.

After lunch, there was a visit from alocal organization that focuses onneighbors that we all have in Alabama:animals. The leader talked about vari-ous animals and how to be safe aroundthem. Then the organization’s volun-teers took the animals around to the ta-

bles to let Aktion Club members petthem and ask more questions.

The snake was the most popular.Several members were afraid but ableto see it up close, while others wereable to touch it.

Also attending were Division 5 Lt.Governor Keith McKendall, a memberof the Indian Springs Village KiwanisClub, and Division 3 Lt. GovernorSteve Thomas, a member of the JasperKiwanis Club and supporter of theJasper Aktion Club. They enjoyed in-teracting with Aktion Club members atthe conference, which blended beingwith friends, sharing information andlearning how great Aktion Clubs are.District Aktion Club Administrator

Glenda Selman told the group that it washer final conference as administrator, sinceshe will be stepping down in March afterserving in that post since 1988 or 1989, ex-cept for one year. “Since this was my lastconference, they gave me a thank-you card,and I got hugs from all the members andadvisers. It really meant so much to me,”Selman said.

Heroes and superpowers were the theme for the fall Alabama Aktion Club Northern Conference, held at Camp Mc-Dowell. At lower right, Vice Governor Scott Sims, Aktion Administrator Glenda Selman and Division 5 Lt. GovernorKeith McKendall were among officers attending.

110+ attend Aktion Conference

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Head to the beach! The 2020 Kiwanis District Convention will be at Gulf Shores Aug. 14-16

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 14

Members of the Gadsden Aktion Club voted to help vet-erans, police and nursing home occupants.

For two years, they have helped the Gadsden Etowah Pa-triots Association with two events. In May, they helped pre-pare for the Memorial Day ceremony by setting up chairsand distributing programs, and later they worked to takedown everything. They also wrote cards to be distributed tothe veterans hospital at Thanksgiving.

Club members also helped set up for the annual VeteransLuncheon and cleaned up after the event. They set up thetable decorations and made sure all tables had the correctnumber of chairs and silverware so the attendees could en-joy the event.

Veterans’ names and serviceThey also helped set up the stage and put up posters out-

side the venue that honored veterans with their names andservice. After the event, they cleaned the tables and movedthe chairs for storage.

The Patriots Association thanked them for their hardwork and commented that without the help of Aktion Clubmembers, it would have taken all afternoon to set up theday before and all afternoon to take down everything.

Aktion members had their photo made with the speaker,Army Ranger Howard “Mad Max” Mullen, and gave him acard thanking him for his service. Mullen was inducted intothe Army Ranger Hall of Fame for his more than 20 years ofservice.

In December, club members wrote Christmas cards forGadsden Police Department and delivered them to the po-

lice chief and commanders, who distributed them to the po-lice. This made the Gadsden Times newspaper.

Jail or handcuffs?While delivering cards to the Police Department, Aktion

members joked around and asked if the police could putAktion Club District Administrator Glenda Selman in jail.The police said no to that, and it made the newspaper arti-cle. They also said no, that the Aktion Club president couldnot borrow the police handcuffs to put on Selman.

In February, the club will send Valentine cards to veter-ans and help Kiwanis Club of Gadsden members at Pan-cake Day. They are planning a St. Patrick’s party for a localnursing home and an Easter party for kindergartners andthen will end their year with another Memorial Day event.

—Glenda Selman, District Administrator for Aktion Clubs

Gadsden AktionClub members helpthe Marine CorpsLeague set up andtake down chairs andclean up after theMemorial Day cele-bration. Above, theyare with Gadsdenpolice and advisersBillie Harris andGlenda Selman; be-low, with speakerHoward Mullen.

Gadsden Aktion Club helping veterans,police and residents of nursing homes

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Email news and photos of club projects to the Kiwanis Kourier, [email protected]

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 15

The Vaughn-Blumberg Services Aktion Clubin Dothan completed a Toys for Tots drive inDecember — one of its annual projects.

We have partnered with our sponsoring Ki-wanis Club of Dothan this year in helping withtheir fundraiser for the Jean Dean Reading IsFundamental program, as well as the annualpancake breakfast fundraiser. We were happy tosell approximately 75 pancake breakfast tickets.

A few of our other projects include a summerfood drive for the Wiregrass Food Bank, plant-ing and cultivating begonias from seed and tak-ing them to Wesley Place for Mother’s Day, andpicking up trash at the Kiwanis park to ensurechildren and parents have a clean area for play-ing, walking and having picnics.

We are always excited to help in the commu-nity and give back.

— Sheri Maupin

Aktion Club has12,000 worldwide

Aktion Club is the only serviceclub for adults with disabilities,and it has more than 12,000members worldwide.

Aktion Club is an organizationwhich provides its members withopportunities to serve their com-munity, build character and de-velop leadership. Their core valuesare leadership, character building,caring and inclusiveness.

For information on starting anAktion Club in your area, contactAlabama District of Kiwanis AktionClub Administrator Glenda Selmanat [email protected].

Members of the Vaughn-Blumberg Aktion Club in Dothan sold 75 Kiwanis pancake breakfast tickets and helped atthat and other events, as well as completing their December Toys for Tots drive and other projects.

Aktion Club in Dothan has myriad projects

Play with purpose June 17-20, 2020Kiwanis International Convention, Indianapolis, IndianaKiwanis is serious business with a playful spirit. So that's exactly what this convention will be — a union of

grown-up commitment and childlike exuberance. Come to Indianapolis for leadership education with a playful twist.n Three registration options are new this year: Register for the entire convention, for the Kiwanis Education Con-

ference, or for a day. Register online through May 22, 2020.n Featured speakers include Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, who became renowned for safely guiding US Air-

ways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s Hudson River, and Kevin Carroll, who has ded-icated his life to advancing education, sports and play as a vehicle for social change and success.n Bring the family along to enjoy all that downtown Indy offers near the convention center: Zoo, Children’s Mu-

seum, art museum, state museum and more museums; NCAA Hall of Champions; downtown mall; ball park; IMAXmovies; canal walk with paddle boats; a city market and more. If that’s not enough, you can head out to the Indi-anapolis Speedway.

www.kiwanis.org/convention/2020

n n n n n n n

n n n n n n n n

n n n n

Kiwanis is serious business with a playful spirit. Sothat's exactly what this convention will be — a union ofgrown-up commitment and childlike exuberance. Cometo Indianapolis for leadership education with a playfultwist.n Three registration options are new this year: Regis-

ter for the entire convention, for the Kiwanis EducationConference, or for a day. Register online through May22, 2020.n Featured speakers include Captain “Sully” Sullen-

berger, who became renowned for safely guiding US

Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing inNew York City’s Hudson River, and Kevin Carroll, whohas dedicated his life to advancing education, sports andplay as a vehicle for social change and success.n Bring the family along to enjoy all that downtown

Indy offers near the convention center: Zoo, Children’sMuseum, art museum, state museum and more muse-ums; NCAA Hall of Champions; downtown mall; ballpark; IMAX movies; canal walk with paddle boats; a citymarket and more. If that’s not enough, you can headout to the Indianapolis Speedway.

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Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 16

Everybody loves a train ride — es-pecially kids!

The Kiwanis Club of Montgomerywanted to give a gift to kids to marktheir 100-year anniversary, so they de-cided to make sure the kids in theirarea have a train to ride around theMontgomery Zoo.

At the club’s celebration breakfastOct. 31 in the RSA activities centerdowntown, a train engine burstthrough the balloon arch and chuggedaround, with several television stationsfilming.

The big check written to the Mont-gomery Zoo for $100,000 — $1,000 forevery year of service provided by thisclub — will allow the zoo to purchase anew train engine and keep on chugging.

The Kiwanis Club of Montgomery— the third largest and among the old-est Kiwanis clubs in the world — willalso keep on chugging and providingmonetary grants and service to dozensof area agencies that serve children andothers.

The club had the foresight to start ahuge annual service project of the typethat keeps on giving.

For 65 years, area families have hadfun with the rides, shows and conces-sions at the Alabama National Fair.

Proceeds from the fair help the clubcontribute $200,000 to $300,000 eachyear to area agencies that help chil-dren, according to the club’s president,Sam Johnson.

He and other club members, includ-

ing last year’s Alabama Kiwanis Gov-ernor Ben Taylor, were in a banquetroom in Orlando during the KiwanisInternational Convention last Junewhen the Alabama National Fair wasnamed the top Kiwanis signature ser-vice project in the world.

The club’s donations usually go toorganizations that benefit children,ranging from Boys and Girls Clubs ofthe River Region since 1938 to newergroups such as Service Dogs Alabama.

It is estimated that in its 100 years,the club has donated about $9 millionto organizations and scholarships.

Some of that is due to the Pete Peter-son Trust, which started with a$700,000 donation in 1968 that hasgrown to more than $3 million.

Celebrating the 100 years of the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery are, from left,District Governor Bob Brown, Past Governor Ben Taylor, Club President SamJohnson, Governor-elect Mark Kellerman and Division 9 Lt. Governor and PastMontgomery Kiwanis President Donnie Robinson. A big check for $100,000 anda Montgomery Zoo train engine were part of the breakfast celebration markingthe club’s organization on Oct. 31, 1919.

Montgomery club funds zoo’s train engine

Daphne envisionsProject Sandbox

Kiwanis members are front and cen-ter at the kickoff of “Project Sandbox,”an effort to build the Eastern Shore anew, inclusive playground. The cam-paign goal is to raise around $350,000.The city of Daphne pledged $100,000and agreed to provide property andmaintain the playground. The team in-cludes the Kiwanis Club of Daphne-Spanish Fort, the city and the Excep-tional Foundation Gulf Coast. Theartist’s vision shows the plan for an en-vironment where all children can play.

Clubs in Action

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Go to a Midwinter Training Meeting close to home on a Saturday in February

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 17

Clubs in Action

From left: Jeanie Smith, Paul England, Monroeville Ki-wanis President Pete Black, and Phyllis Bell.

Monroeville presents 3 awardsThe Monroeville Kiwanis Club presented three awards at

its annual awards luncheon Dec. 3.Paul England was named Citizen of the Year, and Jeanie

Smith was named Kiwanian of the year. Phyllis Bell re-ceived a Zeller Fellowship for work with Project Eliminate,a joint effort by Kiwanis International and UNICEF to raisefunds for wiping out deadly maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Both England and Smith are past presidents of Mon-roeville Kiwanis, who have served the club and district innumerous capacities.

Membership in Kiwanis is not required for Citizen of theYear. It is based on a history of service to the local commu-nity. England came to Monroeville in 2000. He manages thelocal Trustmark Bank office. He is from Mobile and hasserved three terms as a Kiwanis lieutenant governor.

Kiwanian of the Year is chosen by local club memberswho submit nominations to a secret committee.

Great gumbo and good weather drew a crowd to Fair-hope for the “Best of the Bay” Gumbo Cookoff Oct. 19.Governor-elect Mark Kellerman and Fairhope-EasternShore Kiwanis Club President Sherry Sullivan invited Ki-wanis Governor Bob and Mary Lynn Brown to attend thefundraiser. Also seen sampling gumbo and enjoying livemusic were Past Governor Keith Graham, Azalea City Ki-wanis President Dee Dee Graham and their daughterEmily, and Past Governor Karla Moons. Past Lt. GovernorThomas Lott and Linda were representing the Daphne-

Spanish Fort Kiwanis Club in the competition. This Al-abama World Food Championship event was held at Hal-stead Amphitheater at Coastal Alabama CommunityCollege. At a club meeting soon afterward, the Kiwanisclub honored Ashley Bell with the O.O. Stewart Award,named for a founding club member who inspired othersthrough community service. For the past nine years, Bellhas served as chair of the gumbo championship event,growing it to almost 40 cooking teams and helping raisemore than $80,000 for the community.

Eastern Shore club holds‘Best of the Bay’ GumboCookoff with live music

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Register for the Kiwanis International Convention June 17-20, 2020, in Indianapolis, Indiana

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 18

The Monroeville Kiwanis and Ro-tary clubs donated $4,690 to the Mon-roeville Area Angel Tree to helppurchase Christmas gifts for children.

The money came from the annualKiwanis/Rotary auction of cakes andother baked goods, held Nov. 19.

During Christmas 2019, the AngelTree Program served 207 children ages3-10 whose families could not affordtoys due to unemployment, illness orunderemployment.

Sponsors took children’s namesfrom Angel Trees in the community

and then gave the children gifts. Indi-viduals, Kiwanis, Rotary, and MonroeCounty High School's Beta and Na-tional Honor Society clubs collectivelyraised over $5,400 to cover names thatwere not picked.

“This was an incredible effort andan example of a great communityworking together,” said Pam Barn-hardt, the volunteer chairperson for theMonroeville Area Angel Tree. She isemployed as minister of youth and ed-ucation at First United MethodistChurch in Monroeville.

From left: Pam Barnhardt, Rotary President Mary Jackson, Kiwanis auctioncoordinator Tom Lomenick, Kiwanis Vice President Debora Jinright and Ki-wanis President Pete Black.

Monroeville club helps pay for Christmas gifts

The Shelby County Fair has been the signature serviceproject of the Kiwanis Club of Columbiana for 70 years.Proceeds go to local service agencies such as Scouts,school libraries, Key Club and more. The theme for theNov. 4-9 event was “Hats Off to 70 Years.” District Gover-nor Bob Brown helped set up and man the Kiwanis booth,with help from Richard Harley of the Indian Springs Ki-

wanis Club on one night and John Garrison of theColumbiana club on another. Volunteers from IndianSprings, Montevallo and other neighboring clubs helpedthroughout the week. Brown said the highlight wasKenny Moor filling out a Kiwanis application at the boothand becoming the Columbiana club's newest member.

Columbiana Kiwanis Club’s Shelby County Fair

Clubs in Action

2020 Kiwanisfamily calendarn Feb. 8, Northern area Midwin-

ter Training Meeting, Cullmann Feb. 22, Central area Midwin-

ter Training Meeting, Montgomeryn Feb. 29, Southern area Mid-

winter Training Meeting, Mon-roevillen Feb. 28-March 1, Circle K

District Convention, Huntsville Mar-riottn March 7, Celebration lun-

cheon: 30 years of Jean DeanReading Is Fundamental, RSA ac-tivity building, Montgomeryn Week of March 8, Club open-

ing blitz, Baldwin/Mobile countyarean March 21, Alabama Spelling

Bee sponsored by Kiwanis, Birm-inghamn April 3-5, Key Club District

Convention, Hyatt Regency, HooverGallerian April 24-26, Key Leader

weekend, Jackson’s Gapn June 17-20, Kiwanis Interna-

tional Convention, Indianapolis, In-dianan Aug. 14-16, Alabama Kiwanis

District Convention, Gulf State Park

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Clubs, plan now to send two area students to Key Leader weekend April 24-26, 2020

Alabama Kiwanis Kourier, Winter 2020 19

Indian Springs: More laptopsThe new year brought even more computers donated

by the Kiwanis Club of Indian Springs Village to areaschools. This time, Kiwanians concentrated on the ele-mentary level. Presenting 28 Chromebooks for classroomsto Debbie Horton, principal of Oak Mountain ElementarySchool, are Dr. Dale Elliott, left, President Jake Guercioand Rick Harley, right. The club donated $75,000 inChromebook laptops to the Oak Mountain School Districtduring 2018-19.

Governor Bob Brown and wife Mary Lynn joined theFort Payne Kiwanis Club and Division 7 Lt. GovernorJerry Ware to install the new officers and board membersOct. 17. Immediate Past President Randy Posey passed thegavel to new President Jeremy Taylor. Also installed werePresident-elect Christian Payne, Treasurer Kyle Burt andSecretary Sharon Jones. She also received a 30-year perfectattendance award.

FortPayneinstallsofficers

A ‘Reading Oasis’ in BirminghamThe cool spot to visit at West Center Street Head Start

in Birmingham is its “Reading Oasis.” At the fall JeanDean Reading Is Fundamental session, readers (bottomleft photo) included Leland Keller and Deb Gasque,whose Homewood-Mountain Brook Kiwanis Club builtthe Reading Oasis. Kiwanis Governor Bob Brown alsowas there for the first reading of the 2019-20 RIF year,“which promises to be our best ever,” he said. On Nov. 21,Kiwanians from the Hoover-Metro, Homewood-MountainBrook and Downtown Birmingham clubs gathered to readto nine classrooms of eager and attentive young studentsin this neat reading room that kids love, Brown said.

Clubs in Action