Lake San Marcos Newsletter – April 6, 2021 – Gary Jander “Welcome to Our New World Paradigm”

Today Gary Jander, past Governor of Kiwanis International and current Vice President of Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis Children’s Fund,

spoke to us about the paradigm change that everyone in the world is now experiencing.

He believes, while frightening, the changes we face provide great opportunities to re-create a better world.

Gary Jander – past Governor of Kiwanis International

Gary Jander Presents – “Welcome to Our New World Paradigm”

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 22) – “What You See is What You Get” is a phrase that embodies the meaning of the word “paradigm”. A paradigm is a person’s frame of reference. A person’s paradigm is how they see the world based on all the information that they have gathered and the beliefs that they possess. Our speaker today, Past Governor of Kiwanis International, Gary Jander spoke to us about what he believes is the greatest worldwide change we have experienced in our lifetimes – the pandemic of Covid 19. “So many lives have been changed since March of 2020 when much of the world went into Lockdown,” he said. “Whether we realize it or not, we are going through the greatest paradigm shift of our lifetimes.

“A paradigm shift is simply changing how you perceive or think about things. It is harder to do than many realize. A historic example he cited was Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. “In the past, paradigm shifting changes took a lot more time than this one we are going through now. This one happened virtually overnight.” He told us the Covid-19 pandemic changed so many “normal” aspects of everyone’s everyday lives:

How we work and where – now many/most work from home
How we learn – now we learn mostly online virtually
Where we eat, shop, relax – not in restaurants, stores, and recreation spots
How we travel and workout – much less travel and working out in gyms.
How we worship – now mostly online
How we in Kiwanis meet together – our club has been only meeting via zoom for more than a year (48 meetings)

“In Kiwanis, we can no longer come together in the usual way to plan how to serve our community and to gather comfort from our fellow Kiwanians. We have to accept the change because we have no control over it.”

However, all is not gloomy, he advised. “Each change offers us a great opportunity to build something new and better as well as to reflect on what we have been doing and how we have been living.”

Below is a visual he used to convey the importance of our choices, starting with the way we think and view our circumstances.

“Now is a good time to think about what we want to change.” We need to seek and find:

New ways to gather
New ways to serve
New ways to raise funds
New ways to teach leadership in our youth
New ways to find and keep our members.

As an example of some of the new ways of doing Kiwanis, he noted that many clubs are planning to do a hybrid model of meeting in the future (both in-person and online) and are investing in the equipment and knowledge of how to do that well. He also noted that now since most clubs have switched to zoom, the logistical hurdles of meeting together via zoom are a lot less and as a result meetings can be held with members who are far apart geographically, but still “together” on zoom (i.e. John Brummer was in the Sacramento area and Jerry Mason was in Guatemala this meeting).

Gary concluded with time for questions and comments. His timely upbeat message was a big hit with all who attended.

If you want to contact Gary contact him at garyjander@gmail.com

Gary Jander believes that 2020-2021 is the greatest paradigm shifting change in our lifetimes Change is hard but also full of opportunities to build something new and better.

A short bio of Gary Jander. Mr. Jander works primarily in the initiation and management of complex estate and trusts disputes including litigation centered on incapacity, undue influence and elder abuse under the California Welfare and Institutions and Probate Codes. This work includes Appeals Court litigation. His practice also involves assisting clients with Trust / Estate Planning, Probate Litigation, Business Entity Planning and Formation, and Tax Problem Resolution. Additionally, he represents clients in post death administration, Probate, Guardianship, and Conservatorship matters as well as serving as a private mediator / Pro Tem Judge in resolving Probate Court disputes. Mr. Jander also provides the following services: Mediation of complex Trust, Probate, Conservatorship and Guardianship disputes. Assists clients in developing and executing Estate Plans, Business Continuity Plans, Funding Strategies, and Post Death Administration for both individuals and businesses. Representation and consulting with Private Professional Fiduciaries, Trust Officers, CPAs, and Financial Planners providing estate, business, and tax planning advice to their agents and clients. Education Mr. Jander graduated from the following educational institutions: California Western School of Law with a Juris Doctorate [top 25%] Campbell University with a Bachelors of Arts in History [Magnum Cum Laude] Memberships -Mr. Jander is an active member of the following legal organizations: State Bar of California (Member, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section); San Diego County Bar Association (Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section, Co-Chairperson, 2007-2008; Probate Bench-Bar Committee, Chairperson, 2009); Mr. Jander is a volunteer and member of the following community organization’sPi Gamma Mu National Honor Society Phi Alpha Delta, Jaycees, NFLPA Retired, Kiwanis International. Awards and Honors: AV Rated Preeminent Attorney, Martindale Hubble: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, Top Lawyers of San Diego, San Diego Magazine: 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, San Diego Court Service Award, San Diego Superior Court, Probate Division: February 2013, Distinguished Governor, Kiwanis International 2013, Top Ten Probate Attorney San Diego, Gary was President of Kiwanis International from 2012-2013.

Thank you Gary for your uplifting presentation about paradigms which is not what we usually hear when thinking about our future. ——————

President Art Brown’s Prayer for the all of us coping with change – Lord, it’s scary to change. It’s frightening to let go of what I know so well and step into the unknown. However, I forget sometimes that I am not stepping out alone. Nor am I stepping into an unsafe place, I am going where You guide and where You are. Help me to trust in You even when I feel unsure or scared. Thank you for being there for me in this way, Amen.

—————–

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Pat Haugen, Jerry Mason, Don Shawler, Ivan Gillis, John Brummer,

2nd row l-r: John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Steve Hinze, Margo Dutton, Aimee Polese,

3rd row l-r: Marie Purdy, Art Brown, Jim Brown, Jim Murphy, John Lee,

4th row: Kim Chebegia, Gordon Bowers, Dick Skay, Cathy Baur, Ron Stone,

5th row: Our Speaker Gary Jander – not in photo: Martha Bozulich.

—————–

Business Discussion –

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller’s & Ted May’s terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections May 4. They hope to have the nominations to present to our board soon.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer and Aimee Polese.

Covid vaccinations – many members spoke about their experiences after receiving one or two covd-19 vaccinations. To date about 100 million Americans have received at least one vaccination.

Conventions Down the Road – The Kiwanis International Convention scheduled for June 23-26 in Salt Lake City will be virtual according to a recent decision by Kiwanis International. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention is planned for August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina (as of now it is still being planned to be an in-person event).

Report from Guatemala – Jerry Mason joined us today from Guatemala where he is visiting his son and family. Jerry and his wife, Linda, will be there for most of April. Attached is a very interesting article on the food and humanitarian crisis in Guatemala.

—————–

Speakers for – March – April – May 2021

April 13 – Kim Chebegia – Medicare 101 and What’s New

April 20 – Dahvia Lynch and Amanda Topiano – San Marcos Housing Plan

April 27 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions

——–

May 4 – Club Elections & Richard Drutman – San Marcos Security – this is our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct).

May 11 – Neil Kramer (topic TBD)

May 18 – Chris Robbins and an Engineer – San Marcos San Marcos Interceptor Project – Vallecitos Water District

May 25 – Scholarships Day 1

June 1 – Scholarships Day 2

—————–

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We’re averaging 20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 23, 2021 – Greg Anglea CEO Interfaith

Today an angel spoke to us…(Greg Anglea’s last name is pronounced “angel”)

For so many people in North County, the people of Interfaith have been like angels in their lives for forty years.

Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith – North County

How Interfaith Helps People Help Themselves during this Pandemic

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – March 23, 2021 Zoom

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 14) – Interfaith Community Services empowers people in need to stabilize and improve their lives through comprehensive programs, in partnership with diverse faith communities and people of compassion.

Forty years ago, a group of faith leaders came together for their neighbors as the needs of the community grew. This group of individuals was not only from different congregations, but from different faiths entirely. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they all believed in a singular idea: if they joined together, the sum of their efforts could make something entirely more meaningful. So with that inspiration in their hearts, their pact became Interfaith.

As Interfaith grew over the years, the organization’s efforts were met with widespread support. Community partnerships were formed and their span of help extended to everyone from those experiencing homeless to low-income and under-served men, women, and children throughout North San Diego County. Today, with over 300-member faith congregations, more than 3,000 volunteers, 220 professional staff, and approximately 21,000 unique clients, the Interfaith community is more meaningful than ever. Greg told us that during the last year demand for their services increased by about 45% because of the many problems stemming from the covid pandemic. Below is how those services impacted lives.

Interfaith stands as something completely unique. They offer a broad continuum of programs and a wide array of services, the resources they provide stabilize and rebuild the lives of people in crisis. Their methods continuously evolve to meet the needs of our community, but their motto stays the same. We are Helping People Help Themselves.

Interfaith Community Services has been helping people help themselves since 1979. Now, Interfaith services are comprised into five main areas:

Supportive Services provides access to comprehensive programs and vital resources to meet the basic needs of community members. Dedicated to Helping People Help Themselves , Interfaith works to engage with each individual and family to address their unique needs and empower them to achieve independent and thriving lives.

Housing works to prevent and end homelessness for individuals and families. Working with each individual situation, Interfaith offers a wide range of services with the ultimate goal of accomplishing long-term housing success for our community.

Clinical & Behavioral Health provides access to comprehensive programs and vital resources to meet the basic needs of community members. Dedicated to Helping People Help Themselves , Interfaith works to engage with each individual and family to address their unique needs and empower them to achieve independent and thriving lives.

Recovery & Wellness provides a complete continuum of care for low-income persons struggling to overcome addiction including those experiencing homelessness, and those dealing with physical and mental health conditions. (just today, Greg said they were beginning to offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to homeless people)

Employment & Economic Development provides support to achieve financial independence and stability. Interfaith is able to help individuals get back on their feet and become self-sufficient by obtaining and retaining secure employment.

Under these clusters are multiple programs, services, and resources to help our communities. They are designed to overlap so that each person has access to as many resources necessary for their situation.

Turk Recuperative Care Center – After a homeless person is discharged from the hospital, that person often has no place to return to. Interfaith is planning to help out with this constant need. They have a plan to build the Turk Recuperative Care Center – The Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperative Care Center is projected to be completed in fall 2021. With construction currently underway, they are transforming a former 77-room motel into a place of healing and restoration for our local neighbors working to overcome homelessness and rebuild their lives. The new Turk Recuperative Care Center, located across the street from our Escondido headquarters, will become the home of the Interfaith Post-Hospitalization Recuperative Care program and the new Interfaith Graduate Temporary Housing program.In 2019, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to award Interfaith a $6,000,000 capital grant to expand our proven-effective Recuperative Care program and create a Graduate Housing program. Interfaith leveraged these County funds with local community donations to purchase the former motel.

Questions and Answers about Homelessness – During his talk today, Greg wanted to be sure to address some key questions we had pertaining to homelessness. Here are a few of those questions and his answers.

Q-Question – What are the main causes of homelessness? – Answer – “The #1 cause is some sort of trauma, such as violence, an accident, or illness. Loss of employment often stems from these types of trauma.”

Q-Question – What is the main indicator of potential homelessness? Answer – “One of our researchers found that the person’s zip code (location) is the primary indicator of homelessness. Homelessness increases where there are not enough support services in the area. Those services are absent because of low support financially and otherwise.”

Q-Question – How does government funding meld in to your programs? Answer – “Just under 50% of our funding comes from government funds from all sources. Those funds are highly prescriptive meaning they must be used for the specifically intended purposes in a highly prescriptive manner. Sometimes those funds overlap a bit, sometimes they leave gaps. We work with many forms of financial assistance. We work with a very wide array of clientele.”

Q-Question – How has the need for your services increased during the covid pandemic shutdowns? Answer – “The increase has been monstrous, the need in almost all areas has jumped by around 45% compared to the pre-covid year. In addition, our staff has had to adjust to serving primarily outside not within our headquarters building. We adjust and adapt, but don’t stop.”

Q-Question – What is a primary obstacle to helping homeless people? Answer – “Interestingly, most people won’t or don’t want to ask for help even when they need it. Their pride prevents them from asking. Often a friend refers someone to us who needs help but is reluctant to ask for it – Ultimately, though it is their life. We won’t intervene with help if they don’t want it.”

Greg concluded his talk with these final thoughts:

“I am often asked about how our people deal with compassion fatigue since the homeless issue is so complicated and pervasive, but the dedicated people who are helping these people have a great attitude – they are determined optimists who do what they can with the resources they have available and they treat every client with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

“I believe we as a society and especially here in San Diego have mostly failed in our quest to find livable housing for all our people, but we will not give up. Every one of us has needed help at one time in our lives or at least we have wished we could have some help with some things in our lives. We believe if we can help, we will help…and that belief keeps us going for everyone we encounter every day.”

If you want to help or need help for you or someone please contact Greg Anglea at ganglea@interfaithservices.org

A short bio of Greg Anglea, Interfaith Community Services CEO. Greg has been the Interfaith CEO for 7 years. Greg’s career has been devoted to helping others. He worked at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, supported guaranteed admission programs for first-generation college students at Cal State San Marcos, and now assists the most vulnerable as the CEO of Interfaith Community Services. In recent years Interfaith opened the first year-round homelessness shelter in North County for all genders, created a recuperative-care center for people discharging from hospitals without housing, launched a comprehensive detox, residential, and outpatient treatment center, and successfully completed campaigns to end and prevent homelessness for 1,000 people in 2018 and 2,019 people by the end of 2019. In 2020 Greg led the purchase and conversion of a formerly blighted Escondido motel into a place of healing and restoration for persons overcoming health challenges and homelessness, while leading Interfaith’s response to address both systemic racism and the disproportionately negative impact COVID has wrought on 21,000+ low-income neighbors Interfaith empowered last year,

Thank you Greg and Interfaith for all your help for people who need it in so many ways for so many years.

Interfaith has been and continues to be People Helping People in many many ways; Here in North County 220 professionals,

600 trained volunteers, and over 2000 volunteers served 21,000 people last year, a 45% increase from the previous year due to the pandemic.

The planned Turk Rehabilitation center (bottom, left) will help homeless people rehabilitate after being released from hospitals.

—————–

President Art Brown’s Prayer for the homeless – We thank you for the strength you give us each day. Lord, we intercede for those that do not have shelter of their own. Lord, bless them with protection from the elements, bless them to have sufficiency of food and clothing, bless them with joy and peace of mind.- Amen.

—————–

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Guest Ed Presnillo, Don Shawler,

2nd row l-r: Pat Haugen, John Gibbs, Cathy Baur, Art Brown,

3rd row l-r: Cathleen Stevens, Our Speaker Greg Anglea, Ron Stone, Ivan Gillis,

4th row: Jim Brown, not in photo: Steve Hinze.

—————–

Business Discussion –

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller & Ted May terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections May 4. The nominating committee held a virtual meeting right after this meeting. They hope to have the nominations to present to our board by mid April.

Our club will host the Division Council Meeting (DCM) on Sat. April 3 (virtual via zoom) Quality Kiwanian pins will be awarded.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer and Aimee Polese.

Key Cubs Seeking Chaperones – from Lynne Do – This upcoming Sunday, March 28th, our key clubs will be holding their last DCM of the term from 12-1:30 PM with Division 37 South and Division 37 West! During this meeting, they will be going over recaps and what the next few weeks will look like for Key Club (District Convention, start of the 2021-2022 term, etc.). They would really appreciate it if you could attend! If you are interested in chaperoning and/or would like more information, please let contact Lynne Do at d37e.ltg@cnhkeyclub.org.

Hidden Valley Serving Dinner Friday night – Dave Geary reports that Hidden Valley Kiwanis will be serving dinner Friday night, proceeds will go toward our goal of raising $80,000 for an ADA playground. Due to Corvid we are way behind on our fund raising (we have missed two fishing derby’s) . Friday night March 26 Hidden Valley Kiwanis Dinner American Legion 230 E Park Ave Escondido, Ca 920155:30 – 7:30 pm. Come on out and make it an interclub.

—————–

Speakers for – March – April – May 2021

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then. (Easter is April 4th this year)

——–

April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Kim Chebegia – Medicare (possibly)

April 20 – Dahvia Lynch and Amanda Topiano – San Marcos Housing Plan

April 27 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions (moved from April 13)

——–

May 4 – Club Elections (maybe another speaker-TBD) this is our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct).

May 11 – Neil Kramer (topic TBD)

May 18 – Chris Robbins and an Engineer – San Marcos San Marcos Interceptor Project – Vallecitos Water District

May 25 – Scholarships Day 1

June 1 – Scholarships Day 2

—————–

Here are two links to Interfaith videos used today

Interfaith Annual Report – https://www.interfaithservices.org/2020-annual-report

Interfaith Testimonial – https://vimeo.com/524034459/644afdd04c

This meeting was recorded – here is the link to view it. (https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/31tL5zZYSNUJgZgM32HgGzkk7kw2rdSrR6t6TBYLJI64qBGXKiRaEcQNHNd7V8cn.kHUMF-wiH6sjkOts Passcode: h8t6quO+ – provided by Jim Alden

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We’re averaging 20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow. (Only 14 zoomed in for this meeting – you missed a great presentation)

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason (Jerry and his wife Linda are travelling to Guatemala from March 29 thru April 26 to visit their son and family who recently moved there from Uganda, Africa. Jerry hopes to continue zooming in to weekly meetings and producing the newsletter from abroad…oh the wonders of our virtual world.

Today an angel spoke to us…(Greg Anglea’s last name is pronounced “angel”)

For so many people in North County, the people of Interfaith have been like angels in their lives for forty years.

Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith – North County

How Interfaith Helps People Help Themselves during this Pandemic

Today an angel spoke to us…(Greg Anglea’s last name is pronounced “angel”)

For so many people in North County, the people of Interfaith have been like angels in their lives for forty years.

Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith – North County

How Interfaith Helps People Help Themselves during this Pandemic

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – March 23, 2021 Zoom meeting #46)

Interfaith Community Services has been helping people help themselves since 1979. Now, Interfaith services are comprised into five main areas:

Greg concluded his talk with these final thoughts:

If you want to help or need help for you or someone please contact Greg Anglea at ganglea@interfaithservices.org

Thank you Greg and Interfaith for all your help for people who need it in so many ways for so many years.

Interfaith has been and continues to be People Helping People in many many ways; Here in North County 220 professionals,

600 trained volunteers, and over 2000 volunteers served 21,000 people last year, a 45% increase from the previous year due to the pandemic.

The planned Turk Rehabilitation center (bottom, left) will help homeless people rehabilitate after being released from hospitals.

—————–

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Guest Ed Presnillo, Don Shawler,

2nd row l-r: Pat Haugen, John Gibbs, Cathy Baur, Art Brown,

3rd row l-r: Cathleen Stevens, Our Speaker Greg Anglea, Ron Stone, Ivan Gillis,

4th row: Jim Brown, not in photo: Steve Hinze.

—————–

Business Discussion –

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller & Ted May terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections May 4. The nominating committee held a virtual meeting right after this meeting. They hope to have the nominations to present to our board by mid April.

Our club will host the Division Council Meeting (DCM) on Sat. April 3 (virtual via zoom) Quality Kiwanian pins will be awarded.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer and Aimee Polese.

—————–

Speakers for – March – April – May 2021

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then. (Easter is April 4th this year)

——–

April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Kim Chebegia – Medicare (possibly)

April 20 – Dahvia Lynch and Amanda Topiano – San Marcos Housing Plan

April 27 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions (moved from April 13)

——–

May 4 – Club Elections (maybe another speaker-TBD) this is our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct).

May 11 – Neil Kramer (topic TBD)

May 18 – Chris Robbins and an Engineer – San Marcos San Marcos Interceptor Project – Vallecitos Water District

May 25 – Scholarships Day 1

June 1 – Scholarships Day 2

—————–

Here are two links to Interfaith videos used today

Interfaith Annual Report – https://www.interfaithservices.org/2020-annual-report

Interfaith Testimonial – https://vimeo.com/524034459/644afdd04c

Forty years ago, a group of faith leaders came together for their neighbors as the needs of the community grew. This group of individuals was not only from different congregations but from different faiths entirely. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they all believed in a singular idea: if they joined together, the sum of their efforts could make something entirely more meaningful. So with that inspiration in their hearts, their pact became Interfaith.

Interfaith Community Services has been helping people help themselves since 1979. Now, Interfaith services are comprised into five main areas:

Greg concluded his talk with these final thoughts:

If you want to help or need help for you or someone please contact Greg Anglea at ganglea@interfaithservices.org

Thank you Greg and Interfaith for all your help for people who need it in so many ways for so many years.

Interfaith has been and continues to be People Helping People in many many ways; Here in North County 220 professionals,

600 trained volunteers, and over 2000 volunteers served 21,000 people last year, a 45% increase from the previous year due to the pandemic.

The planned Turk Rehabilitation center (bottom, left) will help homeless people rehabilitate after being released from hospitals.

—————–

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Guest Ed Presnillo, Don Shawler,

2nd row l-r: Pat Haugen, John Gibbs, Cathy Baur, Art Brown,

3rd row l-r: Cathleen Stevens, Our Speaker Greg Anglea, Ron Stone, Ivan Gillis,

4th row: Jim Brown, not in photo: Steve Hinze.

—————–

Business Discussion –

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller & Ted May terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections May 4. The nominating committee held a virtual meeting right after this meeting. They hope to have the nominations to present to our board by mid April.

Our club will host the Division Council Meeting (DCM) on Sat. April 3 (virtual via zoom) Quality Kiwanian pins will be awarded.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer and Aimee Polese.

—————–

Speakers for – March – April – May 2021

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then. (Easter is April 4th this year)

——–

April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Kim Chebegia – Medicare (possibly)

April 20 – Dahvia Lynch and Amanda Topiano – San Marcos Housing Plan

April 27 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions (moved from April 13)

——–

May 4 – Club Elections (maybe another speaker-TBD) this is our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct).

May 11 – Neil Kramer (topic TBD)

May 18 – Chris Robbins and an Engineer – San Marcos San Marcos Interceptor Project – Vallecitos Water District

May 25 – Scholarships Day 1

June 1 – Scholarships Day 2

—————–

Here are two links to Interfaith videos used today

Interfaith Annual Report – https://www.interfaithservices.org/2020-annual-report

Interfaith Testimonial – https://vimeo.com/524034459/644afdd04c

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 16, 2021 – One Year of Pandemic – an Overview

Today We, Us Kiwanians, were the main speakers. On the one year anniversary of the lock down in California,

we spoke about how the impact of a year of lock down due to covid has impacted us and about our hopes for the new normal.

The 21 Lake San Marcos Kiwanians who zoomed in today

Impacts of One Year of Covid Lockdown & Hopes for a New Normal

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 21)– One year ago this week most of the world stepped into the twilight zone – Pandemic lockdowns to protect us from Covid-19 were clamped on our lives and have been so for the last 12 months. It has been a year that was “unprecedented” with a plethora of fear-driven anxiety and worry. Probably, this past year will rank right up with the memories of 9-11 that were seared into our consciousness.

Now with the arrival of the vaccines, hope is starting to emerge and people’s lives are beginning to look brighter. One psychologist called what we do to remember significant times like this “The anniversary effect.” Today all the Lake San Marcos Kiwanians who zoomed in were the speakers as we each remembered what the past year was like for them and what they are hopeful for in the future.

Here is a summary of what each person said…Each Member who zoomed in was asked the following two questions.

How has the Covid Pandemic Lock Down impacted you this past year? = Impact
What do you hope for in the coming year after the new normal emerges? = Hope

Here’s their answers:

Jerry Mason – Impact –“I was depressed, discouraged, isolated, and angry for quite awhile, but not defeated. I learned the hard way to appreciate what could not be taken away.” Hope – “I hope to zoom back to a greater 3D involvement with people, activities, and a more meaningful life.”

Jim Alden – Impact – “Our home life was very different. We focused on the things we had – our marriage, home improvement, gardening. Our kids had a slightly different approach to achieve covid safety.” Hope – “I have concerns about the return of our social norms such as handshaking and hugging. I hope we all pay more attention to our health and our families as well returning to travel some.”

Aimee Polese – Impact – “I stopped working in April, went back in August, and then lost my job. Being out of work, not seeing our family (at first) and being apart from the people in the community was very hard.” Hope – “I hope to get a new job and spend more time with our family. I learned a lot because I had lots of time for self reflection. I hope the coming year will be great.”

John Gibbs – Impact – “I learned that if you don’t cut your hair for a year, it just keeps growing. Being an introvert, the time was not as hard on me as it was for some. I realized how blessed I really am and that a lot of people have really struggled.” Hope –“I hope to get back to the closest to normal that we can and that we treasure and appreciate what we have in a deeper way.”

Gordon Bowers – Impact – “Being socially isolated in senior living is kind of hard.” Hope – “I hope people realize how important it is to see and help others, especially at times like this one.”

John Brummer – Impact – “I’m a packrat and when we moved and downsized, getting rid of stuff was difficult but necessary. I appreciate that my wife works (drives 90 miles each day). I’m very grateful for my many Kiwanis friends.” Hope – “I’m hoping for a happy retirement when we move to Lodi soon.” (wife is from Lodi).

Art Brown – Impact – “I’ve been fortunate that I was not as locked-in as others. I’m still working, with a recently new staff. No client has died of covid (but some got it and recovered). Hope –“I hope to continue my healthy habits of taking walks daily. I believe things happen for a reason and we need to trust in a higher power even when it isn’t clear.”

Pat Haugen – Impact – “I got anxious last summer because as a club we were not doing much, but then we stepped up to participating in the care packages for the Marines overseas (136 – many helped) and the 1st Anglico christmas party and that was really satisfying. As an introvert, I’ve enjoyed not having to get dressed up and go out to meetings so often.” Hope – “I think when things open up, our club will be able to tap in to a lot of pent-up energy and we will be able to do lots more good for our community.”

Don Shawler – Impact – “I had open heart surgery 1.5 years ago, so I have had to admit I am not what I used to be…but I am grateful for the two caregivers who look after me. I started a gratitude journal to remind me of all I have to be thankful for – even now.” Hope – “I’m hoping to be able to get back to some of the things I used to do such as ballroom dancing, tennis, and Kiwanis.” (which he recently resumed).

Cathleen Stevens – Impact – “I’ve spent most of a year inside but I am very fortunate to have lots of good care from my family. I’ve gotten good at puzzles.” Hope – “I hope for a little more ability and opportunity to be out and about. I’m ready to see more of the world.”

Jim Murphy – Impact – “My largest loss was I lost a couple of good friends to Covid. I realize how precious life is and how important it is to live it fully.” Hope – “I’m very impressed with our medical community and I hope that the level of hygiene and healthy living we have learned during this time will continue going forward.”

Kim Chebegia – Impact – “It has been an emotional roller-coaster of a year for us. My husband, a photographer, lost his job and it took a toll on him. The economic rug got pulled out from under us this year.” Hope – “It was sad to see such marked division in our country, especially politically. I hope when this is over we can all come together and value our families and our communities more.”

Ivan Gillis – Impact – “I’ve had health problems this past year but I am glad my son could come to help out. I missed our club’s in-person scholarship and Christmas party events this year.” Hope – “I hope we can get back together as a club in-person soon.”

Paul Wright – Impact – “It has been a great blessing that no one in our club got covid and the speakers at our zoom meetings have been fantastic.” Hope – “I’ve been walking a lot and think I am in good shape…I hope I can keep it up.”

Chris and Gene Clark – Impact – “We live in Colorado during the warmer months, there it was a blessing to take in an 80-year old woman (we felt like college roommates). Gene’s Jeopardy nights got us through many lonely evenings.” Hope – “To be resilient as a people and bounce back strong with our Kiwanis friends both here and in Colorado.”

Tom Kumura – Impact – “Our isolation the past year hit us very hard. Understandably, we got quite down. Hope – “We’re hoping to pivot-up like the schools and the businesses are doing and be even more grateful for the friends we have.”

Jim Brown – Impact – “As a pastor of a church of nearly 200 here at the Lake, I worked hard to find fun and upbeat ways to keep the morale of our friends up. It has not been easy because most have been locked in at home without many obvious points of light in their lives. Gratitude is a life-saving key for us all in times like this.” Hope – “I’m hoping for the emergence of many new ways to move into the new normal. I’m also hoping for much less divisiveness as a people than what we have experienced this year.”

Martha Bozulich – Impact – “Even though we work in commercial real-estate, only one tenant is behind in their rent. My husband and I got to know each other a whole lot better this year…he said recently “This kitchen is too small.”(married 53 years). Hope – “We all got a lot more familiar with technology this year, especially zoom. I hope we can tap into that in the year ahead.”

Thank you to all 21 of you who spoke up and gave us a sense of your experience and a vision of hope for the future.

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The Year of Worldwide Pandemic – “Just the Facts” – To start off today’s meeting, Jerry Mason (our emcee for the day) presented a short powerpoint giving a factual overview of the year of Pandemic.

Here are the main points of that presentation:

History 2020-2021 – A Year Unlike Any Other

January 9— WHO Announces Mysterious Coronavirus-Related Pneumonia in Wuhan, China — • January 21 — CDC Confirms First US Coronavirus Cases —• February 2 — Global Air Travel Is Restricted — • February 3 — US Declares Public Health Emergency —• March 10 – LSM Kiwanis last in-person meeting —• March 11 — WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic — • March 19 — California Issues Statewide Stay-at-Home Order (nearly a year of lockdown follows) — • World Goes Zoom – 45 LSM Kiwanis zoom meetings later. (SD Co. will be out of purple tier – March 17).

Major Effects of Pandemic (CDC statistics March 2021)

Confirmed Cases – United States – • 29,115,662 cases — Worldwide • 119,603,761 cases

Deaths from Covid-19 – United States – • 529,529 deaths — Worldwide – • 2,649,722 deaths

Social effects: • Spikes in Pandemic Panic and Depression • Economies & Business closed – Unemployment skyrockets • Schools close (students parents, teachers stressed & worried)• Churches closed • Mental Health Issues rise drastically • Polarization magnifies.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel – Vaccines and Re-opening Plans

Mid-Dec. 2020 – first vaccines arrive in CA -(Pfizer and Modernaonly two shots required). • Early March 2021 Johnson and Johnson arrives in CA (one shot only, extreme refrigeration not necessary) • Over 10% of the entire U.S. population has been fully vaccinated (as of early March) which is more than 33 million people. • As of now – 21.6 % of Californians have been vaccinated (CA. leads US in numbers vaccinated) 12,637,197 doses administered as of March 16 • Other vaccines coming along: Novavax & Astrazeneca –• Schools Re-opening (hybrid) in April • Goal (Pres. Biden) = Everyone vaccinated by May! • The New Normal is around the corner.

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Two words that have been overused this past year: “Unprecedented” and “Worldwide”

but both accurately describe what we have experienced in Kiwanis and as citizens of the world impacted by a year of Covid pandemic.

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President Art Brown’s Prayer for Recovery from the Pandemic – Our Dear Father, we trustingly pray to you, asking that the coronavirus may do no more harm, that the epidemic may be swiftly gotten under control, and that you restore the health of those affected and peace to the places where the virus has arrived. Welcome into your kingdom the people who have died from this illness, and comfort their families. Sustain and protect the healthcare personnel who are fighting it, and inspire and bless those working to control it. Dear Father, doctor of our bodies and souls, we feel impotent in the face of this international health emergency, but we trust in You. Give us peace and health and protect us and continue to take care of us, and lead us through your love to your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Guest Aimee Polese, John Gibbs, Gordon Bowers,

2nd row l-r:John Brummer, Art Brown, Pat Haugen, Don Shawler, Cathleen Stevens,

3rd row l-r: Jim Murphy, Margo Dutton, Guest Kim Chebegia, Don Keller, Ivan Gillis,

4th row l-r: Paul Wright, Chris & Gene Clark, Cathy Baur, Tom Kumura,Jim Brown,

5th row : Marie Purdy, not in photo: Martha Bozulich.

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Business Discussion –

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller & Ted May terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections May 4.

Our club will host the Division Council Meeting (DCM) on Sat. April 3 (virtual via zoom) Quality Kiwanian pins will be awarded.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer and Aimee Polese.

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Speakers for – March – April – May 2021

March 23 – Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith Community Services – How Interfaith Has Responded to the Year Long Pandemic.

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then. (Easter is April 4th this year)

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April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions

April 20 – Dahvia Lynch and Amanda Topiano – San Marcos Housing Plan

April 27 – Kim Chebegia – Medicare

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May 4 – Club Elections (maybe another speaker-TBD) this is our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct).

May 11 – Neil Kramer (topic TBD)

May 18– Chris Robbins and an Engineer – San Marcos San Interceptor Project – Vallecitos Water District

May 25 – Scholarships Day 1

June 1 – Scholarships Day 2

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An excellent one year anniversary of covid article is attached as well as a pdf file of the powerpoint used at this meeting.

This meeting was recorded – here is the link to view it. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/RP-616ifA8JExhIAV4vHqubDvlNZzj3d9d5XVzjacyL-StibG5Z5H_dlRyB38mFJ.LbQhmaTuEawwu32I Passcode: h0Gb?3jr

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We’re averaging around 20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 9, 2021 – Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth

Today Dr. Leah Kern and Counselor Tom Lynch spoke to us about a very timely topic

The Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth.

Pediatrician Dr. Leah Kern and High School Counselor Tom Lynch

The Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 24)– “Today’s topic has been very much in the news worldwide – “When and under what circumstances should our schools be reopened?” The following headlines reflect the high interest in this topic….

San Diego Union-Tribune March 9 – “headline – “State Rejects School Bids to Reopen – lead – “The State denied at least three San Diego School Districts the chance to reopen their middle and high schools for regular in-person instruction.”

Wall Street Journal – March 7 – “headline– Schools Try Different Strategies to Reopen – lead –“A year after school buildings shut down nationwide, many districts have reopened for in-person instruction, but “open” doesn’t mean open all the time.”

Today our two speakers addressed a very timely and important aspect of this big issue… the impact of a year of closed schools on our youth.

Dr. Leah Kern, a UC San Diego pediatrician who has been an active advocate for the safe reopening of schools, and counselor Tom Lynch who works with high schools in the San Marcos area both agreed that: • school closures are having severe impacts on our youth, • that reopening schools in San Diego can be done safely and that • it is vital to do so soon.

Dr. Kern spoke first and her main points were:

Covid Rates peaked around the end of the year but decreased significantly at the end of February, • It is Rare for children to be hospitalized by covid, the only issue for children is Mis-C (inflammation of organs) but it is rare.
Closure History – • March 13, 2020 (a year ago): Schools Closed for In-Person instruction • Aug/Sept 2020: Schools Districts open with different modes of instruction such as in-person, hybrid, or distance learning • Nov. 14, 2020: San Diego enters Purple Tier (Schools cannot open for new in-person instruction until the county is out of the Purple Tier)

Around SD county – (see map below). The Majority of SD schools are currently closed except for distance learning – in urban areas around San Diego schools are mostly closed – many districts in outlying areas (such as North County) are using hybrid models – a few districts are open for in-person learning.

Pandemic Impacts: •The pandemic is impacting families and children in eight areas: • Illness and death of family members, • economic challenges (job loss, food insecurity), • household stress, • social isolation, • mental health issues (anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation), • education shortfalls (problems with long-distance learning or closures Distance learning not developmentally appropriate for younger children -esp. K-2^nd grade. Children with disabilities have limited access to appropriate services) • limited physical activity (limits on sports and recreation activity), and • unequal impact between school districts (higher impacts on lower-income and Hispanic families and on black and other minority groups).

On the Positive side • Some children & teenagers with social anxiety prefer distance learning, • Some families report enjoyment of increased family time, • Children are Resilient.

A review of studies of children and adolescents during quarantine reveals that quarantine is strongly associated with • Depression and low mood • Irritability and emotional exhaustion • Insomnia • Anger • Post-traumatic stress symptoms • Each of these are risk factors for suicide (comment from Jim Dorschel – “I’ve been dealing with 4 cases of suicide in children recently.”)

Is it safe to return to in-person instruction? Researchers from Duke and Univ. of North Carolina found just 32 cases of in-school transmission of covid among 100,000 students over a nine-week period. In SD county over the past 7 months, just around 2% of covid cases have come from exposure in K-12 schools.

Yes, there are challenges to reopening •There are valid concerns for the health of children, teachers & their family members, • Families and teachers need to feel safe at school •The logistics of returning to in-person school are complicated and safety measures need to be put in place.

Solutions: Other schools in San Diego and elsewhere have shown that it is feasible to reopen schools. We know how to keep children, teachers & families safe with masking, physical distancing, handwashing & cohorting. We should promote vaccination for teachers &community members. We can ALL help to prevent, decrease and maintain low COVID infection rates.

Conclusion – Schools provide more than just academics to children and adolescents. In addition to reading, writing, and math children learn social and emotional skills, get exercise, and have access to mental health and other support services. For many children, schools are safe and stimulating places to be while parents or guardians are working. For many families, schools are where kids get healthy meals, access to the internet, and other vital services – American Academy of Pediatrics – CA chapter (AAP-CA3) Advocates for Safe Return to School

A PDF of dr. Kern’s presentation is attached – Check it out.

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Counselor Tom Lynch then spoke – some of his main points were:

“The biggest impact I have seen in adolescents is anxiety. Mental health problems have really escalated in many schools.

Kids learn social skills in school and they are not getting any of that.”

“Because of Covid the counselors on our team, do counseling via zoom. Most of the students who need counseling are

“zoomed out” with all their academic work being online. Most don’t get the counseling they need. They’re done being online.”

He said he has switched to in-person walks in a park masked and at a safe distance.

“Many parents are struggling with holding jobs and doing the teaching job that they are not trained to do.” A recent survey

stated that around 80% of parents with students doing long-distance learning favor reopening schools soon.

“We have learned that while it is better than nothing, online learning leaves a lot to be desired. In-person learning works much

better for most students especially for students from K – 2nd grade and those with special needs.”

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Dr. Kern and Counselor Lynch thank you for your excellent presentation on a very timely matter. You hit a home run with us.

Please consider returning to us when you can and to help us Kiwanians serve children of our community – we are in this together.

Dr. Kern and Counselor Lynch presented some very persuasive points about reopening schools

A short Bio of Dr. Leah Kern – Leah D. Kern, MD, MPH, is a board-certified pediatrician who provides primary care for children of all ages. She leads the Pediatric Travel Medicine program, which provides medical advice and vaccinations for children traveling internationally. She also works as a pediatrician for the UCSD Mother, Child, and Adolescent HIV Program. Before joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Kern lived and worked in West Africa for four years. She also worked for the UC San Diego Ethiopia Project to enhance the prevention, care, and treatment of pregnant women and children with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. At UCSD, Dr. Kern focuses on primary care pediatrics, pediatric travel medicine, care for children with HIV, teaching medical students and pediatric residents, and implementing quality improvement projects in the general pediatrics clinics. She completed her residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Kern earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

A short Bio of Counselor Tom Lynch – Tom is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has been practicing in North San Diego County for several years. He has a small private practice and also contracts with several north county school districts providing group work with “at-risk” teens, and individual counseling with students, special education students, crisis intervention, risk assessments, and staff support. He has also worked with teens who were referred by Juvenile Probation & Police Diversion programs for a non-profit program in Escondido. I have developed programs for “at-risk” teens and a parenting/family program. He enjoys working with youth and their families, and the challenges they face. He has been a member of the California Marriage and Family Therapist Association since 1999.

Margo Dutton and Jim Dorschel are considering asking Dr. Kern and counselor Lynch to help them formulate a Kiwanis program for the three-state district to apply when Margo becomes governor-elect in October.

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President Art Brown’s prayer for our students and teachers – We pray for the students who will be doing school virtually from home; we pray that they have the resources they need to do schoolwork at home. And we pray for their parents that they would be able to balance work and watch over their children as they try to be disciplined in live classroom time and the recorded lessons as well as any additional homework. We pray for the teachers who have to switch to online learning formats that they would be able to have the resources and technology training they need. Please give the teachers, students, and parents the patience they need for this new type of schooling that they could all work together to accomplish what needs to be done. We pray for kind reactions and gratitude for the work that is still able to be done. We pray for our teachers, parents, students, and community sanity, and lastly, we pray for our schools to open soon. Amen

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st-row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, Our speaker Dr. Leah Kern, Jacque McGee

2nd-row l-r:Ted May, John Brummer, Margo Dutton, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens

3rd-row l-r: Art Brown, Jim Murphy, Jim Dorschel, Tom Kumura, Ron Stone

4th-row l-r: Pat Haugen, Jim Brown, John Lee, Our speaker Tom Lynch, guest Kim Chebegia,

Not in photo: Rob Gaebe, Marie Purdy, Mike, and Mary Lou Phipps.

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Business Discussion –

A Board Meeting was held after this meeting, here are the highlights:

Nominating Committee Seeking New Slate of Officers for Next Year – Ivan Gillis is heading up a five-member nominating committee tasked with finding new nominees for our club leadership for the next Kiwanis year beginning in October. The positions that will be vacant will be President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors (Don Keller & Ted May terms will expire). Hopefully, we’ll have elections on May 4.

Our club will host the Division Council Meeting (DCM) on Sat. April 3 (virtual via zoom) Quality Kiwanian pins will be awarded.

Potential new members – Kim Chebegia, Neil Kramer, and Aimee Polese.

Amazon contributes $46 to Kiwanis from all our Amazon Smile purchases – Art Brown said $46 was sent to Kiwanis from the Amazon purchases of everyone who used AmazonSmile for purchases in Quarter 4.

San Marcos FFA Seeking Farm Supplies – The San Marcos FFA would appreciate any help toward obtaining the following: a. pruning shears, b. Wheelbarrows (2), c. Trash cans – plastic to use for feed storage, d. Snow shovels – for steer area, e. fan leaf blower – for the farm area, f. A donation toward buying FFA Jackets $80 each, g. Home Depot or Lowes gift cards, h. Brooms – push and sweeping brooms for animal area sidewalks, i. water hoses – 75’ and heavy-duty – non-kink. The animal farm is located adjacent to Twin Oaks Elementary school. If anyone would like to arrange a tour please have them contact Kathe Robbins at Robbins@gmail.com.

Cub Scouts Pack 662, chartered by Lake San Marcos Kiwanis, helped clean the park at the Escondido Moose Lodge on March 7. – thanks Jim Trageser

Two Questions for Each of Us after a Year of Being Locked Down – The Focus of Our Next Meeting – Jerry Mason says “Next meeting the guest speakers will be all of us Kiwanians – Those who zoom in will be given a chance to answer two questions about how the year-long lockdown has affected each of us personally. The two questions will be: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and

2) What do you hope for as the “new normal” future emerges? Key Clubbers are encouraged to attend and chime in. Each response will be captured for the newsletter.”

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Speakers for – March and early April 2021

March 16 – One Year in Lockdown – LSM Kiwanians Look Back and Look Forward – On that date, we will have been in lockdown one full year (lockdown began March 15, 2020), it would be a good idea to hear from our members about two questions: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and 2) What do you hope for as the “new normal” future emerges? (might include Key Clubbers too)

March 23 – Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith Community Services – How Interfaith Has Responded to the Year-Long Pandemic.

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then. (Easter is April 4th this year)

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April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions

Seeking speakers for April 20, 27 (send your ideas to Jerry Mason) – Jerry is pursuing these potential speakers: Kim Chebegia (Medicare probably April 27) and prospective new member Neil Kramer (probably May 11) also Jamie Nieto – Olympic high jumper w/ an inspirational story.

May 4 will be our meeting where we elect new officers for the coming Kiwanis year (starts in Oct) and May 25 and June 1 are penciled in as the dates for awarding our annual scholarships.

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This meeting was recorded – here is the link to view it.https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/mvbgRzZp0qVjHKX4z_UV1mk4AOmHDuWHXrbYDw7BsVbPRv_leDSuNuV-dfl3ezmd.zW_yjdNP_Afpm1jf Access Passcode: t7xcm6%! – note from Jim Alden – Zoom has a tricky awkward editing facility. As in the past, the viewer may just have to copy and paste the link to his/her browser and the password may not be necessary. You may want to add that language when sharing the video.

Spring Forward – Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night – Daylight Savings Time Dawns early Sunday Morning March 14.

Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Newsletter – March 2, 2021 – Jordan Marks – Taxpayer Advocate

Today attorney Jordan Marks gave us a great report which was appreciated by all.

Jordan is A Taxpayer Advocate – meaning he looks out for us in tax matters.

His boss is “legendary” Ernest J. Dronenburg who has been elected our county taxman since 1979 (he must be doing something right).

Jordan’s position as a Taxpayer advocate is rather unique but very helpful in the realm of county taxation.

Jordan Marks, Attorney with San Diego Assessor, Recorder, and County Clerk’s Office

Jordan Marks – Taxpayer Advocate who Helps Us with Tax Matters

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – March 2, 2021 Zoom meeting #43)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 25) – “The Taxman Cometh” and according to an old proverb, he and his old buddy “Death” are the only two things certain in life. Sort of gloomy right? However, today our taxpayer advocate Jordan Marks, presented a much brighter and more helpful picture that was exactly opposite to that gloomy old proverb.

Jordan’s presentation focused on many aspects of how regular taxpayers like us can save on their taxes…but some are a bit complicated.

During the first part he highlighted the top five achievements of the San Diego County Assessor-Recorder – County Clerk’s office:

1 – Top Customer Service Rating – 98.2% positive rating and 4.5 stars on Yelp.

2 – Top Financial Steward – Returned $3 million+ annually to the county budget over the past 8 years.

3 – Our Office Operates to Serve Your Needs – Reopened the regional office with no additional staff, extended office hours – 5 PM includes Sat.

4 – More Online Services, Less Paper, Leading Innovation – New taxpayer programs moving taxpayers away from standing in-line to online. Only Calif. Assessor offering electronic signatures. Going Green = New digitized office process reduces paper printing by 65,000 pieces annually.

5 – Reduced Fees – Reduced copy fees from $2 per page – now $2 for the first page, 5 cents per page thereafter. A seven-page document now costs only $2.30 (was $14).

The second half of Jordan’s presentation focused mainly on Proposition 13 as well as Propositions #19, # 58, #50, #90, #193, and related property tax matters giving us helpful ways to both understand and save taxes under these new laws. He was very proud of helping disabled veterans and prospective brides and grooms. The new Marriage Hut has allowed 17,000 marriages to be performed during a covid lockdown (it is booked 7 weeks out now).

Jordan concluded with the promise to eagerly answer your tax questions and to help where possible. His contact information:

Jordan Z. Marks. Esq. – Taxpayer Advocate – San Diego Assessor, Recorder, County Clerk – Cell: 619-372-0226 –

e-mail: Jordan.Marks@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Jordan said, “Kiwanis is a great organization, I will try to zoom in again if I can.”

Jordan, we hope you do – thanks for a very informative and helpful presentation, especially for a tax man.

Jordan Marks 2 best for report.jpg

Jordan Marks talked about several ways to save taxpayer dollars

Do yourself a favor, review those ways by looking through his PDF attached

A PDF of Jordan’s presentation is attached – You should check it out if you have any questions about your county taxes.

A short Bio of Jordan Marks – Jordan is our Taxpayer Advocate for the Office of Ernest J. Dronenburg, Jr., San Diego County Assessor / Recorder / County Clerk. In his position, he assists taxpayers with navigating issues in the office and has resolved over 1,000 taxpayer cases since joining the office in December 2017. Thanks to Jordan’s work the office has helped San Diego Taxpayers receive a record high property savings in 2020 topping $236 million. Jordan leads the office’s county-wide award-winning educational outreach program on property tax exemptions and exclusions that provide taxpayers for homeowners, veterans, nonprofits, affordable housing, and seniors. Jordan is a licensed attorney in California and was recently recognized by the San Diego Business Journal as one of their 2020 “Next Top Business Leaders under 40.” —————–

President Art Brown’s prayer for our governmental leaders – “We grew up under the authority of local leaders and officials who managed the majority of your daily life. Today, we once again lift up to our local leaders. We pray for our local leaders who serve you including supervisors, mayors, city councils, county commissioners, police chiefs, judges, tax collectors and all who serve our local communities, including Attorney Jordan Marks. Strengthen them with wisdom and grace for the heavy burdens they carry. May they manage their teams and projects with love. Keep their hearts pure and their eyes turned toward your face as they work in the best interests of the people they are called to serve. Amen”

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zoom 2 Capture best for report.JPG

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st-row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, Don Shawler, Tom Kumura

2nd-row l-r: Gordon Bowers, John Brummer, Darwin Bustarde, Margo Dutton, Cathleen Stevens

3rd-row l-r: Ron Stone, Pat Haugen, Art Brown, John Gibbs, Cathy Baur,

4th-row l-r: Marie Purdy, Jim Murphy, Victor Manzanilla, John Lee, Paul Wright,

5th-row l-r: Our speaker Jordan Marks, Don Keller, Steve Hinze, guest Neil Kramer,

Not in photo: Ryan Stangl.

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Business Discussion –

San Marcos FFA Seeking Farm Supplies – Tom Kumura reported that the FFA program is growing at San Marcos high school. Teacher, Krystal Thomas is coordinating about 10 classes this year…via Zoom and some in school pick ups of supplies. Students have almost finalized the purchase of about a dozen animals that will be shown at the Del Mar Fair this summer. The horticulture classes are unable to grow much this year because the growing “grounds” have not been installed by the district. They need help constructing a small “greenhouse” that came in a big box. They are hoping to get an Ag Economics/Government class next year to round off a 4-year career path to lead to college and university studies. Ms. Thomas is a graduate of the San Marcos Ag program and we are delighted to have her guiding our students on a career path in Agriculture (she spoke to us recently). The San Marcos FFA would appreciate any help toward obtaining the following: a. pruning shears, b. Wheelbarrows (2), c. Trash cans – plastic to use for feed storage, d. Snow shovels – for steer area, e. fan leaf blower – for the farm area, f. A donation toward buying FFA Jackets $80 each, g. Home Depot or Lowes gift cards, h. Brooms – push and sweeping brooms for animal area sidewalks, i. water hoses – 75’ and heavy-duty – non-kink. The animal farm is located adjacent to Twin Oaks Elementary school. If anyone would like to arrange a tour please have them contact Kathe Robbins at Robbins@gmail.com.

Jim Dorschel is recovering – Jim Alden reports that Jim Dorschel is recovering from covid episode at home.

A Dinner-Dance is being planned by the Hidden Valley Kiwanis club – July 10 – For more details contact Dave Geary at DMGeary57@gmail.com.

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Speakers for – March and early April 2021

March 9 Dr. Leah Kern, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UCSD, and High School Counselor Tom Lynch (probably) on the “Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth”

March 16 – One Year in Lockdown – LSM Kiwanians Look Back and Look Forward – On that date we will have been in lockdown one full year (lockdown began March 15, 2020), it would be a good idea to hear from our members about two questions: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and 2) What do you hope for as the “new normal” future emerges? (might include Key Clubbers too)

March 23 – Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith Community Services – How Interfaith Has Responded to the Year-Long Pandemic.

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then.

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April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

April 13 – Claire Lewis – Two Inspiring Piano Compositions

Seeking speakers for April 20, 27 (send your ideas to Jerry Mason) – Jamie Nieto – Olympic high jumper with an inspirational story.

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Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 23, 2021 – Honoring America’s HeroesMarcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 23, 2021 – Honoring America’s Heroes

Today we had the privilege of hearing from Ed Presnillo of the Temecula Kiwanis Club.

Ed is the founder of Honoring USA Heroes which he started in 2020 to ensure that

those heroes who died in the 9-11 attack will never be forgotten.

Ed’s story is a testimony of what one person with a passion can do. Consider helping him so we will never forget our heroes..

Kiwanian Ed Presnillo of Temecula

So That We Will Never Forget Our Heroes of 9-11-2001

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – February 23, 2021 Zoom meeting #42)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 21) – In just a few months our nation will observe the 20th anniversary of a horrific day that shook the world – September 11, 2001.Of the nearly 3000 victims of the September 11th attack in 2001, over 400 were emergency workers in New York City who responded to the tragedy at the World Trade Center. Honoring USA Heroes founder Ed Presnillo is determined to remember their sacrifice – along with all first responders, military, firefighters, law enforcement, and government security agencies who gave their lives in the line of duty, and he’s come up with a unique way to do that – a memorial picture with the hero’s favorite music or any special recordings presented to the surviving spouse, parents or child of our Heroes.

Ed is the Founder of Honoring USA Heroes, which he started at the beginning of 2020, is a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to honoring our fallen First Responders, Military and Medical heroes who died on the line of duty, foreign and domestic since 9/11/2001. This organization exists to honor our USA Heroes so that they will “Never Be Forgotten”. It has a 3 part mission:

1^st Mission, honoring those Heroes of 9/11/2001,

2^nd Mission, honoring those Heroes who died from the after-effects 9/11/2001 by serving us and protecting our constitution and property.

3^rd Mission, honoring those who have currently sacrificed their life in the last 12 months locally and nationwide (depending on the general funds received through donations)

Ed said, “I’m doing what I can to be sure our heroes are never forgotten and the only way to do this is to keep them alive in our minds in pictures, ceremonies, and music. I started thinking about this mission in 2019 in Temecula and it has become my overall passion these days. I realize I have kind of opened a pandora’s box because there is so much to do, but I try to take it one step at a time and do what I can. Hopefully, others will come along to help. I will be at the 20th-anniversary ceremony in New York on September 11 honoring as many heroes as we can. It is the least we can do to honor their sacrifices for us.”

Ed encouraged us to visit his website and to donate time or money if we can. https://milvet.org/donate/p/honoringourheroes

The day that is seared in our memory – September 11, 2001

Top row – (L) Explosions in the Twin Towers in NY – (R) the 9-11 memorial site now in NY (20 years later)

Bottom Row – (L) An example of the special plaque Ed and friends will present to the families of the heroes,

(Center) Ed’s Dog Kole raising funds, (R) an aerial view of the 9-11 site today.

Kole is a Service Dog and the First K9 Honorary Member of Kiwanis.

Here are some facts that Ed Presented in his talk to us.

Heroes who died on September 11, 2001 – 343 First Responders, 72 Law Enforcement, 55 military, and one bomb detection dog.

Cancerous After Effects of 9-11 – Over 3,000 are dying these days from cancer-related to the 9-11 attacks.

The Goal – to Honor each of these American Heroes. It is the goal of Ed’s organization to personally present their surviving families a special edition memorial plaque (see below) at the 9-11 ceremony in either New York or Washington DC or shortly thereafter.

Three Types of Donation you can make – A One time donation made thru their websitehttps://milvet.org/donate/p/honoringourheroes

Sponsorship – $500 helps the heroes’ family keep their memory alive through music, pictures, and songs. Adopter – $900 for all of the sponsorship donation plus a similar plaque for the donor’s home, business, or organization.

A short Bio of Ed Presnillo – Ed has been a member of Kiwanis of Temecula Valley Club since Nov 2017. He retired from Cox Communications in 2017. He is a 2^nd generation US Navy Veteran Hospital Corpsman First Class, Diving Medical Tech/Veterinary Tech for the Navy’s Marine Mammals Program (he swam with Beluga Whales he told us). Ed served during the end of the Vietnam Era with a second tour duty during Desert Storm/Persian Gulf Era. Ed is the owner and dog Trainer of Service Dog Kole, the First K9 Honorary Member of Kiwanis.

Ed has presented to several other organizations and plans to continue doing so up until the 9-11 20th anniversary later this year.

Ed you are a Hero working for Our Heroes…thanks for presenting to us today.

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President Art Brown’s prayer for our Brave Heroes – Powerful God, our refuge and our strength, we turn to you for peace and security as we recall the 9/11 attack. We thank you for the bravery and the sacrifice of those who saved lives as firefighters, rescue crews, or people aboard United 93. Comfort and strengthen the family and friends of those who died.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Our speaker: Ed Presnillo Temecula Kiwanis, John Lee, John Brummer

2nd row l-r:Cathleen Stevens, Glen Winn, Jim Murphy, Victor Manzanilla, Margo Dutton,

3rdrow l-r: Steve Hinze, John Gibbs, Art Brown, Ivan Gillis, Cathy Baur,

4th row l-r: Ted May, Pat Haugen, Marie Purdy, Martha Bozulich,

Not in photo: Mike and Mary Lou Phipps,

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Business Discussion –

Jim Dorschel experiences 2nd shot surprise – Jim is a past Lt. Gov of District 37 and a friend to our club. Recently he experienced the following after receiving his 1st covid 19 vaccination (Pfizer) –1^st PFIZER Covid vaccine administered at CSUSM Feb 5^th – fever, chills, lethargic but not severe – side effects from the vaccination?Feb. 8^th – high fever, shakes, barely could get out of bed. No appetite. Ask my doctor if I should get tested.Feb 10^th – Covid test came back positiveFeb 12^th – symptoms seem to be escalating. Up and down fever etc. I have lost 10 lbs. Feb 14^th – time to go to the hospital. Admitted to Emergency and then Covid ward. Feb 20^th – released from hospital with oxygen to recover at home. Minimum 14 day quarantine at home. Currently recovering at home and asking his doctor about the second shot. – Several club members have now had at least one shot, some have had two.

Conventions Down the Road –The Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Salt Lake City on June 23-26. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention will be held August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

ADinner-Dance isbeing planned by the Hidden Valley Kiwanis club – July 10 – more details contact Dave Geary at DMGeary57@gmail.com.

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Speakers for – March and early April 2021

March 2 Jordan Marks,Esq., Taxpayer Advocate, SD County Assessor’s Office – Top Ten Accomplishments in the Past Year

March 9 Dr. Leah Kern,Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UCSD, and High School Counselor Tom Lynch(probably)on the “Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth”

March 16 – One Year in Lockdown – LSM Kiwanians Look Back and Look Forward – On that date we will have been in lockdown one full year, it would be a good idea to hear from our members about two questions: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and 2) What do you hope for as the new normal future emerges? (might include Key Clubbers too)

March 23 – Greg Anglea – CEOInterfaith Community Services – How Interfaith Has Responded to the Year Long Pandemic.

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then.

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April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) –Welcome to our New World Paradigm

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Here is the link to the You Tube video Ed presented to us today.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqzMWKlI5RU

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 16, 2021 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

Today we had the privilege of hearing from our great Mayor of San Marcos Rebecca Jones.

Mayor Jones covered many topics including the overall health of our city, the covid situation, construction and improvements being planned,

and even some of the handholding and counseling she has done during these difficult times.

San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

Mayor Rebecca Jones Presents an Overview of the City of San Marcos

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – February 16, 2021 Zoom meeting #41)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 27) – San Marcos was established in 1963. In 1970 it had a population of 3,896. Now Mayor Rebecca Jones says the population is just shy of 100,000. Looks like we have grown up big time.

“About a year and a half into my first term as Mayor (elected Nov 2018) I along with the rest of the world rounded a corner into a world few would have predicted. But it has been a great adventure and I’m remaining positive about our future down the road. I believe I am the right person for this job. For many, I have been an unofficial counselor and hand holder, especially to businesses who are struggling. Many of us are scared, but we just need to stay positive and hold on.” said Mayor Jones.

Mayor Jones gave us a rather comprehensive overview of the state of the city to date. She spoke about the following things.

Main Points of Mayor Jones’s Presentation

It is an Exciting Time for San Marcos — “Thanks to years of thoughtful planning and economic development, we are no longer a drive-thru community. We are a drive-to destination with many new projects and improvements.”

San Marcos at a Glance: • Over 98,000 residents • Median age: 33.5 • High quality of life & dynamic local economy • 38 parks & mini-parks • More than 70 miles of trails • 9 breweries, 3 cider/mead tasting rooms, and 2 wineries, • Over 250 restaurants.

A Balanced Budget – “The City’s conservative fiscal approach and commitment to long-term financial sustainability allows San Marcos to make the most efficient use of our resources while providing a high level of service to the residents, businesses, and visitors that make up our dynamic community,” said Jack Griffin, City Manager (see balanced budget below)

New Entry and Way-Finding Signs (see below)

San Marcos Creek Project – When completed in the fall of 2022, this project will • minimize flooding risks, • preserve and enhance creek habitat, and • build new parks and trails. (Us Kiwanians have had two updates from this project since it began)

An Evolving Brewery and Restaurant Scene – My Yard Live opened in July 2019 in the old Hometown Buffet by the Civic Center • Karl Strauss San Marcos is breaking ground at the corner of Las Posas/Armorlite Drive this year • New Restaurants in San Elijo Town Center including Tapa Tapa that opened in February 2020 and a new fine dining restaurant will be opening this winter. • New restaurants opening at Grand Plaza and Creekside Marketplace in 2021- retail activity is seeing an uptick in early 2021.

North City • Beautiful new downtown district • New restaurants & tasting rooms • New pedestrian bridge connecting the university to the city • New CSUSM Extended Learning Building • New apartments and student housing • A modern co-working space.

Area of the Arts – is being planned for nine acres of vacant land at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Linda Vista Drive which will turn the area into a thriving village anchored by arts, makers, craft brewers, and distillers with an interactive park at its core.

New Homes in Discovery South – 220 single-family detached homes around the extension of Discovery Street to Twin Oaks Valley Road (public/private partnership between developer and City of San Marcos).

New Kaiser Permanente Hospital – State of the Art – 7 stories, 428,500 square-foot, 206-bed hospital adjacent to existing medical offices. Started construction in December 2020 and anticipated opening in Fall 2023.

Mayor Jones ended with a time for questions and there were several mainly around traffic issues and dealing with pandemic as well as financial budgetary matters.

Mayor Jones’ motto is With success comes challenges, I’m all about the solutions! – we agree.

The San Marcos City Council is led by Mayor Rebecca Jones (center).

City Council is (from L-R) Randy Walton, Maria Nunez, Mayor Jones, Sharon Jenkins, and Ed Musgrove (inset)

The San Marcos city budget is balanced at a total of $80.5 million (slightly less these days due to reduction in sales tax revenues).

A short Bio of Rebecca Jones – Mayor Rebecca Jones has been a long-time San Marcos resident and has served on the San Marcos City Council since January 2007 after being appointed to a vacated Council seat. She was re-elected in 2008, 2012, and again in 2016. Rebecca served as the Vice Mayor from 2012-2018. She is currently serving in her first term as Mayor, having been elected in November 2018. In addition to her role as Mayor, Rebecca currently serves on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors, on the SANDAG Regional Housing Needs Assessment Committee (RHNA) As an advocate for public safety in San Marcos, Rebecca is dedicated to maintaining a high quality of life in her community and strongly supports San Marcos youth. Recognized by the Red Ribbon Commission in 2016 with the Excellence in Prevention Advocacy Award, she effectively championed the creation of ordinances to restrict tobacco sales to San Marcos youth. She is supportive of the San Diego County Sheriff Department’s Respect Program, a gang intervention program for “at risk” youth. Today, Rebecca is actively involved in serving the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club as an Advisory Board Member and serves on the Annual Auction Committee, previously serving as Co-Chair. She is also a Board Member for The San Marcos Promise, a local non-profit organization that promotes college-level career pathways for San Marcos students. Mayor Jones is a strong supporter of business in San Marcos and believes that a healthy business base is an important part of a dynamic and thriving community. She also previously co-owned a furniture marketing company for over 20 years that had over $100 million in annual sales. Her current term expires in November 2022. Contact Mayor Jones at rjones@san-marcos.net

President Art Brown’s prayer for our local leaders – We grew up under the authority of local leaders and officials who managed the majority of your daily life. We lift up our local leaders today. We pray for our mayors, city councils, county commissioners, police chiefs, judges, and all who serve our local communities, especially San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones. Strengthen them with wisdom and grace for the heavy burdens they carry. May they manage their teams and projects with love. Keep their hearts pure and their eyes turned toward your face as they work in the best interests of the people they are called to serve.”

Thank you for speaking to us today Mayor Jones. You are doing a great job. Come back to us often.

A PDF file of the PowerPoint Mayor Jones used is attached.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st-row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, guest Dave Geary (Pres. Hidden Valley Kiwanis), Our speaker: Mayor Rebecca Jones

2nd row l-r: Steve Hinze, Margo Dutton, Cathy Baur, Pat Haugen, John Gibbs,

3rd-row l-r: Cathleen Stevens, Ron Ryback (guest Hidden Valley Kiwanis), Art Brown, Ron Stone, Don Shawler,

4th-row l-r: Dave Schmitt (from Hidden Valley Kiwanis) , Don Keller, Jacque McGee, Mike & Mary Lou Phipps, Jim Murphy,

5th-row l-r: John Lee, Paul Wright, Gordon Bowers, John Brummer.

Not in photo: Glen Winn, Martha Bozulich, Ted May

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Business Discussion –

Palomar Food Drive Feb 20 (9-10:30) and again later on March 20 & April 17 – Drive up, contactless, food distribution – Palomar College – 1140 West Mission Rd. San Marcos. – contact Cathy Baur

The Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District Mid-Year Conference was held virtually on Feb 13 – some of our club attended – Margo Dutton and Dave Schmitt reported that the CNH Foundation Gala raised $60,000.

Conventions Down the Road – The Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Salt Lake City on June 23-26. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention will be held August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

Key Clubs Need Chaperones for a virtual fundraiser – This upcoming Saturday, February 20th, Key Clubs will be holding our February DCM from 3-4 PM! During our meeting, we will be introducing the Lieutenant Governor-Elect for the 2021-2022 term and going over recaps/updates and district recognition earned by clubs and members of Division 37 East. We would really appreciate it if you could attend! If you are interested in chaperoning and/or would like more information, please contact Lynne Do at d37e.cnhkc.ltg@gmail.com

Key Club Fun Fundraiser is a Big Success – Margo Dutton announced that the Mission Hills High School Key Club fundraiser on Sunday, Feb 14, was a big success. Margo had high praise for Club President Zander Vilasayne. Several members served as chaperones for this event.

Longtime Kiwanian Mary Harrington has Passed – It is with great sadness that we inform you that Mary Harrington passed away on February 10. She was 90 years old and had been in the club for 5 years. She had the heart of a Kiwanian – she will be missed. Services (virtual) Grace Anglican Church in Carlsbad.

A Dinner-Dance is being planned by the Hidden Valley Kiwanis club – July 10 – more details contact Dave Geary at DMGeary57@gmail.com.

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Speakers for – February and March 2021

Feb 23 Ed Presnillo and his dog Kole, Kiwanis members (his dog is the first canine honorary member of Kiwanis) of the Temecula Club, “USA Heroes 9/11 Remembrance Program”

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March 2 Jordan Marks, Esq., Taxpayer Advocate, SD County Assessor’s Office – Top Ten Accomplishments in the Past Year

March 9 Dr. Leah Kern, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UCSD, and High School Counselor Tom Lynch (hopefully) on the “Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth”

March 23 – Greg Anglea – CEO Interfaith Community Services – How Interfaith Has Responded to the Year-Long Pandemic.

March 30 – Pastor Jim Brown – Lake Church – Living in Troubled Times Now and Then.

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April 6 – Gary Jander (Kiwanian) – Welcome to our New World Paradigm

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This meeting was recorded – here’s the link https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/MFh_Tc267-Y3plEEiOPWQ_gJcdykYT5BoYXEQZdIgghz9pInSw7Ikzsjz1L9OcpR.EHyjy2eITjFeT7Q1 Passcode: &=MQJ2M! —————–

Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 9, 2021 – Overcoming Adversity

Today we had a doubleheader on facing physical adversity.

Both Kiwanians; first John Brummer gave us a great overview of what we needed to know about strokes

Then our own Don Shawler told us of his personal story about recovering from open heart surgery.

Kiwanians John Brummer (Stroke) and Don Shawler (Heart Surgery)

Two Kiwanians Talk About Overcoming Major Physical Adversity

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – February 9, 2021 Zoom meeting #40)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20) “As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character” – Joseph Wirthlin – Today’s speakers have had ample opportunity to build their character as they faced serious physical adversity – John Brummer had a stroke and Don Shawler had open heart surgery. Both loyal Kiwanians, John lives in Sacramento and Don lives in Lake San Marcos. They both brought us into their worlds of recovery from major physical challenges. Both speakers told us inspirational stories as well as gave us helpful information we can use as time marches on.

John Brummer Teaches About Stroke

On July 21, 2016 while at a Kiwanis meeting John Brummer had a stroke. Quick actions by his Kiwanis friends got him to the hospital FAST. Since then John has learned a whole lot about strokes and now is trying to educate others about the warning signs of strokes and things they can do to lessen their chances of getting one. Here are the highlights of what he told us:

Stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is reduced or blocked completely

One in every 6 deaths due to cardiovascular disease is due to stroke. Someone in the US has a stroke every 40 seconds.

Every year 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke, for 610,000 of them it is their first stroke.

About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes (blood is blocked).

Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. Stroke reduces the mobility in more than half the stroke survivors over 65.

John played two videos talking about all aspects of strokes (check them out by clicking on these links)

Video 1) Know Stroke – Act In Time – link is: https://www.stroke.nih.gov/materials/knowstrokevideo.htm

Video 2) 7 Steps to Stroke Recovery – link is: https://youtu.be/GHJL42xFuz8

John concluded with the stroke recognition acronym “Stroke: Spot It F.A.S.T where F=Face drooping, A=Arm weakness, S=Speech Difficulty, T=Time to Call 911.” (see below)

Thank you John for speaking to us today and for inspiring us about how to overcome physical adversity. You are inspirational!

A short Bio of John Brummer – John is retired now, but is still very active – He worked for State of California for 29 years and Sacramento Bee for 3 years. Been married to Rae for 15 years (met in Kiwanis). They have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. John served in many leadership positions in his 35 years in Kiwanis. Currently he belongs to three Kiwanis Clubs of Carmichael, Laguna Elk Grove, and Lincoln Foothills all in the greater Sacramento area. He has been Lt. Governor 3 times and Club President 3 times. He has won many of the highest awards Kiwanis offers. John loves people and Kiwanis and lives it out daily. John is a friend of our Margo Dutton and a regular visitor to our zoom meetings lately. He suffered a stroke in July 2016 while in a Kiwanis meeting.

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Don Shawler Tells of His Ordeal with Heart Surgery – “In 2019 I passed out several times due to orthostatic hypotension. My doctor sent me to Scripps La Jolla for a series of tests in July 2019. Then he immediately scheduled me for open heart surgery. I was not even allowed to go home! I went through a triple by-pass and repair of the mitral and aortic valves. I spent a week in cardiac ICU, then another week at Brookdale in Carlsbad before going home. Then I was enrolled in the 12-week cardiac rehab program (3 times/week) at TriCity Medical Center. I had a live-in caregiver who was vigilant to address my physical needs. However mentally and emotionally I was becoming depressed because the issues I faced prior to surgery had not been resolved.”

“Our COVID lockdown compounded my misery. My longtime friend and former employee, Suzy Bohling, who I have known since 1999 took over as my full-time live-in caregiver in August of 2020. Over the past 6 months I have realized that RECOVERY FROM SURGERY IS MORE THAN PHYSICAL! In spite of COVID restrictions, Suzy helped put some color and joy back in my life, with such activities as: – Daily walks and exercise classes 3x/week, Workouts with a personal trainer 1-2x/week, – Weekly attendance at The Lake Church, – Daily Bible reading and prayer, – Safe social engagements with friends in my home and theirs, – Neurobic exercises i.e. word search, crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles, – Reading much more, – Watching TV news much less!, – Listening to music I enjoy. I was led to check into HOSPICE services (which is no longer exclusively for terminally ill patients). Since then I am enjoying many free services through hospice including weekly visits from a home-health nurse, plus additional monthly or-bi-monthly visits from a music therapist, chaplain and social worker. Also, Suzy got me plugged in to health benefits and services through the Veteran’s Administration (VA); I get most of my prescriptions now through the VA at no cost to me — and have also had a complete cognitive assessment by a VA neurologist.”

“However, the things I have done (with Suzy’s help) to get healthier physically and try to regain my former independence DID NOT HELP MY ATTITUDE PROBLEM! My short-term memory has suffered these past 6 months particularly — and I’ve been frustrated, disappointed in myself, and even angry. Suzy gave me a piece of art for Christmas which now hangs on my kitchen wall right in front of the breakfast table. It says: “Accept what is, Let go of what was, Have Faith in what will be.” I’ve come to realize, I’m not the same person I was – but up until recently, I’ve been focusing on what I have lost rather than all I have to be thankful for. Suzy encouraged me to start a Gratitude Journal which on most days I try to add to or at least read and reflect on the blessings I have written into it.”

“I’ve concluded that: we all experience loss especially as we age, but we can always remind ourselves of everything we have to be thankful for! My journey after open heart surgery wasn’t over once my incision healed!!! It’s become vitally important and significant to look at my life now through the lens of gratitude. There’s always someone who has it much worse than you or I do! I can be depressed and feel sorry for myself or choose to be thankful and then reach out to bless and encourage others. That gives me a sense of purpose. As a result I have more inner peace, I am more patient with myself, and I can see how God has provided for my welfare in miraculous ways. We don’t know what the future holds: we are all getting older!!! but through this experience I’m learning how to trust God for all the things I cannot control.

– I hope that my experience will prove helpful to each of you both now and/or in the future.”

Thanks Don for your inspiring story. You still have a purpose. – please come back to us via zoom as often as you can.

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Short Bio of Don Shawler – Don Shawler has been a club member for 18 years (first joining in 2000 with a two-year hiatus from 2005-2007). He has a master’s degree in gerontology. He was president of the club 2010-2011. Don is an Air Force veteran; he served 11 years as a navigator, which included volunteering for a tour in Vietnam. Thanks to the GI bill, he earned multiple degrees, including a Masters in Gerontology from North Texas State University in Denton, TX. During his ensuing career, Don spent 40 years managing retirement communities across the United States, including 6 years as Executive Director of Chateau Lake San Marcos. He was married for 33 wonderful years to Evie, the love of his life, who sadly predeceased him prior to his move to Lake San Marcos in 1999. Don has attended The Lake Church since 1999, serving as church board president at the time Pastor Jim Brown was hired 8 years ago. Although open heart surgery took him “out of the loop” for awhile ~ Don is grateful to finally rejoin his Kiwanis friends via Zoom.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Jim Brown, Our speakers: John Brummer, Don Shawler

2nd row l-r: Jim Murphy, Art Brown, Pat Haugen, John Gibbs, Ivan Gillis,

3rd row l-r: Don Keller, John Lee (2 spots), Martha Bozulich, Gina Roberts,

4th row l-r: Margo Dutton, Zander Vilasayne, Lynne Do (Key Clubs),

Not in photo: Steve Hinze, Glen Winn,

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Business Discussion –

Board Meeting Held Right after this meeting: (summary of discussion) – Ideas were discussed for virtual fundraisers such as a silent auction. Scholarship applications are now being accepted. The pancake breakfast will be planned for September or October. For more information contact a board member.

The Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District Mid-Year Conference will be held virtually on Feb 13 8:30am-4pm with many training seminars during the day and a CNH Foundation Gala at 6pm.This will be free of charge any Kiwanian can attend. The keynote speaker will be Kiwanis International president Art Riley at noon. You can download the program and seminar grid at: California-Nevada-Hawaii – Kiwanis International. An hour afterwards the Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation Gala will start at 5:30 pm, and includes a concert and auction, cost is $25. The Zoom link to the conference will be provided later this week. Check with Pat.

Conventions Down the Road – The Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Salt Lake City on June 23-26. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention will be held August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

President Art Brown’s prayer for those who have suffered a stroke – Have mercy, God, upon all who have suffered a stroke. Remove the sudden fear that befalls them. Endow them with courage in the struggle to recover what has been lost. Grant them strength and hope to envision new days ahead and a spirit of faith to take the risk of living fully once again. Amen.

Key Clubs Need Chaperones for virtual fundraiser – Mission Hills High School Key Club President Zander Vilasayne announced his club’s fundraiser on Sunday, Feb 14, 4-8pm, using Twitch to raise donations with friendly games and tournaments. Our club will co-sponsor and provide chaperones to supervise. Margo Dutton, Pat Haugen, Ivan Gillis, Jerry Mason, Jim Alden and John Brummer volunteered. Let Pat know if you would like to supervise or just observe for part or all of the time. Chaperones will be sent a link to the Discord Server (not Zoom).

Girl Scout Cookies – Victor Manzanilla told us that Girl Scout Cookie sales are online now – You can contribute online at

https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/zoe820303. Victor’s daughter Zoey is a 4th grader and a Girl Scout.

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Speakers for January – February 2021

February 16 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones – Latest News about the City of San Marcos

February 23 – Ed Presnillo and his dog Kole – 9/11 Remembrance Program

March 2 – Jordan Marks – taxpayer advocate – top ten accomplishments in the past year (zoom in at 11:15)

— Speakers for most of March 2021 – TBD

What Will Our Meetings in March Focus Upon? We are currently seeking potential speakers for two of the five meetings in March (March 9, 23) – Topics being pursued include: how students are handling the year long time in virtual school, living in troubling times, what is Interfaith doing these days, and an update on the desalinization plant. Jerry has an idea for the March 16 meeting – “At that time we will have been in lockdown one full year,” he said. “I think it would be a good idea to hear from our members about two questions: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and 2) What do you hope for as the new normal future emerges? – hopefully this will include key club members as well.

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Don Shawler recommends the following books: God’s Promise of Happiness by Randy Alcorn, Happiness is A Serious Problem by Dennis Prager, The Law of Happiness by Dr. Henry Cloud

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 2, 2021 – County Supervisor Jim Desmond – Vaccine Update

Jim Desmond montage banner best for report.jpg

Our County Supervisor and past San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond spoke to us today about

many topics but principally about the Covid-19 situation and the latest information about vaccines.

Above are scenes from the newly opened vaccine superstation at Cal State San Marcos.

County Supervisor Jim Desmond

County Supervisor Jim Desmond Speaks about the Latest Vaccine Update

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – February 2, 2021 Zoom meeting #39)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 34) Judging by the large increase of “zoomers” at today’s meeting (34 zoomed-in, many were guests) it is definitely an understatement to say the vaccine situation for Covid-19 is a very hot topic these days. The big draw was because our San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond was our speaker. He gave us a very thorough update on the latest news about vaccine delivery in North County among other topics.

Jim Desmond’s Bio – Supervisor Desmond previously served as mayor of San Marcos from 2006-2014. He was elected to County Supervisor (one of five) in November 2018. Jim is currently the chair of the SANDAG Regional Transportation Committee. Supervisor Desmond also serves as a Board Member of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. He has a staff of 9 helping him shoulder the service responsibilities of over 3 million people in San Diego County (2nd largest in the state). Supervisor Desmond is a US Navy Veteran. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from San Diego State University. He completed the Leadership North County program at California State University-San Marcos. He recently retired as an Airline Captain for Delta Airlines after 33 years. A resident of San Marcos since 1992, Desmond was active in the community serving as the first parent-teacher president of Twin Oaks Elementary School. Desmond remains involved and is an honorary member of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club and serves as a board member of the San Diego and Imperial County Boy Scouts of America. Supervisor Desmond and his wife, Kerri of 32 years, reside in North County.

Here’s a summary of some of the many informative things he told us at today’s meeting:

“The supply of the vaccines is the biggest problem everywhere. We have two superstations open down south and have recently opened a superstation in San Marcos and another site in Oceanside; an Escondido site will be open soon.”

“We plan to vaccinate up to 5,000 people a day at the San Marcos site, This site is a very positive game-changer for all of us in North County. It’s truly a remarkable collaborative effort, I’m glad to be part of it.” The site will be open to the public weekly Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Depending on the number of vaccines available, the site is expected to initially vaccinate 250 to 1,000 people per day, eventually building up to 5,000 or more vaccines daily.

“Appointments are necessary, some have come without them and they are politely turned away or have had their names put on a list. Go to myturn.ca.gov to get an appointment, right now they are being snapped up quickly…keep trying.” New appointments come in around noon for appointments for 3 days out. Other providers, like Kaiser, Scripps, and Sharp are getting their own supplies, you can check with them also.

“I’ve been getting about 100 calls a day about getting a vaccine and I had 700 people on a zoom call mostly about vaccines…we’re doing the best we can with the supplies we have. I’ve had so much on my plate I can’t even see the plate. It has been a roller coaster ride for me these past few weeks.”

“We haven’t beaten Covid yet, we still have to do all the necessary safety precautions such as masks, hand washing, social distancing. The numbers are still high, but they are coming down. Persevere – we will get through this together.”

Here and virtually everywhere in the country vaccine supplies fall far short of the demand, people are scrambling for appointments.

In response, San Diego County opened a third vaccine superstation at Cal State San Marcos.

Other topics – Supervisor Desmond talked about and answered questions about other county business such as the local airport, funding from the federal government, opening up businesses, schools, and churches, a planned I-78 / I-15 Interchange, rise in gang-related incidents, and opening of a new family health center (mainly for abused women) behind Ashley Furniture.

Jim also wanted to know how our club is doing – He is an honorary member of our club.

Thanks, Supervisor Desmond for what you are doing for the 3.3 million people of San Diego County. Your talk today brought in the biggest turnout of all the 39 zoom meetings we have had since March of last year. Please come back soon.

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zoom best for report.JPG

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians and guests who zoomed in today

1st-row l-r: Pat Haugen, Jerry and Linda Mason, *Carol Brady, Ivan Gillis, Jim Murphy,

2nd-row l-r: Our Speaker Supervisor Jim Desmond, *Jarret Yatsuoko, Cathleen Stevens, Jim Dorschel, Margo Dutton,

3rd-row l-r: Jim Brown, *David Sherman, Kristal Jabarra (staff of Jim Desmond), *Dick Muir, Mike, and Mary Lou Phipps,

4th-row l-r: John Lee, Art Brown, Marie Purdy, Gordon Bowers, Cathy Baur,

5th-row l-r: John Gibbs, Rob Gaebe, *Mitzie Hall, Victor Manzanilla, Arlene Cratsa (friend of Cathy Baur)

Not in photo: *Nancy Speaks, John Brummer (our speaker next week), Gina Roberts, Ryan Stangl, Don Keller, Ron Stone.

*Sunrise Vista had 6 guests at an interclub at this meeting.

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Business Discussion –

Kiwanis teaming up with Interfaith for Food Drive – North County Interfaith provides food to families in all of North County. For the February DCM Division, 37 Kiwanis teamed up with Interfaith for a food drive. Food needs to be dropped at the American Legion Building on 230 E. Park Ave. Escondido, Ca 92025 Saturday February 6th from the hours of 10 am until 2 pm. Foods wanted: Green Beans, Corn, Peas, Fruit (ie Canned peaches, pears, fruit cocktail ), Tuna, Cans of roast beef or chicken, Jelly and Peanut butter small bottles (16oz), 1 lb. bags of dry beans,1 lb. rice, Dry cereal, Pasta, Pasta sauce, Mac & cheese, Diapers size 1,2,3. If you have any questions feel free to call Dave Geary (760) 802-3945.

Upcoming Conventions, virtual and maybe in person later – Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District Mid-Year Conference will be held virtually on Feb 13 with many training seminars during the day and a CNH Foundation Gala at 6pm.This will be free of charge any Kiwanian can attend. A program for the free virtual training sessions will be forthcoming soon. The Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Salt Lake City on June 23-26. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention will be held August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

President Art Brown’s prayer for our local leaders –“We grew up under the authority of local leaders and officials who managed the majority of your daily life. We lift up our local leaders today. We pray for our mayors, city councils, county commissioners, police chiefs, judges, and all who serve our local communities, especially SUPERVISOR JIM DESMOND. Strengthen them with wisdom and grace for the heavy burdens they carry. May they manage their teams and projects with love. Keep their hearts pure and their eyes turned toward your face as they work in the best interests of the people they are called to serve.”

Irma Gonzalez – Irma Gonzalez has been elected as Lt. Gov Elect for Div 37E Key Clubs – she will replace Lynne Do in October. Irma will be a senior at Del Lago Academy. She spoke to our club with Lynne Do recently.

Girl Scout Cookies – Victor Manzanilla told us that last weekend was the kickoff for Girl Scout Cookie sales – You can contribute online at

https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/zoe820303. Victor’s daughter Zoey is a 4th grader and a Girl Scout.

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Speakers for January – February 2021

February 9 – John Brummer and Don Shawler – What You Should Know about Strokes and Heart Disease

February 16 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones – Latest News about the City of San Marcos

February 23 – Ed Presnillo and his dog Kole – 9/11 Remembrance Program

We are currently seeking potential speakers for four March meetings (March 2, 9, 23, 30)

Jerry has an idea for the March 16 meeting – “At that time we will have been in lockdown one full year,” he said. “I think it would be a good idea to hear from our members about two questions: 1) how has the lockdown and covid-19 impacted or changed your life? and

2) What do you hope for as the new normal future emerges?

Jerry is currently looking to fill speaker slots for the 4 other meeting dates in March (Mar 2, 9, 23, 30) send your ideas to him.

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Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Groundhog in Pennsylvania Predicts 6 more weeks of Winter – (today’s meeting occurred on what is known as Groundhog Day – many of us are feeling like every day is Groundhog Day during our nearly year long lockdown) – Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog emerged from his burrow on a snowy Tuesday morning (Feb 2) and saw his shadow, “declaring” there would be six more weeks of winter. The spectacle that is Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania went on but this year, it was all virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic. (So the Groundhog is also hunkering down like us).

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – January 26, 2021 – Art Brown – Estate Planning

Our President Art Brown has been a Kiwanian and an Estate Planner for over 30 years.Art has handled over 6,000 estates. Today he gave us a detailed and very helpful overview of the current situation with Estate Planning

Art Brown – Estate Planner and Our Club President

Art Brown Helps Us Pass Our Financial Legacies Forward

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – January 26, 2021 Zoom meeting #38)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20) Our extra special President, Art Brown, has been helping plan estates to pass forward our financial legacies for about as long as he has been a Kiwanian – over 30 years for each one. Today Art gave us an excellent presentation of the legal and financial aspects of what happens to our assets that we leave behind when we move on. He talked to us about assets, attorneys, estate taxes, wills, trusts, living wills, powers of attorney, probate, family considerations and a lot more “I’ve been working hard as an estate planner for over 30 years. My oldest client was 113 years old. Often people don’t want to think about what happens after death, to their wealth and assets they have accumulated, but everyone needs some kind of plan. The law has one for us, but that is often not in sync with our wishes…that’s where I come in.”

Here are the topics Art spoke about today (see attached power point PDF for details): Who Needs an Estate Plan? Six Estate Planning Challenges Proposition 19 passed last year Common Mistakes to Avoid What would happen if you became incapacitated? Health Care Directives Estate Management Tools Estate Taxes and Death Taxes Probate Post Death Wealth Distribution Options

Problems with Intestancy (dying without a will) Last Will and Testament Jointly Held Property Trust Strategies

Essential Components of a Smart Estate Plan (Living Trust, Pour-Over Last Will and Testament, Financial Power of Attorney, Advanced Health Care Directive, Assignment of Personal Property (non-real estate) and Property Agreement (Community Property)

These are the basic purposes and objectives of estate planning

Thanks Art for helping us understand how to pass our legacy along legally and thanks for all you do and have done for Kiwanis.

Two documents attached:

1) PDF of the Power Point Art Used at today’s Meeting

2) Art’s Annual Review Letter

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today

1st row l-r: Jim Alden, Pat Haugen, Gordon Bowers, Margo Dutton,

2nd row l-r: Guest John Brummer, Ivan Gillis, John Gibbs, Jim Brown

3rd row l-r: Cathleen Stevens, Art Brown, Paul Wright, John Lee

4th row l-r: Jerry Mason, Cathy Baur, Guests Gene and Chris Clark, (uncertain)

Not in photo: Les Hill, Victor Manzanilla, Tom Kumura, Marie Purdy, Jacque McGee

Business Discussion –

Key Club Seeking Virtual Chaperones: Div 37E Lt Governor Lynne Do has the following announcement… On January 30 they will be holding their annual Conclave – Sat Jan 30 2:30 – 3:30. We would really appreciate it if you could volunteer to be a chaperone virtually – e-mail Lynne Do at d37e.ltg@cnhkeyclub.org

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Speakers for January – February 2021

February 2 – San Diego County Supervisor – Jim Desmond – Latest on Vaccine Rollout and other developments

February 9 – John Brummer and Don Shawler – What You Should Know about Strokes and Heart Disease

February 16 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones – Latest News about the City of San Marcos

February 23 – Ed Presnillo and his dog Kole – 9/11 Remembrance Program

We are currently seeking potential speakers for five March meetings

2) What do you hope for as the new normal future emerges?

Jerry is currently looking to fill speaker slots for the 4 other meeting dates in March (Mar 2, 9, 23, 30) send your ideas to him.

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Here’s the link to the video of this meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/uw80sG1OWl8xxf6ix6R3lH2A3RN749IjCv4JUzXmDD_qKo9MEql7huPgR_6jQEL_.pr-pTMjXL_OLBOrg

(Jim started the recording a little bit late)

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Virtuoso Andre Ricardo Performs Violin Concerto for Us

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – January 19, 2021 Zoom meeting #37)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20) Kiwanis is interested in the youth of our community and today’s speaker was one of the great youth we are connected to – Andre Ricardo. Andre and friends with the San Marcos Youth Strings have played for us often over the years. Andre is also a recipient of one of our scholarships. Andre, who attends Colorado College in Colorado Springs now, and his mother Monique were our special guests today. Andre played a very difficult piece Violin Concerto No.29 in E minor by Giovanni Battista presenting it via a YouTube video. Unfortunately, audio difficulties with playing his YouTube video resulted in poor sound quality at the zoom meeting. Members are encouraged to click on the link below to hear Andre’s great performance for us. Please consider clicking on this link and hear the fine performance from our friend Andre Ricardo. https://youtu.be/78viHHpOgAE

art by Jerry Mason

Afterward Andre and Monique as well as Taylor Quach and Van Duong (San Marcos Youth Strings) talked with us about their lives now and in the past year since covid.

Andre: told us that he has been going back and forth between the campus in Colorado Springs and his home in Pauma Valley. He has been home on winter break and will go back to campus on Jan 30. Regardless of where he is, all classes are online. His mother, Monique, went out there to participate in a parents panel program last year.

Andre: is majoring in creative writing while still playing his violin as a hobby. He is in frequent contact with our other virtuoso friend, pianist prodigy Claire Lewis who is also back home now because of the pandemic (Claire is also a recipient of our Kiwanis scholarship)

Monique: Told us that while this year has been quite different than most everyone expected, it is still turning out well and they are still doing what matters with respect to supporting their son.

Andre: Told us he still plays private personal concerts for his grandmother.

Taylor and Van: Taylor is a senior at San Marcos High (she played for us with the San Marcos Strings) this past Christmas. Taylor and her mother are checking in to various college prospects as is common for seniors at this stage.

To Andre, Monique, Taylor, and Van – We consider you part of our extended Kiwanis family and are eager to hear about your lives as they unfold in 2021 – Please consider coming back to us down the road. Thanks for coming to us today.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden, Jerry Mason, Cathleen Stevens, (visitors Taylor Quach and Van Duong), Art Brown.

Second Row from left: Don Shawler (hooray!! He’s back), Gordon Bowers, Speakers today Monique Ricardo & Andre Ricardo,

second-row continued: Guest John Brummer, Pat Haugen

Third Row from left: Mary Ann Bate, Jim Murphy, Paul Wright, Jacque McGee, John Lee (hiding)

Fourth Row from left: John Gibbs, Cathy Baur, Ryan Stangl

Business Discussion –

Weekly Prayer (from Art Brown): Every week our President Art Brown starts off our meeting with a prayer related to the topic chosen by our speakers…this meeting it was about music “We all feel a strong connection to music, but have you considered that music and sound are the world’s oldest medicines? Ancient healers used music to cure illness and help people regain spiritual balance. Music continues to play a key role in healing – let’s look at three examples: Music alleviates physical, mental, and emotional suffering – Music can calm anxiety, ease pain and provide a pleasant diversion during chemotherapy or a hospital stay. Patients who listened to music before a procedure had a reduced need for sedatives. Those who listened to music in the recovery room lowered the use of opioid painkillers. Music therapy improves symptoms and social functioning among schizophrenics, and music helps the human brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”

Fine Master Returns: John Gibbs re-instated our fine master activity at this meeting (the fine master raises funds to help with club expenses). As a new fun feature of our meetings, collector and President-elect, John Gibbs, will be donating items to be auctioned off to support our club each week. The items will include collectibles such as silver coins, commemorative medallions, and rare DVD movies and TV shows from the ’40s, ’50s, and 60’s”. If you have any additional ideas send them to John. Thanks, John – keeping the fun in our meetings is important as we forge a new normal.

Health matters – Ivan Gillis – had a small stroke; he was in the hospital; now is recovering at home. Don Shawler has returned to us, he is recovering from open-heart surgery last summer. Jacque McGee and John Lee have recently received the first of two vaccinations for Covid.

Upcoming Conventions, virtual and maybe in person later – Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District Mid-Year Conference will be held virtually on Feb 13 with many training seminars during the day and a CNH Foundation Gala at 6 pm. This will be free of charge any Kiwanian can attend. A program for the free virtual training sessions will be forthcoming soon. The Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Salt Lake City on June 23-26. The CNH Kiwanis District Convention will be held August 19-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

Pancake Breakfast – September or October (hopefully) – John Lee is looking into a potential date for our pancake breakfast at St Mark’s church in September or October.

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Speakers for January – February 2021

January 26 – Art Brown – Recent changes in Estate Law You May Want to Know About

February 2 – San Diego County Supervisor – Jim Desmond – Latest on Vaccine Rollout and other developments

February 9 – John Brummer and Don Shawler – What You Should Know about Strokes and Heart Disease

February 16 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones – Latest News about the City of San Marcos

February 23 – Ed Presnillo and his dog Kole – 9/11 Remembrance Program

We are currently seeking potential speakers for five March meetings – Send your ideas and names for speakers to Jerry Mason.

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Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video Viotti 29th Concerto

Viotti 29th Concerto

Preview YouTube video Viotti 29th Concerto

Viotti 29th Concerto

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – December 8, 2020 Zoom meeting #33)

Krystal Thomas (right), San Marcos High FFA advisor, and FFA students Camille Heskett (left) and Gio Rodriguez (middle)

spoke to us today about the Wreaths they make as a fundraiser during the Christmas season

and about all their programs to train and guide the Future Farmers in our community.

Kystal Thomas, Camille Heskett, and Gio Rodriguez…

Our Future Farmers Tell Us About Their High School Agriculture Programs

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – December 8, 2020 Zoom meeting #33)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 23) “Farming is a Profession of Hope.” Three builders of that hope spoke to us today. Krystal Thomas, the FFA advisor and one of two agricultural education teachers, and two of her best students spoke to us about the wreaths they are making as a fundraiser and about the overall FFA programs to train our future farmers of America. Camille Heskett and Gio Rodriguez are both junior leaders in the San Marcos High FFA which includes around 200 student members.

Wreath Making– Camile and Gio – Camille is the club President and Gio is the Club Recorder – both are juniors,

Camille Heskett demonstrated wreath making for us…“We spent a lot of time on them and we are almost sold out.” Only a few wreaths are still available. “Our club’s six leaders and a few others made most of them.” she said. “These wreaths require a step-by-step process and each one is made individually; we made around 100 this year,” said Gio Rodriguez. “We put wreaths on the school buses which helped publicize them.” Ordering a Wreath – Limited number of wreaths still available. $15/ Wreath Wreaths will be delivered locally. Email SanMarcosHighFFA@gmail.com to order.

Wreath making is just one of the many things the FFA does. Camille is raising two goats; Gio is raising a 700 pound Angus steer named “King.”

FFA Agricultural Education Programs – Krystal Thomas

Krystal is one of two agriculture teachers at San Marcos High. The other is Donna Sylva. Krystal has been with SMHS for two years. She was a high school senior at SMHS in 2007 in Rob Gaebe’s class. Krystal told us San Marcos FFA has been an integral part of the agricultural community in San Marcos since 1975. Although San Marcos has changed over the years, the traditions and opportunities for students to participate in agricultural education has not. San Marcos FFA has over 200 FFA members taking an array of agricultural classes at San Marcos High School. FFA members have the opportunity to raise livestock at our school farm and participate at the county fair. “Livestock projects can be expensive. We are looking for community support to help our students continue the legacy of San Marcos FFA.”

There are 3 main ways to help support our students in their livestock projects! All are tax deductible and support students directly in meeting their Supervised Agricultural Experience goals.

Option 1: Sponsor an animal. The student will raise the animal for you. After the fair you will have a freezer full of quality meat.

Option 2: Provide the student with a loan. The student will reimburse you for the loan amount after they have auctioned off and sold their animal at the SD County Fair.

Option 3: Make monetary donations of any amount. This will offset the cost to our students.

Timeline for FFA Events:

January 11th, 2021- Commitments of sponsorship or loans.
February-March- Students receive projects.
July- Students show project at the San Diego County Fair (which was canceled last summer)
Mid July- Animals are processed and distributed to buyers/sponsors.

Interested in helping out? Contact Krystal Thomas krystal.thomas@smusd.org or 760-224-7571

Thanks Krystal, Camille and Gio for your talk today and your commitment to the profession of hope.

At the end of this talk, Pat Haugen awarded Krystal with our budgeted $1500 donation for the FFA – this donation is an annual donation we have been making for many years.

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1st ANGLICO Marines will hold a Drive-By Christmas with Santa on Friday December 11 – Pat Haugen informed us that children of the 1st ANGLICO Marines in Camp Pendleton will be greeted by Santa with presents at a Drive-By Christmas program on December 11 at 4 PM outside the Eagles Nest on base. A Marine wearing Bob Algeo’s Santa suit will be passing out gifts. Each child will receive a wrapped gift, a plush toy, and books. Members of our Kiwanis club and Linda Allen of Allen Brothers Mortuary paid for these gifts (Linda Allen donated $500 to the event; but made an overall donation of $2000 to our club which includes $1000 for scholarships. Ivan Gillis donated $500) Unfortunately, due to covid restrictions this year, no one from our club will be actually attending this fun event for our Marine families but we will be supporting it nonetheless. ———————-

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Ted May, John Gibbs, Ivan Gillis.

Second Row from left: Art Brown, Ron Stone, John Lee, Gio Rodriguez SMHS FFA, Camille Heskett SMHS FFA.

Third Row from left: Pat Haugen, Paul Wright, Jim Murphy, Steve Hinze, Marie Purdy.

Fourth Row from left: Cathy Baur, Cathleen Stevens, Martha Bozulich, Krystal Thomas SMHS FFA Advisor, Ryan Stangl.

Fourth Row from left: Don Keller, Gordon Bowers, Margo Dutton

Business Discussion –

Board Meeting Held Immediately After this meeting – Here’s a summary of the matters discussed: The Club now has 47 members including our newest member Mary Ann Bate. Honorary Members for this year are: Elizabeth Burmeister, Dick Birkenstock, Carrie Clevers, Bob Dotson, Larry Guthrie, Jacque McGee, and Harvey White. The oversight of the three Key Clubs is transitioning from Margo Dutton to Tom Kumura with support from Jerry & Linda Mason, Rob Gaebe. Four Kiwanis-branded benches have been replaced at the lake, built by Jim Meade and placed by Ryan Stangl. Fundraising ideas are being sought … think virtual. – from Pat Haugen

Books for Schools Project Nearly Finished – Pat Haugen told us that getting the newly refilled book treasure chests out to the ten schools we are working with is nearly finished. Only one school has not received their books and they will get them in early January, most have them already. We also donated a box of books to the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club. Many of the books are earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year. Thanks to all who helped with this timely gift of reading for children.

Kiwanis Toys for Tots Program – Art Brown, Jim Alden, Darwin Bustarde, Pat Haugen, and Margo Dutton dropped off toys at the recent Service Project, Toys For Tots, held on December 5th, 2020. Each donator received a fresh-off-the-grill Hebrew National hot dogs with the bun (of course) and condiments.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas for speakers in 2021 to Jerry Mason)

December 15 – San Marcos Youth Strings zoom concert – recorded – Taylor Quach Pres.

December 22 – No Meeting (Christmas

December 29 – No Meeting (New Year’s)

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January 2021 (TBD means to be determined)

January 5 – Margo Dutton – Outlook for 2021 for Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis

January 12 – TBD

January 19 – Andre Ricardo (our musical friend from the youth orchestra) life at first year of college in Colorado – plus violin concert

January 26 – TBD

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – December 1, 2020 Zoom meeting #32)

Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze are both attorneys who joined our club recently from the San Marcos Kiwanis Club.

Both were leaders in the San Marcos Holiday Parade which has been postponed this year.

Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze…

Two Kiwanian Attorneys Tell Us Their Life Stories

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20) Two of our newer members were the focus of today’s meeting. Both are attorneys. Both were members of the San Marcos Kiwanis Club which merged with our club previously. At the request of fellow attorney President Art Brown, Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze gave us a quick overview of their lives and their professions in the legal world.

Darwin Bustarde

Darwin showed us several slides of his life, starting with his family: Wife – Melissa and two children – Ginny (7th grade) and Will (3rd grade). Darwin and Melissa are an attorney team focusing on business, corporate, real property, and transactional legal matters. Darwin is a lifelong San Diego area citizen having graduated from Monte Vista High in 1997, University of California Riverside in 2001, and California Western School of Law in 2005. Currently Darwin is on the board of the North County Bar Association. “Lawyers are routinely involved with people who are in or want to start a fight, but in almost all cases I work toward reconciliation rather than a legal battle. “ he said. “Right now my goal is to basically enjoy life; Melissa and I have so much to be thankful for, even during this difficult time.” Darwin was active in Key Club in high school but learned about the Kiwanis clubs in the San Marcos area when he attended the annual San Marcos Holiday Parade. They live in San Elijo Hills.

Steve Hinze

Steve told us about several earlier careers he has had prior to becoming an attorney: He trained as an architect then became a construction manager, among other professions. A counselor in his construction management course noticed how adept he was in contracts and suggested that he attend law school. He followed his advice and graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1985. He wasn’t too sure he wanted to be a trial lawyer until he won his first case. “I am still litigating but in my experience results are better when people settle outside of court. I have handled over 500 construction contract cases and only two went to trial.” I particularly enjoy working with people who are at each other’s throats and helping them put things back together. I am getting a little tired of litigation and mostly have been doing probates, trusts, and family matter law.” Steve grew up in Colorado but now lives near Palomar College.

Thanks for your interesting life stories Darwin and Steve – we are glad you are with us in Kiwanis.

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Time to order your Wreath from FFA. The flyer above gives the details for ordering your wreath from FFA.

Our next meeting on December 8 will be with the FFA as they make wreaths.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Darwin Bustarde, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens.

Second Row from left: Ivan Gillis, Marie Purdy, Mary Ann Bate, Art Brown, Ron Stone.

Third Row from left: Jim Murphy, Glen Winn, John Lee, Pat Haugen, Gordon Bowers.

Bottom Rows from left: Margo Dutton, Martha Bozulich, Don Keller, Cathy Baur, Steve Hinze

Business Discussion –

Time to Make a Gift to the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Foundation As you know the grants and scholarship awards are funded by our foundation. We are also raising funds for the Marine Christmas party and the Marine Scholarship fund. Please during this gift giving season remember to make a gift to our foundation so we can continue to serve the community even during this difficult time. Making a pledge or donation earlier in the Kiwanis fiscal year helps the Foundation to plan for the many groups and students we serve each year. Foundation Donations are State & Federal tax-deductible. The new year for our Foundation started October 1. Contact Ivan Gillis for more information.

New Books Headed to Schools – Pat Haugen commended several Kiwanians who helped label, box, and distribute hundreds of elementary books to local schools to complete our grant of $8000 from the City of San Marcos. Pat recognized Jim Alden, Cathy Baur, John Lee, Jerry and Linda Mason, Darwin Bustarde, Steve Hinze, Patti Manley, and Jim Eighmey for their help. Many of the books are earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year.

Marine Christmas Party set for December 11 – According to Ivan Gillis this year’s Marine Children’s Christmas Party will take place on December 11^th. Deployment Readiness Coordinator Beth Callahan says: “On that day there will be a catered lunch for Marines/Sailors. Then from 4-6pm we are going to plan a Winter Wonderland for families and kiddos… We will have Santa, toys, some snacks and maybe even a craft for the kiddos. We will be scheduling the kids to come through so they don’t gather up too much and we still maintain COVID guidelines!!” Several Kiwanians have made generous donations (Ivan Gillis donated $500) Pat is using the funds to buy Teddy Bears and other presents. Unfortunately, this year no one from our club will be actually attending this fun event for our Marine families but we will be supporting it nonetheless.

Drop Off a Toy and Get a very good Hot Dog – Pat Haugen informed us about the upcoming Div. 37 Kiwanis Club Service Project, Toys For Tots, to be held on December 5th, 2020, (Our monthly Division Meeting will be held from from 9:15 am to 10:30 am. Drop off toys from 11 am to 3 pm. Ask Pat for the Zoom link. Kiwanians are encouraged to donate unwrapped new toys for the Toys For Tots Program. The more toys the better. Every car load of people dropping off the new unwrapped toys will receive a fresh-off-the-grill Hebrew National hot dogs with the bun (of course) and condiments. Drop them off at the American Legion Post, which is adjacent to our old Jocelyn Center in Escondido where DCM’s are held.

Past President Glen Winn was awarded a brass bell for his service during the 2019/2020 year.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas for speakers in 2021 to Jerry Mason)

December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders (see flyer above)

December 15 – San Marcos Youth Strings zoom concert – recorded – Taylor Quach Pres.

December 22 – No Meeting (Christmas

December 29 – No Meeting (New Year’s)

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Here is the link to the video of today’s meeting (thanks Jim Alden) – Meeting Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/aNgBTZ5Gq1KdoI6Zpd4IrwxKZcAoxvWAoNmhW5TZn__SHrEdQrKEu_WA6Hwxu6Bg.DeM_hWiYXXlIW0G8 Access Passcode: ^xRZ2==F

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 17, 2020 Zoom meeting #31)

Cathy Baur – One of our newest members and the new CEO of the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club spoke to us today.

Cathy Baur – New Kiwanian & New CEO of the…

San Marcos Boys and Girls Club – Helping Youth Who Need It the Most

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 15) The Boys & Girls Clubs of America have been consistently ranked at the top of youth organizations and have been ranked number 12 among all nonprofit organizations. There are over 4,000 autonomous local clubs; In total these clubs serve more than four million boys and girls. Clubs can be found in all 50 states as well as locations in Puerto Rico, Denzel Washington, a former club member, has been the spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993. The club’s founding date goes way back to 1860 when it was just a boys club, it became a boys and girls club in 1990. Their motto is “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

Our newest Kiwanian, Cathy Baur, was selected as the CEO of the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club in September of this year. Cathy spent 12 years in leadership positions with CSUSM prior to being selected as CEO for the Boys and Girls Club. Cathy, a 30 year resident of North County, spoke to us today about what the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club does with a special focus on adjustments made to deal with the Covid-19 situation. “Right now more than ever the youth of our region needs boys and girls clubs – it has become a lifeline for many,” she said. “Under normal circumstances, we serve around 5,000 youth in our programs primarily after school…85% are from low-income families and 50% from extremely low-income families.

However, 2020 has been far from normal,” she told us. “This year we have had to cancel our annual auction which is our primary fundraiser bringing in around $200,000. So we have had to pivot into new outreach efforts to help where we can during this time.” Cathy told us of Outreach calls to 1000 people, serving 42,000 free meals, and 6500 minutes of virtual programs. “Financially we are going in the hole every month, but we have to do this. Fortunately, we have reserves that have enabled us to keep serving our target youth and families. It is costing us 3 times as much to serve youth under covid as it did before.”

Cathy told us of their plans to open a second service campus outside the main one at One Positive Place. “California State University at San Marcos is opening their now mostly unused Quad as a second site for our after school services. Not too long ago I was getting ready to settle into retirement when the Boys and Girls Club position opened up and I felt it was a perfect fit.”

Here is an overview of the presentation Cathy gave our club on November 17

What We Do– Serve Over 5,000 youth from 13 locations – Focusing on: Academic Success, Civic Engagement, Healthy Lifestyles. (doing it differently this year because of Covid)

Impact of Covid-19- lost over $200,000 in revenue due to cancellation of annual Auction – So Pivoted to: Over 1,000 outreach calls and wellness checks, 42,000 free meals served to youth and families, 6,500 minutes of virtual programs from a distance.

Safely Re-Opened our Center Doors – to serve as distance learning center providing all-day support for working families with a caring professionally trained staff

At the Distance Learning Center(One Positive Place) they provide – Increased Safety and Cleaning Procedures Tutoring and Individual Homework Help, Technology Troubleshooting and Reliable Internet Connection, After School Enrichment Programs, Social and Emotional Wellness Programs.

Coming Soon – A Second Distance Learning Site – The Quad at CSUSM– a partnership with CSUSM and North City – Opening hopefully in early December.

Upcoming Events: Adopt a Family – hoping to adopt 25 families for holidays, there are still some available. Holiday Party with club members – Giving Tuesday – December 1

Cathy shared with us a quote from a BGCSM parent – “The Boys and Girls Club has been a blessing…stress relief for us as parents and my two sons to get a taste of normalcy. My boys can see a world at peace with friends and kids are well taken care of at the club.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating should contact Cathy Baur at cathy@boysgirlsclubsm.org

Thank you for coming to speak to us today, Cathy. We are glad to serve the youth of our community alongside your great organization. We are very glad you are now a member of our club.

At the end of the presentation, Pat Haugen presented Cathy with our budgeted donation of $500; an annual donation our club has been making for many years.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Cathy Baur (new member & our speaker), Glen Winn.

Second Row from left: Art Brown, Ron Stone, Ivan Gillis, John Gibbs.

Third Row from left: Margo Dutton, Pat Haugen, John Lee, Cathleen Stevens.

Bottom Rows from left: Gordon Bowers, Marie Purdy.

Not pictured – Steve Hinze

Business Discussion –

New Members Coming In, Others Going Out – Pat Haugen updated us on our current membership status. “We will have around 44 to 47 members when all the comings and goings are accounted for.” New Members will include Cathy Baur, Mike and Mary Lou Phipps, Jim Brown, and Mary Ann Bate. Jacque McGee, Elizabeth Burmeister, Larry Guthrie, Carrie Clever, and Harvey White are our honorary members. Harvey White recently donated $1000 to the Kiwanis Foundation. Membership is everyone’s job.

New Books – Pat Haugen recently purchased hundreds of elementary books for distribution to local schools to complete our grant of $8000 from the City of San Marcos. Pat asked for volunteers to put labels in the books this weekend. Contact Pat if you want to help. The books will fill up the ten school treasure chests we fill every year. Many of the books are earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year.

Marine Christmas Party set for December 11 – According to Ivan Gillis this year’s Marine Children’s Christmas Party will take place on December 11^th. Deployment Readiness Coordinator Ruth Callahan says: “On that day there will be a catered lunch for Marines/Sailors. Then from 4-6pm we are going to plan a Winter Wonderland for families and kiddos… We will have Santa, toys, some snacks and maybe even a craft for the kiddos. We will be scheduling the kids to come through so they don’t gather up too much and we still maintain COVID guidelines!!” We need to determine how we participate as a club. Ivan also noted that Mama Kats provides Thanksgiving pies that are paid for and not picked up by customers, to our marine families.

Drop Off a Toy and Get a very good Hot Dog – Art Brown informed us about the upcoming Div. 37 Kiwanis Club Service Project, Toys For Tots, to be held on December 5th, 2020, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. The Del Mar Club is the designated sponsoring club for this service project. We’re requesting each club please check out this service project and donate unwrapped new toys for the Toys For Tots Program. The more toys the better. Every car load of people dropping off the new unwrapped toys will receive a fresh-off-the-grill Hebrew National hot dogs with the bun (of course) and condiments. Drop them off at the American Legion Post, which is adjacent to our old Jocelyn Center in Escondido where DCM’s are held.

Thanksgiving message from President Art Brown “It will fill our hearts good this upcoming Thanksgiving Day

to be truly thankful for the food on our tables, the family and friends, both far and near, and the joy of living where we do.” Art

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas for speakers in 2021 to Jerry Mason)

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

December 1 – Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze – What they do

December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders,

December 15 – (working on Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

December 22 – No Meeting (Christmas

December 29 – No Meeting (New Year’s)

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 10, 2020 Zoom meeting #30)

Two Leaders of the Our Key Clubs – Lynne Do (with Trang Do her mother) and Irma Gonzalez – spoke to us today.

Making the Best of a Difficult Situation

Key Club Leaders Lynne Do and Irma Gonzalez Provide an Update

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 22) – Key Club is the largest international student-led organization for high school students (estimated 225,000 members nationwide pre-covid). Founded in 1925, Key Clubs encourage leadership while providing students the opportunity to participate in service to their community. Key Club members volunteer at community events, raise money for various charities, and engage in international aid programs. Key Club is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach student leadership and service to the community. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis Family.

Lynne Do is the current Lieutenant Governor of the Division 37 East Jellyfish which encompasses 10 Key Clubs (three are sponsored by our Kiwanis Club (San Marcos High, Mission Hills High, and La Costa Canyon High) with an estimated membership of around 300 students. Lynne is currently a senior at Escondido High School “ I became a member during my freshman year and have always had a passion for service, but I was too afraid to put myself out there. In my sophomore and junior years, however, I met amazing Key Clubbers and Kiwanians who inspired me to become more active and “pay it forward,” leading me to serve Division 37 East as Lieutenant Governor with hopes of building a more inclusive community and influencing members the same way I was. After graduating, I look forward to attending a college in-state and pursuing my long-term aspirations, which include becoming a nurse and moving to San Francisco or Las Vegas.

Irma Gonzalez is currently serving as one of the Division 37E Executive Assistants as well as the President for her home club (Del Lago Ac.).

“I am currently a junior at Del Lago Academy; once I graduate in 2022, I would like to pursue a career in education as a teacher or counselor. I would like to stay in California locally, but if the opportunity to move shows up, I will consider it. I joined Key club in my freshman year and am now 3 years in. I have always liked serving my community. A main reason why I chose to stay was because volunteering at the homeless shelter lit up a huge passion in me. I have never held a leadership position in the past, because of how intimidated I was by everyone else. However, this year I was encouraged by my advisors and friends to take a chance. I now hold two positions and I hope to continue to serve my club and division next year as well. Once I graduate I also look forward to continuing to be part of the Kiwanis family.”

Here is an overview of the presentation Lynne and Irma gave at our club on November 10

What We Do– Community Service – Homeless shelters – Sandwich making – Park cleanups, Raising funds for: Pediatric trauma program – Children’s Miracle Network – March of Dimes.
Division Goals– 6000 service hours (so far have 4,300 service hours over 70% of goal) – $4,500 dollars raised (so far have raised $1169 – 25%) – 400 members (not sure of exact membership now).
How It is Virtually– Community Service Online – Color a Smile – Free Rice – Dog Toy Making – Letters – Meetings via Zoom or Discord – Coloring/Joke Books – Recycling. – Fund Raising Online – Bingo – Free Rice – Charity Miles – Restaurants. Lynne told us that “Working online was difficult at first because, like most everyone else, we were not used to doing this, but we adapted quickly.”
Club Events– Halloween Service Week – a week long daily service program in late October. HTHNC X DLA Service Week – 6 days of service in early July.
Division Wide Events– Halloween Service Week – DLT Dare Bingo – Sky Jellies Service Week – October DCM – The Key Clubs for the Division 37 East Jellyfish (motto – Stinging in Service”) include 10 high schools (4 in San Marcos, 5 in Escondido, 1 in Valley Center) . Lynne is the lead Jellyfish (Lt. Governor).
Reaching Out to Members– Instagram (stories, graphics, TV) – Google Reflector (E-mail) – Remind – Newsletters (ISSUU) – Discord and Zoom platforms – “Staying connected via social media platforms is vital for Key Clubbers just as it is for Kiwanis members.”
How Kiwanis Can Help– “Like any in-person event, we need chaperones for our virtual events such as our DCM’s. Chaperones join our zoom meetings to assure key clubbers are staying SAFEKEY. If you are interested in being a chaperone please let Lynne know at her e-mail at d37e.cnhkc.ltg@gmail.com.”

Thank you for coming to speak to us today, Lynne and Irma. We are inspired by all you Key Clubbers do to serve our community like we do. We need each other. Please stay connected to us as we serve together even during this difficult time.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Gordon Bowers, Ivan Gillis, Cathleen Stevens.

Second Row from left: Ron Stone, Art Brown, John Lee, John Gibbs, Mary Ann Bate (new member).

Third Row from left: Irma Gonzalez (speaker), Darwin Bustarde, Pat Haugen, Jim Murphy, Lynne Do (Speaker).

Bottom Rows from left: Don Keller, Paul Wright, Steve Hinze, Martha Bozulich, Gina Roberts & Margo Dutton.

Not pictured – Ted May

Business Discussion –

New Members Coming In, Others Going Out – Pat Haugen updated us on our current membership status. “We will have around 42 to 44 members when all the comings and goings are accounted for.” New Members will include Cathy Baur, Mike and Mary Lou Phipps, Jim Brown, and Mary Ann Bate. Outgoing members: Irene Acosta, Jack Pease, Charlene Vick, Mary Ann Brandreth, Paul Jordan, Harvey White, Patti Manley, and The Meridian. Membership is everyone’s job.

Board Meeting Held After This Meeting – Pat Haugen reported on the main decisions made at today’s board meeting (held after this meeting) Club Board approved new member application for Mary Ann Bate (sponsor: Jim Murphy). New Member Fees have been set at $15 through December 31. Honorary member status is approved for Jacque McGee, Larry Guthrie and Elizabeth Burmeister. The Board will pay for all Key Club advisors to have a background check. There will be new Kiwanis International guidelines to follow when in-person meetings begin (not expected for many more months). The Foundation Board approved a $75 charter sponsor fee for Boy Scouts of America and $130 to Pack 662 to provide dues support to needy families. Jim Meade is working on replacing the Kiwanis branded benches at the lake. Ivan Gillis will proceed with the scholarship application season. The Gibson Memorial Scholarship will be continued but under a new name: Military Marine Scholarship. Because the pancake breakfast will not occur until September 2021, your voluntary contributions to the foundation are needed now… watch for an email from Fundraising Chair Ivan Gillis.

New Books – Pat Haugen recently purchased hundreds of elementary books for distribution to local schools. This completes our grant of $8000 from the City of San Marcos. Pat said that the last shipment arrived and is now stored in our very full storage shed. Around 100 books with our Kiwanis labels will be allocated to replenish books to each of the ten school treasure chests we fill every year. Many of the books are earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year.

Marine Christmas Party set for December 11 – According to Ivan Gillis this year’s Marine Children’s Christmas Party will take place on December 11^th. Deployment Readiness Coordinator Ruth Callahan says: “On that day there will be a catered lunch for Marines/Sailors. Then from 4-6pm we are going to plan a Winter Wonderland for families and kiddos… We will have Santa, toys, some snacks and maybe even a craft for the kiddos. We will be scheduling the kids to come through so they don’t gather up too much and we still maintain COVID guidelines!!” We need to determine how we participate as a club. Ivan also noted that Mama Kats provides Thanksgiving pies that are paid for and not picked up by customers, to our marine families.

Veteran’s Day – November 11 (tomorrow) is Veteran’s Day – President Brown honored five Kiwanian Veterans who attended today’s meeting: Jim Alden, John Lee, Ron Stone, Don Keller, and Jerry Mason. Thanks for your service.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Nov 17 – Cathy Baur – new President of Boys and Girls Club

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

December 1 – Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze – What they do

December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders,

December 15 – (Seeking Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

December 22 – No Meeting (Christmas

December 29 – No Meeting (New Year’s)

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 3, 2020 Zoom meeting #29)

Two Leaders of the San Marcos Promise – Lisa Stout and Sara Montooth – spoke to us today.

San Marcos Promise Prepares Students For Life After High School

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 23)– There are 21,000 students in the San Marcos Unified School District. The San Marcos Promise organization has three dedicated women who are diligently serving all these students to help prepare them for the future – for life after high school. Two of the three women leaders – Lisa Stout and Sara Montooth spoke to us today about how they are doing just that.

The San Marcos Promise was created six years ago in 2014 – Lisa Stout is the Executive Director, Sara Montooth is the Programs Coordinator and Kathy Gallegher is the Administrative Analyst. San Marcos Promise leaders spoke to us in January of this year and November of last year. Yesterday’s program was an update and the first since the protracted Covid lockdowns for all Californians.

“We serve the 21,000 students in the San Marcos Unified School District in a wide variety of ways,” said Lisa “It is our goal to guide and support these students on their journeys into college and into the workforce. We work with them to build dreams, pathways, and prosperity in their lives. Our Kiwanis club is now working collaboratively with The San Marcos Promise in publicizing our scholarships to these 21,000 students which will likely result in more applications for us this next year.

Here is an overview of the various ways The San Marcos Promise helps local students (many have been conducted online because of covid 19):

Clearinghouse for scholarships for these students– offered by several organizations such as our Kiwanis Club.
L.E.A.P. – Learning Enrichment to Achieve Promise – for students from kindergarten to 8th grade – after school and summer enrichment program designed to help students explore their interests while developing 21st-century skills such as adaptive problem solving, collaborative communication, and digital fluency.
Cal State Univ. at San Marcos (CSUSM) – Stembassy Camp – sends middle school students to this camp over winter break to expose them to STEM activities such as robotics and coding.
Middle School Outreach– The San Marcos Promise College Ambassadors go out to our middle schools to talk to students about their high school and college experience to motivate the students to dream big about their futures.
College Field Trips– Takes 7th grade and 10th-grade students on a tour of Cal State San Marcos where they get to talk with various departments, learn about the exciting programs offered at CSUSM, and expose them to a college campus.
Camp NAWIC – National Alliance of Women in Construction– Provides opportunities such as this camp where 10 middle and high school girls participate in a week-long camp learning about the various pathways in the building and construction industry.
Signing Day – Another activity supported by The San Marcos Promise where we celebrate each graduate’s next steps after graduation, whether it be a 4-year university, community college, military, vocational program, etc.
Promise Navigators – Promise Navigators is a 2-year program at the High School level for students starting in their junior year. It is our goal to help students explore their strengths and interests, discover careers suited to their passions, and embark on a practical path to make it a reality.
Grad Walks– Many schools throughout the country participate in this amazing event. In 2018, The San Marcos Promise partnered with Mission Hills High School and Richmond Elementary to start the Grad Walk tradition in SMUSD. This gives our graduating seniors an opportunity to reflect on their educational journey thus far and take pride in all their experiences and successes.
Summer Skillshops– Education Coordinators run week-long skill shops where they help students discover their career interests, listen to career speakers, help students develop their resumes, working on interview skills, as well as personal finance.
Paid Internships in the Culinary Arts with Westin in Carlsbad. – Developed partnership with the Westin in Carlsbad – 10 students receive paid summer internships.
TSMP Professional Career Closet– We are collecting professional clothing for students after they’ve worked with our education coordinators on resume writing and interview skills and are ready for a job interview. Many students do not own professional attire, so we help.
Mock Interviews at San Marcos High -Reach out to our local community and business leaders where San Marcos High seniors present their career research and resume to a small panel of professionals. For many this is their first interview experience, it provides invaluable life skills.
College Expo and Future Fair– District-wide event for all middle and high school families where we bring in over 100 college, vocational school, and military representatives, as well as over 75 local businesses in an effort to expose students to all the opportunities that exist in their future, and several more events and programs aimed at helping these students succeed in their next steps of life.

Both women told us that the students they serve are struggling with the difficult aspects of the lockdown just as we all are. Lisa said her most rewarding moments come when she sees the “lights come on” in the outlooks of these students and their hopes for their future become brighter. Sara said knowing that she is changing lives is the most rewarding aspect of her job.

Thank you for coming to speak to us today, Lisa and Sara. We are serving children just like you do. Come back soon.

Pat Haugen notified Lisa and Sara that our club’s budgeted donation of $1000 was being mailed to the San Marcos Promise today.

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On Left:Mulusala Kivumbi is a 6-year-old Ugandan boy who we sponsor through World Vision. Recently Jerry Mason received this appreciative photo and letter from Mulusala. It reads: “Thank you so much for the gifts you sent to me for my birthday. I was able to purchase the following: a goat (to make income which will help pay my school fees) a mattress, blanket, and bedsheets. I thank you so much for your love and parental care. May the almighty God reward you and keep you safe during this dangerous season.” Mulusala was sent $100 for his recent birthday. Our club also sponsors a girl through Compassion International, Faviola Torres, who is also six living in Peru. On Right: Tony and Francee Colace with Jerry Mason. Tony is the oldest Kiwanian in our club at 98.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Jim Trageser, Lisa Stout (our speaker), Ivan Gillis.

Second Row from left: Victor Manzanilla, Jim Murphy, Sara Montooth (our speaker), Cathleen Stevens, John Gibbs.

Third Row from left: Art Brown, John Lee, Ron Stone, Pat Haugen, Marie Purdy.

Fourth Row from left: Paul Wright, Martha Bozulich, Darwin Bustarde, Gordon Bowers, Margo Dutton.

Bottom Row from left: Tom Kumura, Steve Hinze, Jim Brown.

Business Discussion –

New Members – Jim Alden informed us that Mike and Mary Lou Phipps of Lake San Marcos will be applying for membership. Jim Brown is sending in his application which may be approved at the board meeting next week. Pat Haugen is firming up our membership roster for the new Kiwanis year.

New Books – Pat Haugen recently purchased hundreds of elementary books for distribution to local schools. This completes our grant of $8000 from the City of San Marcos. Pat said that 100 books will be allocated to replenish books in each of the ten school treasure chests we fill every year. Many of the books will be earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year.

Marine Christmas Party set for December 11 – According to Ivan Gillis this year’s Marine Children’s Christmas Party will take place on December 11^th. Deployment Readiness Coordinator Ruth Callahan says: On that day there will be a catered lunch for Marines/Sailors. “Then from 4-6pm, we are going to plan a Winter Wonderland for families and kiddos… We will have Santa, toys, some snacks, and maybe even a craft for the kiddos. We will be scheduling the kids to come through so they don’t gather up too much and we still maintain COVID guidelines!!” We need to determine how we participate as a club. Ivan also noted that Mama Kats provides Thanksgiving pies that are paid for and not picked up by customers, to our marine families.

November – December speakers are set – Jerry Mason notified us that the slate for speakers for the rest of the calendar year is set. The last open meeting was taken when Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze volunteered to speak to us about what they do on December 1. If you have ideas for speakers in 2021 get them to Jerry Mason.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

Board Meeting scheduled after next meeting Nov. 10.

Below is Lisa’s and Sara’s Zoom Presentation which also includes the content of our weekly Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club Meeting. (Thanks to Jim)

Copy and paste the link below to your browser and enjoy https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/udpVEo0iuPMAeLf_hNjAYdonpozWXAYpcTp_sOVXfGSMbOvoQQNx_p6eN5H5zxF8I.5iKEyh7AxU-3kHxI Passcode: #URy7+yt

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Nov 10 – Lynne Do and Irma Gonzalez – Our Key Clubs – What’s Happening Now

Nov 17 – Cathy Bauer – new President of Boys and Girls Club

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

December 1 – Darwin Bustarde and Steve Hinze – What they do

December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders,

December 15 – (Seeking Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

December 22 – No Meeting (Christmas

December 29 – No Meeting (New Year’s)

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Report of Kiwanis Meeting 10-27-20

Yahoo Mail Stationery

Principal Adam Dawson speaks to us about how San Marcos High School has prepared itself to educate students during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – October 27, 2020 Zoom meeting #28)

   Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 18)– This past Tuesday we heard from San Marcos High School Principal Adam Dawson. Adam shared with us that his focus was on the academic, social, and emotional well-being of his students.  Learning Packets were initially sent to students.  They deployed Chromebooks and provided virtual learning support.  Home visits were made when necessary and they also provided grab and go lunches. Rather than go into all the details of Adam’s presentation, I have listed below the Zoom link for you to access the recording so you can appreciate the full breath of his presentation, and just how lucky we all are to have a school such as San Marcos High so well prepared during these difficult times.

Below is Adam Dawson’s Zoom Presentaton which also includes the content of our weekly Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club Meeting. We hope you enjoy the presentation and can join us on Tuesday’s for our weekly meetings:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/0o74UmwPhjgen2oRiesSFYRsyDpYeaT1rAjJm-uJxVFejoeWxEIgrrKjbAOg5aqa.BmiAy8PpTk5oNw4Q?startTime=1603822323000

Copy and paste the above link to your browser and enjoy.  As John Gibbs said – “today is the record for the most questions we have ever asked a speaker.”  Do not miss this valuable presentation.

After Adam wrapped up his presentation, we discussed several important items facing our club.  Those too are covered in the Zoom presentation link I have provided.  It was nice to see Dr. Dick Skay for the first time this year on Zoom.  He seemed quite comfortable as he participated and enjoyed his spaghetti lunch during the meeting.  It’s nice to see the good doctor.

Meeting Highlights

1.     Ivan discussed the venue for this years Marine Children’s Christmas Party. It will take place on December 11^th. Deployment Readiness Coordinator Ruth Callahan says: On that day there will be a catered lunch for Marines/Sailors. “Then from 4-6pm we are going to plan a Winters Wonderland for families and kiddos… We will have Santa, toys, some snacks and maybe even a craft for the kiddos. We will be scheduling the kids to come through so they don’t gather up too much and we still maintain COVID guidelines!!”  We need to determine how we participate as a club.  Ivan also noted that Mama Kats provides Thanksgiving pies that are paid for and not picked up by customers, to our marine families.

2.     Membership was discussed.  If you have not renewed, please do so. Dr. Jim Brown has asked for an application to become a member.  Way to go Jim.  Tony Colace has recently renewed, and with that becomes our senior member at the ripe young age of 98.  We know we are losing 5 members. Jim A had spoken to Rich Farmer, and he indicated he would renew.  Thank you, Rich!

3.    Tom Kumura discussed his run for the Palomar Health Board, Division 2 seat. He appreciates all our support during his campaign.  Tom also discussed the Covid 19 uptick.  San Diego County is experiencing positive cases and preparing for new hospitalizations.  Tom also discussed the need for all seniors who take the flu shot to make sure they get the stronger version for seniors.

4.      Art surfaced an old meeting tradition of acknowledging birthdays and anniversaries.  Art’s birthday is in October.  Martha led us in singing happy birthday.  Jim and Linda Alden celebrated their 43^rd wedding anniversary in October.

5.      Dave Schmitt zoomed in and discussed the Miracle Mile of Quarantine that took place this past weekend.  Pat participated and felt the videos from Rady’s Children’s Hospital were indeed touching.  Our club foundation commits $800 each year.  Dave thanked us for our contribution and shared that even though the Kiwanis division may have fallen short of its goal, he stated it is “a dollar more than Rady’s had yesterday for helping kids.” Dave indicated that $15,700 had been collected to date from the San Diego county Kiwanis clubs.

6.     Pat shared that we have exhausted our book grant and have purchased all the books we were entitled to purchase.  Some have been received with another order on the way.  Books will be used for the 10 schools that have Captain Book treasure chests.

Kiwanians Who Zoomed in Today:

Jim Alden (zoom host), Pat Haugen, Margo Dutton, John Gibbs, Jim Murphy, Gordon Bowers, Ivan Gillis, John Lee, Art Brown, Darwin Bustarde, Cathleen Stevens, Martha Bozulich, Steve Hinze, Tom Kumura, Ryan Stangl, Glen Winn and Dr. Dick Skay. Guests: Dave Schmitt and Adam Dawson

Reminders

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck or call Gary for pick-up.

Make a difference this holiday. Shop for gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/33-0345204 to generate donations for Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club Foundation Inc.

Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Nov 3 – Lisa Stout, The San Marcos Promise (update)

Nov 10 – Lynne Do and Irma Gonzalez – Our High School Key Clubs – What’s Happening Now

Nov 17 – Cathy Baur – New President of Boys and Girls Club

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

(Three meetings in December: December 1 – TBD – December 8 – SMHS FFA Wreath Making & Orders, Dec 15 – TBD (Seeking Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jim Alden (hurry home Jerry)

The college & career counselors name for scholarship information is Alison Liu – alison.liu@smusd.orgAdam Dawson – SMHS Principal

This is my 4th year serving as SMHS Principal. Prior to these four years, I was an Assistant Principal at SMHS for four years, and prior to this an Assistant Principal and Special Education teacher at Fallbrook High for 8 years. I am originally an East Coaster – moving to CA from Long Island, NY in 2003. I attended Dowling College in NY and Sacred Heart University in CT.

Here is my Principals Page on our website.

I am so proud of SMHS’s continued focus on success and high expectations for all students during these times.

Here is a slide show I can talk to if you want to share this.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Oct 20, 2020 – Pastor Jim Brown

Dr. Jim Brown (shown here with wife Debbie) of the Lake Church spoke to us today about dealing with our emotions during these negative times.

Dr. Jim Brown of the Lake Church speaks

About Overcoming Our Negative Emotions

These Difficult Times

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – October 20, 2020 Zoom meeting #27)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20)– “Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Nowadays as we enter month 8 of our lockdown, it is a safe bet that the vast majority of Americans would say that 2020 is by far closer to the worst of times than the best of times. Current surveys on mental health in the USA shows depression and anxiety are also at pandemic levels. Nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health. A federal emergency hotline for people in emotional distress registered a more than 1,000 percent increase recently compared with the same time last year.

Our speaker today, Dr. Jim Brown, Pastor of the Lake Church here at Lake San Marcos spoke to us about how to deal with our negative emotions in difficult times like these. “There are those who are trying to make a difference in our community like your Kiwanis club does, and then there are those who are just trying to not be consumed by their emotions.”

“There is no doubt that there has been a vast increase in the amount of worry, anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness, and depression this year,” Jim said. “But all these other emotions don’t make the situation any better, in fact, they make it worse.” Dr. Brown went on to tell us about how changing our perspective actually improves our happiness.

Dr, Brown laid out what he has learned in 8 years as the Pastor of the 200 members Lake Church…most of whom are retirees and many are widows. Here is a summary of the main points he advised for those of us who are feeling negative emotions in these difficult times.

Seven Scientifically Proven Benefits of GRATITUDE (Dr. Jim Brown)

It probably seems counter-intuitive to be talking about GRATITUDE while we’re in month EIGHT of the CV pandemic disruption. Yet, these steps have research to support their efficacy, will cost you nothing, and can be lived year-round. Plus, the benefits of gratitude are enormous, it doesn’t take much time, and is one of the most overlooked tools for improving the quality of our lives.

Gratitude opens the door to MORE relationships. More than just saying “thank you” – which is good manners – a 2014 study published in “Emotion” found that acknowledging and thanking others can lead to new opportunities and friendships. (I mean really… who likes to hang around a grouch.)
Gratitude improves physical health. A study published in the 2012 “Personality and Individual Differences”shows that thankful people experience fewer aches and pains and report feeling healthier. They also tend to exercise more and live longer.
Gratitude improves one’s psychological health. Robert Emmons, a faculty colleague of mine when I was at the University of California, found that grateful people tend to have far less of the toxic emotions such as envy, resentment, frustration, and regret, whereas they have much more happiness and much lower feelings of depression. (From his book Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier.)
Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. A 2012 study at the University of Kentucky found that grateful people are more likely to act in a prosocial manner even when others behave less kind. Grateful people tended to show more sensitivity and empathy towards other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge.
Grateful people sleep better. A 2011 study published in Applied Psychology Journal, showed writing in a “gratitude journal” for 15 minutes each night before bed improved the sleep of the participants.
Gratitude improves self-esteem. A 2014 study published by the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology found that gratitude increased an athlete’s self-esteem which is an essential component to optimal performance. Other studies showed gratitude to reduce social comparisons (like jealousy) and enable the grateful person to appreciate other people’s accomplishments.
Gratitude increases mental strength. For many years, studies have shown that gratitude reduces stress. But now, studies indicate it may also help in overcoming trauma. A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy, found that returning war veterans – with higher levels of gratitude – had less PTSD. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the 9/11 attack. Recognizing all you have during your worst times fosters resilience.

So, what now? Which path will you choose? (Help yourself and choose wisely.)

1 – Negative. “Well, it might have worked for them, but it won’t for me. I don’t feel like it.” OR….

2 – Positive. “You know, I could be more grateful. And who knows… maybe in time I’ll see some positive results too! I think I’ll pick one and get started.”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be aware of the negative stuff going on, but let’s not focus on it. Gratitude really changes how we feel about our lives…it works…try it even now.”

Debbie and I wish each of you in our wonderful LSM community, a GRATEFUL Thanksgiving!

Pastor Brown recommended this book: Happiness is a Serious Problem – by Dennis Prager.

Thank you Pastor Brown for your uplifting counsel in these difficult times. You have the right names for our group “Jim” and “Brown”

Come back to us often.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Margo Dutton, John Gibbs, Jim Murphy.

Second Row from left: Gordon Bowers, Ivan Gillis, Ron Stone, John Lee, Pat Haugen.

Third Row from left: Dr. Jim Brown (our speaker), Art Brown, Darwin Bustarde, Cathleen Stevens, Martha Bozulich.

Bottom Row from left: Ryan Stangl, Ted May, Paul Wright, Mary Harrington. (not in picture Steve Hinze)

Business Discussion –

New Benches – Jim Meade will be taking the lead of replacing the benches in our community.

Dues are OVERdue – Pat Haugen is working hard to firm up our membership roster for the coming year – several past members have not yet indicated if they will renew – if you have not notified Pat please do so soon.

New Books – Pat Haugen has recently purchased 1700 elementary books for distribution to local schools. More will be purchased as part of an $8000 grant from the City of San Marcos. Many of the books will be earmarked for distribution for our Holiday Parade next year.

Miracle Mile of Quarentine – the annual Kiwanis Miracle Mile of Quarters will be virtual this year – Saturday at 11 am – Program will be about the History of Rady’s Hospital. Our Club will be donating its budgeted $800 in quarters – get zoom link from Pat Haugen.

Margo Dutton informed us both mid-year conventions have been cancelled and will be combined into one virtual convention…more details later.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Oct 27- Adam Dawson – Principal of San Marcos High School – Leading Education at our nearby High School during these times.

Nov 3 – San Marcos Promise (update)

Nov 10 – Lynne Do and Irma Gonzalez – Our Key Clubs – What’s Happening Now

Nov 17 – Cathy Baur – new President of Boys and Girls Club

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

(Three meetings in December: December 1 – TBD – December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders, Dec 15 – TBD (Seeking Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

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Please try to join us on Tuesday’s via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

——————

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Report of Kiwanis Meeting `10-13-20

New Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts

Targets Great Service for Our Kiwanis Year Ahead

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – October 13, 2020 Zoom meeting #26)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20)– Last week we heard about the “Art of the Possible” from our new President Art Brown. This week we heard about “Targeting Great Service” from our new Lt. Governor for Division 37 Gina Roberts. “My goal is to keep this division one of the absolute best in the District and all of KI. I have huge shoes to fill, but I’m up to the task and excited about it. Let’s all work together and share our passion with the world, starting in our community,” she said.

Gina’s goals for this year are: 1) At least three division-wide service projects during DCMs, 2) Make service to kids a priority for every club, 3) Open or Re-Open One Club in our Division, 4) Increase membership in each club by at least one and recruit younger members by being innovative, 5) Keep it fun and keep the passion alive.

Gina has been with Kiwanis for 22 years beginning when a friend invited her to Kiwanis and her initial response was “what’s Kiwanis?’

“I am still surprised about how many people still have the same response I had back then. I hope working together to deliver great service during this coming year will go a long way toward raising our visibility with the general population around us.” Gina is a member of the Valley Center Kiwanis Club.

“I strongly believe that the credit goes to whoever tries to do great things, even if they fail…as captured by Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena speech.” (see below). Gina gave a very comprehensive overview of her plans for the coming Kiwanis Year which will be summarized in the bullet statements below (the PowerPoint she used is attached)

(left)Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena speech from 1910 (center) Her optimistic humor (right) Gina’s history and service

Key Points from Gina Roberts Presentation – “Targeting Great Service”

Gina’s Division-wide Concerns – My biggest concern is the contraction of membership. To counter that I will work toward: 1.Opening a new club or Reopening one. 2.Inviting young people to participate and make it easy for them to be involved, (be innovative) 3.Finding new ways to keep “Experienced” members involved! “Kiwanis’ biggest focus is service to kids and community, not just spending money. I will help any club any way I can. I want my entire Kiwanis Family to succeed.”

Division 37 Presidents – Carlsbad – Nolan Davis, Del Mar Steve Gardella, Escondido Richard Huls, Hidden Valley Dave Geary, KYDS North SD Sarah Davis, Lake San Marcos Art Brown, Los Rancheros Roger Mark, Oceanside Susan Custer, Oceanside Pacific Carolyn Brian, Poway John Couvrette, Ramona Cheryl Van Dyne, Sunrise Vista Dave Sherman, Temecula Valley Mark Ward, Valley Center Craig Adams – 14 active clubs in Division 37

Division 37 Team and Coordinators– Lt. Gov Elect Brad Wiscons Division Secretary Sarah Davis – AKTION Club Vicki Peraris – Circle K Patti Ryder – Club Counselor/Builder Dave Schmitt – CNH Foundation Ambassador Tom Teagle – Directory Editor James Hill

Division Calendar– (Be Flexible Please – Covid-19)1. Lt. Gov. Installation and Governor Tim Official Visit Completed 2. DCM Schedule and Host Club – 3. Service Projects – Kiwanis One Day April 3, 2021, and others 4. Kiwanis One Day October 24, 2020, 5. District Events –DCON –San Diego August 20-21, 2021 –.Mid Year Education-Pomona Feb 13, 2021 — ICON – Salt Lake City- July23-26, 2021 –.SLP Events – Updated when dates available — Lt. Gov. Official Visits.

Regular Meeting and Board meeting — First or Second Meeting in October would be ideal, I’d like to finish all in October/Early November — Governor’s Visit April 25, 2021 – Region 2 — Final Club Installations.

“I really like your club; you do many wonderful services for your community,” she said. “I plan to drop into your zoom or live meetings often, whenever I can.” Thank you Gina for your leadership in a difficult time. We look forward to working with you throughout the year.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, John Lee, Margo Dutton, Art Brown,

Second Row from left: Ron Stone, Martha Bozulich, Pat Haugen, Jim Murphy, John Gibbs,

Third Row from left: Gina Roberts Lt Gov. Division 37 (our speaker), Marie Purdy, Cathleen Stevens, Darwin Bustarde, Gordon Bowers,

Bottom Row from left: Ivan Gillis, Steve Hinze, Tom Kumura, Victor Manzanilla, Mary Harrington.

Business Discussion –

1st Anglico Marines Send Photos and Thank You’s – Last week the Marinesof the 1st ANGLICO Marines sent us several photos (two above) and appreciative remarks from the soldiers who received one of the 136 care packages we sent to them overseas recently. For more photos and appreciative words read the attached photo story compiled by Jerry Mason.

Dues are OVERdue –Pat Haugen is working hard to firm up our membership roster for the coming year – several past members have not yet indicated if they will renew – Several members are checking with those who have not yet paid to ascertain their intention. if you have not notified Pat please do so soon.

Welcome back Jim Meade – Jim spent the summer in Florida but “he’s back”

A Board Meeting was held after this meeting – The highlights were:The Club board waived New Member Fees for those new members who join before December 31, 2020. Committee Chairs for 2020-2021 have been approved: Speakers & Publicity: Jerry Mason, Membership – Jim Alden, Community Service – Jim Alden, Fundraising – Ivan Gillis, Sponsored Youth – Margo Dutton, Pancake Day – John Gibbs & John Lee. The Foundation board approved purchasing books for future Literacy Project events using the County Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant. Ivan Gillis will begin the 1st ANGLICO Family Christmas project – gathering gifts and donations whether or not we will be allowed to have a gathering at the base. The Fundraising Committee is tasked with developing ideas for new virtual fundraisers; possible ideas range from drive-thru/pick-up/delivery of restaurant meals (IHOP, In&Out Burger, etc.), virtual wine tasting, virtual bingo, virtual jeopardy, on-line silent auction, marathon. Contact Ivan Gillis if you would like to serve on this committee. Ideas welcome (this is a time to think outside the box).

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

——New Kiwanis Year Begins – Art Brown becomes President——

Oct 20 – Pastor Jim Brown – Ministering to Seniors in These Times

Oct 27- Adam Dawson – Principal San Marcos High – Teaching High School during these times

Nov 3 – San Marcos Promise (update)

Nov 10 – Lynne Do and Irma Gonzalez – Our Key Clubs What’s Happening Now

Nov 17 – TBD

Nov 24 – No Meeting (Thanksgiving)

(Three meetings in December: December 1 – TBD – December 8 – FFA Wreath Making & Orders, Dec 15 – TBD (Seeking Youth Orchestra zoom concert)

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Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Art Brown, our new LSM Kiwanis President, outlined his plans for Achieving the Art of the Possible during these trying times.

New Lake San Marcos Kiwanis President Art Brown Outlines

the “Art of the Possible” for Our Kiwanis Year Ahead

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – October 6, 2020 Zoom meeting #25)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 19)– Art Brown, Our new President, got our new Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021) off to a rousing start with a very clear and complete overview of 1) Who he is, 2) Who we are, and 3) What we plan to do this year. “I am a second Generation Kiwanian who was introduced to Kiwanis in 1968. My dad, Arthur L. Brown, Esq. was a 10 (+) year member of Kiwanis Club La Jolla. My wife, Rebecca, and I have been married 26 years. We currently live in Encinitas, CA.” His home burned down in April 2019. Rebecca, who is a Certified Nurse Midwife at UCSD, joined us for the zoom meeting. Rebecca herself has delivered 2626 babies this year – wow!! They have a son, Alex, who will be 20 in December; he is a Sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas where he is studying business.

Art’s goals for this year are: • Add new “Engaged” and “Fun” Members!; • Let’s find our Inner Passion for Kiwanis; • Complete ALL of thecommittee projects; • Engage ALL the Key Clubs we sponsor; • Put “Fun” back into (Fun)d Raising! • Let’s try to figure it out! • Ask Residents to “Go Fund” Scholarships; • Pursue interesting Speakers; • Reach out to other SERVICE clubs, e.g. Rotary; • CONTINUE TO HAVE FUN and (Fun)d Raising

(left)The Brown family – Alex, Rebecca, and Art Brown (right) Art and Jim Alden flipping pancakes at our 2019 pancake breakfast

All Kiwanis work is a team effort. Today at this meeting Art unveiled his “team” who will do the many community services we are planning for the coming year.There is room for more if you want to become involved.

Who’s Will Be Doing What This Year – “Working out the Art of the Possible for Lake San Marcos Kiwanis”:

Standing Committees• Program Speakers – Jerry Mason and the Bushwackers; • Club Meeting Administration Committee– Art Brown and Pat Haugen; • Membership Committee – Jim and Linda Alden; • Nominating Committee – Ivan Gillis; • Public relations Committee – Jerry Mason; • Community Service Committee – Jim Alden; • Fundraising Committee – Ivan Gillis; • Sponsored Youth and Young Children Committee– Margo Dutton: • Financial review TBD

Committee Chairs/Coordinators • Club Meeting Administration: • Catering and RSVPs – Pat Haugen; • Interclubs – Jim Murphy; • Lunch Collectors

Ted May, Ivan Gillis; • Opportunity Ticket Sales – TBD?; ; • Recruitment – everyone’s responsibility; • Retention – everyone’s responsibility!; • Member Social – Jim Murphy; • Club Care: Health Report, Thinking of You – Linda and Jim Alden.

Public Relations • Newsletters – Jerry Mason; • Press Releases – SD Union-Tribune – Jerry Mason; • Quail Call – Jim Alden; • Website – Pat Haugen; • Facebook – Carrie Clevers.

Community Service Coordinators • San Marcos Holiday Parade – Carrie Clevers, Darwin Bustarde; • International Outreach – Jerry Mason, Jim Alden, Margo Dutton; • Meals on Wheels – John Lee; • Collecting Eyeglasses – Pat Haugen, Dick Skay; • Community benches – Ryan Stangl; • Smoke Alarms –Ryan Stangl, Jim Alden.

Fundraising Coordinators • Pancake Day – John Gibbs, John Lee • Pancake Breakfast – John Lee + •Silent Auction – Ryan Stangl + • Placemat Ads – Cathleen Stevens + • Flag Sales – Don Alexander • Fourth of July – Jim Murphy and John Lee; • CRV container recycle – Gary Edwards; • Albertsons Gift Cards – Marie Purdy; • Penny Jar for Rady Children’s Hospital – Marie Purdy; • Amazon Smile – Pat Haugen.

Youth Program Coordinators • Key Clubs at San Marcos High, Mission Hills High, La Costa Canyon High – Margo Dutton, Tom Kumura, Jerry & Linda Mason, Rob Gaebe; • San Marcos High Future Farmers of America Club – Ivan Gillis; • Cub Scouts Pack 662 – Jim Trageser; • Literacy Project and Captain Book – Glen Winn; • Treasure Chests in Elementary Schools – Darwin Bustarde; • Books for the San Marcos Holiday Parade – TBD.

“Like most of you, I am looking forward to getting out of my chair and back together in-person when it is safe to do so.” Art said

Art concluded his presentation with this…” I’ve been a member of Kiwanis for 29 years (since 1992) and I am a better person because of it. Those of us who belong to Kiwanis know we get a lot for giving back in so many ways…thank you for your commitment to making next year a great year. We will be working toward our best within the “Art of the Possible.”

Thank you Art for stepping up (finally) and for all of you will be a key part of Art’s team for the coming year. We will pursue the art of the possible and maybe even go beyond, despite our current adversities.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim and Linda Alden (zoom hosts), Jerry Mason, Les Hill, Gina Roberts Lt. Gov Division 37,

Second Row from left: John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Pat Haugen, Art Brown,

Third Row from left: John Lee, Margo Dutton, Ivan Gillis, Marie Purdy,

Bottom Row from left: Don Keller, Martha Bozulich, Tom Kumura.

Business Discussion –

Dues are Due – send your annual membership renewal check to Pat Haugen ($140) – put a check in her mailbox or use PayPal. So far Pat has heard from about 2/3rds of our membership – a few are not renewing (four that we know of).

Our Members – Clarke Vollbrecht is moving to Ithaca New York where he will continue Kiwanis membership there. Don Alexander has recently had surgery (he’s home now recovering) – meals and prayers would be appreciated. Jerry Mason reports Tony Colace is doing well at home (he is 97) he has stability issues.

1st Anglico Marine News – The board will discuss alternatives for the annual Marine Christmas program which usually occurs in early December. A Kiwanis banner is being provided for the 1st ANGLICO dayroom.

All Kiwanis Clubs in Div. 37 struggling with membership retention. Art Brown reports from our Division Meeting that all the Kiwanis Club’s in our Division are struggling with membership retention during this difficult time.

Board Meeting next week – Art Brown will be discussing our plan for our new Kiwanis Year at the monthly board right after our next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

——New Kiwanis Year Begins – Art Brown becomes President——

Oct 13 – Div 37 Lt Gov Gina Roberts – Outlook for Kiwanis in this Division

Oct 20 – Pastor Jim Brown – Ministering to Seniors in These Times

Oct 27- To Be Determined

Seeking speakers for the two open Tuesdays in November – Nov 3 and Nov 17. (Lynne Do and other Key Club Leaders will speak to us on November 10)

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Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

—————–Stay Safe, Stay Sane, SConnected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 29, 2020 – New Leaders Installed

These Kiwanians will lead our club into the new Kiwanis year – October 2020 thru September 2021. They were elected in May 2020.

New Leaders Installed for Lake San Marcos Kiwanis

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 29, 2020 Zoom meeting #24)

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 16)– There are more than 8,200 Kiwanis clubs with nearly 550,000 members in more than 80 nations around the world. Every club has its own Kiwanis year running from October 1 through September 30. That is when the new slate of leaders (officers and directors) takes over and the past slate of leaders is retired.

At our September 29 meeting, this Kiwanis transition took place for our Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club. Led by new Division Lt Governor Gina Roberts, our past nine club leaders were retired (several for only a few minutes). Then the new board of nine new leaders was installed.

Immediate Past President Jim Alden who was standing in for outgoing President Glen Winn who could not be at this meeting, said “Glen answered the bell in a time of need as the club was reeling from their recently elected President George Dove’s death on December 29th, 2018. Glen stepped up and assumed the presidency in 2019. Even though the year was marred by the pandemic and virtually all our activities shut down, we were still able to have a very successful scholarship season, a fun Christmas parade, and this past February we had one of our most successful pancake breakfast functions ever. This past year we awarded 30 individuals a total of $27,500 in scholarship money. And, just this past month the club put together 136 care packages for military service personnel stationed on a ship as part of task force Ellis. So, thank you Glen for your willingness to help your club and fellow Kiwanians during a time of need.”

Each new leader was asked the following questions – 1. How long have you been in Kiwanis 2. Who introduced you to Kiwanis (when) 3. What do you like best about Kiwanis and

4.What are your hopes for LSM Kiwanis in the year ahead.

Our Nine Kiwanis Leaders for 2020-2021 are:

President – Art Brown: How Long? For 29 Years (since 1991). Who? by then-President Dr. James “Jim” Sands,

Like Best? My father was a Kiwanian in La Jolla for over 10 years back in the ’70s (he’s now deceased) Kiwanis is a way to honor him in spirit. I enjoy having a Kiwanis mid-week break in my schedule with the Kiwanis fellowship. I have always enjoyed flipping pancakes at our annual pancake breakfasts and raising funds for scholarships. Hopes? To have our luncheon meetings start up again and have new Kiwanians attend.

President-Elect – John Gibbs: How Long? 2 years Who? San Marcos Club Faire Like Best? I enjoy getting to know the other members of the club, especially because of being new to the area, I really didn’t know anyone here Hopes? I am looking forward to meeting “in person” again and meeting the challenge of fundraising in the time of Covid-19.

Immediate Past President – Glen Winn: Glen ‘Captain Book‘ joined Kiwanis in 2006, sponsored by Darwin Bustarde in the San Marcos Club. He joined the LSM Kiwanis club in September 2018; He stepped up to Presidency the next year 2019.

Secretary – Pat Haugen: – How Long? 12 years since 2008 Who? Don Alexander Like Best? Service to the community, friendship, fun meetings Hopes? Finding new ways to serve our community and support our club members. Fun with Zoom!

Treasurer – John Lee: How Long? 7 years Who? Don Alexander Like Best? Helping the kids of San Marcos area Hopes? To get back to normal meetings with lunch at the grill.

Directors * Term expires Sept 2021 ** Term expires Sept 2022

Director* – Don Keller: How Long? For 21 years (since 1999), Who? brought in by Chuck Barlow. Like Best? Our Marine Christmas party every December. Hopes? For a financially successful Pancake Breakfast in 2021.

Director* – Ted May: How Long? for 20 years. We moved to Lake San Marcos from Arcadia in 1999. Who? My neighbor Chuck Chubbuck who was the treasurer at the time. Like Best? Getting to know members on a personal basis and all the projects we get involved with to help others. Hopes? We should continue with the fundraising we do for scholarships and other programs. In addition, having social programs that include spouses would be great (not a fund raiser}.

Director** – Jim Alden: How Long? 6 years Who? Tom Curtis in 2015 Like Best? Fellowship, Our youth programs, especially our scholarships for both youth and marines Hopes? To keep our club viable and relevant during difficult times. I’m hopeful we can soon meet again in person. However, Zoom has been an alternative that we’ve enjoyed, and for the most part, has been embraced by an average of 20+ members each week.

Director** – Ivan Gillis: How Long? 14 years Who? Fred Folbrecht Like Best? Scholarships Hopes? Getting back to in-person meetings.

Our newly elected Governor-Elect for Cal-Nev-Ha District Margo Dutton – How Long? I have been in Kiwanis for 34 years, Joined in Tucson, AZ: I actually went in search of a club, it was before women were allowed in the organization. Like Best? I love the service, camaraderie, and our Service Leadership students. Hopes? That our club continues to grow, that everyone gets involved in our projects, and that we can start meeting in person soon.

Eight of the nine new leaders are returning to the board some in new positions. Only Mary Harrington is stepping down after serving as a director for the last two Kiwanis years.

Lt. Governor Gina Roberts commended our club for our continued support and service to the community with scholarships and fundraisers. “I like being with your club and plan to drop in on your virtual or actual meetings whenever I can,” she said.

Thank you Retiring Leaders for your service to Kiwanis and the community and

Thank You to our new leaders for stepping into leadership that will continue the great traditions of Kiwanis in Lake San Marcos.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;

Top Row from left: Jim and Linda Alden (zoom hosts), Jerry Mason, Les Hill, Gina Roberts Lt. Gov Division 37,

Second Row from left: John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Pat Haugen, Art Brown,

Third Row from left: John Lee, Margo Dutton, Ivan Gillis, Marie Purdy,

Bottom Row from left: Don Keller, Martha Bozulich, Tom Kumura.

Business Discussion –

Dues are Due – send your annual membership renewal check to Pat Haugen ($140) – put a check in her mailbox or use PayPal.

Key Club News – The Lake San Marcos Club will honor and surprise two Key club advisors in-person:Michelle Presley, Faculty Advisor for the Mission Hills High School Key Club, and William Zeigler Long-time Faculty Advisor for San Marcos High School Key Club. Both awards were for their dedication to their students. The Youth Services Award is a $200 donation in their name to the CNH Children’s Fund (Foundation). The funds will be used to support the Foundation’s causes, including Scholarships, Leadership Development and training, Travel for students, and other programs as needed.

Marine Care Packages – Recently we mailed 136 care boxes to 1st ANGLICO Marines serving overseas. “They should be in soldiers’ hands soon,” said Pat Haugen. The club is arranging for a Kiwanis banner for the 1st ANGLICO dayroom.

Lining Up For Committee Assignments – New President Art Brown, is forming his committees for the upcoming Kiwanis year which begins in October. For details attend our next meeting.

Our CNH Kiwanis Governor Tim Cunning’s Official Visit was combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at an outdoor private home in Poway. Margo Dutton was our representative. About 85 Kiwanians attended.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers (Via Zoom)- (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

——New Kiwanis Year Begins – Art Brown becomes President——

Oct 6 – Club President Art Brown – Looking Forward to a New Kiwanis Year

Oct 13 – Div 37 Lt Gov Gina Roberts – Outlook for Kiwanis in this area

Oct 20 – Pastor Jim Brown – Ministering to Seniors in These Times

Oct 27 – To Be Determined (working on lining up speakers from our Key Clubs)

Seeking speakers for the four Tuesdays in November.

Please try to join us on Tuesdays via zoom. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 22, 2020 Zoom meeting #23)

Michelle Kuei spoke to us today about the secrets she has learned about overcoming adversity.

Michelle was tragically forced down an abnormal path at 11 years old when she was struck by a car in her native Taiwan in 1985.

Since then Michelle struggled but she learned to tap into her innate extraordinary resources to embrace, excel, and inspire anyone who has to struggle with the adversity of any type. Michelle lives in San Juan Capistrano.

Michelle has written a book “Perfectly Normal – an immigrant’s story of making it in America” about her life experiences.

Michelle Kuei Inspires Us About Overcoming Adversity

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 19)– Most of us are not mountain climbers, but many of us have physical or psychological mountains to climb in our lives and we are all hunkered down in the COVID mountains these days. Our speaker today, Michelle Kuei (pronounced Kway) inspired us with how she climbs literal and psychological mountains and encouraged us about how we can do the same in our personal struggles.

“In 1985 when I was 11 years old I was just beginning to dream about what my life would be about when I was in a tragic car accident at 11 years old in my native country of Taiwan,” The accident, caused by a car that ran a red light, left Michelle with physical and emotional scars that plagued her for over 30 years. When her body stopped growing after the crash, her mind started racing with how she would never be “normal.” “It wasn’t just that friendships and romance were hard — grocery shopping was near-impossible because things on the shelf were often beyond my reach.” At that point, she did not think climbing any mountain was ever going to be possible for her…she was facing a very abnormal life. “After that, I spent four lonely years in rehab when other kids her age were growing up and having fun.”

About 1.5 million people climb the Inca Trail on a four-day 26-mile trek up to Machu Picchu 14,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains in Peru. During her long climb back to life, Michelle tapped into her grit and never-quit determination to do what most us could not – she climbed up to Machu Picchu in 2016. “Sometimes I had to crawl up the steps because they were so far apart, my wrists were killing me most of the way.” (see photos below)

Michelle outlined three key lessons learned from climbing Machu Picchu and by facing the challenges of her life. “Everyone faces adversity, failure, and heartache. The key is how you respond to them.”

Her three valuable lessons (her ABC’s) are:

Authenticity – Do You Know Yourself, Can You Be True to Yourself?
Bravery – Can You Face Up to Your Challenges Without Fear?
Connection – What Type of Relationships are You Building Around You that are Helping You With Your Struggles?

Michelle told us “In life, we usually don’t get everything we want. My physical challenge was something I needed to accept. This is how I am and this is who I am. This is how I’m going to look for the rest of my life. I can sit here and not accept it, and keep resisting it, keep feeling sorry for myself, fighting my negative emotions and keep wanting to understand why it has happened to me. I can keep believing I am a victim with a victim’s bitter mindset. Or, I can accept that this has happened. It’s very unfortunate, but it happened. I can accept this is how I look and I can embrace every part of me because there’s something else other than just this in me. There is something much greater than what we see on the outside. it’s not just what we see externally. It’s what’s going on inside. There’s a light that’s inside each one of us. That’s what we need to embrace.”

Now, Michelle Kuei is a certified confidence & leadership coach who helps negative self-talkers to believe in their talents to reach their full potential and to live a fulfilling personal and professional life. Michelle’s speaking career began in 2018, soon after she founded her own coaching company. She is the author of the new memoir, Perfectly Normal – an Immigrant’s Story of Making it in America. She is a board member of the United Nations Association of the USA and a Clinical Pharmacist at USC’s Keck Medical Center. Michelle was born in Taiwan and grew up in New York, but today she lives in Los Angeles with a short-haired brown tabby cat named Buster. If you’re looking for her, odds are good you’ll find her at the gym. Above all her purpose is to inspire others by her honest and courageous life.

Thank you Michelle for providing real encouragement and inspiration for us all. Come back to us if you can.

The text of a recent podcast with Michelle is attached as well as a link to the video or her climb up Machu Picchu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ixekg1tidM&list=PLjkwz8Q61Phf86XVhw8f5QZf1P4HuhFJC&index=3&t=0s&app=desktop

This is how Michelle climbed up Machu Picchu one difficult step after another.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today; Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers, Jim Murphy, Second Row from left: Ron Stone, John Gibbs, Pat Haugen, John Lee,

Margo Dutton, Third Row from left: Art Brown, Martha Bozulich, Cathleen Stevens, Ted May, Jim Dorschel,

Bottom Row from left: Victor Manzanilla, Tom Kumura, – Far right – Michelle Kuei Our Great Speaker today.

Business Discussion –

Marine Care Packages – Recently we mailed 136 care boxes to 1st ANGLICO Marines serving overseas. “They should be in soldiers’ hands in a week or two,” said Pat Haugen. In all, Kiwanis spent about $4300 for this project ($2600 for shipping and $1700 for the items). The shipping cost is $19 per box. The following Kiwanians contributed time: Pat Haugen, Jim Alden, Margo Dutton, Jerry and Linda Mason, John Lee, Jim Murphy, Glen Winn, and donations of money or care package items came from Linda Allen (Allen Brothers Mortuary), Marie Purdy, Barbara Wales, Ivan Gillis, Jim Meade, Jim Alden, Doris Gannon, Patti Manley, Don Alexander, John Lee, Joe Serrato (community member), Jerry Mason, Jacque McGee, Jim Murphy, Pat Haugen, Tweet Edmunds (community member), Martha Bozulich, and Penny Dorschel (Valley Center club). – Thank you for serving those who are serving us.

Lake San Marco Kiwanis Meeting 9-25-20

California State University – San Marcos President Dr. Ellen Neufeldt and Christine Lee of CSUSM spoke to us today about how

our neighbor university of 16,000 students is helping students succeed despite the covid 19 difficulties.

Dr. Neufeldt was just in her CSUSM Presidency for seven months when Covid changed everyone’s normal lives.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 15, 2020 Zoom meeting #22)

Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, President of Cal. State Univ. San Marcos Speaks about Higher Education Now in a Time of Covid

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 16)– Close to 19.7 million students are currently attending a university or college in the United States. However, since most universities have not been able to have in-person classes, the vast majority of American college students are now only attending class virtually online.

Such is the case for the 16,000 students attending our neighbor university – California State University at San Marcos (CSUSM). Dr. Ellen Neufeldt became the 4th President of CSUSM last summer and was moving forward with great plans to help students succeed when Covid-19 threw us all for a loop this March. “I was only seven months into my Presidency when Covid-19 changed things very rapidly; almost overnight most everything we did went virtual and online,” she said. Nevertheless, Dr. Neufeldt and her staff (which includes Christine Lee, (Community Outreach and Communications for CSUSM) who was also in attendance today at our zoom meeting.) Still, 8% of their classes are currently on campus and around 250 students are living on campus (primarily foreign students).

Dr. Neufeldt told us how CSUSM is still working hard to do what they can to help students succeed. She told us about efforts around four main goal areas:

1) Helping students succeed,
2) Innovation,
3) Helping Military students succeed, She told us that CSUSM has the most military students of any of the Cal. State Universities.
4) Planning for the future.

“Surveys show that students learn best by doing.” she said. She also told us they are diligently trying to involve the community in connection with CSUSM. “Higher Education everywhere will be different for awhile and we are not planning on going to in-person classes through next spring but we are still optimistic that we will be helping our students succeed even in these difficult times.” She also told us they have started an Engineering program at CSUSM.

“We will be looking for more ways to collaborate and connect with community groups like Kiwanis who care about helping young people succeed as we do.”

Thank you Dr. Neufeldt and Christine for your visit, we look forward to more connections as our new future unfolds.

Dr. Neufeldt’s bio is attached.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;Top Row from left: Jim and Linda Alden (zoom hosts), Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, Cathleen Stevens, Second Row from left:Christine Lee (Comm. Relations CSUSM, our guest today), Margo Dutton, Gordon Bowers,Dr. Ellen Neufeldt President CSUSM, Our speaker today. Third Row from left:

John Gibbs, Martha Bozulich, John Lee, Pat Haugen.Bottom Row from left: Marie Purdy, Steve Hinze, Art Brown, Jim Murphy.

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Business Discussion –

Many Kiwanians helped get 136 care boxes to soldiers like this above.

Marine Care Project Update – On Monday the last of 136 care boxes for 1st ANGLICO Marines was shipped overseas. “They should be in soldiers’ hands in a week or two,” said Pat Haugen. In all, we spent about $4300 for this project ($2600 for shipping and $1700 for the items). Shipping cost is $19 per box. The following Kiwanians contributed time: Pat Haugen, Jim Alden, Margo Dutton, Jerry and Linda Mason, John Lee, Jim Murphy,Glen Winn, and donations of money or care package items came from Linda Allen (Allen Brothers Mortuary), Marie Purdy, Barb Wales, Ivan Gillis, Jim Meade, Jim Alden, Doris Gannon, Patti Manley, Don Alexander, John Lee, Joe Serrato (community member), Jerry Mason, Jacque McGee, Jim Murphy, Pat Haugen, Tweet Edmunds (community member), Martha Bozulich, and Penny Dorschel (Valley Center club).

— Thank you for serving those who are serving us.

The Installation ceremony for our new slate of club officers is scheduled for September 29. Our Governor Tim Cunning’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at an outdoor venue in Poway. Margo Dutton tells us the event is still a “go”. Hoped for attendance is 100 – 53 have signed up so far.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

Key Club News – Lynne Do (Lt Gov. Key Club) is looking for chaperones for two events this month, one being our Regional Training Conference (RTC) on September 19 and the other being our DCM on the 26. For both events, we will need Kiwanians to join our Zoom call and oversee the meetings to ensure that Key Clubbers are following SafeKEY policies. We are expected to have 1 chaperone for every 10 Key Clubbers, and would greatly appreciate any help! We have not sent out the signup form for the DCM yet, but the signup form for the RTC is linked below: Region Training Conference (RTC) Sign Up: https://forms.gle/dy7BUxfCLCCXN1Vf6.

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Upcoming Speakers – (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Sep 22 Michelle Kuei, life coach, Overcoming adversity and change

Sep 29 Club Officer Installation – Installing officers for 2020-2021, and thanking officers of 2019-2020, Div 37 guests: Natali Galt & Gina Roberts

——New Kiwanis Year Begins – Art Brown becomes President——

Oct 6 Club President Art Brown

Oct 13 Div 37 Lt Gov Gina Roberts

Seeking speakers for the October 20 and October 27 meeting dates.

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 8, 2020 – Promoting Agricultural Awareness

Rob Gaebe and David Drucker spoke to us today about increasing agricultural awareness in schools.

Rob is the recently retired leader of Future Farmers of America in San Marcos High – David works with an organization associated with the California Farm Bureau.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 8, 2020 Zoom meeting #21)

Rob Gaebe and David Drucker Speak about Increasing

Agricultural Awareness in Our Youth and Community

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 19)Currently, the world’s farmers produce enough food to feed 1.5x the global population. That’s enough tofeed 10 billion (we are currently at 7.6 billion population). However, estimates are that by 2050 the world’s farmers will have 9 billion people to feed; so crop production will need to increase between 60 and 100 percent to keep the world fed.

Two local leaders are working to be sure the world – or at least our communities – are aware of and appreciate farmers and agriculture. “I’m a licensed crop advisor,” said David Drucker, “and I want to give back to the community by working with students in the classroom. I want to instill love for agriculture in the next generation of farmers and consumers.”

David works with Rob Gaebe on the San Diego AG in the classroom project which began in 2004. They give grants to start school gardens and other agriculture-related projects. Since it began they have given out 146 grants worth $130,000. “Last year we gave out 13 grants to schools in San Diego County,” said Gaebe. Grants ranged from $500 to $1000 each. Gaebe also told us they sponsor a “food and flower happy hour” (a teacher resource fair) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Nowadays we are working around the covid-related problems such as schools being closed and social-distancing by conducting virtual field trips around the following agricultural activities:

Chapparal Honey & Beekeeping

Olive Hill Greenhouses

Del Rey Avocado Production.

“In the near future we will have more people to feed and less arable land, that is why encouraging young farmers today is important for tomorrow,” said Gaebe.The hardest thing for Kevin and I encounter is not being able to fund a worthwhile project because we just don’t have the funds.” Anyone wishing to contribute to this worthwhile program should contact them atsdaitc.org. Thank you Rob and David for interest in our agricultural future.

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Capture LSM Kiwanis Sept 8 best zoom shot.JPG

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Pat Haugen, Glen Winn, Rob Gaebe (our speaker today),Second Row from left: David Drucker (our speaker today), Margo Dutton, Marie Purdy, John Gibbs, John Lee.Third Row from left:Martha Bozulich, Don Keller, Art Brown, Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers.Bottom Row from left: Ted May, Jim Murphy, Paul Wright. ——- —————

Business Matters Discussed –

LInda Mason, Pat Haugen and Margo Dutton are among the many Kiwanians who supported our efforts to send care boxes to Marines overseas.

Marine Care Project Update – To date we have packed and prepared about 100 of the 136 care boxes we plan to send to 1st ANGLICO Marines serving overseas. We are currently waiting for about 36 more boxes to complete the packing and shipping. Pat estimates the shipments will go out soon. In all, we will spend about $4300 for this project ($2600 for shipping and $1700 for the items). Shipping cost is $19 per box. So far several Kiwanians have contributed either funds or time or both. Marine Sergeant Major Jeremy Black of 1st ANGLICO requested that we send these boxes and we are glad to oblige.

Board Meeting Held Today after this meeting: – The main results of this meeting are: Board decisions:

San Marcos Holiday Parade usually held in December is canceled for this year due to COVID-19.

Our Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser will be delayed in 2021 until after Easter or maybe September 2021. Co-chairs will be John Gibbs and John Lee.

The Installation ceremony for our new slate of club officers is scheduled for September 29. Our Governor Tim Cunning’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at an outdoor venue in Poway. However, Jim Alden mentioned that Kiwanian from another club is wondering if the Kiwanis plan for this meeting might be in conflict with recent governmental directions pertaining to gatherings….Jim and Pat are investigating this matter.

Recent DCM – Pat Haugen, Margo Dutton, Art Brown attended via zoom. Lake San Marcos Kiwanis dues will remain the same – $140 annually, $50 – Family Associate membership. Pat will be sending out statements soon. 4 ways to pay: – Mail Pat a check, Pay Pal, VenMo (on your phone), or through your bank.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

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Upcoming Speakers – (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Sep 15 – Dr. Ellen Nuefeldt – President, University of California San Marcos – Higher Education Now

Sep 22 Michelle Kuei, life coach, Overcoming adversity and change

Sep 29 Club Officer Installation – installing officers for 2020-2021, and thanking officers of 2019-2020

Seeking speakers for the meeting dates in October.

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 1, 2020 – Updates on San Marcos Creek Project

Creekside project banner best.jpg

Isaac Etchamendy, Susanne Bankhead, and Ariano Avila-Arango gave us an excellent update on the progress of the two year San Marcos Creek Project.

This is the largest project the City of San Marcos has ever had. They last spoke to us when the project was starting in January of this year.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 1, 2020 Zoom meeting #20)

Isaac Etchamendy, Susanne Bankhead, & Ariana Avila-Arango

Provide an Update on San Marcos Creek Project

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 22)– Three key people working on the San Marcos Creek Project, Isaac Etchamendy, Susanne Bankhead, and Ariana Avila-Arango, gave us an excellent update on the San Marcos Creek Project. Using excellent state of the art visualizations, they showed us what the San Marcos Creek area will look like after the 2 year project is completed.“We’ve accomplished a lot and are on schedule so far,”said Etchamendy. “Public support and compliance has been very good.” So far they have basically been working on the foundational work for the Bent Avenue Bridge, Bent avenue has been closed now for several weeks. The overall goals are to eliminate or reduce flooding issues, provide better infrastructure (2 bridges, wider roads, sidewalks, trails, parks) and restore wildlife habitat. Via Vera Cruz is still open, bridge construction work there will begin in a few months.

“This is the largest project San Marcos has ever had, a 104 million dollar investment in our community,” said Bankhead. They have been doing regular and very helpful communications about the project all along. They even encountered an endangered bird (Least Bell’s Vireo)in their recent work in the area.

Thank you for your informative updates – we look forward to more as the project progresses.

Here are some of the visuals they used to give us their update.

Thanks for speaking to us on short notice.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today;Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Cathleen Stevens, Gordon Bowers, Ron Stone,Second Row from left:John Gibbs, Art Brown, Marie Purdy, Jim Murphy, Pat Haugen.Third Row from left:Tom Kumura, Ivan Gillis, Isaac Etchemendy, Margo Dutton, John Lee. Bottom Row from left: Jacque McGee, Susanne Bankhead(not in picture – Glen Winn, Julia Woods, Paul Wright, Steve Hinze. Ariana Avila-Arango) ———————-

Business Discussion –

Marine Care Project Update – More progress was made in our goal to send care packages to 136 Marines and Sailors (through 1st ANGLICO). Pat and Jim are working on the logistics of packing and shipping these boxes of needed supplies. In all we will spend about $4300 for this project ($2600 for shipping and $1700 for the items). Shipping cost is $19 per box. The first 50 boxes should be ready for delivery to the Post Office next week. Many of our members have contributed money and time for this worthwhile project. Anyone wanting to help pack these boxes should contact Pat Haugen.

The Installation ceremony for our new slate of club officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor Tim Cunning’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at an outdoor venue in Poway.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

Tom Kumura is running to retain his Director position on the Palomar Health Board.

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Upcoming Speakers – (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Sep 8 Rob Gaebe and David Drucker, Creating on-line lessons for teachers in science, agriculture and environmental issues

Sep 15 – Dr. Ellen Nuefeldt – President, University of California San Marcos – Higher Education Now

Sep 22 Michelle Kuei, life coach, Overcoming adversity and change

Sep 29 Club Officer Installation – installing officers for 2020-2021, and thanking officers of 2019-2020

Seeking speakers for the meeting dates in October.

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – August 25, 2020 – Zoom – Wise Investing in Turbulent Times

Tim Miller of BlackRock Financial gave us an excellent overview of the many variables at play concerning investing during these turbulent times.

Tim is a friend of our own Victor Manzanilla – thank you Tim and Victor.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – August 25, 2020 Zoom meeting #19)

Wise Investing in Turbulent Times – Tim Miller – Blackrock Financial

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20)– Tim Miller of Blackrock Financial spoke to us about how the Covid 19 pandemic has reshaped the economic landscape of our country and our world. “We see the coronavirus shock as akin to a large-scale natural disaster that severely disrupts activity in the near term, but eventually results in an economic recovery. Economies are slowly restarting, but at different paces. The longer it takes for activity to restart, the more cracks might appear in the financial system,” he said. Tim was the invited speaker and friend of member Victor Manzanilla. Tim spoke to us about 4 aspects that BlackRock Financial is following: Public Health, Policy Response, The Election, and U.S. China Tensions. He went into detail about the U.S. wealth market outlook for the third Quarter of 2020 as affected by each of these aspects. “It is a time when many things are at play at the same time and when multiple possibilities are being analyzed. This is a period of flux requiring careful planning, financially and otherwise.”

For more details click on the attached pdf file of the powerpoint and follow the slides of Tim’s presentation.

Thanks for speaking to us Tim, come back again – Thanks for inviting him Victor.

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Margo Dutton Elected as Kiwanis Governor Elect for Our Cal-Nev-Ha District

Our Own Margo Dutton was recently elected to be the Governor-Elect of the three state Cal-Nev-Ha District

which includes all theKiwanis clubs and all the Kiwanis members in the three state district.

She will begin serving as Governor-elect this October and will step into the Governor’s role a year from now in October 2021.

Way to Go Margo!!!! ———————-

Business Discussion –

Guest today: Sharon Phillipe, former member of Mission Viejo Kiwanis Club.

Marine Care Project Update – Additional needs are checks to cover the postage. We (Jim Alden, John Lee, Jim Murphy and I) have begun packing the 136 care packages. We hope to finish next week. Thank you to Tweet Edmonds and MHHS Key Club members for writing notes to go in each package.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

Upcoming Speakers – (send your ideas to Jerry Mason)

Sep 1 – To Be Determined (meaning we are working on it)

Sep 8 Rob Gaebe, Creating on-line lessons for teachers in science, agriculture and environmental issues

Sep 15 – Dr. Ellen Nuefeldt – President, Univ. of California San Marcos – Higher Education Now

Sep 22 Michelle Kuei, life coach, Overcoming adversity and change

Sep 29 Club Officer Installation

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jim Alden and Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Newsletter 8/18

If you’re a crook you better watch out. Anna Winn, Deputy District Attorney, in the North County Office spoke to us about a variety of things currently facing her office as we navigate through Covid-19. I’ve tried to capture some or most of what Anna shared with us this past Tuesday. Bottom line – the crooks are still out there committing crimes, they are just being handled a bit differently.

Those attending today’s meeting were – Glen Winn, Pat Haugen, Art Brown, Steve Hinze, Marie Purdy, John Gibbs, Jim Murphy, John Lee, Gordon Bowers, Margo Dutton, Tom Kumura, Paul Wright, Cathleen Stevens, Irma Gonzalez Div 37E Key Club, and your host and scribe, Jim Alden.

We were treated to an outstanding presentation (without any slides from Anna), so I had to bone up on my shorthand. Before we jump into Anna’s presentation, let’s all take a minute, if you haven’t done so already, to congratulate our new Governor-Elect, Margo Dutton. Margo was elected on Saturday. We are all very proud of her. Go Margo!!

Anna’s Presentation:

According to Anna, the District Attorney’s Office is limping along. Since March 13th, they have mostly been working from home. Prisoner appearance dates are a challenge because they must appear in front of a judge within a specific time frame. So some are spending extra time in jail because their cases are not being heard. Time in jail will go towards their pending jail sentence. Technology has allowed some in custody to appear via Microsoft Teams software. The person in custody, the DA’s office, Judge, and the Defense Attorney are all able to be present online. This can only be done for certain detainees as some cells don’t have the technology to allow for online access. There are thousands of cases ready to go to the Vista Courthouse. Four courtrooms are available, but not nearly enough to support the caseload.

Anna indicated that jurors are also on hold. If you do get a summons, you most likely don’t need to report. But, to be safe follow any instructions on the summons. The next opportunity for jury trials to begin is September 17th, but Anna has her doubts that will be a reality. There are jury trials that have been on hold for months. It may be a good strategy to plead guilty and start counting your time served?

Anna predominantly prosecutes property crimes. Some offenders bail has been set to zero to keep the numbers down in jail. Helps to mitigate risks, especially with Covid. Fraud cases seem to be as prevalent as always. Be aware of the following:

Calls regarding your stimulus check
Gift cards
iTunes purchase with a reward if you return the card
Bitcoin scams

And, you will never receive legitimate calls from the IRS, FTB, or Medicare. Beware – there’s a new one out there – A romance scam called Plenty of Fish (has required that a task force be assembled). Sorry people playing on your trust. Don’t send money to anyone you don’t know. Also, please be careful of anyone taking over your computer. This is called Ransomware. It may freeze up or there may be a broadcast message that nothing should be done on your computer prior to calling a particular number. Interestingly enough, if you send money to these people, they will unlock your computer, and if caught, they offer the line – they are selling a security awareness service.

Thank you Anna for a wonderful presentation. You are welcome back any time. I’m sure the crooks will continue to get more sophisticated.

Health Report:

Dick Birkenstock is moving to Silvergate as his Parkinson’s has progressed. Once settled he would like to have visitors. Kitty Tilton passed away three weeks ago. She was a long time member and living with family in Denton, Texa. Also, Jack Bloes passed away approximately two months ago. Jack was also a long time member of the club. Don Alexander is doing much better and Dan Worrells is going to help him with his new computer so he can join us on one of our Zoom meetings.

What’s New:

Tom Kumura reported that cases of Covid are decreasing and ICU beds are down to 25 at Palomar Health. Members and friends of Kiwanis, please access Tom’s website and support his run for director of the Palomar Health Systems Board of Directors. His site address is: https://www.tomkforph.com/ – And, Art Brown’s son is off to college where he’s expected to undertake a hybrid form of learning this semester.

CRV Recyclables can be dropped off at Gary Edward‘s truck, or call Gary for pick-up.

Irma Gonzalez from Key Club Div 37E reported that they had their Division Council Meeting jointly with Div 37N via Zoom last Saturday. They have accomplished 2916 service hours of their goal of 6000 hours. They have raised $708 for Pediatric Trauma Program of the their goal of $4500.

Marine Care Project Update – So far we collected over $1100 from members Alden, Meade, Gillis, Gannon, Manley, Alexander, Lee, Mason and McGee, and community supported Joe Serrato. Product donations have been received from Linda Allen, Penny Dorschel, Tweet Edmonds, Glen Winn, Ivan Gillis, Pat Haugen, Doris Gannon, Patti Manley, Barbara Wales, Marie Purdy, John Lee, and Martha Bozulich. Additional needs are shampoo, body wash, razors, shaving creme, and laundry pods.

Upcoming Speakers –

Aug 25 Tim Miller, BlackRock Financial, asset management firm

Sep 8 Rob Gaebe, Creating on-line lessons for teachers in science, agriculture and environmental issues

Sep 22 Michelle Kuei, life coach, Overcoming adversity and change

Sep 29 Club Officer Installation

Please try to join us on Tuesday’s. We are averaging 17-20 for each meeting and would love to see our numbers grow.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – August 11, 2020 Zoom meeting #17)

Fellow Kiwanians and guests (attendance on Zoom – 21) – This past Tuesday we were treated to an outstanding presentation by Penny Pongun and Charlene Vick. Lots to think about as the aging process occurs. Above are two of the slides that we should all pay particular attention to. I must admit – filling in for Jerry is not my strong suit as I failed to take the copious notes that he takes during a meeting/presentation. There were lots of great questions, and Art Brown furnished some additional insight in other areas that were pertinent to the discussion.

Business Discussion – The following Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Business matters were discussed, and the 1st ANGLICO project is still ongoing. Any support you can offer is appreciated. We have made great progress in securing items and kudos go out to Jerry Mason, Barbara Wales, Doris Gannon, John Lee, Glen Winn, Ivan Gillis, Patti Manley, Marie Purdy, Linda Allen, (who contributed beyond expectations), and others that donated to our foundation to help with this special project. The details below are still pertinent. We have revised the numbers below as there are approximately 140 packages that will be assembled. We need your donations. Please call Jim Alden or Pat Haugen for details on how you can help:

Marine Care Packages Needed – 1st ANGLICO Sgt. Major Jeremy Black is seeking some volunteers to supply care packages for Marines and Sailors currently deployed “They are running out of some supplies below and would love it if some care packages could be sent their way.”

Our sponsored Marine unit 1st ANGLICO has asked our liaison, Ivan Gillis, if we could send care packages to deployed marines and sailors to lift their spirits and gift them with personal items that are in short supply in their ship’s store. Jim Alden will coordinate this effort to pack and mail 140 care packages. Timeline: assemble boxes and ship within two weeks. Let us know what you have (we’ll take potluck), then deliver your donated items to Jim Alden or Pat Haugen. The care boxes will be assembled with approximate equity and labeled for each of the 140 marines and sailors. Suggested items: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, body wash, snack items, electrolyte drink mixes, protein bars, shaving cream, razors, laundry detergent pods. We also need ziplock bags. Write a personal greeting or note to include. Do not include baby wipes or hand sanitizer as these are banned by USPS during COVID-19 and considered contraband on the Naval ships. If you would like to donate money to cover the cost of mailing the care packages ($18.45 to mail one care package) or the cost of purchasing some of the items in bulk, mail or drop off a check to: LSM Kiwanis Club Foundation, c/o Pat Haugen, 1511 San Pablo Dr, San Marcos, CA. Alternatively, if you want to use Paypal, Go to paypal.me/LSMKiwanis and type in the amount you would like to donate. Any donations received above the needed amount for this project will go into the general Foundation fund. It is estimated that we will provide around 140 packages and mailing will cost around $2600.

Margo Dutton is competing to win election as District Governor Elect. Go Margo Go!!

Saturday, Aug 15 noon Inter-club Virtual Luncheon Session

Zoom link, password if needed is 909173: https://uso2web.zoom.us/j/81624654743?pwd=YtdZUnh4YUhGaHFBZlpyeldQUFdrUT09

live-streamed today on Facebook 1:30 pm Special House of Delegates vote Facebook

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – August 4, 2020 – Charlotte Fan – Meals on Wheels

Charlotte Fan and John Lee work together to help seniors remain independent.

Today Charlotte Fan gave us an overview of how Meals on Wheels is serving over 427,000 meals to 3,000 clients in North County.

John Lee has been delivering meals on wheels to seniors in our area for 6 years – two times a week.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – August 4, 2020 Zoom meeting #16)

Meals on Wheels Supports Independence for Seniors

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 21) – Even before Covid hit, it has been a challenge for seniors to maintain their independence. Nowadays it is doubly challenging. “Our demand for meals has doubled recently,” said Charlotte Fan North County Manager for Meals on Wheels. “At the same time we have lost many of our regular volunteers who deliver meals to over 3,000 seniors in North County.” “We need more volunteers,” she said. “We deliver daily from 10:30 to 1 in fifteen communities in North County. In pre-covid times each route served 8 to 12 clients but now we have increased it to about 15-20 clients for each route.”

John Lee has been delivering to local clients for six years. “None of the original people on my delivery list are still with me,” he said. The people who I meet are generally healthy, they just need a little help to get by. I have fun chatting with people I would not ordinarily meet…I look forward to it every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month.”

Charlotte Fan has been with Meals on Wheels for 21 years…for most of those years our Kiwanis club has generously supported the great work they do day in and day out with our annual giving.

Here are a few key facts about Meals on Wheels taken from her presentation on August 4:

427,173 meals served (2019) – more in 2020

3,150 clients served – 47% live alone – 43% are over 85 – 27 over 100 – oldest client is 107 – oldest volunteer is 100. (clients must be over 60)

1,227 veterans/spouses have been served (41% of all meals served).

Home Delivered meals Monday Mondays thru Saturdays (incl holidays) (10:30 – 1) – Routes in the following communities: Bonsall, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitis/Cardiff, Escondido, Fallbrook, Oceanside, Poway, Rancho Santa Fe, Carmel Valley/Penasquitos, San Marcos, Solana Beach, Valley Center, Vista. ,

116 routes (67 on weekend) – Each Route contains 15-20 clients.

Meals on Wheels has been serving seniors for 60 years.

One meal per day costs $4; two meals per day costs $7 (they have a sliding scale for costs if needed)

Pet food – 11.5 tons of pet food delivered in 2019

Ever Growing Need – people 75 and over are fastest-growing segment of our population – The 65+ segment of our population is projected to increase 123% to 742,842 (which is 4 times faster than the population as a whole)

Meals on Wheels does not rely on federal or state funding – anyone interested in donating or volunteering should contact:

https://www.meals-on-wheels.org/give

“Thank you Charlotte for your years of service to seniors in our community,” said President Glen Winn. “We look forward to many more years partnering with you in your excellent work.”

Here are some of the key facts that Charlotte talked to us about today. ———————-

Business Discussion – The following Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Business matters were

discussed:

Our sponsored Marine unit 1st ANGLICO has asked our liaison, Ivan Gillis, if we could send care packages to deployed marines and sailors to lift their spirits and gift them with personal items that are in short supply in their ship’s store. Jim Alden will coordinate this effort to pack and mail 95 care packages. Timeline: assemble boxes and ship within two weeks. Let us know what you have (we’ll take potluck), then Deliver your donated items to Jim Alden or Pat Haugen. The care boxes will be assembled with approximate equity and labeled for each of the 95 marines and sailors. Suggested items: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, body wash, snack items, electrolyte drink mixes, protein bars, shaving cream, razors, laundry detergent pods. Magazines, branded pens. We also need ziplock bags. Greeting cards, notes would be welcome. Do not include baby wipes or hand sanitizer as these are banned by USPS during covid-19 and considered contraband on the Naval ships. If you would like to donate money to cover the cost of mailing the care packages ($18.45 to mail one care package) or the cost of purchasing some of the items in bulk, mail or drop off a check to LSM Kiwanis Club Foundation, c/o Pat Haugen, 1511 San Pablo Dr, San Marcos, CA. Alternatively, if you want to use Paypal, Go to paypal.me/LSMKiwanis and type in the amount you would like to donate. Any donations received above the needed amount for this project will go into the general Foundation fund. It is estimated that we will provide around 100 packages and mailing will cost around $1700.

Pat Haugen – talked about the cancellation of the District Convention in Reno in August but reminded members that virtual Education Sessions will be conducted on Friday, August 14 via zoom. The election will be held (viewable on Facebook) the same day. We are talking about returning to normal meeting activities – such as the Finemaster – where we can take advantage of free use of Pay Pal. Pat also mentioned that Kiwanis has waived initiation fees through the end of September.

Margo Dutton/Pat Haugen – Reported on how the election for officers will be handled now that our District Convention has been canceled (was to be Aug 14-15 in Reno, NV) – Margo is competing to win election as District Governor-Elect. She said 117 Kiwanis leaders (all above the Club level) will be allowed to vote on August 14 via zoom. The event will be live-streamed via Facebook. Go Margo Go!!

Margo Dutton the Mask Maker – Margo has made beautiful masks for her District Governor-Elect campaign. If you would like mask(s), meet her tomorrow, Wednesday 3 pm, at the St Mark Golf Club parking lot, 1750 San Pablo Drive.

Natali Galt – The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown. Natali Galt (our current Lt. Governor) hopes this meeting can be held live, but we will see. This will be her last event as Lt. Governor for her term.

Jerry Mason and Jim Alden – asked Members for help in locating speakers for upcoming meetings in September. Since we are resuming having weekly speakers, speakers are rather hard to find these days.

Here is the speakers schedule for the remaining three meetings in August:

August 11 – Penny Pongun (an associate of Charlene Vick) – Windward Life Care – topic of interest to be determined.

August 18 – Anna Winn – San Diego District Attorney’s Office – Consumer fraud during covid – this meeting will start at 11:30 – Anna will speak at noon.

August 25 – Tim Miller of BlackRock Financial (an associate of Victor Manzanilla) – a market update since Covid outbreak.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today; Top Row from left: Jim & Linda Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Charlotte Fan – Meals on Wheels (our speaker), Pat Haugen. Second Row from left: John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Ivan Gillis, Marie Purdy. Third Row from left: Ron Stone, Jacque McGee, Glen Winn, John Lee. Fourth Row from left: Paul Wright, Martha Bozulich, Gordon Bowers, Victor Manzanilla (welcome back Victor). Bottom Row: Tom Kumura, Margo Dutton, Lynne Do – Lt Gov. Div 37 Key Club, Don Keller, Mary Harrington.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. – Aug 11, 11 AM – Penny Pongun Care Manager Windward Life Carediscuss a topic of interest to the group – This will be our 16th Zoom Meeting – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

Contact Jim Alden if you need help…we want to see you at our zoom meetings.

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Note: Jerry Mason will be on vacation in Oregon visiting family and friends from Aug. 11 – 25, so Jim Alden will step up (as he always does) to be the newsletter editor for the next three meetings in August.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – July 28, 2020 – Dr. Omar Khawaja – Fighting the Pandemic

Palomar Medical Center here in North County is at the forefront of the battle with Covid-19 in our area.

Today Dr. Omar Khawaja, Palomar’s Chief Medical Officer, gave us a full account of that battle waged by him and his 4000 medical “soldiers”

The painting of Palomar Hospital was done by Jerry Mason when he was a volunteer at that hospital a few years ago.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 28, 2020 Zoom meeting #15)

Dr. Omar Khawaja Tells Us of Palomar’s Battle with Covid-19

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 17) – It seems that every hospital in the nation is at the forefront of our battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. Today at our zoom meeting Palomar Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Omar Khawaja gave us a detailed insider account of that battle to date.

Dr. Omar Khawaja was named Chief Medical Officer for Palomar Health in 2018. Dr. Khawaja currently oversees the Interventional Platform and Physician Development for the Organization and is a member of the Executive Team. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of California San Francisco, completed his residency at the Harvard School of Medicine and earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University. Dr. Khawaja began his medical career in Anesthesiology with Anesthesia Consultants of California Medical Group in 2009 and continues to practice with the group. Dr. Khawaja resides in San Diego with his wife and two children.

Dr. Omar’s presentation was full of informative slides and information (some of which are captured in the images below).

Here are a few of his quotes about Palomar’s battle with Covid-19:

“We had our first covid patient in February and began the shutdown of non-covid services in March and April losing about 50% of our normal business.”

“We did not experience the great surge in patients that we feared. We put in a ton of work for an eventuality that never occurred.”

“Our peak covid numbers in the spring were around 30 – Our Poway campus became Covid free and was then dedicated to more normal business.”

“Recently numbers have spiked up a bit to around 40 with 1/4 on ventilators. People over 65 are still in the highest risk category.

“For a while now, we have been living in two worlds – one to fight covid and the other to handle the normal medical issues any hospital faces.”

“What frustrated me most was at times we were not able to provide the safety equipment for my staff that I would have preferred because such equipment was in short supply.”

“We are finding that the spread from people who are asymptomatic is not as great as from those who show symptoms – so we are focusing more on treating those who show symptoms.”

“I don’t have a crystal ball but we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, meaning the fall could be worse given that it is the traditional flu season. It is our job to keep people – patients and our staff – safe for as long as necessary.”

Dr. Omar Thank you for your excellent report to us today and for your tireless leadership in our collective battle against Covid-19. Come back to us when you have more victories to celebrate. The presentation was arranged by our own Tom Kumura who is on the Palomar Medical Center’s Board of Directors. ———————-

Business Discussion – The following Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Business matters were discussed:

Pat Haugen – talked about the cancellation of the District Convention in Reno in August but reminded members that virtual Education Sessions will be conducted on Friday, August 14 via zoom. The election will be held (viewable on Facebook) the same day. We are talking about returning to normal meeting activities – such as the Finemaster – where we can take advantage of free use of Pay Pal. Pat also mentioned that Kiwanis has waived initiation fees through the end of September. At the DCM on July 18 Pat learned that the National Kiwanis Convention for 2021 will be held in Salt Lake City and the 2021 District Convention will be held in San Diego.

John Lee – announced that Charlotte Fan of Meals on Wheels will be our speaker next meeting on August 4.

Margo Dutton – Reported on how the election for officers will be handled now that our District Convention has been canceled (was to be Aug 14-15 in Reno, NV) – Margo is competing to win election as District Governor-Elect. She said 117 Kiwanis leaders (all above the Club level) will be allowed to vote on August 14 via zoom. The event will be live-streamed via Facebook. Go Margo Go!!

A Board Meeting was held right after this meeting – the main results of this meeting were:

Annual Member Dues will stay the same as last year, $140 due at the end of September;

The San Marcos Holiday Parade will not occur this year.

Natali Galt and Jim Alden – announced the results of recent elections of Kiwanis International: Art Riley – President, Peter Mancusco – President-Elect, Bert West – Vice President – All were elected during the Kiwanis International Council special meeting. The Kiwanis International Board convened the Council on July 25, 2020, due to the cancellation of the 105th KI Convention.

Jerry Mason and Jim Alden – asked the Board and Members for help in locating speakers for upcoming meetings. Since we are resuming having weekly speakers, speakers are rather hard to find these days. Victor Manzanilla‘s friend Tim Miller of BlackRock Financial will be our speaker on August 25 to give us a market update since Covid outbreak. Charlene Vick and Penny Pongun – Windward Life Care – will speak to us on Aug 11 – topic of interest to be determined. Victor Manzanilla‘s friend Tim Miller of BlackRock Financial will be our speaker on August 25 to give us a market update since Covid outbreak. One day in August is still open Aug 18. Anna Winn, Jim Brown, and Glenn Winn are potential speakers.

Marine Care Packages Needed – 1st Anglico Sgt. Major Jeremy Black is seeking some volunteers to supply care packages for Marines and Sailors currently deployed “They are running out of some supplies below and would love it if some care packages could be sent their way.” Some suggested items might include Toothpaste,Toothbrush, Shampoo, Body wash, Snack items, Electrolyte drink mixes, Protein bars, Shaving cream, Razors. Laundry detergent. Contact Ivan Gillis if you can help these soldiers serving our country.

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today; Top Row from left: Jim Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Glen Winn, Marie Purdy, Ivan Gillis, Second Row from left: Today’s speaker Dr, Omar Khawaja – Chief Medical Officer Palomar Medical Center, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Pat Haugen, Margo Dutton. Third Row from left: Don Keller, John Lee, Ted May, Jim Murphy, Tom Kumura. Bottom Row: Martha Bozulich, and Natali Galt. – Kiwanis Div. 37 Lt. Governor.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. – Aug 4, 11 AM – Charlotte Fan of Meals on Wheels will speak. – This will be our 15th Zoom Meeting – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday Aug. 4 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

Contact Jim Alden if you need help…we want to see you at our zoom meetings.

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When Virtual Life Turns into Quarantine – National Geographic – August 2020 – Here is a short essay about the times and situation we find ourselves in today. You may have to enlarge the image to read it but it is worthwhile…Jerry Mason

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – July 21, 2020 – Chris Megison – Solutions for Change

Homelessness is a big problem in California – around 150 thousand – Many government leaders wrestle with it a lot –

However the most effective organization dealing with homelessness is our own Solutions for Change right here in Vista in North County.

Chris Megison, founder of Solutions for Change, told us about the great success story of this organization today via zoom at our regular Kiwanis meeting.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 21, 2020 Zoom meeting #14)

Chris Megison of Presents Solutions for Change in Homelessness

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 27 – mostly Kiwanians) – In San Diego, homelessness runs rampant. single adults, families with children and the elderly are some of the people who have no place to call home. The San Diego population of homeless people is increasing every year. In 2018, the region had an official count of 8,576 homeless residents ranking only behind Seattle, Los Angeles County and New York City. Usually you will find San Diego’s homeless population unsheltered, living on the street, in a vehicle or in a hand-built structure such as a tent. There are many causes for homelessness including high cost of housing here.

One of the most effective programs dealing with homelessness is our own local Solutions for Change of Vista founded 20 years ago by Chris Megison. “In 1999, my wife and I were helping out at an emergency winter shelter with our two boys, when a 9 year old girl named Jessica pulled on my sleeve and innocently asked, “Hey mister, do you live here too?” I looked at the girl and then over to her mother who was preparing a bed on the shelter floor. I got down on one knee, looking into the girl’s eyes, and said, “I don’t live here, sweetie, but my wife and I are going to do everything possible so that you, and your family, won’t have to live here too.” he said. The girl’s eyes welled with tears, and so did mine’, and a vision was born—to solve family homelessness.”

Chris told us a great story of how Solutions for Change has been helping the homeless here in San Diego for over 20 years. “Homelessness is a consequence or symptom of many underlying issues,” Chris said. “Each issue is hard on both the individuals and the family and society at large. At Solutions for Change we address the underlying issues, while seeking sustainable change. We help families escape the “churn” of homelessness. There are many solutions at Solutions for Change. Taken together, they are the pillars supporting a productive environment in which we work together to build better futures for homeless families. “Our solutions consist of Solutions University, Solutions Enterprise, and Solutions in the Community. Every day, these programs combine to create successful, sustainable solutions for families and the San Diego communities in which they live. We have solved homelessness for over 850 families and 2200 children so far.”

Chris is a regular visitor with our club and has been so for nearly 20 years since Don Smith brought him to our attention. Each year our Kiwanis club donates regularly to the great work Solutions for Change is doing in our community. “Even during this time of isolation, we encourage Kiwanians to order a box of our organic produce that we grow on our farm, we even deliver it. Thank you Kiwanis for your unflagging support of Solutions for Change,” he said.” — To order produce contact Solutions for Change at SolutionsFarms.org https://www.solutionsfarms.org/

Chris, We are glad to be a partner with Solutions for Change for all these years….keep up your inspiring work for children and families of our communities. And Keep coming back to speak to us…we care about the same people – children and families. ———————-

Business Discussion – The following Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Business matters were discussed:

Jim Alden – offered to coach any member who is having trouble with the zoom technology in hopes of increasing members who actually attend our weekly zoom meetings. Jim reported that several other clubs are holding their meetings by zoom also.

Margo Dutton – Reported on how the election for officers will be handled now that our District Convention has been cancelled (was to be Aug 14-15 in Reno, NV) – Margo is competing to win election as District Governor Elect. She said 117 Kiwanis leaders (all above the Club level) will be allowed to vote on August 15 via zoom. The event will be live streamed via facebook. Go Margo Go!!

Pat Haugen – talked about returning to normal meeting activities – such as the Finemaster – where we can take advantage of free use of Pay Pal. Pat also mentioned that Kiwanis has waived initiation fees through the end of December. At the DCM on July 18 it Pat learned that the National Kiwanis Comvention for 2021 will be held in Salt Lake City and the 2021 District Convention will be held in San Diego.

An early Board Meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday July 28 right after the regular meeting (the Board has some decisions to make with respect to the San Marcos Holiday Parade that Kiwanis sponsors in December).

Tom Kumura – reported that there were 30-32 COVID-19 cases at Palomar Health-Escondido and 2 cases at Palomar Health-Poway…ICU’s are not being overwhelmed.

Scheduling Matters: The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown.

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today; Top Row from left: Jim and Linda Alden (zoom host), Jerry Mason, Margo Dutton, Cathleen Stevens, Ivan Gillis. Second Row from left: Today’s speaker Chris Megison – Solutions for Change, Pat Haugen, Don Keller, Key Club President MMHS Zander Vilaysane, John Gibbs. Third Row from left: Gina Roberts – Lt Gov Elect Div. 37, Ron Stone, Jacque McGee, Martha Bozulich, Rob Gaebe. Fourth Row from left: Jim Murphy, John Lee, Paul Wright, Jim Dorschel past Lt. Gov. Div 37, Ted May. Bottom Row: Art Brown, Tom Kumura, Daniel Jiang – Pres. SMHS Key Cub, Lynne Do Key Club Lt Gov. Dist. 37E, Mary Harrington. (Not in picture but zoomed in: Tish Murry, Gordon Bowers, Olivia Pacheco – Pres. LLHS Key Club).

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. – July 28, 11 AM – Tom Kumura will either speak or bring a speaker from Palomar Health to speak about Covid 19 situation around here. – This will be our 15th Zoom Meeting – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday July 28 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail. Contact Jim Alden if you need help…we want to see you at our zoom meetings.

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Jim Dorschel – Past Lt. Gov Div. 37 – told us “You have a great club and I love to drop in on your meetings, even if only on zoom.”

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 14, 2020 Zoom meeting #13)

Everyone in the world realizes these are the signs of the times – the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Finding the right balance between safety and sanity has been the struggle of our time.

Here in Lake San Marcos our Kiwanis Club has been locked out of in-person meetings for four months with no end in sight.

Kiwanis Soldiering On Despite Prolonged Lockdown

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 17 Kiwanians) – It has been over 4 months since our last in-person meeting and with recent governmental decisions with respect to reversing re-opening plans there is no clear end in sight. Kiwanis, like many other organizations, schools, churches, and businesses are coping and soldiering on as best they can. The answer to the question “How safe is safe enough?” is literally blowing in the wind. Ultimately it is up to each individual and organization to decide how safe they need to be. However, safety is not the only consideration. Leaders of the Well Being Trust warned that severe unemployment and social isolation due to the lockdown could lead to as many as 150,000 additional deaths from drugs, alcohol, and suicide (so-called deaths of desperation). One of the recommendations of this group is to “provide better social connections by securing reliable internet everywhere in the country and funding community groups that are putting on virtual events to allow people to socialize remotely.” Our Kiwanis Club is doing its part by keeping on meeting every week even if it is only virtually online via zoom. Today’s meeting consisted mostly of conducting business matters and holding a board meeting afterward.

Business Discussion – The following Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Business matters were discussed:

John Gibbs – reported that Creek Project notified the neighborhood that Bent Avenue will be closed indefinitely. A presentation to the community is planned for 6 PM on Tuesday, July 28.

Margo Dutton – Reported on how the election for Kiwanis District (Cal-Nev-Ha) officers will be handled now that our District Convention has been canceled (it was to be Aug 14-15 in Reno, NV) – Margo is competing to win election as District Governor-Elect. She said 157 Kiwanis leaders (all above the Club level) will be allowed to vote via zoom. The event will be live-streamed via Facebook. Go Margo Go!!

Pat Haugen – Reported that at last Saturday’s Division 37 Division Council Meeting, the various club presidents talked about the opportunities that have come about from the issues and challenges their club has faced in the last few months. Many clubs have canceled their signature fundraising events but have continued to find ways to serve their communities. The Blue Wave (Oceanside/Vista area) club has lost members who have died or moved away, and the remaining long-time Kiwanis members are looking to join nearby clubs. (not closing as a result of COVID-19)

John Gibbs – commended Jim Alden for his excellent speech as part of the Lake’s 4th of July virtual celebration – Dick Skay also appeared in it.

– Here is the link to that video https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwJWrXJJjHgvSlmnMlClRLbGDfj?projector=1

Scheduling Matters: July 18 – Kiwanis Division 37 Leadership Conference. Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno HAS BEEN CANCELED (it was to be Aug 13-15).

The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown.

A Board Meeting was held right after this meeting – here are the highlights as reported by Pat Haugen:

The club will renew its membership in the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce because it is especially useful for coordinating the Holiday Parade project and finding potential club members from the business community. The foundation will purchase a $20,000 5-year note @ 4% from the Cal-Nev-Ha Investors Group.

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Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today Top Row from left: Steve Hinze, Jerry Mason, Pat Haugen (zoom host), Margo Dutton, Ivan Gillis, Second Row from left: Jacque McGee, Paul Wright, Art Brown, Don Keller, John Gibbs. Third Row from left: Ron Stone, Key Club President Zander Vilaysane, Gordon Bowers, Jim Murphy, John Lee. Bottom Row Glen Winn, Mary Harrington. (Jim Alden signed in for a cameo for the first 5 minutes and then resumed his well-deserved vacation in Lake Tahoe).

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. Our Next Meeting will be July 21, 11 AM – Chris Megeson of Solutions for Change will be our speaker via zoom. – This will be our 14th Zoom Meeting – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, July 21 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 7, 2020 Zoom meeting #12)

Helping the youth of our community is one of the many community-oriented things the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club does every year.

Overall this year our club will award $28,000 in scholarships to 30 deserving young students.

This is the third of three meetings for making those awards – At the first meeting (June 23) we awarded ten, last week (July 7) we awarded eight.

Third of Three Scholarship Award Meetings – 12 More Win Scholarships

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 21 Kiwanians and scholarship winners) – Today’s meeting concluded another successful year of awarding scholarships for deserving local youth. Overall the Our Kiwanis Club awarded thirty scholarships this year totalling $28,000; today’s meeting was the last of three days for making these awards. Twelve scholarships were awarded at this meeting. Every year one of the highlights of our service to the community is to present scholarships to youth in the area to help young people as they move into the realm of higher (and more expensive) education. Our club has been making these awards for nearly 50 years. Earlier this year we held a pancake breakfast fundraiser to raise funds for the scholarships which are awarded to deserving students in the late Spring. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the schedule was postponed a bit, but our club has not stopped giving back to the students who are our future. Today’s meeting was the third of three zoom-based meetings to give back to deserving students in the community. Their hard work and dedication was rewarded today with their awards which were presented via zoom.

Here is a short Overview of the Twelve Scholarship Recipients from Today’s Meeting

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (3) – presenter Linda Alden

Barbara Garcia ($1000) – San Marcos High School. GPA 3.35. She wants to major in criminal justice and attend San Francisco State University or Cal State University at San Marcos. Her career goals are to become a Police Officer, advance to Homicide Detective, and hopefully become an FBI agent. If these goals are not attainable, she would like to become a social worker. Barbara began her involvement with the AVID program in middle school and has remained continually active through her senior year. She is active at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in the Education Learning Program. Barbara is a small group leader two days a week in support of the program. Her criminal justice teacher stated, “She is years ahead of the others around her and fellow students admire and respect her. I have no doubt that Barbara will go on to do great things.

Elissa Gomez ($1000) – San Marcos High School cumulative GPA 4.18 – Elissa hopes to attend the UC San Diego, majoring in human biology and biological sciences. She hopes to become a Clinical Dietitian, Medical, and Health Services Manager. San Marcos Library Teen Service Learner Program and S.T.A.R.S. Residential Service Program, AVID Leadership Committee, Knight Regiment Marching Band, Future Healthcare Professionals Club, Advanced Placement Ambassadors, and Excalibur Knights. “Elissa has a bulldog work effort and has an ability to learn that goes beyond classroom discussion and reaches far outside via interaction with her peers.” Elissa stated, “By helping to develop the healthcare sector in my community, I can continue the legacy of Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club of charity and generosity, putting people on a path to success and well being one person at a time.”

Christian Leon ($1000) – San Marcos High School – 3.71 GPA – He will attend the University of California – Irvine to major in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, with a career aspiration focusing on Astronautical or Aerospace Engineer. Christian completed 14 honors and AP courses upon graduation, as well as two Spanish courses at a local community college. He was part of the Alpha Knights robotic team. Christian competed at the World Championships in Houston, Texas. Also, he works part-time at “uBreak I Fix” a local establishment that repairs broken electronics. “The problem-solving skills and responsibilities that he possesses in this position are impressive” He is the founder and President of Knights Esports. He started the club as a junior in 2019. He felt there were a lot of students, like himself, that spent hours outside of school pursuing a hobby that was not tied to school in any way, however, he wanted to change that dynamic. Today, his club has tripled in size since it began, it has two competitive teams, a Rocket League team, which he is a part of, and Counterstrike Global Offensive team. Christian is a San Marcos Promise recipient.

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (3) – presenter Cathleen Stevens

Perla Lopez ($1000) San Marcos High – 4.0 GPA – is planning to attend Cal State San Marcos majoring in nursing. Perla has been a Knights Silver Honor Roll member for four consecutive semesters. She volunteered with many groups in the community and worked part time. When she was in grade school her family moved back to Mexico and five years later returned to California. She has worked very hard to overcome the educational loss that five years has caused her. In the three years she has been back she has participated in 7 AP/Honors classes while being part of the school’s honor roll. In addition she has completed the pathway for Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Engineering and Robotics, the only latina in the program. “Perla is an exceptional student and leader. She will go above and beyond to fulfill her dream while helping others in her community.”

Adriana Solomon ($1000) Mission Hills High – 4.0 GPA – She wants to go to Pima Medical Institute where she will major in Vet Technology. Adriana is a young woman from a family who works very hard for their children, sometimes working several jobs at a time; both parents only speak Spanish. Adriana has worked very hard in school for about 5 years as she belonged to AVID which encouraged her to take AP classes. Her teacher and AVID Coordinator writes about her as follows: “Adriana is hard-working, meticulous, trustworthy, responsible, respectful, bright and positive. Adriana is a leader in her group and always treats her teachers and peers with kindness.” She is determined to be the first in her family to earn a college degree.

Jessica Xu ($1000) – San Marcos High – 4.0 GPA – Jessica is currently unsure about majoring in maybe economics or media. She has been President of both the Teen Advisory Board and the French National Honors Society. She works at Pacifica as a server and greeter. Her teacher said “Jessica is very talented and assiduous.”

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (3) – presenter John Gibbs

Arleth Lozada ($1000) – San Marcos High School – amazing GPA of 4.42 – She plans to attend UCLA. Arleth wants to be a neurosurgeon and help find a cure for brain cancer. She was an officer in the AVID Program, She was an AP Ambassador, and also was a member of the marching band. She volunteered at Interfaith Community services and Ballet Folklorico. A teacher said, “She is one of the most responsible, reliable, and resilient young woman that I have ever had the privilege of teaching.”

Alma Munoz ($1000) – Mission Hills High School – GPA of 3.6 – Alma is a first-generation college student. She plans to attend Cal Poly Pomona. Alma wants to study nutrition and ultimately wants to be a Dietitian. She was a member of AVID and CSF. She was a City of San Marcos Youth Ambassador. Alma was a library Volunteer and received the Outstanding Volunteer Award. She was also a member of the ASB, National Honor Society, and Honor Roll. She also volunteered at Flag Day and for our Pancake Breakfast. “Alma does not do community service out of obligation, she volunteers because she genuinely cares for others and wants to make the world a better place.” (Emily Munoz is her twin sister – see below)

Emily Munoz ($1000) – Mission Hills High School, has a GPA of 4.2 – Emily is a first-generation college student. She plans to attend Cal Poly Pomona. Emily wants to study Animal Science and ultimately wants to be a Veterinarian. Emily was a member of AVID and CSF, was a City of San Marcos Youth Ambassador. Emily was a cardinal scholar. She had an amazing 330 total volunteer hours, including volunteering at the Humane Society and with Kiwanis at Flag Day and for our Pancake Breakfast. “Emily leads by example and has proven to be an extraordinary scholar.” (Alma Munoz is her twin sister – see above)

Winner of Kiwanis Scholarships (1) – presenter Don Keller

Lisa Nguyen ($1000) – Mission Hills High School – 4.06 GPA – She plans to attend the UC San Diego to major in chemistry. She has been a San Marcos Youth Ambassador where she volunteered at special events for the city, chamber of commerce, and other local charity groups. An intern for two local persons running for national and state office and an intern at a law office in Escondido (last summer). National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, and many others. Some of those awards were “Most Likely to Take Over the World Senior Superlative (2019)”, State of California Senate Certificate of Recognition in Honor of Outstanding Community Service (2018), and Ward the Walrus Award in Recognition of Outstanding Intellectual Aptitude and Academic Achievement (2017). She completed 11 AP courses at MHHS. Extra-curricular activities include I Am AP (4 years), Mock trial (3 years, President for the last 2 years), Green Team (founder and President), Chess Club, Color Guard, and Trang Bom English Club (in Vietnam – summer 2019 guest speaker).

Winner of Kiwanis Scholarships (1) – presenter Ivan Gillis

Angela Isabel Ramirez ($1000) – San Marcos High – 4.43 GPA. Angela plans to attend UC Irvine. And she will be the first person in her family to attend a 4-year university. She is a Field Hockey player. She has completed over 100 hours of community service. She is also a member of the Ballet Folkloric dance team. “Angela has had to deal with social anxiety, but has learned she has the power to be strong and learned that taking care of herself is not selfish behavior.” As a future history major, she is excited to explore theories, expand her knowledge of particular periods of time, and gain a nuanced understanding of the complex systems that have shaped our unique histories.

Winner of Kiwanis Scholarships (1) – presenter Tom Curtis

Angie Santos ($1000) – San Marcos High School – GPA 4.0 – Plans to attend UC San Diego where she will major in neuroscience. She has been a Junior Volunteer at Tri-City Hospital working 5AM shifts in the lab responsible for making rounds to collect important fluid samples and specimens. She is a member of the Interfaith Club part of a student team that prepared and packaged 150 peanut and jelly sandwiches on Sunday mornings. At St Mark’s Church, she was a catechist assistant with the responsibility to mentor elementary students in a bilingual catechism class. She was part of the concert band for 2 years and Knight Regiment Marching band for 4 years where she played the Flute! Angie hopes to pursue a career as a Physician’s Assistant or Pharmaceutical Scientist!!!

Ivan Gillis is the chairman of an 11 member committee that chose the 30 winners from 56 applications.

Business Discussion – In addition to scholarships, the club conducted a little non-scholarship business – These matters were discussed:

Tom Kumura – reported on Covid patient status at Palomar Medical – slightly increasing – more younger people affected.

Next Speaker – July 14 – to be determined – might be Charlene Vick (new member) or- maybe Chris Megeson from Solutions for Change – Pat Haugen

Key Club Leaders Reviewed Virtual Endeavors – Key Club President’s Lynne Do and Zander Vilaysane reviewed their respective plans for online-based programs coming up soon.

Scheduling Matters: Natali Galt said the next DCM will be July 11 (via zoom) – July 18 – Kiwanis Division 37 Leadership Conference. Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno HAS BEEN CANCELLED (it was to be Aug 13 – 15). Jim Alden will sort out the voting for our Margo Dutton to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis will be done. District. The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown.

Kiwanians Who Zoomed In Today – Here are the Kiwanians and scholarship recipients who zoomed in today Top Row from left: Jim and Linda Alden (Zoom Host), Jerry Mason, Don Keller, Ivan Gillis, John Gibbs. Second Row from left: Tom Curtis, Key Club President Lynne Do, Pat Haugen, Cathleen Stevens, Scholarship Winner Angie Santos. Third Row from left: Tom Kumura, John Lee (stepped away), Key Club President Zander Vilaysane, Scholarship Winners Emily and Alma Munoz, Marie Purdy, Bottom Row from left: Scholarship Winner Perla Merino, Scholarship Winner Arleth Lozado, Glen Winn, Gordon Bowers, and Steve Hinze. (Ted May not in picture)

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Pat Haugen will host another zoom meeting like this one next week (Jim and Linda Alden will be on vacation). Our Next Meeting will be July 14 – Newest member Charlene Vick will be our speaker via zoom – Tuesday, July 14 at 11:00 AM This will be our 13th Zoom Meeting – Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, July 14 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 30, 2020 Zoom meeting #11)

Scholarships Day Two

Helping the youth of our community is one of the many community-oriented things the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club does every year.

Overall this year our club will award $28,000 in scholarships to 30 deserving young students.

This is the second of three meetings for making those awards – Last week (June 23) we awarded ten, next week (July 7) we will award the last set of twelve. Second of Three Scholarship Award Meetings – 8 More Win Scholarships

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 19 Kiwanians) – Despite the complications resulting from a technical glitch which gave members and award recipients problems with signing in to this meeting, Lake San Marcos forged on to make additional scholarship awards to eight deserving young people. Every year one of the highlights of our service to the community is to present scholarships to youth in the area to help young people as they move into the realm of higher (and more expensive) education. Our club has been making these awards for nearly 50 years. Earlier this year we held a pancake breakfast fundraiser to raise funds for the scholarships which are awarded to deserving students in the late Spring. This year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the schedule was postponed a bit, but our club has not stopped giving back to the students who are our future. Today’s meeting was the second of three zoom based meetings to give back to deserving students in the community. Their hard work and dedication were rewarded today with their awards via zoom. Overall the Our Kiwanis Club will award thirty scholarships totaling $28,000; today’s meeting was the second of three days for making these awards.

Short Overview of the Eight Scholarship Recipients from Today’s Meeting – (technical glitch may have prevented recipients from signing in this meeting)

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (3) – presenter Tom Curtis

La Vae Aboudi ($1000) – Senior, Mission Hills High – No. 1 – 3.52 GPA; Wants SD State or Cal State San Marcos. to major in nursing. She has over 250 hours

of community service. She founded Mission Hills Beach Clean-Up Club. Every Saturday she partners up with Surf Rider Foundation to clean up local beaches.

She’s a Red Cross Club to volunteer at blood drives; a leader with the Boys and Girls Club. She’s a leader of the dance and cheer club for elementary kids. She’s served with

Key Club to create a memorable event greeting and serve elders at church. She worked at the Skyzone Trampoline Park. She is a member of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination Club), receiving the AVID Outstanding Volunteer Award 2 years in a row. “La Vae is an amazing young woman,” said her counselor, “Her passion to have a career in the medical field is rooted in her deep empathy for her future patients since personally, she has endured years of fighting serious medical conditions.” Her parents moved to the US from Iraq when La Vae was younger.

John Paul Aglialoro ($1000) – Senior St Joseph’s Academy in San Marcos: 4.3 GPA; Planning to attend Univ. of Dallas majoring in Politics. He comes from a family of 9!!! Awards and Honors: Gold Honor Roll 9-11 grades; Silver Honor Roll 12th Grade School. Voted the Most Likely to become President of the United States (in his yearbook). He has been an altar boy at church; He went on a volunteer mission trip to Columbia this March. He has volunteered for various Church summer camps. Played Football 9-12th grade; Pro Life Club 9-12th; He worked on the school Newspaper: 11th and 12th (was the editor in 12th grade). John Paul said, “Throughout my time in high school I have strived to achieve the very best that I can. Between my grades, extracurriculars I am proud of how I have spent my 4 years and now that I am entering college, I am excited to continue my education and grow my knowledge and interests!!

Brando Arais ($500) – Senior San Marcos High School – GPA of 3.26 – He plans to attend Palomar College. Honors: English Learner Award, Academic Achievement Award, and Blue Honor Award. “I’m a member of my local church and do volunteer activities on the weekends at The Rock Church in San Marcos. We help Senior Citizens at retirement centers. I am a member of the youth tutoring ministry; I’m also involved in the Spanish, Art, and Tutoring Clubs at school!!! I’m also employed at Walmart. I am enrolled in the Palomar Promise Program!!!” he said.

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (2) – presenter Don Keller

Isaac Biese ($1000) Senior Saint Joseph Academy – 4.45 GPA. Will attend the University of Notre Dame majoring in theology. Awards: National Honor Society, Gold Honor Roll, National Merit Commended Student, St Joseph Leadership Award, and school awards for English, Science and Religion. Isaac’s activities: football team (3 years), Theatre (3 years), Choir (4 years), and student government (senior year). “Much of my time away from school has been spent helping to care for my nine younger siblings.” Isaac has been to the LSM Kiwanis Club meetings twice, once to sing by himself and once with the St. Joseph’s school choir on Veterans Day.

Kasey Clouet ($500) Senior San Marcos High School – 3.98 GPA – Plans to attend Miramar College (to be close to home) majoring in pre-medicine/Exercise Science.Awards: member of California Scholastic Federation, National Honor Society, 4 year Knights Silver Honor Roll, 1^st Team All-League Volleyball Setter, All-League Honorable Mention basketball, CIF semi-finalist in both volleyball and basketball, NCC-HSSA Student-Athlete of the year from San Marcos High School. Community involvement: Mudslingers Ceramics Club that hosts Empty Bowl Fundraiser for the homeless, Knights Basketball Club camp counselor (4 years), Knights Volleyball Club camp counselor, Knights Volleyball sand bar and beach clean-up. Extra-curricular activities: 4 years of high school basketball and volleyball (captain for 2 years), Employed by three athletic camps and Postmates and Doordash Food Delivery. “When I am not studying for school or working out for sports, odds are that I am likely doing something to help out the community . . . I believe that many of my ideals and personality can line up with the motto of ‘Grow, Serve, Lead’ that Kiwanis holds.” His coach said, “Simply put, Kasey is a coach’s dream.“

Winners of Kiwanis Scholarships (3) – presenter Cathleen Stevens

Felipe Cruz ($1000) – Senior Mission Hills High – 4.09 GPA. He will attend UC Riverside majoring in Business Administration where he hopes to pursue a career as a financial analyst, an accountant, or a business teacher. He is also a Youth Commissioner for the City of San Marcos to help guide the city toward the development of youth programs. He had been an AP Ambassador where he tutors younger students in English, Math, and Psychology. He was awarded the “Outstanding Volunteer” by his peers for the year. He has taken a total of twenty AP/Honors/Community College courses during this time. One of his teachers said he is an excellent role model in and out of the classroom. He has been a member of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) since the 7^th grade and credits this organization with his success.

Jessica Espinoza ($1000) – Senior San Marcos High 3.3 GPA She intends to go to Grand Canyon University to major in Psychology with a career in the health sciences and medical technology. She loves literature; also she is a member of the ELLA (The Esperanza Latina Leadership Alliance) where she has modeled good scholarship for younger Latinas on campus. She volunteers at the Public Library and at a nearby retirement home. “She understands the importance of being selfless and giving back to her community.”

Anisa Farrell ($1000) – Senior San Marcos High School – overall GPA of 4.22. She plans to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in Astrophysics. A four-year member of the Cheer Program and is very active on the Varsity. She received the “Most Dedicated Award” from her peers. A multi-sport athlete at high school and an AP honor student, a member of the National Honor Society, the Community Service Coordinator of the Associated Student Body. She founded the Astronomy Club.

Ivan Gillis is the chairman of an 11 member committee that chose the 30 winners from 56 applications.

Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today (No Zoom Picture today because of technical problems): Jim Alden (Zoom Host), Linda Alden, Glen Winn, Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis, Jim Murphy, Steve Hinze, Pat Haugen, Tom Kumura, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, John Gibbs, Don Keller, Paul Wright, Margo Dutton, Art Brown, Tom Curtis, Gordon Bowers, Martha Bozulich, Jacque McGee, Natali Galt – Lt. Gov. Div 37, Key Club President Zander Vilaysane, Key Club President Lynne Do, Key Club Member Daniel Jiang.

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Business Discussion – In addition to scholarships, the club conducted a little non-scholarship business – These matters were discussed:

Jim Alden – reported that Pastor Jim Brown is planning a virtual 4th of July program for Lake residents involving his church, Kiwanis, and the Marines.

Tom Kumura – reported on Covid patient status at Palomar Medical – 26 covid patients (9 in ICU), numbers are increasing – they’re monitoring carefully.

Jim Alden – reported that Lakehouse told us they are not ready to talk about catering for gatherings as of now. They will contact us when they are ready.

Pat Haugen – reported Chris Megeson from Solutions for Change is offering to give us an update via zoom when we are ready for it.

July 14 – (probably) Charlene Vick (new member) – a program about seniors and technology.

Scheduling Matters: Natali Galt said the next DCM will be July 11 (via zoom) – July 18 – Kiwanis Division 37 Leadership Conference. Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still planned for Aug 13 – 15 and Margo Dutton said it is still on….Jim and Linda Alden will represent our club at the convention. Margo will be making a speech prior to the vote on her nomination to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District. The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the newest members during covid-19 lockdown.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. At our Next Meeting will be July 7 – Scholarships Day 3 (our last set of 12 awards) – Tuesday, July 7 at 11:00 AM This will be our 12th Zoom Meeting –

Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy.

Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, July 7 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these. – Jerry Mason

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Jerry Mason – reported in on zoom from Phoenix, AZ where he and his wife, Linda, are celebrating their 50th anniversary. (wedding photo from 50 years ago below)

On the left – Linda and Jerry Mason on their wedding day June 27, 1970 in Oregon – center Linda and Jerry 50 years later in Phoenix. – right – Two days later they went exploring and ended up at a “thrift store operated by the Kiwanis Club of Carefree Arizona” – “It was a surprise to see this thriving business in this area.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 23, 2020 Zoom meeting #10)

Helping the youth of our community is one of the many things the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club does every year.

This year our club will award $28,000 in scholarships to 30 deserving young students.

This is the first of three meetings for making those awards – At upcoming meetings (June 30 and July 7)

Kiwanis will award twenty more scholarships (ten at each meeting).

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 23, 2020 Zoom meeting #10)

First of Three Scholarship Award Meetings – 10 Receive Scholarships

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 20 Kiwanians – 6 scholarship recipients) – One of the hallmark contributions of our Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club is the award of many scholarships to young people as they move into the realm of higher (and more expensive) education. Our club has been making these awards for nearly 50 years. Earlier in the year we held a pancake breakfast fundraiser to raise funds for the scholarships which are awarded to deserving students in the late Spring. This year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the schedule was postponed a bit, but our club has not stopped giving back to the students who are our future. Today’s meeting was the first of three zoom based meetings to give back to deserving students in the community. The hard work and dedication of ten young people was rewarded today with their awards via zoom. Overall the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club will award thirty scholarships totaling $28,000, and today’s meeting was day one of three for making those awards. “We are so proud of these wonderful young students,” said President Glen Winn. “It is our honor and privilege to help them out with these scholarships today.” Lt Governor Natali Galt also praised the recipients for all their hard work and dedication.

Short Overview of the Ten Scholarship Recipients from Today’s Meeting

Winners of Ruth Underwood Scholarships (3 – $1000 each) – presenter Tom Kumura

Olivia Barcoma – Senior, Mission Hills High – 4.39 GPA, Cardinal Scholar and AP Scholar – Key Club Silver Award – Senior Class President – UNICEF President – Homecoming Queen – Handed out books at our Christmas parade – works to help others – will attend UC Irvine majoring in Biology and planning to go to Dental School.

Audrey Marie Santander – Senior Mission Hills High 4.33 GPA – Key Club Silver and Bronze Awards – AP Cardinal Scholar – – Will attend either UCSD or UCI majoring in biochemistry or biology – Key Club has been her main bridge to service.

Edward Spillane – Senior Mission Hills High – 3.8 GPA – He has taken several honors and AP classes – Leader in his high school jazz band – Plays Saxophone – Will attend Palomar College in Music Education – wants to become a music teacher – He was born in Ireland.

Winners of Danna Joell – Gillis Hardy Scholarships (4 – $1000 each) – presenter Doris Gannon

Angelina Bailey – Senior Mission Hills High – 4.3 GPA – She is a first-generation AVID student with a great work ethic and tremendous potential. (AVID means first-generation student attending a college program.) She will attend UCLA in biochemistry. She hopes to become a Doctor.

Natalia Estrada – Senior San Marcos High – 4.3 GPA – She has taken several honors classes. – Leadership program with ACLU (went to Washington D.C.) – Will attend UCSD majoring in Political Science – “Leaders must have a passion to inspire the people they lead.” she said.

Dayne Oest – Senior San Marcos High; 4.3 GPA. Many honors and awards and also several hundred hours of volunteer service acknowledged by San Marcos City. AP Scholar with distinction, National recognition of High School Journalism and San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic Award. She serves as her sibling’s caregiver, preparing food, and supervising homework. Her English teacher wrote that “she has my deepest respect and admiration! She is articulate, authentic, thoughtful, and empathetic.” Her goal is to attend UCLA and then to become a Family Law Attorney.

Andre Ricardo – Senior at Classical Academy and Home School – 3.96 GPA – Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as a result of excelling in courses at Palomar Colleg during high school – Founder and Leader of San Marcos Youth Strings (they have played for Kiwanis during several holiday events and for Dorothy Coleman’s birthday party) – Plays violin excellently – Best friend and fellow musician of pianist Claire Lewis. Raised funds for low-income students with musical concerts. Authored a children’s book. Andre will attend Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Majoring in History, Creative Writing, and Languages (wants to learn German and continue with Japanese) – Andre promised to come back to our club to play during the holidays when he can.

Winners of Palomar College Level Scholarships (3 – $500 each) – presenter Ivan Gillis

Argentina Fretwell – Presently attending Palomar College studying nursing – has 3.89 GPA – 100 volunteer hours at Sharp Hospital. Member of National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society. Her parents are first-generation college graduates. Took college-level courses in High School – She wants to be a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and/or work in an emergency room after becoming a Registered Nurse.

Karen Macik – Presently attending Palomar College studying nursing – has 3.3 GPA – 200 volunteer hours at Palomar Medical Center – Employed for over 5 years at Tri-City Medical Center as Patient Safety Technician. – She wants to work in an emergency room after becoming a Registered Nurse.“Nurses are selfless humans with immeasurable amounts of compassion.” she said.

Ruth Ortiz – Presently attending Palomar College studying nursing – has 3.78 GPA – 300 volunteer hours thru Palomar Health Pathmaker Internship program. She has worked as a Certified Nurses Assistant in two organizations. Has volunteered with Red Cross Blood Drives. Ruth’s ultimate goal is to become a registered nurse and work in a socio-economically disadvantaged community.

Ivan Gillis is the chairman of an 11 member committee who chose the 30 winners from 56 applications.

LSM scholarship Day one June 23, 2020 - best 1.JPG

Here are the Kiwanians and Scholarship recipients who zoomed in today: starting from top left – Jim Alden (Zoom Host), Jerry Mason, Ivan Gillis,

Jim Murphy, Glen Winn – Scholarship Winner Olivia Barcoma, Doris Gannon, Scholarship Winner Angelina Bailey, Pat Haugen, Tom Kumura, John Gibbs, Jacque McGee, Scholarship Winner Andre Ricardo, Scholarship Winner Audrey Marie Santander, Key Club President Zander Vilaysane, Cathleeen Stevens, Scholarship Winner Edward Spillane, Natali Galt (Lt, Gov. Div 37), Marie Purdy, Tom Curtis, Scholarship Winner Natalia Estrada, Ron Stone, Art Brown,

Don Keller, Paul Wright. Scholarship Winner Argentina Fretwell not in picture. Scholarship Winners not signed in to zoom meeting: Dayna Oest, Karen Macik, Ruth Ortiz,

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Business Discussion – In addition to scholarships, the club conducted a little non-scholarship business – These matters were discussed:

Pat Haugen – Pat reported that she took 500 elementary books (age 6-13) to the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos to hand out as part of their Grab and Go meal hand out the program. Sufficient books will be held back for the holiday parade at the end of the year. Our club has an $8,000 grant from San Diego County to buy these elementary-age books.

Jim Alden and Natali Galt offered the idea of watching some of the excellent videos from a recent District Training Program (Virtual Conference” (VCON) during our Upcoming Meetings – Natali and Jim will emcee those presentations (10-minute videos with 5 minutes of questions) The club is thinking of showing two videos soon.

July 14 – (probably) Charlene Vick (new member) – a program about seniors and technology.

Scheduling Matters: July 18 – Kiwanis Division 37 Leadership conference. Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still planned for Aug 13 – 15

and Margo Dutton said it is still on….Jim and Linda Alden will represent our club at the convention. Margo will be making a speech prior to the vote on her nomination to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District. The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the newest members during covid-19 lockdown.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. At our Next Meeting will be June 30 – Scholarships Day 2 (10 awards) – July 7 – Scholarships Day 3 (10 awards) – Tuesday, June 30 at 11:00 AM This will be the 11th Zoom Meeting –

Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy.

Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, June 30 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 16, 2020 Zoom meeting #9)

Our inspirational leader Division 37 Lieutenant Governor Natali Galt was our first official speaker today as Kiwanis took another step toward being as normal as possible under the circumstances. Natali, a veteran of 27 years of Kiwanis experience, especially in service leadership and Key Club roles, spoke to us about the ideals that she has worked toward during her tenure (Oct 2019 – Sept 2020) as she has lead our 15 Kiwanis clubs in this division during a time of great “opportunity and challenge”.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 16, 2020 Zoom meeting #9)

Our Great Leader – Natali Galt – Lt. Gov. Kiwanis Division 37

   Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 18) – It has been over three months (99 days) since our last in-person meeting on March 10 with a real in-person speaker (Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown). Today was an important step forward to our return to “normality” with Natali Galt as our first speaker at our ninth virtual meeting since the lockdown began.

Our great Lieutenant Governor for Kiwanis Division 37, Natali Galt, spoke to us about her ideals and experience as the leader of the 15 club division in our area. Natali told us her connection to Kiwanis began 27 years ago when she joined a Key Club at her high school. From that point, Natali continued to nurture her inner drive to serve through an escalating series of commitments that last year lead to taking on responsibilities as the Lieutenant Governor for Kiwanis in Division 37. A middle school teacher by trade, Natali inspired the attendees at today’s zoom meeting with an unveiling of her ideals and hopes for Kiwanis in a very challenging time. Here are the main points she presented at our meeting today….

Natali Galt’s Hopes and Dreams for Kiwanis Even Now – “Ignite Your Passion”

Advisors Make Great Things Possible (Natali has been an advisor to Key Clubs for many years)

Sponsoring Leadership Programs While Having Fun (These have been her twin hallmarks of her term)

Add Fun to Your Meetings (Natali introduced a trivia contest in every DCM meeting) (* See Trivia question at bottom)

Lead By Example – Share Servant Leadership Principles (Natali does this as often as she can)

Foster an Environment of Joy (Even now in an environment that is much different than joy, Natali brings sunshine to those around her)

Be Genuine in Your Nature and Your Intent (Natali correctly believes integrity and genuine people reinforce and validate their messages)

Promote Ideas for Positive Change (Natali told us about the challenges and opportunities of this very time for promoting positive change)

Improve the Meeting Experience – Create a Culture of Anticipation (As a leader, Kiwanians have not found her boring or predictable)

“You Can Choose to Live in the Front Row or the Third Row” (This refers to a photo people on a roller coaster, the two in the front row are

    exhilarated and the two in the back – third row – are calm and unengaged)

There are No “Problems” Restate as “Issues” “Challenges” “Opportunities” (Natali tries to never use the “P” word in her messages)

Never Stop Aspiring to Be Inspired (Natali is driven by what inspires her and tries to inspire Kiwanians in turn)

Several of our club leaders (Glen Winn, Jim Alden, Margo Dutton, Ivan Gillis, and Jerry Mason) thanked and praised Natali for her inspiring first speech to us in this zoom-dominated time and even more for her leadership which practices what she preaches.

Thanks, Natali for your inspiration and leadership in how to overcome our challenges of our time. Please keep coming back to us.

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Natali spreads sunshine wherever she goes even when the weather report is not exactly sunny.  Center left – with Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis Governor Tim Cunning.  Center right-with Kiwanis International President Daniel Vigneron. Natali told us her biggest challenge this year was, as a people person, not being able to be near Kiwanis people “I learned to master Zoom. to meet the challenge but I yearn to be back working in the same space with my Kiwanis friends when doing so is safe once again.”

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Business Discussion –  In the meantime, Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held its 9th zoom based weekly meeting – These matters were discussed:

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Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, – The scholarship committee recently reviewed 56 applications. Around $28,000 in scholarships will be awarded to 30 deserving young people. Last week the board approved the names of the scholarship winners. Names will be announced at each meeting.  Ivan and the scholarship committee are planning to make the awards on our next three meetings – 10 awards per day – June 23 – June 30 – July 7 – All meetings will be conducted via zoom.

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Jerry Mason and Jim Alden reported on plans to begin having speakers at upcoming meetings even though those meetings will still be on zoom. The plan for the next four meetings is as follows:

June 23 – Scholarships Day 1 (10 awards) — June 30 – Scholarships Day 2 (10 awards) — July 7 – Scholarships Day 3 (10 awards)

July 14 – (probably) Charlene Vick (new member) – a program about seniors and technology.

Now is the time to send your ideas about speakers later in the year to either Jerry or Jim.

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Glen Winn and Jim Alden and John Gibbs are checking out collaborating on a virtual video based 4th of July program working with Pastor Jim Brown (stay tuned for more details).

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Pat Haugen – Pat reported that she is taking some elementary books (age 6-13) to the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos to hand out as part of their Grab and Go meal hand out program. Sufficient books will be held back for the holiday parade at the end of the year. Our club has an $8,000 grant from San Diego County to buy these elementary age books.

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John Lee is checking out the possibility of holding modified safe-distance, in-person meetings in our regular meeting place at the Country Club – We are considering having box lunches on the lawn – This is still in the early stages – more later as Covid restrictions are lifted.

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Margo Dutton – “Campaigning has been a whole lot less expensive these days.”

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Scheduling Matters: July 18 – Kiwanis Club Leadership Education for incoming presidents, secretaries and treasurers … details later.

Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still planned for Aug 13 – 15 and Margo Dutton said it is still on.  Jim and Linda Alden will represent our club at the convention. Margo will be making a speech prior to the vote on her nomination to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District.  The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29.  Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. At our Next Meeting will be the first of three meetings to present our scholarships – June 23 – June 30 – July 7. This will be the tenth Zoom Meeting – Tuesday June 23 at 11:00 AM – Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy.   Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday June 23 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Trivia – What Was the Original Name of the Kiwanis Organization (100 years ago)?

Trivia Answer – B.O.B (Benevolent Order Brothers)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 9, 2020 Zoom meeting #8)

what better time to read than now best for report.jpg

Lockdown and self-isolation have triggered a boom in reading. In the U.S. there has been a 66% increase in sales of children’s non-fiction titles. The increase is driven by home

school needs and a higher demand for escape and fun coupled with fewer outside recreation options. March thru June of 2020 has been a good time to read a good book.

What’ve We Been Reading During the Past 3 Months of Lockdown

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 18) – Reading a good book has been one of the few options for pleasure we have had these past 90 groundhog days. Reading is perhaps one of the best hobbies in the world, and one of the healthiest. Whether you’re reading fiction or nonfiction, a newspaper or a poem, reading is not only educational and informative, it’s entertaining and relaxing, too. Research on reading has shown it has many benefits. Over the years, doctors, scientists, and researchers have confirmed that reading is a stress-reducing activity that can lower your heart rate and blood pressure. It’s been proven to improve people’s memories, increase brain power, and even enhance empathic skills. Reading has even been linked to longer life spans. Two years ago, 74 percent of adults stated that they have read at least one book in the past year. (I wonder what it is now?). Kiwanians of Lake San Marcos have been diving deep into written or digital words these days.

Here are some of their favorites they have read recently.

“What are the best books you have read during the Covid-19 lockdown?”

Linda Alden “Dear Edward” – Ann Napolitano and “Pretty Things” – Janelle Brown

Ron Stone – “Just Mercy” – Bryan Stevenson – A Story of Justice and Redemption

Jacque McGee – “The Book of Joy” – Dalai Lama , Desmond Tutu , et al.– Building Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

Ivan Gillis – “The Trumpocalypse” David Frum – Restoring American Democracy & Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson & Ken Blanchard

John Gibbs – Grit – Angela Duckworth – The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Art Brown – “The Great Influenza” – John Barry – The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

John Lee – “The Complete Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.”

Jerry Mason – Fiction – All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr – WWI story from viewpoints of a blind French girl and a young German boy – Non-Fiction: The Grand Weaver Ravi Zacharias – How God Shapes Us Through the Events in Our Lives.

Gina Roberts – “Leningrad” – Anna Reid – The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941-1944 and Mayflower – Nathaniel Philbrick

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Business Discussion – In the meantime, Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held its 8th zoom based weekly meeting – These matters were discussed:

Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, – The scholarship committee recently reviewed 56 applications. Around $28,000 in scholarships will be awarded to 30 deserving young people. The list has been sent to the board for approval right after today’s meeting. Names will be announced soon. Ivan is planning to make the awards on three days – 10 awards per day – June 23 – June 30 – July 7 – All meetings will be conducted via zoom.

Jerry Mason and Jim Alden reported on plans to begin having speakers at upcoming meetings even though those meetings will still be on zoom. The plan for the next five meetings is as follows:

June 16 – Lt Gov. Natali Galt – Official Visit

June 23 – Scholarships Day 1 (10 awards)

June 30 – Scholarships Day 2 (10 awards)

July 7 – Scholarships Day 3 (10 awards)

July 14 – (probably) Charlene Vick (new member) – a program about seniors and technology.

Now is the time to send your ideas about speakers later in the year to either Jerry or Jim.

Tom Kumura (a member of the Palomar Health Board of Directors) reported that Palomar’s Escondido center has about 14 Covid cases and the Poway Hospital has two. Covid-related activity is still highest around Chula Vista and the border.

Pat Haugen – Boys and Girls Club interested in our books – Pat Haugen reported that the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos would welcome some of our elementary books to hand out as part of their Grab and Go meal hand out the program. Sufficient books will be held back for the holiday parade at the end of the year. Our club has an $8,000 grant from San Diego County to buy these elementary-age books.

Glen Winn talked about changes in operation at the Midway where he is a volunteer.

Masks – Pat Haugen reported that the mother of a past scholarship winner, Jaqueline Kim. is donating 100 masks to Kiwanis – she won a Kiwanis scholarship in 2011 – she went to college and then law school and is now practicing law. Margo Dutton reports she has maxed out on masks at 500.

Lt. Gov. Elect Gina Roberts talked about her theme for when she takes office in October – “Targeting Great Service” (more later)

Scheduling Matters: Our District’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still planned for Aug 13 – 15 and Margo Dutton said it is still on….

Jim and Linda Alden will represent our club at the convention. Margo will be making a speech prior to the vote on her nomination to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District. Natali Galt will hold her official visit for our club via Zoom on June 16. The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with the installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the most new members during covid-19 lockdown.

Board Meeting held right after this meeting– Approved Martha Bozulich’s transfer from Valley Center to our Club. Glen Winn is still checking on alternative flag ceremony options for June14, but it is doubtful. 4th of July at the Lake is officially canceled. All philanthropy checks sent out to the organizations we support. The Arc of San Diego $500, Cal-Nev-Ha District Pediatric Trauma Program $250,, Kiwanis International Children’s Fund $100,, Meals on Wheels $500,, San Diego Center for the Blind $500,, San Marcos Educational Foundation $500,, Solutions for Change $500.

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Capture Kiwanis June 9 best for report.JPG

Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today: starting from top left – Jim and Linda Alden (Zoom Hosts), Jerry Mason, Gina Roberts (Div 37 Lt Gov elect),

Glen Winn, Jacque McGee, Art Brown, John Gibbs, Ivan Gillis, Pat Haugen, Margo Dutton, John Lee, Ron Stone, Gordon Bowers, Cathleen Stevens,

Tom Kumura, and Martha Bozulich (Marie Purdy not in picture)

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. At our Next Meeting Kiwanis Lt Gov. Natali Galt will be the main speaker as we ease in to more a “normal type” of agenda This will be the ninth Zoom Meeting – Tuesday, June 16 at 11:00 AM – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, June 16 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Joke of the week from Jim Alden: As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around.
I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends.
I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played “Amazing Grace”, the workers began to weep.
They wept, I wept, we all wept together.

When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen anything like that before, and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 2, 2020 Zoom meeting #7)

It seems like so long ago that we mingled close together at our pancake breakfast – the world has changed a lot since then.

Wha tHas Changed after 80 days of Covid-19 Lockdown?

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom – 17)– Time itself seems to have been warped these days. Now time seems to go by so slowly compared to the pace of time before March 15, the day California went into lockdown. Lockdown began 80 days (2.5 months) ago. Paradoxically, we are not alone, even though most all of us feel quite lonely nowadays. “Nearly 2.6 billion people around the world are in some kind of lockdown or quarantine,” says a Reuters article (attached). That’s one-third of everyone in the world. Here, 297 million Americans are locked down as fear of Covid-19 casts its eerie shadows across our land. Our pancake breakfast (when we paid no attention to social distancing) was just 104 days ago – but it seems like a distant memory from a land time forgot. Our last in-person Kiwanis meeting was March 10, 84 days ago. Who knows when our next in-person meeting will be?

“Lockdown is the world’s biggest psychological experiment and we will pay the price” the Reuters article states.(Does that must mean we are the guinea pigs?).“People who are quarantined are very likely to develop a wide range of symptoms of psychological stress and disorder including lower moods, insomnia, stress issues, anxiety problems, anger, irritability, emotionalexhaustion, depression and even post-traumatic-stress-syndrome (PTSD).” We’ve all been zooming and glooming around inside ever since.

Checking in with our club members – each person who came to today’s zoom meeting was asked this question….

“What’s the biggest change in your life as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown?”– Here are their answers:

Jim Alden – “I’m learning to embrace solitude and appreciate family and things we often take for granted.”

Ron Stone – “I’m doing lots of home projects that I was previously procrastinating about.”

Jacque McGee – “It has been a hassle to get out to the doctor’s appointments we need to go to. We’re all getting tested here.”

Cathleen Stevens – “I’ve been pretty isolated, my children bring food and visit me in my garage 6 feet apart.”

Ivan Gillis – “I’ve kept busy with the Kiwanis Scholarships that I usually take care of this time of the year.”

Gordon Bowers – “Here at the Chateau, our dining room is closed, so its just me and my wife – meals are brought in. Not much else.”

John Gibbs – “My wife and I have been preparing all our own meals which is a big change resulting in a positive change in our diets.”

Tom Kumura – “Attending church over the internet has been a new adventure for us and for many these past 13 weeks.”

Pat Haugen – “Our puppies get more quality time these days and I take more naps.”

Margo Dutton – “It’s been a little lonely; making masks (447 so far) keeps me sane and gives focus to my days. I like doing facetime with my grandson. My campaign for office has been a lot less expensive.”

Glen Winn – “I’m appreciating family more, learning more about high tech (zoom), taking lots of walks and runs. I’m getting by.”

Art Brown – “I feel like I’ve been thrown kicking and screaming into early retirement; I’m appreciating Kiwanis more & doing more walking.”

John Lee – “My wife and I have broken out the old cookbooks; we’re eating wonderful co-created delights and also saving money.”

Jerry Mason – “This is an extrovert’s nightmare – I miss real people contact and the freedom of moving around. We’re doing lots of puzzles, taking walks and reading books; I’m painting a lot. I can’t wait for it to be over.”

Natali Galt – “I’ve been challenged a lot to learn and use technology (i.e. zoom) It has opened up a whole new universe of connections for me. Still, I have felt lonely and it is taking its toll…I will be glad when it is over.”

Next week’s round-robin question – “What are the best books you have read during this lockdown?” (Linda Alden has read lots said, Jim)

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Business Discussion –In the meantime, Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held its 7th zoom based weekly meeting – These matters were discussed:

Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, – Glen Winn, our President, commended scholarship chairman Ivan Gillis and the scholarship committee for their hard work this year. “The word I hear at City Hall is that our club is doing a fabulous job and these scholarships are a great effort during difficult times,” he said.

The scholarship committee met last week to review 56 applications. Around $27,000 in scholarships will be awarded to 29 applicants The list will be sent to the board for approval next week. Names will be announced soon.

Tom Kumura (member of the Palomar Health Board of Directors)reported that Palomar’s Poway Hospital has been re-focused toward non-covid medicine while the Escondido Hospital is handling a few covid-related cases. Palomar Health, like others, is transitioning to the new normal cautiously. Covid-related activity is still highest around Chula Vista and the border.

Ways to Give Out Books Discussed – Pat Haugen talked about options for giving books to children: One idea – distributing them through San Marcos Boys and Girls Club. Another idea – distribute with meals being passed out by schools. Sufficient books will be held back for the Holiday parade at the end of the year. Our club has an $8,000 grant from San Diego County to buy these elementary-age books.

John Lee reports Meals on Wheels is going along fine – they are being very careful – delivering every other Friday – people are appreciative.

Jim Trageser reported on matters pertaining to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Moose Lodge (for more information contact Jim)

Membership matters – Charlene Vick and Martha Bozulich will be inducted as new members soon.

Lt. Gov. Natali Galt –DCM this Saturday 9:15 am June 6 – Donna Hill will be speaker (about being club Secretary) – zoom invite going out to all.

Scheduling Matters: – Glen Winn is exploring the possibility of holding flag retirement ceremony in July (was June 14) at a local park and/or via zoom – Miracle Mile of Quarters has been rescheduled for October. – 4th of July event at the Lake has been canceled, (there may be some alternative program in the fall.)OurDistrict’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still planned for Aug 13 – 15 and Margo Dutton said it is still on….

Jim and Linda Alden will represent our club at the convention. Margo will be making a speech prior to the vote on her nomination to be Governor-Elect of the entire Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District. Natali Galt will hold her official visit for our club via Zoom on June 16. The Installation ceremony for our new slate of officers will be held on September 29. Our Governor’s Official Visit will be combined with installation of our new Division 37 Lt. Governor Gina Roberts on Sept 26 at the San Marcos Civic Center. A prize will be awarded to the club with the newest members during the covid-19 lockdown.

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Here are the Kiwanians who zoomed in today: starting from top left – Jim Alden (Zoom Host), Jerry Mason, Ron Stone, Jacque McGee, Cathleen Stevens,

Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers, JIm Trageser, John Lee, Natali Galt, John Gibbs, Tom Kumura, Pat Haugen, Margo Dutton, Glen Winn, Art Brown.

(Mary Harrington not in picture)

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. The eighth Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday, June 9 at 11:00 AM – Pat will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, June 9 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

A Board Meeting will be held via zoom after this meeting.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 19, 2020 Zoom meeting #5)

These Nine Members were elected to be our club’s Leaders in the upcoming Kiwanis Year beginning in October.

New Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Board Elected

Nine Members To Begin New Roles on October 1, 2020

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom-21) – Teddy Roosevelt, our 36th President, is famous for many courageous deeds and words. Some of his most memorable words are from his “man in the arena” speech (1910): …The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause..…; Today nine members from our Kiwanis club stepped into that arena. They were elected as our Kiwanis leaders for the next Kiwanis year which begins on October 1.

The following Lake Sam Marcos Kiwanians were elected to lead our club through and beyond these difficult times. The new board will be…

Officers (5) President Art Brown, Immediate Past President Glen Winn, President-Elect John Gibbs, Secretary Pat Haugen, Treasurer John Lee, – Directors (4) Don Keller and Ted May (will serve the 2nd year of their two year term) Jim Alden and Ivan Gillis, (newly elected will begin two year term in Oct.) Current director Mary Harrington and Treasurer Margo Dutton will be stepping off the board with our appreciation.

Pat Haugen utilized an online election service (Election Runner) to conduct the official voting during the day previous to our meeting. Only John Gibbs and John Lee will be joining next year’s board – the other seven board members are either changing responsibilities or continuing in their current assignments. Congratulations to our new leaders. It is up to the rest of the club to support them as requested.

At this week’s zoom meeting the following other matters were discussed:

Natali Galt notified us that the District Kiwanis leaders have decided to postpone our Governor’s Official Visit and combine it with the Installation of new Division Lt. Governor Gina Roberts to some time in September. Details to be decided based on the covid-19 situation. Natali encouraged our club to consider awards that would be given out at that meeting.

Pat Haugen presented highlights of the annual report (attached): Our club has added 4 new members this year: Paul Wright, Rich Farmer, Jack Pease, and Ron Stone – Charlene Vick our newest member is pending. Pat said our club’s financial status is in good shape.

Margo Dutton said she met with Key Clubs via zoom and they are talking regularly. Margo has made around 400 masks and distributed several to club members. Margo is still actively campaigning via zoom for the Governor-elect position of the Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District.

Changes in the schedule: – Flag Retirement meeting was to be on June 14 – Glen Winn is exploring the possibility of holding this via zoom – Miracle Mile of Quarters has been rescheduled for October. – The 4th of July event at the Lake is uncertain. Our Division’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still being planned for Aug 13-15 but Margo has heard that residents of Reno say that is not likely to happen at that time.

Here are the scholarship recipients from last year’s awards program in May 2019 – the faces this year will be different, but the joy of giving them out and receiving them will be the same.

Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, chair of the scholarship committee, reports we have now received 56 applications (29 thru San Marcos Promise) several from Key Clubbers in our area. A separate zoom meeting is being planned for May 26 to make the selections. Eleven members are on this committee – Around $25,000 is expected to be allocated to these scholarships. It is uncertain if we will have an actual or a virtual (zoom based) awards program for the scholarship recipients on June 23 and June 30.

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Here are the Kiwanians who connected on this zoom meeting: starting from top left – Jim Alden (Zoom Host), Linda Alden, Jerry Mason, Jim Murphy, John Gibbs, Glen Winn, John Lee, Ron Stone, guest Lynne Do Key Club Lt.Gov. District 37, Cathleen Stevens, Dick Skay, Ivan Gillis, Pat Haugen, Art Brown, Jaquee McGee, Margo Dutton, Steve Hinze, Tom Curtis, Tom Kumura, Mary Harrington, and Lt. Gov. Natali Galt.

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. The sixth Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday, May 26 at 11:00 AM Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, May 26 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail. Monday, May 25 is Memorial Day.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 12, 2020 Zoom meeting #4)

Our nation and our world are struggling to find the right balance between staying safe and preserving our emotional and economic health.

Every Kiwanian shares this struggle. Kiwanis cares about its members and works to overcome obstacles such as quarantine fatigue.

Overcoming Obstacles and Coping with Quarantine Fatigue

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom-16) – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” – so wrote Charles Dickens in his Tale of Two Cities about two men in London and Paris in the mid 1800s. If Dickens could write about our times now during Covid-19 lockdown he would probably write…”It was the weirdest of times” because so many of the people alive now have never been through such a weird or difficult worldwide pandemic. I bet you have never heard of the Yerkes-Dodson Law which says essentially that everyone needs some level of stress to achieve maximum performance but if that peak level is exceeded, performance declines. A recent article on Quarantine Fatigue (attached) states “Nowadays we all have over-stimulation from constant information influx and uncertainty as to what will come from this information, which is tiring; and there is also fatigue associated with a lack of stimulation resulting from not having a change in environment which is boring. During this time people are in both predicaments – in an under-stimulated and over-stimulated state at the same time. This double whammy is difficult for most and results in really negative impacts on our moods.” This overload/underload craziness is happening to millions around the world.

This is most likely happening to you and most if not all Kiwanians as we shelter in place thru these weird times. (Read the attached article for coping strategies). One strategy overcomes the social distancing problem is to have regular zoom based meetings. Many are having such meetings these days. Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held its 4th zoom based meeting today and here’s the story…

At this week’s zoom meeting the following matters were discussed:

The Amazing Good Samaritan Story of Rich Farmer and Mike Cain – Rich gave us a behind-the-scenes overview of the recent media story that went viral about his simple act of kindness – see full story below. The world is apparently starved for good news like Rich and Mike provided.

Club Elections – Pat Haugen talked about holding club elections online on Monday and Tuesday, May 18 and 19. Pat will use an online election program to help with this. Ivan Gillis’s Nominating Committee is offering the following slate of potential officers for the 2020-2021 Kiwanis year (which begins in Oct). Officers (5) For President-Elect: John Gibbs, For Secretary Pat Haugen, Treasurer John Lee, – Glen Winn our current President will become Past President and Art Brown our current President-Elect will become our club, President. Directors (4) (two will be elected) – Nominees Jim Alden, Ivan Gillis, Mary Harrington. Current Directors Don Keller and Ted May will serve the 2nd year of their two year term. Pat Haugen asked for nominations from the floor at this meeting (there were none) – Every member will receive an online ballot for this election early next week. Pat will announce the winners at the next Zoom meeting on May 19. Every member is encouraged to vote.

Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, chair of the scholarship committee, reports we have now received 56 applications (29 thru San Marcos Promise) several from Key Clubbers in our area. A separate zoom meeting is being planned for May 26 to make the selections – Around $25,000 is expected to be allocated to these scholarships. We will probably have zoom based awards programs for the scholarship recipients on June 23 and June 30 if we are not allowed to resume face-to-face meetings by then.

Changes in the schedule: – Flag Retirement meeting was to be on June 14 – but now is doubtful. – Miracle Mile of Quarters has been rescheduled for October. – The 4th of July event at the Lake is uncertain. Our Division’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still being planned for Aug 13-15 but Margo has heard that residents of Reno say that is not likely to happen at that time.

Margo Dutton has made around 400 masks and distributed several to club members. Donations can be made to the CNH Foundation – mail to her home (Margo Dutton – 2044 Campo Verde Court, Escondido, CA 92026).

Ivan Gillis talked about a video from County Supervisor Jim Desmond concerning COVID-19 and tests (see below).

Here’s a zoom snapshot of today’s zoom meeting taken by Jerry Mason.

Here are the Kiwanians who connected on this zoom meeting: starting from top left – Jim Alden (Zoom Host), Jerry Mason, Jim Murphy, John Gibbs, Glen Winn, John Lee, Ron Stone, new guest Lynne Do Key Club Lt Gov. District 37, Cathleen Stevens, Rich Farmer, Ivan Gillis, Pat Haugen, Art Brown, Jaquee McGee, and Margo Dutton, (Steve Hinze not in photo).

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This is a story of a modern-day Good Samaritan – Our very own Rich Farmer and a local senior in need, Mike Cain of San Marcos.

Our Good Samaritan Kiwanian Rich Farmer does a simple act of kindness for a stranger during these strange times and it goes viral – Recently one of our newer Kiwanians, Rich Farmer, did a good deed for a stranger and the story ended up on local television then went viral around the country. Jim Alden said, “I want to share a wonderful story with you about one of our local senior citizens and Kiwanian Rich Farmer. Check this link out and be prepared for a truly feel-good story. This shows us all what America is truly about as we travel down a particularly rough road together. And, how one of our own chose to deal with something he randomly encountered.

The story link is here — Stop in the Name of Love: 93-Year-Old Man Hitchhikes For His Love

Here is Rich’s story about how it happened: “I left the office today to go home and grab a quick bite to eat when I saw this elderly man standing with his walker at the corner of San Marino Drive and Lake San Marcos with his thumb out? I paused made a u-turn and went back to see if he needed some assistance. I stepped out of my car yelled over the top to see if he was OK. He said he was trying to get to the 99 cent store about 1.5 miles away. My first thought was this guy was trying to get some food so I decided to spring into action. I had him step up on the curb, I pulled my car over and spent 15 minutes wiping down the handles, seats, dashboards, etc with my Clorox wipes. Then I put on my trusty blue gloves and mask and gave him some hand sanitizer; then off we went.

Once on the road I had a couple of questions for him: How old are you? 93 What’s your name? Mike Cain Are you married? yes, my wife is 94 her name is Doris Does she know you gone? Nope, she probably hasn’t even started looking for me yet. Why are we going to the 99 cent store? My wife and I like to share a Hershey chocolate bar every night and we’re out so I need to buy 35 Hershey Bars. We hustled into the store-bought 35 bars of creamy Hershey chocolate and some other groceries; then got him back home. I asked what he was going to tell his wife about where the chocolate came from and he said he was going to tell her he met this really nice real estate fellow who gave him a ride. I gave him my card and said next time you need some chocolate no need to try to hitch a ride, just give me a call and I look forward to meeting Doris. (During the shopping spree the 99 cent store donated a year’s supply of Hershey’s Chocolate bars to Cain – Cain said he would give some of those back to his new friend Rich).

When asked how the media found out about this simple but profound act of kindness, Rich said: “The media found out about it through Facebook and social media, it was pushed and shared on Facebook & Instagram over 100K times. It was aired on channel 7 and 39 and Fox News, they shared it with their syndication with 7 other news stations, in Dallas, New York, Florida, & Tennessee. It will be airing on the Today show tomorrow. It was also spoofed on Saturday Night Live last Saturday night. It has been pushed out on multiple blogs such as “ Love What Matters” in the Philippines and several senior online magazines across the US.”

Mike Cain (an Air Force veteran) ended the story with this “There aren’t many people like Rich in the world.” –

My comment, actually there are, and you will find them in a Kiwanis Club. Way to Give Back Rich!

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NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. The fifth Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday May 19 at 11:00 AM Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday May 19 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 5, 2020 Zoom meeting #3)

In recent weeks many of the members of Lake San Marcos Kiwanis are learning to connect in new ways online and conducting business however they can – using zoom.

Members discussed creative ways to get club business accomplished and how we can continue to serve the community and support each other during these trying times. Learning How to Connect in New Ways in a Disconnected Time

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom-18) – Over 200 million people are now using zoom’s online platform to connect in this very disconnected time of lockdown and social distancing. “The use of Zoom and other digital communications have soared with political parties, corporate offices, school districts, organizations and millions across the world working from home after lockdowns were enforced to slow the spread of the coronavirus,” said the CEO of Zoom. Lake San Marcos Kiwanis is among those millions who are adapting to zoom meetings in lieu of regular face-to-face luncheon meetings. Today Jim and Linda Alden hosted the third zoom meeting of our club. Jim said in his calls around to the 50+ members, that some are experiencing “shutdown fatigue” and some are not in tune with the new online technology. However, 18 members of the club have made the switch to a new online way of connecting.

At this week’s zoom meeting the following matters were discussed:

Books for Kids – Our club has received $8,000 from the city of San Diego for the purchase of books which will be distributed to local schools as part of our Captain Book program.

Scholarships – Ivan Gillis, chair of the scholarship committee, reports we have now received 52 applications (29 thru San Marcos Promise) several from Key Clubbers in our area. A separate zoom meeting is being planned for May 26 to make the selections – Around $25,000 is expected to be allocated to these scholarships. We may have to have a zoom based awards program for the scholarship recipients if we are not allowed to resume face-to-face meetings by late June.

Changes in the schedule: – Flag Retirement meeting was to be on June 14 – but now is on hold. – Miracle Mile of Quarters has been rescheduled for October. – The 4th of July event at the Lake is uncertain. Division’s Kiwanis Convention in Reno is still being planned for Aug 13-15 but Margo has heard that residents of Reno say that is not likely to happen at that time.

Club Elections – Ivan Gillis, chair of the Nominating Committee, talked about holding elections (usually in May) via zoom. His committee offered the following slate of potential officers for the 2020-2021 Kiwanis year (which begins in Oct). Officers (5) For President-Elect: John Gibbs, For Secretary Pat Haugen, Treasurer John Lee, – Glen Winn our current President will become Past President and Art Brown our current President-Elect will become our club, President. Directors (4) (two will be elected) – Nominees Jim Alden, Ivan Gillis, Mary Harrington. Current Directors Don Keller and Ted May will serve the 2nd year of their two year term. Pat Haugen opened the meeting for nominations from the floor (there were none) – she said nominations can still be offered at our next meeting May 12. A zoom based election meeting is being explored for May 19 – Pat is looking into an online program to help with this. A quorum of at least 18 members is needed to make the election official.

Margo Dutton made her campaign speech via zoom at a recent Division meeting (May 2). She said around 80 Kiwanians zoomed in for this meeting. Lt Governor Natali Galt mentioned that maybe many Kiwanians are getting out of the habit of meeting. Natali encouraged all Kiwanians to keep the connections alive, even if only by Zoom.

Tom Kumura, a member of the Palomar Hospital Board of Directors, reported that more covid-19 cases are coming into hospitals in towns like Chula Vista closer to the border. In North County, only a few cases have come in and the hospital is making plans to begin going back to elective non-covid treatments and surgeries.

Here’s a zoom snapshot was taken by Jerry Mason.

Here are the Kiwanians who connected on this zoom meeting: Jim and Linda Alden (Zoom Hosts), Jerry Mason, Pat Haugen, John Lee, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Art Brown, Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers, Ron Stone, Jaquee McGee, Stephen Hinze, Margo Dutton, Tom Curtis, Jim Murphy, Tom Kumura, Martha Bozulich.

Membership News – Charlene Vick is our newest member (photo on right above) – Welcome Charlene!!! she brings our member total to 53

Martha Bozulich reported that she is going to switch her Kiwanis membership from Valley Center to our club. Welcome, Martha!!

Jim Alden, John Lee, and Pat Haugen shared a phone tree call assignment to all members to encourage them to stay connected during the lockdown.

Jim Trageser – Cub Scout Pack 662 is doing some online activities to stay engaged. They participated in the Boy Scouts’ recent National Camp In, and have been holding monthly Den meetings via Zoom. They are anxious to get back to real-world camping as soon as we get clearance from local officials,

NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden will host another zoom meeting like this one next week. The fourth Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday May 12 at 11:00 AM Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday May 12 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – Kiwanis serves, even in times like these.

Jerry Mason

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – April 28, Zoom meeting #2)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Adapting to New Realities

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom-17)– “Life happens, adapt, embrace change and make the most of everything that comes your way.” – said Nick Jones.Today 17 members of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis talked about just that, adapting to the new realities of being locked down and social distancing requirements.

Jim Alden hosted the second zoom meeting of our club. Current Division 37 Lt. Governor Natali Galt said, “I have attended several zoom-based Kiwanis meetings and the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis meeting was hands down the best zoom Kiwanis meeting yet…congratulations…keep it up.” It has been over a month since our last “in-person” meeting (March 10). Our first Zoom meeting was two weeks ago on April 14. “We’re finding ways to keep Kiwanis active and its members engaged,” said Alden. “So we have been using zoom to bridge the gaps of isolation that we all feel.” Seventeen of our club members signed in for the zoom meeting at 11:00 Tuesday, April 28.

It was a time of creative brainstorming and problem solving revolving around the following topics: Planning and preparing for future meetings such as scholarship presentations and club elections Finding ways to check in on those members who did not sign in to this meeting Staying up with and attending zoom meetings at the Division level (DCM this Sat morning) How other clubs are responding to this challenge Talking about the “new normal” whenever we are allowed to get out of lockdown Being positive and creative despite our difficult circumstances.

Here’s a zoom snapshot was taken by Natali Galt.

Here are the Kiwanians who connected on this zoom meeting: Jim and Linda Alden (Zoom Hosts), Jerry Mason, Pat Haugen, John Lee, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Art Brown, Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers, Ted May, Ron Stone, Jaquee McGee, Stephen Hinze, Margo Dutton, Jim Dorschel (past Div 37 Lt Gov.) and Natali Galt (current Div 37 Lt. Gov.).

Here is a summary of the adaptive ideas and business matters that were discussed

John Lee shared that our pancake breakfast brought in over $20,000 this year, Ivan thinks we will have around $25K to give away when we give out scholarships this year.

Ivan Gillis shared that he has received over 50 scholarship applications (many thru San Marcos Promise) and that June 23 and June 30 were earmarked for presenting those scholarships (if we are allowed to meet by that time). A scholarship committee meeting is being scheduled via zoom on May 26.

Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial awards.- Ivan also told us that three Marine scholarship checks (totaling $3000) have been sent out to two Marines and a Marine spouse to help with their education which will help in their transitions to the civilian world.

Ivan Gillis, chair of the Nominating Committee, talked about holding elections (usually in May) via zoom. His committee offered the following slate of potential officers for the 2020-2021 Kiwanis year (which begins in Oct). Officers (5) For President-Elect: John Gibbs, For Secretary Pat Haugen, Treasurer John Lee, – Glen Winn our current President will become Past President and Art Brown our current President-Elect will become our club, President. Directors (4) (two will be elected) – Nominees Jim Alden, Ivan Gillis, Mary Harrington. Current Directors Don Keller and Ted May will serve the 2nd year of their two year term.

A possible tentative time for us to resume regular “in-person” meetings was discussed but it was felt there are too many uncertainties at play for any decision now.

Margo Dutton is making colorful 4 layer colorful masks which she will be making available for members – she has made over 300 of them. (They are free but a donation to CAL-NEV-HA foundation would be appreciated) . Margo will be speaking as part of her campaign at this week’s DCM.

Natali Galt reminded members to try to attend the Division 37 conference meeting this Saturday morning (zoom invite coming thru e-mail). Also that the Cal-Nev-

Ha District Conference scheduled for August 13-15 in Reno is still being planned. Natali wants to do her “official meeting” in the coming weeks by zoom, but she promises to come back live later because she really likes our club. (Besides she is looking forward to getting a pie in her face.)

Jim Alden is coordinating a phone tree endeavor to check in with all members.

An LSM Kiwanis board meeting by Zoom was scheduled for this coming Monday, May 4 at 11.

NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden offered to have another zoom meeting like this one next week. The third Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday, May 5 at 11:00 AM Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming is easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy.

Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday, May 5 at 11:00 am, look for the zoom invite in your e-mail.

Natali Galt closed the meeting with a heartfelt thank you to our club for working positively and creatively to overcome obstacles during this difficult time.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – April 14, check in meeting)

LSM Kiwanis Uses Zoom to Bridge Pandemic Isolation

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance on Zoom-19) – It has been over a month since our last “in-person” meeting on March 10, but today Lake San Marcos Kiwanis used what tools we had to bridge the pandemic isolation that is affecting millions. “I felt the need to see everyone however we could because it has been too long since we’ve met,” said Jim Alden. “So we were able to use zoom to bridge the gaps of isolation we all feel.” Nineteen of our club members signed in at the 11:30 Tuesday, April 14 time for our zoom meeting.

It was a simple meeting, Zoommasters Jim and Linda Alden allowed each person time to tell the others how they were faring during this difficult and stressful time. Most everyone shared similar experiences

Staying home and staying away from others Following the Guidelines Fighting Boredom and Cabin Fever Taking Walks around the neighborhood

Finding ways to get groceries while being very safe Using protective gear (masks and gloves)

Helping Others if they can Staying Safe.

Here are the Kiwanians who connected on this zoom meeting: Jim and Linda Alden (Zoom Hosts), Jerry Mason, Glen Winn, Pat Haugen, John Lee, John Gibbs, Cathleen Stevens, Art Brown, Ivan Gillis, Gordon Bowers, Tom Kumura, Jim Murphy, Paul Wright, Rich Farmer, Ron Stone, Jaquee McGee, and Elizabeth Burmeister.

A few items of business were also discussed

John Lee shared that our pancake breakfast brought in over $20,000 this year

Ivan Gillis shared that he has received 45 scholarship applications (many thru San Marcos Promise) and that June 23 and June 30 were earmarked for presenting those scholarships (if we are allowed to meet by that time).

Jerry Mason shared that the speakers who were scheduled for the meetings thru early June are all fine with being rescheduled once we resume normal meetings.

Pat Haugen and others discussed possible time for us to resume regular “in person” meetings but it was felt that it is too soon to make that decision now.

Margo Dutton is making colorful masks.

NEXT Zoom Meeting – Jim and Linda Alden offered to have another zoom check in meeting like this one in two weeks. The second Zoom Meeting will be Tuesday April 28 at 11:30 AM Jim will send out an e-mail about how to sign in to the meeting. For those who did not attend, zooming was easy and much better than staring at the walls trying not to go crazy. Be sure to check in for our next Zoom Meeting Tuesday April 28 at 11:30 am (bring your own lunch)

Glen Winn offered these thoughts – “I am told there are over 250 million Americans and over 3 billion people in the world who have been told to stay at home. Each of these people are doing what they can to fight this invisible enemy. Truly we are all in this together and it will take all of us to beat this virus. Each of our individual contributions are important. We don’t know how long it will take, but this too shall pass. Stay home, endure, and rest peacefully until the sun comes up again.” President Glen Winn and the Board of Directors Lake San Marcos Kiwanis.

Elizabeth Burmeister offered This poem which was written by Irish poet, Kitty O’Meara.

“AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME”

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows.

And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

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Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Stay Connected – this too shall pass.

Jerry Mason

On February 22, Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held our 54th annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser for scholarships.

Around 500 people attended with 67 volunteers working as a team to raise over $17,000 for the signature event of our club.

Above center photo: Stars of the Pancake Breakfast: Tom Curtis, Ron Stone, Pat Haugen, John Lee, Jerry Mason, John Gibbs, Jim Alden, Ryan Stangl, Gary Edwards, and Art Brown.

As usual, it was an “all hands on deck” event and the community support was awesome.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis February 25, 2020

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast – The Pancakes Just Keep on Coming

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 30) – Our Kiwanis Club does many things to serve the community, but every year around this time it is Pancake Breakfast time.

We have been holding a pancake breakfast for 54 years since 1966. “This year’s 2020 pancake breakfast was very impressive,” said President Glen Winn. “Everything went very smoothly and the teamwork was amazing.”

“We had a team of 67 volunteers from groups like the 1st ANGLICO Marines, our Key Clubs, the Future Farmers of America, and Cub Scout Pack 662.” said Pat Haugen. “Everyone said all these young people made it even more fun.”

“I was a bit concerned that we might not reach our goals, but everyone really worked hard and we exceeded our goal by raising over $17,000 and serving around 500 people again this year,” said John Lee. “What a special event it was.”

“Everyone pitched in and the teamwork was awesome,” said John Gibbs. (Names of those volunteers are listed below)

Here are some of the impressive numbers from our successful signature fund raiser which was held at Healy Hall in St Mark’s Catholic Church.

Funds Raised for scholarships – Over $17,000 (final accounting will be completed in the coming days)
People Served – About 500 (Est.) Community support was awesome (pancakes served around 1,000)
Funds raised by ticket sales alone – $11,000 (Gary Edwards sold around $1360 worth of tickets)
Funds Raised by Silent Auction – around $4,000 (over 100 items – 34 gift certificates, and 70 treasures (Tom Curtis brought in $854 and Tom Kumura

$506 in donated value).

Funds Raised by Placemat Ads – $2,000 (led by Cathleen Stevens)
Volunteers – 67 (from 4 organizations, Key Club, First ANGLICO Marines, Future Farmers of America, and Cub Scout Pack 662, and San Marcos Mayor

Rebecca Jones)

Reaching Beyond the Empire State Building – John Lee, Pat Haugen, and Jerry Mason did some speculative math to get a picture of just how many pancakes our club has served in the 54 years since we began holding the Pancake Breakfast. The answer – “We have served nearly 54,000 pancakes over the years which they speculate would be enough pancakes, when stacked up one by one, to reach higher than the Empire States Building (1,250 feet).”

Here are many of the names of the volunteers whose help was so vital to our success.

1st ANGLICO Marines (9) – Edward Rodriguez, Jorge Banda, Abigayle Lewis, Richard Lundy, Christian Romero-Nunez, Tyjuanique Revere, Brandon Huemme,

Brandon Falkner, Edward Dominguez.

Key Club (Mission Hills High) (12) – Jane Bounkousanh, Ed Spillane, Veronica ValBuena, Tung Tuguyen, Evelyn Ramirez- Estrada, Jose Munoz, Kody Lamb,

Sandra Cervantes, Audry Santander, Zonder VilayJane, Katrina Do, Charisse Wico.

Key Club (San Marcos High) (5) – President Krista Nguyen, Madeline Tat, Sofia Nawaz, Daniel Jang, Yuta Sato.
Future Farmers of America (7) – Jasmine Raymundo, Hope Bueno, Gio Rodriguez, Ciara O’Reilly, Camille Heskitt, Quin Fischer, Ryan Miller.
Cub Scout Pack 662 (13) – Bradley Boyer, Evan Sanders, Miles Kennard, Drew Taboh, Colin Rybarczyk, Rainar Ashar, Nick Quinonez, Jack Quinonez, Bennett

Walitsch, Louden Brown, Alexander Peterson, Miles Peterson, Joshua Rodriguez.

Adults from San Marcos Community (4) – Gene Clark, Barb Lee, JoAnn Murphy, Rosemary Winn.
San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones – Mayor Jones donated a lunch with the Mayor for four at Bellows Restaurant (which sold for $200)
Father Bruce Osborn, Pastor St. Mark’s Church.

“Every Year this event is both tiring and exhilarating for me,” said John Lee who has been leading Pancake breakfasts for 6 years. “I am humbled by both the teamwork and solid effort of our members and volunteers as well as by the constant public support of the community, thank you so much.”

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis will be awarding scholarships from the money we raised in May at two meetings – May 19 and May 26 – come to visit us then.

Thank you everyone who contributed. This is our signature event and we made a bold statement again this year.

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On February 25 during our regular Tuesday meeting, Andre Nantkes and Silas Kirk gave us an in-depth work at modern gleaning when they spoke about their Fork to Field Program that rescues food redirecting it to the needy and keeping it out of landfills.

Andres Nantkes and Silas Kirk – Modern Innovative Gleaners – “Two-thirds of everything we take from the earth is wasted,” says National Geographic in its latest issue (March 2020 “The End of Trash”). Today’s speakers are actively trying to do something about that sad fact. They are modern-day innovative gleaners.

Gleaning is an ancient concept depicted in the Old Testament as poor people gathering food after the harvest from what was not taken to market. Today’s speakers Andres Nantkes and Silas Kirk told us about how they work to glean usable food and organic material from local restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses so it can be diverted to other productive purposes. Andres got the idea for this from his son Aidan about 5 years ago when he was working on a school project in this field. Since then Andres founded A.B. Jones Co. Fork to Field Innovation.

The main purposes of Fork to Field are:

Waste Diverted in a Sustainable Manner – “We work with local restaurants, grocery stores, and other food providers to help glean usable food that we can re-use at places like the free food pantry at Palomar College.” This pantry serves around 400 people a day. They collect 10-20 pallets of usable (but not sold) food per month converting it to other useful purposes. (They currently have 40 volunteer crews – about 200 people – collecting food in the San Diego area.)
Vericompost created and sold with minimal impact to the environment (Feeding the Worms – who in turn produce great plant food) – “Worms love to devour organic material that humans won’t eat. After they are done with it, the worms produce castings. This vermicompost is then donated to under-served communities and community gardens.
Consult with Local business and professionals to help them have a more-green and less wasteful products and production.
Teach classes at Palomar College on Innovative Gleaning

Andres and his new partner Silas Kirk (who will soon be leaving the Navy to work in this new field) told us about the main things they do to help businesses be green and to reduce the amount of useful organic material that would otherwise end up in landfills. “About 70 percent of what currently goes into landfills can be usefully \diverted to other purposes. No community is making more landfills, so it is up to us to reduce the amount of material we would otherwise put in landfills. said Nantes.

Thanks, Andres and Silas for your very interesting presentation – Come back to us often. ————-

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – Glen Winn – 50/50 drawing today’s pot = $546 Barbara Wales had the winning ticket but drew the ten of hearts.
Sad News – Don Keller’s wife, Merlene, passed away recently – Two Memorial Services on Friday, March 6: 1. Funeral Mass at St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Carlsbad 1 pm. 2. Celebration of Life Lake San Marcos Pavilion 3 PM – everyone is invited to both or either event.
New faces –Guests – Carol Fanelli (fiance of Les Hill) she lives in Palm Desert. Welcome – come back.
Elizabeth Burmeister turns 90 – Honorary Member Elizabeth Burmeisterturned 90 recently. Amazing – Go Elizabeth!!!

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (March – May, 2020)

March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors
March 17 – Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial Military Scholarships Awards
March 24 – Charlene Vick – Windward Life Care and program about Seniors and Technology
March 31 – (Open but searching)

Down the road...

April 7 – Natali Galt – Kiwanis Lt. Governor for District 37 (our District)
April 14- Charla Papp – Moose Lodge
April 21 – Prayer Luncheon – Adel Abdelmalak – Leader in faith development in Egypt
April 28 – Damien Sagestone – Director of High School Play – Fiddler on the Roof
May 5 – Annual Elections/Meeting – for our Kiwanis Club for next Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021)
May 12 – Jack Pease on the importance of scholarships
May 19 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 1
May 26 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 2

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for the next three months, only 1 open date left (Mar 31).

Current Membership is at 52 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

On February 11, Tanis Brown gave us an overview of historical homes in San Marcos – Composite above follows descriptions below.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis February 11 2020

Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Historic Homes in San Marcos

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 32) – Today Tanis Brown took us back to a more peaceful time in San Marcos with a very interesting overview of the historic homes around here. I didn’t realize there were so many historic homes around here. “A while back our volunteer firemen used to practice by putting out fires in the old homes that were no longer wanted,” she told us. (side note: in 1960 San Marcos population was 2,500, now it is 96,500)

Here are some of the homes she told us about – each one had an interesting story to go with it (see photos above and below):

The Cox House (Twin Oaks area) in Heritage Park now ) repainted yellow – 3 generations of Cox family have lived here for over 60 years.
The Bidwell House (Twin Oaks) in Heritage Park now – repainted green – 6.5 acres, used to be chicken ranch selling eggs, the family was involved with Serbian

Orthodox church, Serbian Prince visited once to consecrate that church.

Mary Young Conners Hall (Walnut Grove) – teacher from Kansas started one-room school here in 1910, the home moved to Heritage Park in 2009.
Williams Square Barn (Walnut Grove) – was in the center of San Marcos, dismantled and rebuilt in Walnut Park, built as square dance barn, has pecan wood floors.
Oden/Froberg House (Twin Oaks Valley) – Mr. Oden died here when the well structure fell on him, His widow remarried Mr. Froberg who finished this home.
La Mesita (Twin Oaks Valley) – home to Merriam family (Merriam-Webster dictionary) connected to Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir. Vineyards, and Bees here.
Wood House (Richland Area) – Jenny Lind lived here, socialite, San Marcos summer concerts are held here.
Grace Episcopal Church (Richland Area) – two churches collaborated to build this church in shape of a cross, recently has been restored.
Borden- Read House (Richland Area) – was a showpiece home for this area for many years.
Fulton House (Richland Area) – Fulton family lived here since the 1800’s (over 125 years), Owner Louise Fulton Hard wrote “Under the Pepper Tree” about life here.
Early Downtown San Marcos – city center was at Pico and Mission in 1908, first post office, first traffic light here, Flora Brown collected “old stuff” here.
The “PINK HOUSE” (Meyers-Doran House) on Discovery Drive – site of a gun battle between Mr. Doran and Mr. Eliason (who was killed), Doran was acquitted and went on to become a two-term state senator. The city of San Marcos is now considering options for this home – it is too expensive to move and the area is being renovated.

Tanis and Alan Brown – Tanis and her husband Alan now live in Lake San Marcos, they previously lived in the Twin Oaks area for 22 years. She came to San Marcos in 1976 and has been active in community activities for many years (i.e. Raggedy Ann and Andy preschool program, youth soccer, community services commission, and more). She was in the first graduating class at the California State University of San Marcos in 1992. She worked for Lifeline Community Services doing special projects for the Executive Vice President of CSUSM and in human resources for 15 years Since retiring in 2006, she and her husband Alan travel whenever possible (they lived in Bavaria Germany for 2 years during his earlier years). Tanis now spends most of her time at Heritage Park working toward Historic Preservation. She also serves as a trustee of the North County Cemetery District and is an alternate on the General Plan Amendment Committee for the City of San Marcos. She and Alan have four children, three daughters, and one son.

San Marcos Historical Society – Tanis concluded with an appeal to join the San Marcos Historical Society ($20 year for individuals) and to visit Heritage Park at 1952 Sycamore Drive (Open Tuesdays – Thursdays – Saturdays from 1 – 4:30 PM). Currently, they are trying to raise $25,000 to refurbish and retrofit an old fire engine (the “SOFIE” project ) – They are holding a Kite Day Sat. March 14 at Heritage Park to build support and gather funds for the “SOFIE” project and for the Historical Society. The event is from 10:30 to 1:30 and is free for families.

Thanks, Tanis for the very engaging look back in time to the San Marcos of the past – Come back to us often.

On February 11 Tanis Brown gave us an overview of historical homes in San Marcos – Composite above follows descriptions above.

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Announcements-

New faces –Guests – (photo above) Left – Joanna Murphy (friend of Jerry Mason). Key people this meeting: Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – Dick Skay – 50/50 drawing today’s pot = $490 Dick Skay had the winning ticket but drew the Jack of hearts.
Health Report– John Lee reported Don Alexander should be back next week. Jim Alden reported that Marty Gannon is doing much better.
Sad News – Don Keller’s wife, Merlene, passed away on Saturday.
Pat Haugen andArt Brown attend the Kiwanis Mid-Year conference – “We mostly took the legal seminars.” Pat said.
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery – John Lee reported that to date he has received $8,698 from ticket sales after five weeks, There are 2 weeks left. Our goal is to raise around $12,000 (approx.)
Silent AuctionJohn Lee encouraged members to solicit gift certificates from the businesses they contacted last year…Ryan Stangl will produce a spreadsheet of places contacted. Pat Haugen encouraged members to have the gift certificates to the club by next Tuesday (Feb 18) meeting to allow time to prepare flyers.
Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens, cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.
Prize-Winning Kiwanian – Victor Manzanilla (our paragon of health) ran to a first place prize in his age group (men 40-44) at the Cardiff Kook 5K run this past Sunday. Official time was 21:17 for an average pace of 6:51/mile. Who says Kiwanians can’t run!!!
(Center) Chris Clark from Colorado (Al Bomberg’s daughter) (husband Gene was also in attendance) and (right) Chuck El-Maasari (from the now absorbed San Marcos Kiwanis club). Welcome, all – come back.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (February – May, 2020)

February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors
March 17 – Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial Military Scholarships Awards
March 24 – Charlene Vick – Windward Life Care and program about Seniors and Technology
March 31 – (Open but searching)

Down the road...

April 7 – Natali Galt – Kiwanis Lt. Governor for District 37 (our District)
April 14- (Open but searching)
April 21 – Prayer Luncheon – Adel Abdelmalak – Leader in faith development in Egypt
April 28 – Damien Sagestone – Director of High School Play – Fiddler on the Roof
May 5 – Annual Elections/Meeting – for our Kiwanis Club for next Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021)
May 19 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 1
May 26 – LSM KIwanis Scholarships – 2

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speakers agenda for first five months of this year, only 2 open dates left (Mar 31, April 14).

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 52 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 2-4-20

On February 4 Leo Melena the Director of Student Success for C.H.A.B.B.S. of California State University at San Marcos spoke to us about

one of the four colleges at CSUSM – College of Humanities, Arts, and Behavioral Sciences (C.H.A.B.S.S) at our nearby university in San Marcos.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis February 4, 2020

Leo Melena – Director of Student Success with C.H.A.B.B.S.

The Many Offerings of Our Nearby University – Cal State Univ. at San Marcos

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 29) – Today Leo Melena, the Director of Student Success for the College of Humanities, Arts, and Behavioral Sciences (CHABBS) at CSUSM gave us a full tour of what areas students can study in that part of our nearby university. “As a liberal arts program we give students the freedom and the tools to create their own future, he said. “It’s not our job to prepare students for something, rather it is our job to help students prepare for anything in their future.” There are around 482,000 students in the 24 universities in the University of California system, which is the largest university system in the world.

CSUSM has about 16,000 students who take classes in one of four colleges (CHABBS), Business, Education, and Science & Math. “My college – CHABBS has the most students…with about 50% of the total instruction at the university,” Leo told us CHABBS offers 23 bachelor degrees and 5 master’s degrees. “There are about 8,700 students in our college studying in 880 classes.” CHABBS offers 30 minors which help students customize their secondary education toward specific areas of their passions.”

Leo told us more about CHABBS at CSUSM:

The CHABBS faculty has won excellence awards in the 24 university system 10 times in the last 30 years
CSUSM offers a career network with mentors that link students with professionals in their chosen field and often provide internships and financial aid.
Last semester 2177 students in CHABBS made the dean’s list (3.5 GPA of above at least 12 units).
It is CSUSM’s policy to think globally and act locally by requiring at least 3 courses in a foreign language and many study abroad opportunities.

“We used to be the little university on the hill when we started here 30 years ago but we are not so little anymore,” Leo concluded by notifying us that new CSUSM President Ellen Nuefeldt will be holding an open house at the campus this Thursday evening.

Leo had been a Kiwanian for 10 years and was past President of the San Marcos Kiwanis Club which our club has recently absorbed. Leo is considering reinstating his Kiwanis membership with us. We hope you join us, Leo. Thanks for your talk to us today.

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3rd grader Zoe Manzanilla sold 40 boxes of girl scout cookies at today’s meeting. Zoe is Victor’s daughter – Here Art Brown is getting in on the treats. Victor and Art will be speaking to us on March 10.

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – Victor Manzanilla – 50/50 drawing today’s pot = $472 Tom Curtis had the winning ticket but drew the two of hearts (Tom had the winning ticket last week too.)
Guests –Charlene Vick from Windward Life Care (her second visit, she is probably going to join us as a corporate member). Gene Clark (Al Bomberg’s son-in-law from Colorado) and Zoe Manzanilla (Victor’s 3rd-grade daughter who sold girl scout cookies at the meeting).
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery – John Lee reported that to date he has received $7,490 from ticket sales after four weeks, There are 4 weeks left. Our goal is to raise around $12,000 (approx.)
Silent AuctionJohn Lee encouraged members to solicit gift certificates from the businesses they contacted last year…Ryan Stangl will produce a spreadsheet of places contacted.
Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens, cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.
On the Campaign Trail with Margo Dutton– Margo Dutton is literally “running” for election as Governor-Elect for our Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District. She listed several places she has been and her future plans to speak but there were so many I got tired just hearing about them all. Go Margo Go.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (February – May, 2020)

February 11 – Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Overview of Historic Homes in San Marcos
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors
March 17 – Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial Military Scholarships Awards
March 24 – Charlene Vick – Windward Life Care and program about Seniors and Technology
March 31 – (Open but searching)

Down the road...

April 7 – Natali Galt – Kiwanis Lt. Governor for District 37 (our District)
April 14- (Open but searching)
April 21 – Prayer Luncheon – Adel Abdelmalak – Leader in faith development in Egypt
April 28 – Damien Sagestone – Director of High School Play – Fiddler on the Roof
May 5 – Annual Elections/Meeting – for our Kiwanis Club for next Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021)
May 19 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 1
May 26 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 2

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for the first five months of this year, only 2 open dates left (Mar 31, April 14).

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 52 (Ron Stone is newest member) – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-28-20

On January 28 Ben Conarroe of Pro-Mentors spoke to us about a group of men who are trying to help prisoners turn their lives around.

The photo on left – Is the graphic Ben used to explain how the program works.

Photo on right – The Iceberg – Behavior is driven by Values which are in turn driven by Beliefs, they work at making changes in the levels below the waterline.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis January 28, 2020

Motto – “Remember the Prisoners” (Hebrews 13:3)

Ben Conarroe & Pro-Mentors Work to Reform Released Prisoners

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 26) – Either America has more lawbreakers per capita or we have more laws to break. Whichever it is (maybe both) Ben Conarroe told us today about a group of men who are working to deal with the California Prison Crisis. Here are some of his key points:

1 out of 100 People in America are in Prison or Jail.
The US incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. (America has 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prison population)
● Historically, about 70% of those released from prison re-offend.
In 2011 US Supreme Court ruled California’s prisons were at 211% of capacity

“Consequently the state of California passed AB109 which resulted in a major shuffle of our prison population,” he said. The Public Safety Realignment Act changes the definition of a felony, shifts housing for lower-level offenders from prison to local jail transfers supervision of designated parolees from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to Probation. Felons who have committed non-violent, non-serious and non-sex offenses will be housed in local jails. Those released from state prison, Post Release Offenders (PRO), will be supervised by probation.

“Since 95% of those in prison will be eventually released, our group is doing what we can to work with ex-prisoners to get them to turn their lives around.” he said. Ben told us that the 70 men who volunteer in the program (from 35 different churches) focus on the forces under the waterline (see photo above). “Behavior is driven by values which is in turn driven by beliefs. We meet with prisoners who will soon be released to help them effectively change at all levels. Essentially, it is a public safety issue for me as well as a mandate of my Christian beliefs.” Trained mentors are assigned to prisoners who choose to participate in our program. The meetings are held in the East Mesa facility near the Donovan State Prison and at the detention site in Vista. “We aim low,” he said meaning his volunteers work toward changes in the lower parts of the iceberg. “About half the prisoners who initially sign up for our 6-month program, drop out…but the other half stick with it at least for a short while after they are out. About 11 percent of those who enter the program remain in contact with us after 4 months. This is actually an encouraging number given the very high tendency of prisoners to re-offend.”

Ben concluded with, “We have an immediate need for Christian men who will commit to mentoring a prisoner, first while he is incarcerated at East Mesa Re-Entry Facility of Vista Detention Facility, then for at least 6 months after he is released. The time commitment is 1 – 2 hours per week and probably will last about a year.”Contact bconarroe@hebrews13-3online.com or phone 619-466-3177.

Ben started this program in 2013 and now has about 70 men mentoring other men in this way.

Thanks for your service Ben, come back to visit us again.
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New Faces – Terry Ross – of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada visited today. Terry is past Governor of the Western Canada District of Kiwanis

Charlene Vick is the Community Relations Manager for Windward Life Care. (She’s interested in membership and in being a speaker down the road).

Announcements-

Key people this meeting:Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – John Gibbs – 50/50 drawing today’s pot = $452 Tom Curtis had the winning ticket but drew the ten of clubs.
Guests –Terry Ross from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada (Kiwanis) was here visiting family, and Charlene Vick from Windward Life Care (she will be back).

Martha Bozulich visited us for the third time today.

“Moose, Lions, and Kiwanis – Oh My”– Past President Jim Alden reported that on Sunday he recently met with members of the local Moose Club and the local Lions club to talk about what each club might do together to focus on common matters. The Moose allows us to store Cub Scout material on their site in Escondido.
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery – John Lee reported that to date he has received $6300 from ticket sales after three weeks, ($1359 this week) (30 members have not yet turned in sales) – There are 4 weeks left. Our goal is to raise around $16,000 (approx.) which is about what we raised last year. So far our perennial top seller, Gary Edwards has brought in $1100 in sales, Jim Murphy is second with $320.
Silent Auctionmembers should consider contacting businesses they contacted last year…Ryan Stangl will produce a spreadsheet of places contacted.
Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens, cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (February – May, 2020)

February 4 – Leo Melena – CSUSM – Overview and Humanities Dept.
February 11 – Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Overview of Historic Homes in San Marcos
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors
March 17 – Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial Military Scholarships Awards
March 24 – (Open but searching)
March 31 – (Open but searching)

Down the road...

April 7 – Natali Galt – Kiwanis Lt. Governor for District 37 (our District)
April 14- (Open but searching)
April 21 – Prayer Luncheon – Adel Abdelmalak – Leader in faith development in Egypt
April 28 – Damien Sagestone – Director of High School Play – Fiddler on the Roof
May 5 – Annual Elections/Meeting – for our Kiwanis Club for next Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021)
May 19 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 1
May 26 – LSM KIwanis Scholarships – 2

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speakers agenda for first five months of this year, only 3 open dates left (Mar 24, Mar 31, April 14).

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 52 (Ron Stone is newest member) – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-21-20

On January 21 Lisa Stout of San Marcos Promise brought two great young people who have benefited from the Promise to speak to us – Elissa Dominguez and Roy Huerta.

The photo on the lower right – Jim Alden presents Lisa and the Promise with $1,000 donation as recently approved by our board.

The photo on the lower right – Young students who attended the financial literacy workshop sponsored by the San Marcos Promise.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis January 21, 2020

Lisa Stout and friends – Elissa Dominguez and Roy Huerta

Two Young Leaders Tell Us How the San Marcos Promise Worked in Their Lives

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 32) – Like Kiwanis, Lisa Stout cares deeply about helping the young people of our community. “We serve the 21,000 students in the San Marcos Unified School District in a wide variety of ways,” she said. Lisa has been the Executive Director of The San Marcos Promise for a year and a half. “It is our goal to guide and support these students on their journeys into college and into the workforce. We work with them to build dreams, pathways, and prosperity into their lives. Lisa spoke to us earlier in November about what the Promise delivers. Today for part 2 – she brought in two great young people who have been helped by the Promise.. Elissa Dominguez and Roy Huerta who gave us the details of how the Promise has helped them transition from learning to earning.

Here’s a synopsis of what they told us:

Elissa Dominguez – “I am a lead ambassador for the San Marcos Promise. I have been in San Marcos all my life, graduating from Mission High in 2016.

I currently attend Cal State Univ. in San Marcos majoring in child and adolescent development and plan to graduate in May of this year. I hope to work as a child life specialist.” – How the Promise Helped Me – “The Promise helped me figure out where to head in my secondary education. It helped with financial assistance, networking with professionals, in refining my skills as a leader, and being willing to grow beyond my comfort zones. I never imagined I would be able to speak to a group like I am now – the Promise helped me do this and many other things.”

Roy Huerta – “I am now the Education Coordinator for the PIMA Medical Institute here in San Marcos. I am a native of San Marcos, graduating from Mission High in 2014. I graduated from Cal State Univ. in Sam Marcos in 2018 majoring in sociology and business administration. The PACE scholarship I received, with the help of the Promise, helped me to both graduate and focus my career search. The Promise helped me decide which school was best for me, helped me with finances, and to acquire many “soft skills” that have been vital at this stage of my life. Skills such as networking, leadership, and volunteering have led to where I am now. I could not have done it without the help of the San Marcos Promise.” Roy now administers resume and job interview workshops, money-wise and financial literacy workshops as part of the “Super Strong” program which is open to over 900 high school freshmen at San Marcos and Mission High Schools.

Lisa told us “Today students are struggling to keep up with an ever-increasing load of academic requirements which unfortunately results in a reduction or even elimination in training in the necessary life skills they need to make their transition beyond the academic world. That’s where we come in to help.”

In November Lisa told us The San Marcos Promise administers the following programs: ● Clearinghouse for scholarships for students ● L.E.A.P. – Learning Enrichment to Achieve Promise ● Stembassy Camp at Cal State Univ. at San Marcos (CSUSM) – ● Middle School Outreach ● College Field Trips ● Camp NAWIC – National Alliance of Women in Construction ● Signing Day ● Promise Navigators ● Grad Walks – ● Summer Skillshops – ● Paid Internships in the Culinary Arts with Westin in Carlsbad. – ● TSMP Professional Career Closet – ● Mock Interviews at San Marcos High – ● College Expo and Future Fair- and more events and programs aimed at helping these students succeed in their next steps of life.

She concluded saying, “We have several opportunities to get involved with us. We host various events throughout the school year where we need volunteers (including career speakers etc). If anyone is interested in learning more or getting more involved, please contact me anytime! In addition, if you’d like to be added to our monthly newsletter distribution list, please let me know and I’ll send you our monthly updates to keep you posted on all we have going! Thank you so much for your interest and thank YOU for all you do for kids!”

Realizing the important role The San Marcos Promise plays in the lives of the youth of our community, our Kiwanis Board recently approved a $1000 donation to the Promise which Past President Jim Alden presented today.

Come Back to us Often Elissa, Roy and Lisa, we work in the same field.

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New Members & New Faces – Upper left Ron Stone our newest member (short bio on left) – Upper right – Jack Pease inducted as a member by Jim Alden and Jim Murphy

New Faces in the crowd: Martha Bozulich (guest 2nd-time visitor) – next four are from Sunrise Vista Kiwanis on an Interclub: Fred Story, Dick Muir, Mary Regan, Pete McHugh. Far-right Gene Clark of Littleton, Colorado.

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – Don Keller – 50/50 drawing today’s pot = $435 Gene Clark (Guest) had the winning ticket but drew the Ace of diamonds. John Lee also drew for a pot of $409 from last week and drew the six of spades.
Membership: Jack Peasewas inducted into membership (he joined Kiwanis late last year) and Ron Stone, our newest member, who will be inducted soon.
Four from Sunrise Vista Kiwanis visit today: Dick Muir, Frank Story, Mary Regan, and Peter McHughof the Sunrise Vista club visited our club today, thanks for visiting us.
Guests –Gene Clark of Littleton Colorado (Al Bomberg’s son in law) and Martha Bozulich visited us again today…come back often.
On the Campaign Trail with Margo Dutton– Margo Dutton reported she spoke twice in Sacramento and once in Modesto at Kiwanis events. She will be speaking at the Poway Kiwanis Club this Thursday at 7:30. “All is going well but I am very busy,” she said. She is running for Governor-Elect of the Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District which would begin this October if she is elected.
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery – John Lee reported that he had received $4652 from ticket sales after two weeks (has received funds from 41% of our members) – There are 5 weeks left. Our goal is to raise around $16,000 (approx.) which is about what we raised last year – more info about Silent Auction will be coming soon. John Lee also told us that Evie Williams donated $500 in the name of late Kiwanian Gene Williams (see below).
Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens, cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.
Board Meeting Held today – Past President Jim Alden presided over our monthly board meeting. Main decisions: ● Board accepted the membership application of Ron Stone (brings our membership to 52). ● Preparation of an orientation package for newer members. ● Sufficient funds ($1100) were allocated to cover sponsorship of our two international sponsored children (Mulusala Kivumbi – Uganda and Faviola Torres – Peru) for the coming year (sponsorship needs to be renewed in February). ● Two donations for local child literacy (up to $8,000 from San Diego County Supervisors and $600 from the City of San Marcos) were discussed.
“Bob” turns 105 this month – I bet you didn’t realize that in early January in 1915 in Detroit the original founders of Kiwanis were thinking of naming this new club “B.O.B” for the Benevolent Order of Brothers: BOB. Fortunately or us, they didn’t stick with “Bob” but chose Kiwanis instead…read the attached story for the rest of the story about how BOB became Kiwanis 105 years ago.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Jan – May, 2020)

January 28 – Ben Conarroe – ProMentors (Jail re-entry program)

February 4 – Leo Melena – CSUSM – Overview and Humanities Dept.
February 11 – Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Overview of Historic Homes in San Marcos
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors
March 17 – Roberta and Bob Gibson Memorial Military Scholarships Awards

Down the road...

April 7 – Natali Galt – Kiwanis Lt. Governor for District 37 (our District)January 21
April 21 – Prayer Luncheon – Adel Abdelmalak – Leader in faith development in Egypt
April 28 – Damien Sagestone – Director of High School Play – Fiddler on the Roof
May 5 – Annual Elections/Meeting – for our Kiwanis Club for next Kiwanis year (Oct 2020 – Sept 2021)
May 19 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 1
May 26 – LSM Kiwanis Scholarships – 2

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for the first five months of this year, only 3 open dates left (Mar 24, Mar 31, April 14).

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 52 (Ron Stone is the newest member) – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

—————-

Remembering Gene Williams

Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-14-20

On January 14 two great Marine leaders, Lt Col. Anthony Mercado and Sgt Major Jeremy Black spoke to us about our favorite Marine unit – 1st ANGLICO based at Camp Pendleton.

The photo on right-left Lt. Col Anthony Mercado, center Ivan Gillis, right Sgt Major Jeremy Black.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis January 14, 2020

Our Special 1st Anglico Marine Family

Leaders of Our 1st ANGLICO Marines talk to us about their role in our safety

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 26) – We were treated today to a wonderful overview and history of the 1^st ANGLICO Marines of Camp Pendleton. 1^st ANGLICO stands for Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. It is based in Camp Pendleton is one of three active duty Marine locations. The other two are at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Okinawa. They stay at a steady state of readiness. ANGLICO Marines are constantly deployed around the world and are always ready to go at short notice. Our motto is “Not Many but Much.” said Lt. Col. Mercado. “We are always training and always deployed,” he said. “At any given time around 25% of the Marines in our unit are scattered around the globe helping out where we are needed.

Lt Col. Anthony Mercado and Sgt Major Jeremy Black told us all about what 1st ANGLICO does and why.

Their bottom line today was:

We are a liaison unit specializing in fire support (value to the partner) and liaison capabilities.
We train to the broad array of missions within the fires support spectrum from simple “value to the partner” to detailed integrated fires including all

assets in the US and coalition inventory.

We are proficient in small unit tactics
We support Marine, Joint, SOF, Allied, and Coalition Units from the Division to the Company Level across the range of military operations
We are a versatile organization that has the capability to conduct a variety of missions by task organizing our teams to the supported unit’s needs.

Teams are trained to be self-reliant and can operate in a distributed environment.

We maintain a very high training tempo and are constantly deployed around the globe.

Our Kiwanis club has a special relationship with the 164 Marines (men and women) of the 1ST ANGLICO unit at Camp Pendleton. As we have done every Christmas, we held a joint Marine Christmas party with these Marines and their families on December 11.

1st ANGLICO Marines, along with the 190.000 US Marines worldwide, allow us to sleep peacefully because they are ready to go wherever and whenever they are needed. “When President dials 911, the Marine Corps answers.”

We are grateful to have these wonderful Marines ready to protect us if the need arises and for our special friendship. “Semper fi”

Composite photo above – from 1st ANGLICO’s PowerPoint program which provided an overview of how they fit in with our military units to keep us safe around the world.

Photo bottom right: Lt Col Anthony Mercado accepts 1st ANGLICO command from LtCol Mike Hays, this summer at Camp Pendleton

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Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – Art Brown – 50/50 drawing John Lee had the winning ticket but his draw will be postponed to next week (Pat H had a puppy emergency at home and left early).
Board Meeting Postponed – Our monthly board meeting was postponed one week to Jan 21 to better accommodate board member schedules.
Friday Morning Meeting at IHOP held Jan 10 – Our morning meeting was held this past Friday at IHOP; Glen Winn, Jerry Mason, Jim Trageser, Pat Haugen, John Lee, and Jim Alden attended. The discussion centered around our scouts and working more closely with the Moose lodge. John also passed out pancake breakfast tickets.

Next One will be on February 7 at IHOP at 7:15 am. If you wish to join us, you are welcome to do so.

Membership: Linda Alden spoke with Mary Lou Phippsyesterday and she and her husband Mike will be joining us at one of our upcoming meetings, they are both considering membership. Jim Murphy advised that Ron Stone, who was at the meeting today, is committed to joining. HOORAY!!!!
Interclub Planned for Next Meeting: Dick Muir of the Sunrise Vista club would like to visit our club on Tues Jan 21st. He will bring 6-7 Kiwanians with him.
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery – John Lee handed out routes to be walked for Pancake Breakfast tickets. ● Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens, cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.
Community News – from Jim Alden – The community fair is coming up this Saturday and we’ll need folks to staff the table. John Gibbs joined last year by visiting us at the fair. I will be working on the LSMCA table but can help. Also, please come out if possible, on Monday the 19^thto the LSMCA which is having a town hall meeting to meet the new board members and to engage the community by asking them what’s on their minds. The community at large needs to get more involved with the association.
Electronic recycling and shredding will take place at San Marcos High School this weekend both Saturday and Sunday from 9-3.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Jan – Mar 10, 2020)

January 21 – Lisa Stout and San Marcos Promise Club – Part Two (with actual children’s stories)
January 28 – Ben Conarroe – ProMentors (Jail re-entry program)

February 4 – Leo Melena – CSUSM – Overview and Humanities Dept.
February 11 – Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Overview of Historic Homes in San Marcos
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos
March 10 – Victor Manzanilla and Art Brown – New financial laws that affect seniors

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for the first four months of this year – Ideas welcome.

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 51 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-7-20

On October 17 last year Jerry and Linda Mason visited part of their family who live in Uganda, Africa. While there, they were fortunate to be able to actually visit the child our Kiwanis Club is sponsoring – Mulusala Kivumbi.

He is one of two the club is sponsoring – the other child is Faviola Torres from Peru. Jerry told us the inspiring story of that visit and the great around-the-world connections that were made as a result.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis January 7, 2020

Making Connections Around The World

Jerry Mason talks about their visit to our sponsored child in Uganda, Africa

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 38) – “So few of us Americans ever get a chance to really see how the other half of the world lives.” said Jerry Mason today at our first Kiwanis meeting of this new decade. “However, recently my wife Linda and I were very fortunate to make meaningful connections with a poor Ugandan family who is raising the young boy who is our Kiwanis Club’s sponsored child,” he said.

From late September to late October last year, Jerry and Linda Mason were in Uganda visiting their son and family who live in the capital city of Kampala. “One special day we had the great opportunity to actually visit the sponsored child who our club committed to sponsoring last February. Only a small percentage of sponsors are actually able to visit the children they sponsor.”

For most of his talk, Jerry told about the details of this incredible visit to a village an hour’s drive outside of Kampala called Budde Kalamba.

Briefings by World Vision staff in the HQ office and in the Field Office (World Vision Uganda helps 128,000 sponsored children in Uganda) “My friend, Jason Evans, who I worked with in Albania, and is now the director of World Vision Uganda; he set up this tour for us.”
Visit Mulusala’s School – “The students swarmed out of their classes to see us the “Mizungu” (foreigner). When Mulusala was brought out to us, this wonderful five-year-old boy seemed both amazed and confused. He could not speak to us in English, so he quickly grabbed on to my hand and would not let go. It was very touching. We gave around 50 simple English books to the principal of his school.”
Visit to Mulusala’s Home – From his school, Mulusala literally led Jerry and Linda to his nearby home where we met his larger family consisting of 17 adults and children, mostly female. “We were honored and welcomed into his family, treated to the best meal they could offer, given Ugandan names and welcomed into their “Mbogo clan (African buffalo). They named me “Kasibante”. Then at the end of the visit, we exchanged gifts. It was all very unique and touching. We made fantastic around-the-world connections.”
Visit to Lukala Umea School which World Vision is supporting – In the afternoon, they visited a larger nearby school with which World Vision is working. “At that school, we were the honored guests of the entire student body of several hundred. The various clubs at the school treated us to specially planned presentations and songs in English about such subjects as sanitation and making the right choices in life. Then they took a tour of the campus seeing many facilities World Vision had helped to build. In the end, I remember so many bright eyes full of hope and eager to learn even though by our standards their classrooms would have been overcrowded (up to 90 students per teacher) and under-resourced (few if any books and teaching resources). If I lived closer, I would be volunteering to help at that school often.”

In the second part of his presentation, Mason pointed out the realities of deep poverty in Uganda and similar African countries. Those realities are:

: ● Africa has the most urgent needs in the world,

African people are 200 times more malnourished than people in the 1st world (like the US),
Africa has over half of the world’s people who live in extreme poverty (less than 1.25 a day).

Mason then showed us how several humanitarian groups are working to fight poverty – World Vision, UNICEF (their daughter in law, Cecila, works for UNICEF in nutrition in Uganda and their son works in International Microfinance), and Compassion International (our club is also sponsoring another child – Faviola Torres in Peru (Jim and Linda Alden are coordinating with her).

Wrapping up, Mason ended with this plea for our club to continue supporting our sponsored children (the cost is around $500 a year for each child) “We have so much compared to the rest of the world. What we have been given was given to us to share with neighbors in need. If it is personal it works (he showed us several letters from Mulusala). We are connected to our sponsored children and they are connected to us.”

In one of the letters, Mulusala wrote “I am thankful this year because my friend Jerry visited and gave me a ball.” “This was only one special day of our five weeks in Uganda, but it created memories and connections that will last a lifetime.”

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Key Club Leaders from San Marcos High Key Club Ran today’s meeting: From Left Tom Kumura and Margo Dutton (Key Club Coordinators from our club)

SMHS Key Club Leaders: Brenda Tran, President Krista Nguyen. Becca Briehan, and Daniel Jiang, far right – Jerry Mason (speaker today)

They presented a short overview of club events this past year. The San Marcos High Key Club has 47 active student members..

Key Club of San Marcos High Runs Today’s Meeting– Four leaders of the San Marcos High Key Club took over the running of today’s meeting. They conducted the jobs of Emcee, Announcements, Fine Master, and 50/50 drawing.

(photo above) – Becca Briehan – is the Key Club treasurer. She is a junior at SMHS and has been with Key Club 2 years. Daniel Jiang – is one of two Key Club Vice-Presidents. He is a junior at SMHS and has been with Key Club 3 years. Brenda Tran is one of two Key Club Vice-Presidents. She is a junior at SMHS and has been with Key Club 4 years. Krista Nguyen is the Key Club President. She is a senior at SMHS and has been with Key Club 4 years. Krista said she enjoys planning and leading the many events the Key Club has conducted during this year.

They also made a short presentation of the main events their Key Club has held this last year The events were: North County Health Fair, Woodland Park Gardening, Text Book Distribution, San Marcos Harvest Festival, Oceanside Turkey Trot, Mitchell Thorpe Baseball Tournament, San Marcos Holiday Parade, Epiphany Prep Wellness Fair, San Marcos Christmas, and December DCM, Krista told us the club has 47 dues paying members. Come Back often Key Clubbers.

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Guests today – Linda Mason (Jerry’s wife), Johanna Murphy (friend of Jerry Mason) Natalie Gibbs (daughter of John Gibbs).

Faces we haven’t seen for awhile but returned today: Irene Acosta and Cynthia Martin.

On the Campaign Trail with our own Margo Dutton – October 1^st, 2019, Margo Dutton, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Lake San Marcos, officially announced her candidacy for the office of Kiwanis Governor elect for 2021 for the California-Nevada-Hawaii district of Kiwanis International. The Cal-Nev-Ha District of Kiwanis International consists of 449 clubs with 11,411 members reported as of November, with at least two new clubs built since then. As a candidate for Governor-elect, Margo has been asked to speak at a number of Regional Training Conferences, and Divisional Council meetings. The campaign started with a visit to Santa Maria to meet with the Kiwanis Clubs of Region 10, on November 2. The next stop was at a Divisional Council Meeting (DCM) in Manteca, California. The last campaign stop in 2019, was in Torrance, California on December 9, for the Division 19 DCM. Margo said, “I want to thank the club for their Unanimous endorsement of my candidacy. My theme is “Together WE Can”. She is quite busy these days. – For a more complete report read the attached to this newsletter

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Announcements-

Key people this meeting:Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, Fine Master – San Marcos Key Club (they also kept the fines they collected), 50/50 drawing – The pot was $395 – Jim Alden had the winning ticket and drew the eight of spades.
Health Report– John Lee reports that Don Alexander had surgery recently for kidney stones and is resting comfortably at home. Don Shawler returned to us this meeting – welcome back Don.
Pancake Ticket Sales- John Lee handed out pancake ticket packets (10 per member) – it is time to begin ticket sales. Our Pancake Breakfast is Feb 22. Last year we made around $18,000 (net $16,000) which made up the bulk of our funds for scholarships we offered in the spring. The Pancake Breakfast is an “all hands on deck” event for our club.
Pancake Placemat Ads – To place an ad in the Pancake Placemat, contact Cathleen Stevens,cathleenlsm@gmail.com, 760-471-7364.
Pat Haugen announceda grant of $600 more has been received from the of San Marcos for Children’s Literacy – Our Kiwanis Club has been awarded an additional $600 for children’s literacy. Recently our club received a similar grant for $8,000. We plan to use the money for more books for our literacy efforts in the coming year.
Friday Morning Meeting at IHOP this Friday Jan 10 at 7:15 am

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Jan & Feb 2020) A New Decade Begins….

January 14 – Lt. Col Anthony Mercado – US Marines – 1st ANGLICO– Camp Pendleton
January 21 – Lisa Stout and San Marcos Promise Club – Part Two (with actual children’s stories)
January 28 – Ben Conarroe – ProMentors (Jail re-entry program)

February 4 – Leo Melena – CSUSM – Overview and Humanities Dept.
February 11 – Tanis Brown, San Marcos Historical Society – Overview of Historic Homes in San Marcos
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field)
March 3 – The Benefits of College Athletics – Andrea Leonard – Head Volleyball Coach California State University at San Marcos

Jerry Mason and Barbara Wales are working to fill out our speakers agenda for first three winter months of next year – Ideas welcome.

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 51 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Newsletter Lake San Marcos Kiwanis – Dec 17, 2019 – Future Farmers of America

Four young members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club helped us end 2019 on a Christmas note. Photo top center from left: Quin Fischer, Camile Heskett, Jasmine Raymundo, and Gio Rodriguez,

In the back: left – Andre Nantkes, and Rob Gaebe both of whom work to support FFA at San Marcos High. The FFA has over 200 student members at San Marcos High. The four demonstrated how to make wreaths and told us about FFA there.

The FFA is a regular visitor to our club usually around Christmas time. The wreaths they made as well as those on our tables were auctioned off. They are currently raising money to buy jackets (like the one above) for all their officers.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis December 17, 2019

Future Farmers of America Help Us Wrap Up a Successful Year

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 33) – The FFA Christmas Wreath program has become a tradition for our club at this time of year. Four young members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club helped us end 2019 on a Christmasy note. The four are Quin Fischer, Camile Heskett , Jasmine Raymundo, and Gio Rodriguez (more below). Andre Nantkes, and Rob Gaebe are part of the adult support group for at San Marcos High (Rob is a regular speaker at Kiwanis, he retired recently and has had two knee replacement surgeries). The FFA has over 200 student members and 5 floral design classes with about 40 students each at San Marcos High. The wreaths at this meeting were made by students in these classes.

The four FFA youth demonstrated how to make wreaths and told us about FFA in SMHS. Jasmine and Camille told us about their FFA experiences this year. They include ● Sectional leadership conference, ● LA County field day ● Game Night at first chapter meeting – 55 attended. ● Future Fair at Mission Hills High ● Opening and closing ceremonies at Julian High ● Class on work industry and decision making ● SoCal leadership conference ● Horse Heritage Festival – sold pumpkins and had a petting zoo ● Collected and donated over 500 cans of food to the North County Food Bank ● Participated in the San Marcos Holiday Parade (with Kiwanis)

Collected over 100 toys to give to children in our community ●Gingerbread House contest at our December meeting ● They also told us that their floral classes made over 80 wreaths for the school buses in the San Marcos District. Quite a year!!

Here’s a little about each of the four FFA youths who visited us today: Jasmine Raymundo is 17 and a senior. She is the FFA Vice-President at SMHS. Camille Heskett – is the FFA Sentinel (meaning she is in charge of greetings at the meetings, and many other duties) she is a Sophomore at SMHS.

Quin Fischer is the FFA farm manager (a big job) she is a sophomore at SMHS. Gio Rodriguez is the secretary for FFA and is a sophomore at SMHS. FFA President Ryan Miller could not make this meeting.

Andre Nantkes and Rob Gaebe told us more about the FFA at the school and talked about their need to buy FFA jackets for all their officers (currently they only have a few jackets). Then, seemingly in response to this request, our Kiwanis secretary Pat Haugen presented the FFA with our yearly budgeted donation of $1500 (recently increased by our board). Andre, and hopefully Rob, will be back to speak to us on February 25 next year when Andres will tell us about his new service project involving moving surplus food from grocery stores to food banks.

Thank you, FFA for being great community servants. We are glad to partner with you in reaching out and helping others. Come back soon.

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Left Tom Kumura and his Santa sweater center Jim Dorschel with guests Ashley Rawlins and Cas Makowski, right visitor Martha Bozulich.

New Faces in the Crowd and one funny sweater

(photo center) – Recent Kiwanis Dist 37 Lt Gov. Jim Dorschel brought two prospective members to our meeting today – Ashley Rawlins(an attorney who lives in San Marcos) and Cas Makowski (who lives in San Marcos and does communications work) Jim met each of them at a meeting concerning reading.

Thank you Jim for staying connected with our club and thank you Ashley and Cas for visiting. Come back soon.

(p.s. Jim thinks our club is the flagship of the fleet).

(photo right) Martha Bozulich visited today – Martha recently moved to San Marcos (from Valley Center) and is already a Kiwanian (at Valley Center). She is considering joining us…Hooray Martha!!
(photo left) Tom Kumura had the most festive sweater (There was no contest, but if there was, he would have won).

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, FineMaster – Dick Skay, 50/50 drawing – The pot was $370 – John Gibbs had the winning ticket and drew the five of diamonds.
$8000 Grant from City of San Marcos for Children’s Literacy -Pat Haugen announced that our Kiwanis Club has been awarded an $8000 grant from the City of San Marcos for Children’s Literacy – we plan to use the money for more books for our literacy efforts in the coming year. Way to go Pat.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Jan & Feb 2020)

No Meeting Dec 24 (Christmas) or Dec 31 (New Year’s) – First meeting in 2020 will be January 7, 2020

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! A New Decade Begins!

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A New Decade Begins….

January 7– Jerry Mason– “Life for Children in Uganda” (results of meeting w/sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi)
January 14 – Lt. Col Anthony Mercado – US Marines – 1st ANGLICO – Camp Pendleton
January 21 – Lisa Stout and San Marcos Promise Club – Part Two (with actual children’s stories)
January 28 – Ben Conarroe – ProMentors (Jail re-entry program)
February 4 – Leo Melena – CSUSM – Overview and Humanities Dept.
February 11 – TBD
February 18 – Pancake Breakfast Planning
February 25 – Andre Nantkes – AB Jones (Fork to Field) (he was at our meeting today)

Jerry Mason and others are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for first three winter months of next year – Ideas welcome.

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 51 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis December 10, 2019, and Marine Christmas Party Dec. 11, 2019

LSM Kiwanis Dec 10, 2019 -very best for report.jpg

Five young virtuoso violinists gave a stirring violin concert of Christmas favorites for the third Christmas season. Leader Andre Ricardo was accompanied by four from the youth led organization.

Top left: Andre Ricardo, Taylor Quach, Thien Vu, Eunna Song, and Yarisa Huerta – Andre, Eunna and Yarisa also played for us last year. Bottom right: the Moms behind these wonderful young musicians are (top row) Van Duong (Taylor’s mom) Bethany Bernesser (Andre’s aunt) Simone de Bruyne (mother of Claire Lewis from last year’s group. Claire is now in her first year at the Manhattan School of Music), Monique Ricardo (Andre’s mom) and Karen Noel (Andre’s grandmother) below.

San Marcos Youth Strings Plays Christmas Favorites – Santa Comes to Marines

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 34) – For the third year, the wonderful young musicians wowed us all once again as they played a medley of Christmas favorites to get our Christmas season off on a high note. Their leader, Andre Ricardo said, “We’re a community service organization established in October 2017 to provide free violin and cello instruction by high school students to the kids of North County San Diego, CA. The kids also have the opportunity to perform for the public, both in the group and as solos.” San Marcos Youth Strings has about 31 young musicians in the program and they practice weekly for at least two and a half hours. They brought their best students to our meeting today for this performance.

These songs were on their playlist……● It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Andre’s solo), ● Jolly Old St. Nicholas, ● Ode to Joy, ● Deck the Halls,

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, ●Joy to the World, ● I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas (Andre’s solo), ● Frosty the Snowman, ● Silent Night, ● Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, ● Sing a Christmas Carol (from the movie Scrooge, the Musical), and ● We Wish You a Merry Christmas (which Andre played twice).

Here’s a little about each of the five violinists who played for us today:

Andre Ricardo – Andre is 17 and a Senior at Classical Academy Online located in Escondido. Andre goes to workshops there three times a week. He began attending Palomar College Fall of 2017. He has been taking Japanese 2 this semester. He also has experience in the Strings course at the University of San Diego, performing with them as a first violin. Andre is a member of Symphony in the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra and plays in their first violin section. He is scheduled to play at Carnegie Hall on June 17th with the Civic Youth Orchestra. Andre is in the process of applying to colleges and thinks he might like to earn a History major since he loves facts and writing. This could lead to a law degree, becoming an attorney with a side job as an author. This is Andre’s last year as leader of the San Marcos Youth Strings.

Taylor Quach – Taylor is 16 and is a Junior at San Marcos High School where her favorite class is Calculus. She plays the clarinet for her school band, violin for SMYS, as well as piano. Earlier this fall, Taylor and the San Marcos Knight Regiment competed in Utah for a marching band competition and ranked 3rd out of 33 schools. She is so glad to have been given a chance to give back to the community by teaching music.

Thien Vu – Thien is 13 and goes to Woodland Park Middle School. She is in 8th grade and plays violin, flute, and piano. Her favorite class is Art and she hopes to become a psychologist or an actress. Thien also was part of the swim team, knows kung fu, and is a great photographer! She loves to play the violin and being a member of SMYS!

Eunna Song – Eunna is 12 and attends San Elijo Middle School where her favorite class is Band. She really likes to play instruments, which shows since she can play the flute, piano, violin, and the Korean Flute also known as danso. She enjoys being a member of SMYS and is now in the program’s Advanced level due to her focus, practice, and determination.

Yarisa Huerta – Yarisa is 15 and is a Sophomore at Mission Hills High School where her favorite class is Drama. Yarisa plays the clarinet in her school band, the violin in SMYS and is beginning to learn to play the piano. Last summer she auditioned and made it into the Intermediate group at San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra. Yarisa continues to take violin lessons with Claire Lewis via Skype. She loves music!

Andre and the group talked a bit afterward about how they feel about learning and playing the violin and what the future holds for them in music. Andre will be part of the orchestra on Dec 21 and December 22 when they present “The Nutcracker” at Escondido Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at the CCAE box office and online at http://artcenter.org/event/the-nutcracker-5/2019-12-21/ – starts at 2 pm. The San Marcos Youth Orchestra will be inviting Kiwanians to their annual spring recital that will probably be sometime this March.

Thank you for inspiring our hearts about local youth and getting us into the Christmas spirit. Moms and students, please come back soon.

New Faces in the Crowd

San Marcos Youth Strings Support Group– the women behind the wonderful young musicians who performed today are Van Duong (Taylor’s mom) Bethany Bernesser (Andre’s aunt) Simone de Bruyne (mother of Claire Lewis from last year’s group. Claire is now in her first year at the Manhatten School of Music), Monique Ricardo (Andre’s mom) and Karen Noel (Andre’s grandmother) See photo at top.

Composite – these are some scenes from San Marco Youth Strings concerts and programs of the past. They include concert piano performances with our own Dorothy Coleman (bottom right).

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Santa and Kiwanis Give Marine Families

Another Resounding Christmas Party at Camp Pendleton

“When I took command of 1st Anglico recently, I kept hearing about this fantastic Christmas Party,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Mercado. “Now that I have seen it with my own eyes I know exactly what they are talking about…it WAS fantastic.”

On Wednesday night December 11, the 1st ANGLICO Marines teamed up with the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club and Santa himself (Bob Algeo) to give Marine families another great party for their Christmas season. The hall at Camp Pendleton was full of Marines with their wives and families (estimates were over 200). Many came wearing goofy Christmas outfits. The food was a sumptuous banquet. Santa was his usual “eye-popping” self as he put a twinkle in every youngster’s eye and a specially selected present in each child’s arms. Everyone, young old, Marine or civilian had a wonderful time.

The following Kiwanians went out to the annual gala. Don Keller (who arranged for Santa – Bob Algeo to come to us again), Pat Haugen, Ivan Gillis, Jim Murphy, Glen and Rosemary Winn, Margo Dutton, Art Brown, Jerry Mason, and Mary Ann Brandreth,

Thanks to all our Santa’s helpers who helped affirm once again our love and support for the U.S. Marines and their wonderful families.

(Note – a one-page photo story of this event is attached)

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Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Jim Alden, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, FineMaster – Jerry Mason, 50/50 drawing – The pot was $350 – Jack Pease had the winning ticket and drew the Ace of Clubs.
December 13 – Next Monthly Friday morning meeting at IHOP – 7:15 am.
Vons-Albertson’s Gift Cards make great gifts – Marie Purdy even said she would gift wrap them for free.
Monthly Board Meeting held – Our monthly board meeting was held after today’s meeting – for more details contact a board member.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Dec & Jan 2020)

December 17– FFA – Krystal Thomas – Wreath making and sales (thanks to Ivan)

No Meeting Dec 24 (Christmas) – First meeting in 2020 will be January 7, 2020

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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A New Decade Begins….

January 7– Jerry Mason– “Life for Children in Uganda” (results of meeting w/sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi)
January 14 – Lt. Col Anthony Mercado – US Marines – 1st ANGLICO – Camp Pendleton
January 21 – Lisa Stout and San Marcos Promise Club – Part Two (with actual children’s stories)
January 28 – Ben Conarroe – ProMentors (Jail re-entry program)

Jerry Mason and others are working to fill out our speaker’s agenda for February – Ideas welcome.

Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22at St Mark’s Church on Discovery

Current Membership is at 51 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 12-3-19

Attachments

Three from the upcoming San Marcos Creek Project spoke to us today about what will be happening in the next two years as the city engages in a project aimed to overcome the flooding and other issues along Discovery and San Marcos Creek. The photo above L to R: Leslie Spring JPW Communications, Isaac Etchamendy – Project Manager, & Susan Bankhead of JPW Communications.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis December 3, 2019

Improving San Marcos Creek Area Begins January 2020 – Details Below

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 23) – All of us are familiar with the flooding issues along San Marcos Creek and Discovery Street in San Marcos. They literally rose up again on Thanksgiving day blocking and snarling traffic there. Beginning in 2020 the City of San Marcos will begin working on a two year 104 million dollar project to address those issues and others along San Marcos Creek.

“We know it will be inconvenient and even frustrating at times,” said project manager Isaac Etchamendy. “We are asking the community to work with us for the next two years as we address several problems there. This is the most expensive project the city has ever undertaken and when it is over we will all be proud of the revitalized area around San Marcos Creek,” he explained.

Isaac and Susan Bankhead laid out the goals of the project:

Reduce the problems of flooding by several road construction projects – principally by building two elevated bridges (Bent Creek and Via Vera

Cruz) and widening some of the main roads

Build a Linear Park for community purposes along San Marcos Creek
Preserve and Enhance natural creek habitat in the area.

Isaac told us the project has 13 funding sources including 44 million from the Federal Government – “No general fund money is earmarked for our project.” They showed a very informative computerized video that clarified what will be done and how the area will look when it is finished.

“We will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the project soon on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and project work will begin in early 2020,” said Isaac. Here is the general schedule:

Winter 2020 – Bridge Construction on Bent Avenue – (estimated time to complete 6 to 8 months)
Fall 2020 – Bridge Construction on Via Vera Cruz – (estimated time to complete 6 to 8 months)
2021 – Enhance Creek Habitat and Construct the San Marcos Creek Park.
Fall 2021 – Construction ends – Grand Opening ceremony.

Susan Bankhead told us, “Communication with the community is an essential part of our plan throughout.”

She laid out four communication goals:

1) Build Awareness and Trust,

2) Remain Constructive and Accurate,

3) Inspire necessary driving behavior changes, and

4) Stay responsive and engaged with the community.

To that end, there are several ways citizens can stay tuned to construction events in the two years ahead:● e-mail: www.san-marcos.net/creek or creek@san-marcos.net – ● Text SM Creek to 484848 to sign up for text updates – ● project hotline 877-SMCREEK.

Isaac said that the main road in the area Discovery Lane will be widened to four lanes and will include a bike lane and a walking trail.

When asked what behavior change he hoped for drivers during the construction, he said “Avoid the area when you can but if you can’t have patience…we will work carefully and considerately with all drivers during the time it takes to make the significant improvements we have planned. And stay abreast of our construction messages so you will not be surprised.”

Both answered several questions from the audience after this presentation.

Thank you for your informative and helpful program – we look forward to working with you as the project moves along. Come back soon.

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Composite – top left San Marcos band member, top middle #1 Air Force ROTC at San Marcos High, top middle #2 – San Marcos FFA, top right – Batman.

Bottom row, left – Kiwanis District Governor Tim Cunning, middle – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, bottom right Bagpipe Band from Riverside, Ca.

Kiwanis Gets the Christmas Season started right at San Marcos Christmas Parade December 1

The Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club sponsored the 24th annual San Marcos Christmas Parade that went along Mission Road on Sunday, December 1 beginning at 1:30 PM. Hundreds of people lined the streets to watch the many marchers, bands, and dignitaries parade by. The following groups participated: Kiwanis (17) Marines (11) Many Boy & Cub Scouts & Girl Scouts, 2 High School Bands (San Marcos High and Mission Hills High of around 150 students each) The San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones & Vice Mayor Chris Orlando???. Tim Cunning our Cal-Nev-Ha District Governor and our Division 37 Lt. Governor Natali Galt were co-grand marshals. Glen Winn, Captain Book, says over a 1500 free books were handed out at this parade. This annual event has been conducted since 1996; for most of those years it was lead by the San Marcos Kiwanis club, but for the past two years the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis club has taken over leadership of this annual festive event. Thanks to all who helped make the parade another success this year.

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1st Anglico Marine Leaders: (L) Sargent Major Jeremy Black, (R) Lt. Col. Anthony Mercado

Photo at right – Scott Winn, Glen’s son, who recently retired from the Sheriff’s Dept.

New Faces in the Crowd

1st Anglico Marine commander Lt. Col Anthony Mercado and Sargent Major Jeremy Black visited us today. Eleven 1st Anglico Marines helped with the recent San Marcos Christmas Parade. Come out to meet more Marines and their families at the upcoming Marine Christmas party on December 11 at Camp Pendleton.
Scott Winn – Glen Winn’s son visited us today. Scott recently retired from the San Marcos Sheriff’s Department. Scott lives in San Marcos. Come back to us soon, Your Dad is our leader.

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – John Lee, Collections – Ted May, FineMaster – Dick Skay, 50/50 drawing – The pot was $331 – Art Brown had the winning ticket and drew the Ace of Clubs.
December 7 – Kiwanis Division 37 Meeting Saturday morning – new members encouraged to attend…contact Pat Haugen.
December 13 – Next Monthly Friday morning meeting at IHOP – 7:15 am.
Our Pancake Breakfast will be Saturday, February 22
Finding Speakers for January and February – Jerry Mason announced that he is working on scheduling several potential speakers for January and February – Several volunteers and potential speakers of interest are being considered. If any member has input or ideas please contact Jerry.
Vons-Albertson’s Gift Cards make great gifts – Marie Purdy even said she would gift wrap them for free.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Nov. & Dec.)

December 10 – San Marcos Youth Strings – Christmas favorites advanced strings (special holiday event)
December 17– FFA – Krystal Thomas – Wreath making and sales (thanks Ivan)

No Meeting Dec 24 (Christmas) – First meeting in 2020 will be January 7, 2020

January 7– Jerry Mason– “Life for Children in Uganda” (results of meeting w/sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi)

Marine Christmas Party has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 11 (5:30 in the evening) at Camp Pendleton – Ivan Gillis is leading a caravan of those attending…will depart San Marcos at 4 PM. Ivan needs to know by this Friday who is planning to attend. Contact Ivan at ivan.gillis@gmail.com. Plan on coming out for another fun Marine Christmas.

NOTE: NEXT MEETING MOVED TO THE BOATHOUSE – NOT IN NORMAL ROOM. SAME TIME – 11:30…

Current Membership is at 51 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis Meeting of 11-12-19

Leisa Tilley – Grajek of K9 Guardians spoke to us today about the wonderful work she and her German Shepherds are doing for veterans with

PTSD, TBI and other disabilities. Her friends AnnaLisa and Barbara Wales invited Leisa to speak.

Leisa and up to 300 volunteers (like AnnaLisa Wales) have placed 22 trained service dogs and puppies-in-training many in life-saving situations for those who have served in the US military.

The young dogs in the photo upper left who came with her are Selma and Shotgun both 5 months old.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis November 12, 2019

Leisa Tilley-Grajek – K9 Guardians – Serving Those Who’ve Served Us

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 32) – “At K9 Guardians we deploy the magic of trained German Shepherds to serve and heal those who have been traumatized when they themselves served our country,” said today’s speaker Leisa Tilley-Grajek. “The numbers are staggering. As many as 30% of our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer with some form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome – a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it.). “Additionally thousands are suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury) and other disabilities.

The most shocking number is 22 Veterans commit suicide each day.” This is why Leisa wears the number “22” on the back of her K9 Guardian shirt when she gives talks like this. “I started K9 Guardians five years ago to help serve more veterans who have given so much to serve us,” she said. “I was inspired by my father, who himself was a wounded Marine colonel.”

When asked about the “magic” that usually occurs between these dogs and their owners, Leisa said…It really is magical, perhaps it is because the dogs offer unconditional love that soothes these wounded souls. These dogs will unquestionably lay down their lives for their veterans. It is a very powerful medicine.”

Leisa offered four basic reasons why these German Shepherds can work their magic…

Dogs are Very Attentive– “Dogs are very vigilant – they sense and respond to danger. This mimics the vigilance of the military buddy system that veterans often cannot find on the outside. The veterans KNOW they are not alone. Their dogs literally have their backs 24/7.”
Dogs Respond Well to Authoritative Leadership.“Inside the military, everyone is used to either getting or giving orders. But that usually doesn’t work too well in the home and the civilian world. But dogs love the authoritative type of relationship.”
Dogs Love Unconditionally– “For many military personnel the transition from the military to the outside world is huge and difficult. This can be devastating when the vets were well respected within the service and find they are not loved or respected outside. Dogs don’t play the cruel games people play, They just love and that is a powerful medicine for those who are suffering in any way.”
Dogs Help Ex Soldiers Re-learn How to Trust – “Trust is a big issue with those who suffer from PTSD. The world and the people in it may not be trustworthy in their minds. These soldiers instinctively know they can trust their best friend – their dog. Re-building bridges of trust works outward from the trust they have in their dog.”

Leisa told us that training German Shepherd pups begins shortly after their birth. Pups are desensitized to the types of issues and situations they will encounter. Retired Navy Senior Chief Dan Cole said “My dog saved my life. I was very angry and anxious after returning from two tours of duty in Iraq. At my lowest point I was considering suicide. If it wasn’t for my dog Jaco, I probably wouldn’t be here today! Or not probably, I definitely would not be here today.” This is the life-saving magic of the K9 Guardians.

Leisa told us it costs about $15,000 or more to train a dog to serve and this training takes about 18 – 24 months. “But the great thing is that we don’t ask the veteran to pay a penny, they have already paid the price. This is how we serve those who served us.

I tell people our dogs are not God, but come to think of it, they do have the same letters in their names and the name (D.O.G), held up to a mirror reflects the same love… think about it.”

She concluded by saying anyone can help by 1) donations, 2) raising a puppy, 3) volunteering. Contact them at leisa@k9guardians.org. Thank you Leisa for serving those who served us. You Inspire Us to do the same. Come back soon.

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Veterans Day – Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Military personnel from all branches join over a 100

at Veterans Day Ceremony at Bougher Park November 11.

Veteran’s Day – Jim Trageser offered the following report…

“Lake San Marcos Kiwanis joined other local community service groups, such as San Marcos Lions Club, the VFW and Daughters of the American Revolution – in supporting the 2019 San Marcos Veteran Celebration at Helen Bougher Park. Our Cub Scout Pack 662 was also there, and helped lead the opening Pledge of Allegiance after the colors were posted by the San Marcos High School Air Force Junior ROTC detachment and a U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard from Camp Pendleton. The guest speaker was one of our own Cub Scout den leaders, Jason Beyer, a Marine Corps veteran and student at CSUSM. Former Sgt. Beyer is leading community efforts to expand the veterans wall at Helen Bougher Park to accommodate more names of San Marcos residents who have died in military duty. At the close of the ceremony, the Cub Scouts distributed handmade thank you cards they had been working on throughout the afternoon to all the veterans in attendance. Our Kiwanis informational table was staffed by Jim Murphy and Jim Trageser.”

There were about 10 actual veterans in attendance at today’s Kiwanis Meeting….Thank you all for your service.

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New Member Jack Pease, Jim Meade is heading out to Venice, Florida, Alden & Gibbs are elected, Marne Amogius visits us for Circle K.

Coming and Going; Elected and Visiting

Jack Peasebecame our newest member today (now our totals are 51). Jack is from the San Jose area where he lived for 55 years. He was a high school teacher and taught math at community colleges there. Jack and Dolli moved to Lake San Marcos this spring. Jack paints watercolors and is hoping to be more involved in community activities. (You’ve come to the right place Jack – Welcome).
Jim Meade– is going to Venice for about 6 months (Nov – May)…not Venice, Italy, but Venice, Florida for family reasons. He plans to be back in May when it warms up around here. See you next Spring Jimbo.
Jim Alden and John Gibbs elected to Lake San Marcos Community Association – Two of our Kiwanians are branching out, both were recently elected to serve our community as members of the board for the Lake San Marcos Community Association. The LSMCA was established to protect and promote the interests of the residents in Lake San Marcos, and to keep residents informed of issues and opportunities in the community through forums and through the monthly Quail Call newsletter.
Marne Amogius of the UCSD Circle K club visited us today. Marne is the chair of the Circle K Masquerade Ball Committee which is being held at the Mission Valley Hilton on Saturday November 16 (from 6-10). Raising money for Circle K’s Trevor Project (tickets $100 per person). Tickets can be purchased ongotomball.com or by email mball@ucsdcki.org. Thanks for visiting us Marne and for serving with Circle K.

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Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – Don Alexander, and John Lee, Collections – Ted May, FineMaster – Don Keller, 50/50 drawing – Pot was $298 – Barbara Wales and her daughter AnnaLisa had the winning ticket and drew the Six of hearts.
Health Matters – Paul and Elaine Jordan were back with us today (Hooray!!). Tony Colace is still rehabbing from a fall at Brookdale.
New Member – Jack Pease (from San Jose area he recently moved to Lake San Marcos) joined as our newest member today. He read about us in the Quail Call.
Board Meeting Held after today’s meeting – Our monthly board meeting was held today. The Board approved the membership application of Jack Pease, his sponsor will be Jerry Mason. Foundation Board approved up to $750 for Ryan Stangl to gradually replace benches as needed throughout Lake San Marcos. For more details contact a board member.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Nov. & Dec.)

November 19 – Planning Day for San Marcos Christmas Parade (event)

Jerry Mason plans to hold a short meeting of the speaker bushwhackers after this meeting to look ahead to speakers in early 2020.

No Meeting Nov 26 (Thanksgiving)

December 3 – Isaac Etchamendy – Project Manager San Marcos Creek Project
December 10 – San Marcos Youth Strings – Christmas favorites advanced strings (special holiday event)
December 17– FFA – Krystal Thomas – Wreath making and sales (thanks Ivan)

No Meeting Dec 24 (Christmas) – First meeting in 2020 will be January 7, 2020

January 7– Jerry Mason– “Life for Children in Uganda” (results of meeting w/sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi)

Marine Christmas Party has been scheduled for December 11 (evening) at Camp Pendleton – Ivan Gillis is accepting donations of cash and gifts. TheMarines will provide the main meal, wives will provide deserts, Kiwanis will provide table decorations, gifts, stuffed animals and the Santa Claus. Plan on coming out for another fun Marine Christmas.

Note: There probably will not be another newsletter until after the December 3 meeting since our next meeting is a planning meeting about the Christmas parade and then we have a week off for Thanksgiving. J. M.

Current Membership is at 51 (Jack Pease newest member) – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Maso


Kiwanis Meeting of 11-5-19

Lisa Stout of The San Marcos Promise spoke about the many ways they help the 21,000 students in the San Marcos school district.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis November 5, 2019

Lisa Stout – Explains The San Marcos Promise

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 20) – “We serve the 21,000 students in the San Marcos Unified School District in a wide variety of ways,” said Lisa Stout, Executive Director of The San Marcos Promise. “It is our goal to guide and support these students on their journeys into college and into the workforce. We work with them to build dreams, pathways, and prosperity into their lives. President Glen Winn introduced Lisa and told us that our club is now working collaboratively with The San Marcos Promise in publicizing our scholarships to high school seniors among these 21,000 students which will likely result in more applications for us this next year.

Here is an overview of the various ways The San Marcos Promise helps local students:

Clearinghouse for scholarships for these students– offered by several organizations such as our Kiwanis Club.
L.E.A.P. – Learning Enrichment to Achieve Promise – for students from kindergarten to 8th grade – after school and summer enrichment program designed to help students explore their interests while developing 21st-century skills such as adaptive problem solving, collaborative communication, and digital fluency.
Cal State Univ. at San Marcos (CSUSM) – Stembassy Camp – sends middle school students to this camp over winter break to expose them to STEM activities such as robotics and coding.
Middle School Outreach– The San Marcos Promise College Ambassadors go out to our middle schools to talk to students about their high school and college experience to motivate the students to dream big about their futures.
College Field Trips– Takes 7th grade and 10th-grade students on a tour of Cal State San Marcos where they get to talk with various departments, learn about the exciting programs offered at CSUSM, and expose them to a college campus.
Camp NAWIC – National Alliance of Women in Construction– Provides opportunities such as this camp where 10 middle and high school girls participate in a week-long camp learning about the various pathways in building and construction industry.
Signing Day – Another activity supported by The San Marcos Promise where we celebrate each graduate’s next steps after graduation, whether it be a 4-year university, community college, military, vocational program, etc.
Promise Navigators – Promise Navigators is a 2-year program at the High School level for students starting in their junior year. It is our goal to help students explore their strengths and interests, discover careers suited to their passions and embark on a practical path to make it a reality.
Grad Walks– Many schools throughout the country participate in this amazing event. In 2018, The San Marcos Promise partnered with Mission Hills High School and Richmond Elementary to start the Grad Walk tradition in SMUSD. This gives our graduating seniors an opportunity to reflect on their educational journey thus far and take pride in all their experiences and successes.
Summer Skillshops– Education Coordinators run week-long skill shops where they help students discover their career interests, listen to career speakers, help students develop their resumes, working on interview skills, as well as personal finance.
Paid Internships in the Culinary Arts with Westin in Carlsbad. – Developed a partnership with the Westin in Carlsbad – 10 students receive paid summer internships.
TSMP Professional Career Closet– We are collecting professional clothing for students after they’ve worked with our education coordinators on resume writing and interview skills and are ready for a job interview. Many students do not own professional attire, so we help.
Mock Interviews at San Marcos High -Reach out to our local community and business leaders where San Marcos High seniors present their career research and resume to a small panel of professionals. For many this is their first interview experience, it provides invaluable life skills.
College Expo and Future Fair– District-wide event for all middle and high school families where we bring in over 100 college, vocational school, and military representatives, as well as over 75 local businesses in an effort to expose students to all the opportunities that exist in their futures.

and several more events and programs aimed at helping these students succeed in their next steps of life.

Lisa graciously accepted our last-minute invitation to speak today because our previously scheduled speakers (from the 1st ANGLICO Marines) had to postpone their talk – it will be rescheduled for next year.

Thank you for coming to speak to us today, Lisa. We are serving children just as you are. Come back soon.

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Jerry and Linda Mason with Mulusala Kivumbi (our Kiwanis sponsored child through World Vision) and Mulusala’s family…what an international connection.

The Mason’s Return from Uganda – Jerry Mason and his wife Linda recently returned from five weeks in the central African country of Uganda (where their son lives with his young family). While there, they were able to actually meet our 5-year-old Kiwanis Sponsored Child Mulusala Kivumbi and his family who live about 60 miles west of Kampala, the capital city. They gave about 50 elementary English books to Mulusala’s school. Jerry told the members a little bit about his visit to today’s meeting. “It was a unique and uplifting experience for us and honor for Kiwanis to do this,” he said. “Come to hear about the status of children way around the world.” (One-page photo story attached)

Jerry and Linda will tell and show the whole wonderful story at one of our regular meetings soon. Stay tuned for the actual date.

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Ivan Gillis with our speaker Lisa Stout.

Ivan Gillis – a Patron of Children Through the Kiwanis Children’s Fund

Past President Jim Alden recognized Ivan Gillis for his generosity toward children through contributions toward the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. Ivan received an honorary Kiwanis pin (he has several) and the thanks of today’s speaker Lisa Stout. Earlier this year the Kiwanis Children’s Fund asked all members to “Imagine how many lives we could change if every one of us supported the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.” If that was a reality: ● More than 7 million kids would get a weekends worth of food

Nearly 180,000 students would get school supplies
More than 100.000 teens would receive leadership training.

Ivan, Way to Lead by example.

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New Storage and New LSM Community Leaders

Pat Haugen announced that the new storage facility (photo left)has been assembled by the cub scout families on the property of the Moose Lodge in Escondido. Kiwanis purchased this unit to save money in the long run over monthly rental fees.
Kiwanians John Gibbs and Jim Alden (photo right)were both recently elected to serve on the board of the Lake San Marcos Community Association. They will serve for two years. Way to go Jim and John.
On the Campaign Trail with Our Own Margo Dutton – Our own Margo Dutton is running for the Governor-Elect position of the entire CAL-NEV-HA District. She recently made campaign stops in a couple of places up north.

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Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Greeters – Jerry Mason, Invocation – Glen Winn, Song – Don Alexander, and John Lee, Collections – Ivan Gillis, FineMaster – Dick Skay, 50/50 drawing – Pot was $300 (approx) – Mary Harrington had the winning ticket and drew the Nine of hearts.

New Member – Jim Alden announced that Jack Pease (he recently moved to Lake San Marcos) is joining us soon.

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Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs (Nov. & Dec.)

November 12 – Leisa Tilley-Grajek K9 Guardians (German Shepherds for injured military) (thanks Barbara)
November 19 – Planning Day for San Marcos Christmas Parade (event)

No Meeting Nov 26 (Thanksgiving)

December 3 – Jerry Mason – “Life for children in Uganda” (results of meeting w/sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi) (subject to change)
December 10 – San Marcos Youth Strings – Christmas favorites advanced strings (event)
December 17– FFA – Krystal Thomas – Wreath making and sales (thanks to Ivan)

No Meeting Dec 24 (Christmas) – First meeting in 2020 will be January 7, 2020

(Jerry Mason and bushwackers are working to set a slate of speakers for early 2020 – your ideas are welcome)

Marine Christmas Party has been scheduled for December 11 (evening) at Camp Pendleton – Ivan Gillis is accepting donations of cash and gifts. TheMarines will provide the main meal, wives will provide deserts, Kiwanis will provide table decorations, gifts, stuffed animals and Santa Claus. Plan on coming out for another fun Marine Christmas.

p.s. Kudos to Barbara Wales who carried on with our weekly newsletter while Jerry Mason was away in Africa.

Current Membership is at 50 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

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Kiwanis, Live It, Love It, Share It – Jerry Mason

Kiwanis Meeting of 10-22-19

October 22, 2019 Meeting featuring Guest Speaker: Tish Murry, Boys and Girls Club

President Glen Winn called the meeting to order. A vote was held regarding the price of lunch at the Club. Currently we are paying $17.00 and the club is subsidizing the lunches since the Club charges $17.50. A paper ballot was held and the price of lunch will be changed to $18.00.

Tish Murry from the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Marcos gave a wonderful presentation about the growth of the organization and the upcoming events. She invited us to come and support their Holiday Hotcakes Breakfast on Thursday, December 5 from 6:00-10:00 AM. at Community Hall at the Civic Center. President Glenn Winn thanked her and presented her with two checks–one from Ivan Gillis and one from the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club Foundation.

Guest today: Jack Pease, moved here recently from San Jose.

News

Ryan brought a bench to show a sample of the benches we are making to be donating and installing at the Lake.

Ivan Gillis modeled the new District Kiwanis shirts.

Jerry Masonis in Uganda so we are missing our beautiful pictures in our newsletter. He reports that he has seen our sponsored child there and will report at an upcoming meeting.

Dick Skaywill be Fine Master next week.

Dick Skaywon $10 in the drawing. He drew a seven of diamonds.

ELECTIONS:

Margo Duttonin running for Cal-Nev-Ha District Governor. Her candidacy has been endorsed by Lake San Marcos Kiwanis.

Next Meeting:

Nov 5 Major Allen, Sgt Maj Jeremy Black, USMC 1st ANGLICO

Upcoming Meetings:

Nov 12 Leisa Tilley-Grajek, K9 Guardians – German Shepherds for Injured Military

Nov 19 Carrie Clevers, Parade Planning meeting

Nov 26 no meeting

Current Membership is at 50. Our objective is one new member a month. Who will it be for October?

“Membership is Everyone’s Job”

October 22, 2019 Meeting featuring Guest Speaker: Anthony Biese, Headmaster Saint Joseph Academy

President Glen Winn called the meeting to order. He turned the meeting over to our guests who did our meeting opening agenda:

Joseph Biese, 7^th Grade, Saint Joseph Academy, lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Isaac Biese, Senior, Saint Joseph Academy , presented an Invocation from George Washington. He then lead us in “America The Beautiful.”

President Glen Winn introduced our guest Abraham Vargas from the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos.

Pat Haugen announced that we are accepting donations for the USMC 1^st ANGLICO Christmas Party. Unwrapped toys are needed and financial donations are welcome. If anyone would also like to participate in the party, see Ivan Gillis.

Our guest speaker was introduced by Barbara Wales:

Anthony Biese

“Good Dirt—the Foundation for Joy”

What a joyful entertaining program Mr. Biese brought to us! In addition to bringing students to help open our meeting, he had Isaac Biese not only sing beautifully but also use three hula hoops simultaneously. Isaac is a Senior at Saint Joseph Academy High School. In addition to his wonderful singing, he is an outstanding scholar and a great actor who will be performing the lead in the school’s spring musical at the Historic Avo Theater in Vista. During the talk Mr. Biese had Joseph Biese, Saint Joseph Middle School Student, draw a wonderful picture.

Mr. Biese talked about how it is the responsibility of education to teach young people so that they experience joy as they learn. He told a story about his son Isaac who auditioned for a play and did not get the part and was never interested again. Then a few years later a last minute change and a special incentive resulted in Isaac performing in a play, and now he has gone on to excel both in acting and singing.

Since becoming Headmaster at Saint Joseph Academy the school has grown remarkably. The High School scored the highest scores on the SAT in the San Diego Diocese and the Middle School won the San Diego Decathlon. In addition to academics, the school has athletic programs with football and girls’ volleyball doing well in their leagues this fall. The school also produces 6 plays a year: 2 lower school, 2 Middle School and 2 High School. The High School plays are at the Historic Avo Theater in Vista. Our local students are lucky to have Saint Joseph Academy here in San Marcos.

Thank you to Mr. Anthony Biese for a truly insightful and entertaining program.

News

Jerry Masonis in Uganda so we are missing our beautiful pictures in our newsletter. He reports that he has seen our sponsored child there and will report at an upcoming meeting.

Dick Skaywas our always entertaining Fine Master.

Don Kellerwas the Secret Greeter.

Marie Purdywon $10 in the drawing.

ELECTIONS:

Margo Duttonin running for Cal-Nev-Ha District Governor. Her candidacy has been endorsed by Lake San Marcos Kiwanis.

Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs.

● Oct 29 – (Change of location this meeting only: Veranda Room, St Mark Golf) Tish Murry, She is a Kiwanian and CEO of Boys & Girls Club, San Marcos. Please come and bring a guest.

Nov 5 Major Allen, Sgt Maj Jeremy Black, USMC 1st ANGLICO

Nov 12 Leisa Tilley-Grajek, K9 Guardians – German Shepherds for Injured Military

Nov 19 Carrie Clevers, Parade Planning meeting

Nov 26 no meeting

Current Membership is at 50. Our objective is one new member a month. Who will it be for October?

“Membership is Everyone’s Job”

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club

October 15, 2019 Meeting featuring Guest Speaker: Margo Dutton

President Glen Winn called the meeting to order. Business items discussed were:

1. Trophies for the parade have been ordered.

2. Pat Haugen announced the vote on raising the new member dues from $110 to $120. This is a reflection of the district increasing of $10. A paper ballot was distributed. The vote was 25 yes and 1 no. the dues will be raised effective immediately.

3. Pat Haugen again announced the sale of Kiwanis shirts. If you are interested, please see her.

4. Pat Haugen announced that daffodil pins are available at $6 each.

5. The Holiday Parade will be December 1. Shifts will be available to work starting at 6:30 AM. The deadline for entries is November 19. We will be giving out about 2000 books to children attending the parade.

6. Pat Haugen and Jim Murphy will represent us at the Chamber Luncheon this week.

7. When you are done with your Kiwanis magazines, please bring them to meetings so we can show them to prospective members.

8. In 2 weeks we will be voting on increasing the cost for meetings from $17.00 to $18.00. The Club charges us $17.50 so we are subsiding 50 cents for each attendee.

9. Jim Alden moved that we endorse our member Margo Dutton for Governor. The members present voted unanimously to endorse her.

Immediate Past President Jim Alden introduced Margo Dutton as our guest speaker. Margo’s talk is one of a series of talks we have had by our members:

Margo Dutton

“My Lifelong Dance With Kiwanis”

Margo began, “I wanted to talk with you as friends.”

She continued, “When my daughter was four weeks old, she had spinal meningitis.”Margo continued the story of her daughter’s 10 days in intensive care and the many doctors who were called to care for her little baby girl.

During the time she spent in the hospital, she saw many babies who were deserted by their parents because the babies had AIDS. It was there she met a group of wonderful caring men who came to the hospital and sat for hours with these deserted babies and also with her. These men were from a group called Kiwanis.

Margo said she had prayed to God that if her daughter were saved, she would serve others just like these men in Kiwanis. Margo visited her daughter last week in Phoenix—she is a successful adult now.

Margo was working for the University of Arizona Foundation when she started looking into this group called Kiwanis. She wanted to serve the less fortunate. That was 33 years ago, and Kiwanis was “men only.” She attended some meetings and one group invited her to join. Little did she know that they put her name down as “M. Dutton” and did not report that she was a woman.

Since then Margo has certainly contributed extensively to Kiwanis. Among her roles have been President of 2 different Clubs, Treasurer of 3 clubs, District Treasurer and President of the Foundation. She is currently a candidate for Governor. She says,

“My heart is with this organization.”

Margo is a quilter and has brought her talents to Kiwanis by donating numerous quilts to the organization. She compared Kiwanis to quilting, saying that Kiwanis has many different parts that work together in many different ways.

When Margo moved to North San Diego County, the first thing she did was look for a Kiwanis Club. She said,

“It wouldn’t be home if I weren’t in Kiwanis”

We at Lake San Marcos Kiwanis were honored to have Margo announce her candidacy for Governor on October 1 at our Meeting. It is our privilege to endorse her as a candidate for Governor. We know Margo will continue to bring her leadership talents to Kiwanis in many ways in the years to come. Thank you, Margo, for being part of our series of talks by our members.

Today’s Fine Master was Irene Acosta. She came up with some unique fines including being born in California and attending a university.

Victor Manzanilla announced that Edward Jones is hosting a Market Update on October 22 at 4:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Victor.

Running For Office

The Lake San Marcos Community Association (LSMCA) is holding elections and two of our members are running for office. Immediate Past President Jim Aldenand John Gibbs. If you are a member of LSMCA, watch for your ballot in the mail.

Jerry Mason is in Uganda so we are missing our beautiful pictures in our newsletter. He reports that he has scheduled a meeting with our sponsored child this week. Watch for the announcement of his report at an upcoming meeting.

Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs.

● Oct 22 – Anthony Biese

Headmaster, St Joseph’s Academy, San Marcos

“Good Dirt—The Foundation for Joy”

Ivan Gillis has opened the Scholarship Program to Saint Joseph High School students. Come and hear the Headmaster of this school which is right in our backyard. This is a great meeting to bring guests who are interested in how we can relate to young people in our community and also guests who are interested in young people—they make great new members!

● Oct 29 – Tish Murry She is a Kiwanian and CEO of Boys & Girls Club, San Marcos
Nov 5 Major Allen, Sgt Maj Jeremy Black, USMC 1st ANGLICO

Nov 12 Leisa Tilley-Grajek, K9 Guardians – German Shepherds for Injured Military

Nov 19 Carrie Clevers, Parade Planning meeting

Nov 26 no meeting

Current Membership is at 50. Our objective is one new member a month. Who will it be for October?

“Membership is Everyone’s Job”

Kiwanis Meeting of 10-1-19

Reminder: IHOP monthly breakfast meeting Oct 11, Friday, 7:15 am. Hot topics are: Building the shed for the Cub Scouts, upcoming Veteran’s Day at Helen Bougher Memorial park Nov. 11, San Marcos holiday parade Dec 1, Marine families Christmas party date to be determined.

Board meeting summary:

– Motion to raise lunch price to $18. For the last year, the actual price from St Mark Golf is $17.50, so the club has been subsidizing our lunch. The members will vote on this on Oct 29th.

– There will be a vote by members on raising the New Member Initiation Fee from $110 to $120 on Oct 15th. Reason: The Cal-Nev-Ha District raised its portion of this fee by $10. The Board approved this last month.

– Standing Committee Chairs approved by the board:

Annual Financial Review Committee: Victor Manzanilla and Don Keller

Membership: Linda Alden and Jim Alden

Community Service: Jim Alden

Fundraising: Ivan Gillis

Pancake Day: John Gibbs and John Lee

—– Forwarded Message —–

From: Barbara W. <rdwales@earthlink.net>

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club

October 8, 2019 Meeting featuring Guest Speaker:

Jim Dorshel

President Glen Winn called the meeting to order and asked Ivan Gillis to do the Pledge, Cathleen Stevens to do the Invocation and Don Alexander and John Lee did the song.

Pat Haugen announced that there are new Kiwanis District T-shirts and Aloha shirts and anyone who is interested in purchasing a shirt can see her.

Pat Haugen also announced dues are due.  If you haven’t paid, please get a check to her IMMEDIATELY.

Pat Haugen also showed us the three daffodil bulbs which Lt. Governor of Division 37 Natali Galt gave President Glen Winn.  Glen is to plant them and when they bloom, send a picture to Natali.

There were no guests and 24 members attending.

Immediate Past President Jim Alden introduced our speaker, Immediate Past Lt. Governor District 37 Jim Dorshel.

Jim Dorshel:

“Shining a light into the shadow world of suicide.”

“Suicide is a mental illness.”

Friend of Lake San Marcos Kiwanans and Past Lt. Governor, Jim Dorshel presented a compelling talk about suicides.  He became involved after his son died from suicide.  Since he and his wife have been talking about this, at least 15 people have come to them and asked for help.  He said the most rewarding thing he heard was,  “You guys saved my life.”

Among the information he presented were:

–      Every 40 seconds there is a suicide.

–      Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds.  In the U.S. it is the 10^th leading cause.

–      321 active duty military took their lives in 2016.

What can we do?

If you suspect someone is a candidate for suicide:

-Talk in private

-Listen

-LET THEM KNOW YOU CARE

-Ask if they are considering suicide without judgement.

-Take concerns seriously

-Let them know it matters to you

-Help them seek help and don’t leave them alone

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

There will be a walk in San Diego for the American Society for Suicide Prevention on October 27.  His team GOFORKEITH will be there.

Some resources are

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

www.up2sd.org.

Jim ended with the quotation,

“To me it is both beautiful and tragic that the wounds from your death inspire me to heal the hearts of others.”

We were privileged to have our 2019-2020 Year of Meetings started with such an inspiring speaker.

Special Note: Watch for our speaker from K-9 Guardians on November 12.  They are raising and training dogs to serve our Veterans who are disabled and/or have PTSD.  These dogs are working to prevent suicide among those who have served us.

At least one of the dogs will be at our meeting.

Today’s secret greeter was Irene Acosta.  Art Brown was fine master.  Next meeting Fine Master will be Irene Acosta and greeters will be Harvey White and Mary Ann Brandreth.

Running For Office

The Lake San Marcos Community Association (LSMCA) is holding elections and two of our members are running for office.  Immediate Past President Jim Alden and John Gibbs. If you are a member of LSMCA, watch for your ballot in the mail.

Jerry Mason is in Uganda so we are missing our beautiful pictures in our newsletter.  We hope he is doing well and look forward to his return.

Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs.

● Oct 15 – Margo Dutton – “My Lifelong Dance with Kiwanis“.
This coming week we have a very special meeting featuring our member Margo Dutton who will talk about her years with Kiwanis.  New members are especially encouraged to attend to learn about Kiwanis.  Margo is currently Treasurer of Lake San Marcos Kiwanis and a candidate for Governor-elect for our district.  Bring a prospective member!!!

● Oct 22 – Anthony Biese (Headmaster St Joseph’s Academy)               “Good Dirt – the Foundation of Joy”                                                   Ivan Gillis has opened the Scholarship Program to Saint Joseph High School students.  Come and hear the Headmaster of this school which is right in our backyard.  Headmaster Biese is an entertaining speaker.  This is a great meeting to bring guests who are interested in how we can relate to young people in our community and also guests who are interested in young people—they make great new members!

● Oct 29 – Tish Murry She is a Kiwanian and CEO of Boys & Girls Club, San Marcos

Current Membership is at 50 Our objective is one new member a month.  Who will it be for October?

“Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

Kiwanis Meeting of 9-24-19

Today’s Meeting was President Glen Winn’s Vision for the New Kiwanis Year

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club October 1, 2019

President Glen Winn introduced himself as our Speaker. He passed out a list of Committees and gave a preview of the coming year. Among the items he discussed were:

– The Flag Retirement Ceremony is a moving experience. We need to encourage more members to attend.

– The San Marcos Holiday Parade will be December 1.

– For the Smoke Detectors Program, we need to have two people per visit.

– For the Pancake Breakfast Placemat Program Advertising Cathleen Stevens needs three helpers. Jim Alden will work with the Chamber of Commerce to let members know about the opportunity to advertise.

– Key Clubs need to be rejuvenated. We need more members. Anyone who is interested in helping, please see Margo Dutton.

– Captain Book needs a shadow. Anyone who is interested, please see Glen Winn. Anyone who would like to buy and/or donate books, please see Glen.

– President Glen Winn announced the objective of adding one new member each month this year. Who will be the one for October?

– President Glen Winn would also like to add a fun new project such as a Bowling Tournament or selling See’s candy.

– This year we will continue to pursue interesting speakers.

– We will reach out to other service organizations: Rotary, Lions, Moose, Elks, etc.

Glen concluded by saying, “None of the projects will be completed without the support and efforts of each one of you!”

We had a special announcement:

**Margo Dutton ** announced that she is running for Governor-elect. Margo, a long-time Kiwanis member, a current Lake San MarcosMember, past Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation president, and past Lieutenant Governor chose to announce her candidacy at her home club today. We were honored to hear her announcement.

Announcements and News

If you haven’t paid your dues, please send it to Pat Haugen TODAY.

Jerry Mason is in Africa. He is attempting to take books to the community of our adopted child and to meet the young man. We are looking forward to his report at an upcoming meeting.

******Please be sure to RSVP to Pat Haugen for meeting attendance. This allows us to keep our luncheons at a reasonable price.

Key People this Meeting

There were no guests today.

Pledge of Allegiance: Jim Alden

Invocation: Elizabeth Burmeister

Song: Don Alexander and John Lee

Finemaster: Dick Skay

Lunch Registration: Jim Meade, Ted May

Opportunity Tickets: Jim Meade

Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs.

● Oct 8 – Jim Dorschel (past Lt. Gov Div 37) – “Shining a light into the shadow world of suicide.”
● Oct 15 – Margo Dutton – “My lifelong dance with Kiwanis”.
● Oct 22 – Anthony Biese (Headmaster St Joseph’s Academy) – “Good Dirt – the Foundation of Joy”

Current Membership is at 54 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

anis Meeting of 9-24-19

k9-25

The weekly newsletter editor this week is Barbara Wales. Thanks, Barbara.

Today’s meeting focused on the changing of the Guard from the Kiwanis Board of 2018-2019 to the new Board for 2019 – 2020.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club September 24, 2019

Jim Alden briefly described last year. At the end of Jim Alden‘s remarks as outgoing club president, Ivan Gillis and Pat Haugen recognized Jim Alde for his exceptional service with a William A. Dunlap Fellowship award.

Lt. Gov. Natali Galt thanked and retired the officers/directors for 2018-2019: President

Jim Alden, Immediate Past President Tom Kumura, President-Elect Glen Winn, Secretary PatHaugen, Treasurer Margo Dutton, and Directors Jim Murphy, Jerry Mason, Mary Harrington, and Ivan Gillis. Then Natali welcomed and installed the new officers/directors for 2019-2020: President Glen Winn, Immediate Past President Jim Alden, President-Elect Art Brown, Secretary Pat Haugen, Treasurer Margo Dutton and Directors Mary Harrington, Ivan Gillis, Ted May, and Don Keller.

Key People this Meeting

Jim Alden welcomed guests: Rosemary Winn, Carol Alexander, Rebecca Brown, Merlene Keller, JoAnne Murphy, and Lt. Governor of Division 37 Natali Galt.

Pledge of Allegiance: Don Keller

Invocation: Elizabeth Burmeister

Song: Don Alexander

Greeters: Mary Ann Brandreth and Tom Curtis

Finemaster: Jim Murphy

Lunch Registration: Ted May

Opportunity Tickets: Jim Meade

Jerry Mason is off to Uganda to see his son and take books to the community of our sponsored child in Uganda. He hopes to get to meet our sponsored child–watch for the date of his upcoming report.

Regular Luncheon Meetings – Upcoming Tuesday luncheon programs.

● Oct 1 – New club President Glen Winn – “Looking forward to our upcoming Kiwanis Year 2019-2020”
● Oct 8 – Jim Dorschel (past Lt. Gov Div 37) – “Shining a light into the shadow world of suicide.”
● Oct 15 – Margo Dutton – “My lifelong dance with Kiwanis”.
● Oct 22 – Anthony Biese (Headmaster St Joseph’s Academy) – “Good Dirt – the Foundation of Joy”
● Oct 29 –

Current Membership is at 54 – “Membership is Everyone’s Job.”

Kiwanis Meeting of 9-17-19

Jim Alden is nearly done with his term as Lake San Marcos Kiwanis President for 2018-2019. Today Jim reviewed the Kiwanis year for our meeting.

There were many highlights including getting a pie in the face to raise money for scholarships at our 55th birthday celebration in August.

Report of the Lake San Marcos Kiwanis September 17, 2019

Jim Alden Reviews Our Kiwanis Year 2018-2019

Fellow Kiwanians (attendance 31) – “At first, looking ahead to being President for a full year seemed like a daunting very long challenge, but now that my term is about over, time has just flown by.” At today’s meeting, Jim reviewed the accomplishments of our club this past Kiwanis year.

Here is a summary.

In the Beginning –We were chartered in August 1964 55 years ago. We started with 28 members.
Now– Now we have 54 members, 14 new members in the past year (the biggest increase in our division)
Overarching Kiwanis Goals– Improve our community and the world, change children’s lives, build friendships, and have fun.
Membership Recruitment and Retention Opportunities – Christmas Parade, Pancake Breakfast, Social events, President’s message in Quail Call (monthly)
Jim’s Personal Goals for the year : ● To create an interactive survey and listen to the membership,● To continue improving the lives of children, those with special needs, the elderly, and those in third world countries that desperately need our help, ● To build upon the good works of past presidents, ● To increase Membership,● To have fun
Our Accomplishments (1) ● Increased Membership by 35% adding 14 new members, ● Outreach at LSMCA Fair/4th of July/Christmas Parade, ● Successful Pancake Day Fundraiser (Proceeds of $16,100/only $300 less than 2018), ● Scholarships were awarded to – 24 students in

High School, 1 in Community College and 5 transitioning Marines – Totaling $27,500.

Our Accomplishments (2) ● Successful Marine Christmas Party, Supported Change in Command, ● Increased Emphasis on Communications, Web presence enhanced, Facebook Page established with current information. President’s Monthly Quail Call Articles.
Chamber of Commerce Membership ● Continued coverage in SD Union-Tribune and Newsletters,
Our Accomplishments (3)● Enhanced Speaker Program; Offsite Meeting/Palomar Health, ● Successfully Merged SM Kiwanis with LSM Kiwanis (Assumed existing projects- Christmas Parade – ● Gave out 2000 books, Treasure Chests placed in 10 local schools in support of our literacy program, ● Flag Retirement Ceremony, ● Continued monthly IHOP meetings for SM Kiwanians
Our Accomplishments (4) ● Adopted Cub Scout Pack 662, Supported Local Events – Attended Blue and Gold Banquet, ● Moved Storage from Woodland Park Bible Church, ● Provided Local Storage Storage at Moose Lodge/Escondido (no cost), ● Shed Purchased August 2019 (scheduled delivery 9/20).
Our Accomplishments (5)● Established An International Outreach Program (Adopted a World Vision Child and a Compassion International Child) ● Continued to Support Miracle Miles of Quarters – $800 in quarters to benefit Rady Children’s Hospital, ● Blood Drive in support of Kiwanis one-day, ● Refinished Kiwanis-Sponsored LSM Benches.
Late Improvement Actions– ● Better appreciation for speakers (certificate & pen) and ● More consistent policy for health matters.
Charities Receiving budgeted annual donations ● The Arc of San Diego, ● Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos,
Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis District – PTP, SMHS FFA, ● Kiwanis Children’s Fund, ● Meals on Wheels (35-year Partnership), ● MMQ Rady Children’s Hospital, ● San Marcos Educational Foundation,● Solutions for Change, ● San Diego Center for the Blind

Jim’s backstory – Jim’s wife, Linda introduced Jim. Here’s a summary of “the Jim Alden story” that she told us about…

Jim was born in LA and grew up in North Hollywood where, with his mother, he was an extra in two movies (Shane and Kitty) as a child. He attended Woodbury University (BS in Business Admin). He started his work life with the Bank of America in LA. Then served six years with the US Army, being discharged in 1970. He spent the majority of his working years with Southern California Edison as manager of shareholder services. Met and married Linda in 1977. Lived in Arcadia CA, had two boys (born in 1979 and 1981). In 1993 they moved to Sierra Madre CA where they lived for 23 years prior to moving to San Marcos in 2013. Jim continued working in the 2000s; first for The Walt Disney Co. as a director of shareholder services then in 2011 working part-time for his LLC JRA Consulting Services. Jim and Linda have three grandchildren (two live in Reno, NV and one in Sierra Madre, CA.).

“When I first came to San Marcos, I tried various clubs but none of them contained an element of giving back to the community until our neighbor, Tom Curtis, introduced me to Kiwanis in 2015,” Jim said.

At the end of his review, Jim told us, “The most difficult part of my year as President was the giving the job my regular attention to all the details of the job and the most enjoyable part was learning about and being a part of all the great things Kiwanis is and does.”

“This year we have accomplished many great things in Kiwanis which has been only possible because of our team approach to giving back that is at the heart of why our club is still the flagship of the fleet in this area. Thank you all for your hard work this year. Linda and I still look forward to more great giving back service with you next year.”

…. Jim – being President is a big job; you have been a wonderful President. Thank you for all you have done for us and for the community this year.”

Note: the next newsletter will focus on the people in the club who have contributed to our accomplishments this year.

————-

Pantheon of Past, Present, and Future Kiwanis Leaders

Past and Future Presidents honor President Jim Alden and wife Linda– from left: Glen Winn, (2019-2020) he will be President of our club beginning this October. Jim Dorschel, Division 37 Lt. Gov. (outgoing) – he will speak to us on Oct. 8, Jim Meade President (2009-2010) Linda Alden and Jim Alden (outgoing) our current President 2018-2019, Dick Skay President (1998 -1999), Ivan Gillis President (2016-2017) Tom Kumura President (2017-2018) Ronique Nilsen President (2014-2015) Jerry Mason President (2015-2016), Les Hill President (1997-1998)

Several New Faces in the crowd today – on the left: Glen Winninvited friend Dayleen Coleman owner of D’Liteful Chocolat. middle and right: New Lake San Marcos resident Lori Budano was invited by Rebecca and Art Brown. Carol Fanelli, the fiance of Les Hill, came with Les today. Welcome, all!!

—————-

Announcements-

Key people this meeting: Greeters – Harvey White and Ronique Nilsen, Invocation – Jim Alden/Ivan Gillis, Song – Don Alexander, Collections – Ted May, FineMaster – Dick Skay, 50/50 drawing – Pot was $153 – Harvey White had the winning ticket and drew the King of clubs.
Our Club Joins San Marcos Chamber of Commerce – Recently our club joined the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and the connection is already paying dividends. We have new potential speakers and our website is now linked to the Chamber’s website. A “Meet Mayor Jones” event scheduled for September 30.
From Our Secretary Pat Haugen – Dues payments for the upcoming year are due in October – Dues are $140 annually.
Group Planning for Christmas Parade – Carrie Clevers, Glen Winn, Pat Haugen, and Jim Alden are working on Christmas Parade logistics and grants for the books we give out.
Mason Heading to Uganda – Jerry Mason and his wife Linda leave for five weeks in central Africa next week. They are visiting their son and family in Kampala, Uganda. While there they are hoping to connect with our sponsored child Mulusala Kivumbi who lives about 60 miles west of Kampala. They will take 177 elementary English books for the children in that area. They will return Oct 29. A report on this visit is scheduled for December 3. ● Barbara Wales and Ivan Gillis will fill-in for Jerry Mason on this club newsletter for next five meetings. (Thanks to Barbara and Ivan)

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Lake San Marcos Newsletter – April 6, 2021 – Gary Jander “Welcome to Our New World Paradigm”

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 23, 2021 – Greg Anglea CEO Interfaith

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 16, 2021 – One Year of Pandemic – an Overview

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – March 9, 2021 – Impact of a Year of Closed Schools on Our Youth

Lake San Marcos Newsletter – March 2, 2021 – Jordan Marks – Taxpayer Advocate

Lake San Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 23, 2021 – Honoring America’s HeroesMarcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 23, 2021 – Honoring America’s Heroes

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 16, 2021 – San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 9, 2021 – Overcoming Adversity

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Feb 2, 2021 – County Supervisor Jim Desmond – Vaccine Update

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – January 26, 2021 – Art Brown – Estate Planning

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – January 19, 2021 Zoom meeting #37)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – December 8, 2020 Zoom meeting #33)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – December 1, 2020 Zoom meeting #32)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 17, 2020 Zoom meeting #31)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 10, 2020 Zoom meeting #30)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – November 3, 2020 Zoom meeting #29)

Report of Kiwanis Meeting 10-27-20

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – Oct 20, 2020 – Pastor Jim Brown

Report of Kiwanis Meeting `10-13-20

Art Brown, our new LSM Kiwanis President, outlined his plans for Achieving the Art of the Possible during these trying times.

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 29, 2020 – New Leaders Installed

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – September 22, 2020 Zoom meeting #23)

Lake San Marco Kiwanis Meeting 9-25-20

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 8, 2020 – Promoting Agricultural Awareness

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – September 1, 2020 – Updates on San Marcos Creek Project

San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – August 25, 2020 – Zoom – Wise Investing in Turbulent Times

Kiwanis Newsletter 8/18

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – August 4, 2020 – Charlotte Fan – Meals on Wheels

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – July 28, 2020 – Dr. Omar Khawaja – Fighting the Pandemic

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Newsletter – July 21, 2020 – Chris Megison – Solutions for Change

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 14, 2020 Zoom meeting #13)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – July 7, 2020 Zoom meeting #12)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 30, 2020 Zoom meeting #11)

Scholarships Day Two

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 23, 2020 Zoom meeting #10)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 16, 2020 Zoom meeting #9)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 9, 2020 Zoom meeting #8)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – June 2, 2020 Zoom meeting #7)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 19, 2020 Zoom meeting #5)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 12, 2020 Zoom meeting #4)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – May 5, 2020 Zoom meeting #3)

Lake San Marcos Kiwanis (Special Covid-19 Lockdown Newsletter – April 28, Zoom meeting #2)

On February 22, Lake San Marcos Kiwanis held our 54th annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser for scholarships.

On February 11, Tanis Brown gave us an overview of historical homes in San Marcos – Composite above follows descriptions below.

Kiwanis Meeting of 2-4-20

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-28-20

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-21-20

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-14-20

Kiwanis Meeting of 1-7-20

Newsletter Lake San Marcos Kiwanis – Dec 17, 2019 – Future Farmers of America

Kiwanis Meeting of 12-3-19

Kiwanis Meeting of 11-12-19

Kiwanis Meeting of 11-5-19

Kiwanis Meeting of 10-22-19

Kiwanis Meeting of 10-1-19

Reminder: IHOP monthly breakfast meeting Oct 11, Friday, 7:15 am. Hot topics are: Building the shed for the Cub Scouts, upcoming Veteran’s Day at Helen Bougher Memorial park Nov. 11, San Marcos holiday parade Dec 1, Marine families Christmas party date to be determined.

Board meeting summary:

– Motion to raise lunch price to $18. For the last year, the actual price from St Mark Golf is $17.50, so the club has been subsidizing our lunch. The members will vote on this on Oct 29th.

– There will be a vote by members on raising the New Member Initiation Fee from $110 to $120 on Oct 15th. Reason: The Cal-Nev-Ha District raised its portion of this fee by $10. The Board approved this last month.

– Standing Committee Chairs approved by the board:

Annual Financial Review Committee: Victor Manzanilla and Don Keller

Membership: Linda Alden and Jim Alden

Community Service: Jim Alden

Fundraising: Ivan Gillis

Sponsored Youth: Margo Dutton; Cub Scouts: Jim Trageser

Pancake Day: John Gibbs and John Lee

Kiwanis Meeting of 9-24-19

anis Meeting of 9-24-19

Kiwanis Meeting of 9-17-19