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April 3, 2007 No. 25 Vol. 85
Today’s Program: Combat Chaplin – Major Ken Stone,
USAF
In
honor of the annual Easter program, your Human and Spiritual Values
Committee is bringing you a different perspective.
Our
speaker today is coming from Georgia. He will tell us about the
difficulties involved in being a chaplain supporting the troops while in
combat.
Chaplain (Major) Ken Stone, 49, has been assigned to the forward
headquarters of the United States Central Command in Qatar on two
occasions. From there he was sent to the hostile fire zone in Iraq on
two occasions.
Chaplain Stone is a member of the Unites States Air Force Reserve, He
started the City View Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as an ordained
Baptist minister. In civilian life, he is a financial advisor for
Covenant Asset Management where he helps churches, small businesses and
individuals with asset growth and protection.
Chaplain Stone and his wife, Kristy, live in Douglasville, GA,
approximately 20 miles west of Atlanta.
Many
of us occasionally think that we are in a “hot seat” at work. There is
no seat hotter than the one held by Chaplain Ken Stone, “Combat
Chaplain.”
Last Week At Kiwanis
Mark Fernandez, Sr. Vice President/Chief Sales
Officer, Tampa
Bay
Devil Rays
Kiwanian-Of-The-Day Bob Byelick introduced our
guest speaker, Mark Fernandez, saying that the Devil Rays have yet to
have a wining season, so they’re long overdue. Fernandez, Senior Vice
President/Chief Sales Office, who oversees the Rays' corporate marketing
efforts, broadcast operations, and ticket and suite sales, agrees. He
offered up some history, challenges and things to look forward to and
encouraged questions from our Club. The most important thing he’s
learned to do as part of the new management of the Rays is learn to
listen. Feedback from all the stakeholders is key to putting the right
things in place to prepare for a great season. Baseball serves a unique
purpose beyond its entertainment value for the fans – it’s the one game
that appeals to and connects with people across generations and families
can learn important things about each other over a shared love or a
friendly rivalry. Fernandez’ son, Jamie, age 11, grew up a Diamondbacks
fan from the days when Fernandez was Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing for
them. It was hard for him initially to switch his loyalties to the Rays
once they moved here. He was amused and surprised when he commended Carl
Crawford to hear his son retort, “Dad, he’s no Tony Womack!”
Matt Silverman knows what he’s doing, says Mark. He
came in and offered free parking and let fans bring in their own snacks.
Concessions revenue went up 40% once fans had the freedom to make a
choice about food. By asking men and women what they want that
would enhance their experience of the game, attendance, sponsorship and
sales all went up last year and again this year even though they lost
more games than last year.
Mark stated that community involvement is not just an
opportunity, but a responsibility. The Rays are giving elementary
children a chance to attend a game a season for free and they are
redoing and building ball fields for kids. The Rays are sponsoring the
Tampa Bay Super 50 All Star Game this year, featuring the 25 best high
school players from Pinellas and the 25 best from Hillsborough.
We have the #1 roster of good young players no mater
what publications you go to, said Mark. The Devil Rays are the best team
in baseball and he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t believe they could win
the World Series. With the change of ownership and the upgrade of
facilities, he comes to work energized to make this the premium sports
brand. He doesn’t agree that they need to relocate the stadium since
they redid the bathrooms, the seats and the scoreboard. He believes we
can bring in 2 million people a year, but the support needs to come from
the surrounding counties as well as Pinellas and Hillsborough. They know
they have to grow the fan base, so the focus is on regionalism. The
operation is still running in the red, but Stu (Sternberg) says when he
has to spend the money, he will.
Will they change the name to the Rays? Fernandez
skirted the question, saying that the brand is definitely going to look
different, they’re rolling out a new look and new image, but can’t say
whether that will include the name. Why did they move three homegames to
Orlando? Mark says it’s an experiment in building
the fan base; they chose the games that would have the least impact on
regular attendance and will never do more than three in
Orlando. How else will they appeal to more
people? Mark said expect special focus days – like Rollback Tuesday
Nights with dollar hot dogs, bingo and other fun activities, Wednesday
will be hardcore baseball nights and Sunday will be Family Fun days. A
lot of talent from management as well as the team is going into changing
the luck of this franchise and the future looks bright and
well-attended!
Guests and Visitors
In addition to our speaker, we had four guests and 62
members present. Eunice Harris joined us again from
Cambria Heights, NY.
Always a pleasure to see you, Eunice! Chris Jordan introduced us to
Karen Vanderputte and Ted Wall hosted guest Al Roundtree. Join us again,
everyone.
Why Easter Baskets Contain More Chocolate Than
Eggs
“It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love.
Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far
more reliable than a man.” Miranda Ingram
“Researchers have discovered that chocolate produced
some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers
also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember
what they are.” Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show, August 22
“All I really need is love, but a little chocolate
now and then doesn't hurt” Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M.
Schulz)
Florida District Mid-Year
Conference Report?
Will we find out what happened at the Florida
District Mid-Year Conference held last weekend or is it a matter of
“What happens at the Conference stays at the Conference? Stay tuned…
Sally House Easter Egg-stravaganza
Cindy Mulligan reminds us that the Kiwanis One
Day Service Event is taking place this weekend. Kiwanians everywhere
will be participating in a day of service in their communities. Our
Club is helping put on the Sally House Egg-stravaganza to create happy
memories for children who have been removed from their homes and are in
transition to foster homes. Come help make their Easter memorable and
fun this Saturday, April 7th from 9 am to
1 pm at Sally House.
You Can Never Get Enough Golf
Lorin Bridges let us know that the next
Kiwanis outing is the golf tournament at the Vinoy, followed by drinks
and food around the pool. Can we skip the golf and and just sit around
the pool? Does golf have cheerleaders?
Vote Early And Often
The annual election of officers and directors will be
held on Tuesday, May 1 at the Club’s Annual Meeting. Charles Stuart
passed the nominations ballot around at our last meeting; please
indicate your nominations and return your ballot no later than April 10th
to Charles. Forms will be available at your table if you have not
already received one.
April 3rd Is “Don’t Go To Work Unless
Its Fun Day”
So we don’t expect to be seeing many of you today…but
those we do have the key to happiness!
TODAY’S QUIZ:
- Where does the
word “Easter” come from?
- What was the
original site of what has now become the White House Easter Egg
Roll?
- In its entire
lifetime, the worker bee produces how much honey?
- Who said, “When
I was a boy the
Dead Sea was only sick.?”
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Father,
by this Easter mystery
you touch our lives
with the healing power of your love.
You have given us the freedom
of the children of God.
May we who now celebrate your gift
find joy in it for ever in heaven.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.
LAST WEEK’S QUIZ:
1. Infielder Jorge Cantu, who hit 28 home
runs and drove in 117 runs in 2005, is the Devil Ray player with the
most runs batted in in 2005.
2. In an episode of
The Simpsons, Professor Frink referred to astrology as the "Tampa
Bay Devil Rays of Science".
3. The youngest Senator in the current
Congress is John Sununu (R-NH), born in 1964.
4. Of all known forms of animals life ever to
inhabit the Earth, only about 10% still exist today.
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